So now for the obligatory posts, what did you get for Xmas 2019

[durango dude]

Santa did bring me a pretty nice caliper ----- one with a stiff on/off switch that won't auto-start whenever someone slams a door.

I also plan to pick up a new JET lathe using a bunch of gift certs sent by the kids (yes, adding my own funds).

The HF lathe was a good starter ---- but once you turn a pen on a JET, any pretense of contentment melts away.
Note to colleagues ---- Woodcraft's free "turn for the troops" program is dangerous.
I just wish I had enough for that beautiful Laguna Revo.

[Carlos]

Off topic, but these ammo reloaders showed up on my YouTube feed. They powder coat their ammo. Do you know what the reason for that is?

It lubes the bullets, and totally encapsulates the lead. So there is no need for bullet lube and you reduce your lead exposure. It supposedly also reduces barrel fouling. I think it's a solution looking for a problem and didn't look further. I only reload for the .50 BMG, so production speed isn't high, and each bullet is treated fairly individually anyway. I mean, I use trays of 20 to move them, and to spray lube them. Not much effort added by lubing. I'm also already running the cases over various "clean up" bits on a slow-RPM five-tool machine. One tool is a neck inside luber, it adds very little time to use it.

A little late for Christmas, but I just got a starter kit of the 3M PPS cups for my HVLP gun. These are disposable liners in hard cups, which can also be capped and saved long term. It means MUCH less cleanup, less waste, faster changes between finishes, and you can spray in any direction without a change in pattern at all. The liners are pressurized from the back by the gun's normal cup pressure tube. Basically a good baby bottle design for paint. I have a table project which is going to be hard to spray on all sides if I can't hold the gun in any direction, I think I will love this. I also hate getting the gun out because of the cleanup time, so I'm very likely to grab it for small jobs now since it won't take a lot to clean/change finishes.

[LCHIEN]

Borrowing a statement from author unknown...... obviously a wise man.

“When I die I hope that my wife doesn’t sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them”

That's OK, don't sell her purses for what she told you she paid for them, either!

[capncarl]

Borrowing a statement from author unknown...... obviously a wise man.

“When I die I hope that my wife doesn’t sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them”

[atgcpaul]

Fun costs money.

True that! After the cost of my road bike, I stopped adding up all the gear and accessories I've bought for cycling.

When I reload, I'm down at a buck, and generic commercial "plinking" ammo is $4.

Off topic, but these ammo reloaders showed up on my YouTube feed. They powder coat their ammo. Do you know what the reason for that is?

[atgcpaul]

One of my coworkers had his bachelor party at a shooting range. Now it makes sense why it cost so much. It was fun, though, especially watching one of my other coworkers shoot a gun for the first time.

It was my first time shooting handguns. I've only shot my BB rifle, some hunting rifles, and a 12 gauge for bird hunting. I think I prefer guns with the longer barrels. Maybe if I had been around handguns growing up, I'd be more at ease around them. There just seemed to be less room for error with something with a short barrel. My friend requested the 45 Magnum and we all took turns. Dayum!

These guys in military gear showed up a little later with some kind of semi-automatic rifles. They squeezed off several rounds and now that I know, that must have cost a pretty penny. It was an indoor range and even with our ear muffs on, those rifles made louder than anything I've ever experienced.

[cwsmith]

"Fun" comes in different forms, but firing at $7 a round wouldn't begin to be on my fun list. I got a "22" for Christmas when I was 14 (more than 60 years ago), it was a "single-shot'. My Dad said there was no sense in me having a "clip" because I need to learn how to aim and not "shoot up the woods". Back then I had a paper route and a couple of other jobs that earned me a few $'s a week. Back then a box of fifty 22-long rifles cost me 65 cents.... about the price of going to the movies. I guess I just never got over being "cheap" on counting my shots. I do admit that I do like firearms, but obviously I never got past thinking about the cost of each shot, which for me anyway, is a price consideration for just "fun".

CWS

[mm1992]

Wow, and to think I started reloading because I didn't want to pay retail prices for .30-30. I can't imagine trying to feed a .50BMG no matter how fun it is to shoot.

[Carlos]

Fun costs money.

My friends bought some high-dollar, super accurate ammo so they could shoot my .50 BMG while they were visiting. Two boxes at $7 per round. When I reload, I'm down at a buck, and generic commercial "plinking" ammo is $4.

[atgcpaul]

The high end Beowulf ammo from Alexander Arms is just under $2, and my plinking ammo is about $1.25.

I'll stick with my Daisy BB air rifle! $1.25 a round? Man, that's still too rich for my blood. I didn't realize shooting cost that much. I suppose if you're just deer hunting, you might shoot less than a handful of rounds in a year, but practice shooting seems like it would get expensive fast.

[twistsol]

Since we're still in a tiny apartment until May my wife an dI decided we didn't need anything else. There isn't room for what we have. We did get each other an Apple Watch to replace aging and failing FitBits

[capncarl]

I consider all AK and AR mods DIY, be it that the components were ordered from specialty mfg’s. If I, you or a gunsmith assembles it, it’s still DIY. Now if you went to a private AK build class.... that’s really DIY! ( the class would be a lot of fun)
Google is our friend! Google AK47 .50 Beowulf. Some posts must be several years old.

The guys that were firing the AK50 Beowulf did not appear to be getting battered any more that with the7.62 ammo.

[Carlos]

I'm confused, because the Beowulf hits WAY harder than the 7.62x39 and ammo has never cost that much. That's .50 BMG pricing. The high end Beowulf ammo from Alexander Arms is just under $2, and my plinking ammo is about $1.25. The fury from this round is unmistakable for both the user and those next to it. From a pistol, it spits fire and kicks even harder. Muzzle energy is around 3,000 while the 7.62x39 is only half that. The ballistics on it are similar to a 45-70 (short range, devastating hit).

Also, I've never heard of an AK conversion for that caliber, that's interesting. I wonder if it was a DIY.

A couple months ago I got to try my Beowulf carbine upper on a full auto lower, now that was stupid fun.

[capncarl]

.50 Beowulf? I watch one shoot at a range last month in a AK format. I was impressed with how little difference the recoil was with the AK47. More pop in the noise level. I wanted one until I heard the owner say the ammo was about $3.50 ea.

[LCHIEN]

What's that little black toy 3-drawer tool chest in the middle on the floor?