What did you do today?

[bigpete]

Good job Oldbloke

[bladeracer]

Very hot here today, and too many people visiting for my liking
They've all gone into town for pizza so I'm home alone at last!
Managed to use the hoist on the tractor to throw the plow on the cattle scale to weigh it, job done.
Think I'll watch Charade now, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant 1963

[Lsfan]

The pre Christmas winter storm is here. Right now it is snowing steadily, however it is due to warm up and turn to rain tonight. It will then rain all night with temps hitting about 5C early in the morning. Around noon the temp will begin to drop and it will hit -18C with a wind chill of -35C. It's pretty uncommon here to have that violent of a swing in temps. Also the rain will melt a lot of this snow and then with a hard freeze it will freeze all that water.

The new reloading bench is finished and in place. I just need to bolt the presses to their mounts, remount the shelf, restock the shelf with bullets and primers and then fill in some holes with wood putty. I will do a quick video on it for Youtube. Also working on a 32 ACP project for Youtube among other things.

It's hard to imagine having a Christmas in snow and such cold temps when ours is associated with hot weather and sometimes bushfire. It would be a nice experience and is familiar to so many American movies.

[Oldbloke]

Good job Oldbloke

I suspect all the ocean pollution is giving the fish populations depression. These buggers comitted suicide.

[colin.rac]

G'day everyone, and a merry christmas for tomorrow.

I received a very nice letter from WAPOL, stating my background check "suggests it will be approved." I received a form 22 with it. Once the form 22 is sent out, its a definite that your application is approved... right? I doubt WAPOL would make you go out and buy and install a gun safe just for them to deny it.

[wanneroo]

It's hard to imagine having a Christmas in snow and such cold temps when ours is associated with hot weather and sometimes bushfire. It would be a nice experience and is familiar to so many American movies.

Yes, back in the day when I worked in a big ski resort town here in the USA and most of the work staff was from Australia and NZ, they really enjoyed the cold snowy Christmas as a nice change. It's something worth doing at least once in your life to experience a wintry Christmas.

I spent most of a December one time in New Zealand and it was very weird with warm temps and long sunny days and seeing TV commercials with fake snow and going to Christmas parades in warm weather.

I think a few mountain towns in NSW and Victoria do a "winter fest" type thing where they have winter time Christmas like festivities and hang lights and such out and they do it in June and July.

[deye243]

Do these cartridges do any damage at all to 5mm mild at these ranges?

Have you tested mild to determine minimum distances and thicknesses for different cartridges?

I suspect he shoots them at very long ranges, where mild is probably fine.

You would be correct. Today was short to medium range with 223 and 260 .

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223 at 502y

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260 at 757y

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Admittedly I did laminate the target for the 260 complete with a lot of plug welding and full seam welding around the edge

[/quote]
I have not done any real extensive testing but what I do know over the last 10 years is 5 mm mild steel plate is fine for 223 at 500 if you get 2 in exactly the same spot you get roughly a 1 mm dimple if you could call it that reason why i laminated the target for the 260 is that I can use it with 130 grain projectiles at 500 the 147 funnily enough make about a 4 millimetre dimple so out to 700 for that which is fine for me because 500 yards is way too easy with a 260 10 mil plate is perfectly fine for 7mm Remington Magnum with 162 eld-m 168 vld burger and 180 grain vld burger and in the 7 mil they are fairly stout loads 3070 thereabouts for the first 2 and 2965 for the 180 grainers I will have to get a picture of the target I call Fatboy it's a bit wider than most bit like me I've been using that one since 2012.

PS this is Fatboy with three shots roughly the same place 757 yards 130 grain eld-m cruising along 2854 feet per second 10mm steel plate with copious coats of white Matt paint.

Screenshot_20221227-153744_Gallery.jpg (287.79 KiB) Viewed 2494 times

[bigpete]

What did I do today ? Honestly,just sat inside in the air con,coz its hot as stink outside,and watched a streaming series called the Peripheral, which is actually really good

[deye243]

What did I do today ? Honestly,just sat inside in the air con,coz its hot as stink outside,and watched a streaming series called the Peripheral, which is actually really good

What's it about Pete and which service please

[bigpete]

What did I do today ? Honestly,just sat inside in the air con,coz its hot as stink outside,and watched a streaming series called the Peripheral, which is actually really good

What's it about Pete and which service please

Have you ever watched Altered Carbon? Sort of a high tech dystopian future type thing. I think its on Prime ?

[Oldbloke]

Tweeked the DIY peep sight on my ML. Way over due. Then watched a couple of Western's

Paint your wagon
True Grit.

[deye243]

What did I do today ? Honestly,just sat inside in the air con,coz its hot as stink outside,and watched a streaming series called the Peripheral, which is actually really good

What's it about Pete and which service please

Have you ever watched Altered Carbon? Sort of a high tech dystopian future type thing. I think its on Prime ?

Nope have only had a so-called smart television and NBN for a few months

[bladeracer]

Thanks Deye, that looks good. I was thinking 5mm might be thin enough to at least get buckled at 500m. I found an old post of yours where you said you use 10mm at 1000yd with 7mmRemMag, .260 and .300WinMag.
https://enoughgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=9562&start=30#p159179
I think I'll have to buy a sheet of 5mm, make some gongs, then try some offcuts with different cartridges at different velocities and work out for myself what the minimum ranges are. 5mm plate is around $360 for a 1200mm by 2400mm sheet so it's pretty good value once you work out the minimum distances you can shoot it at.

I have not done any real extensive testing but what I do know over the last 10 years is 5 mm mild steel plate is fine for 223 at 500 if you get 2 in exactly the same spot you get roughly a 1 mm dimple if you could call it that reason why i laminated the target for the 260 is that I can use it with 130 grain projectiles at 500 the 147 funnily enough make about a 4 millimetre dimple so out to 700 for that which is fine for me because 500 yards is way too easy with a 260 10 mil plate is perfectly fine for 7mm Remington Magnum with 162 eld-m 168 vld burger and 180 grain vld burger and in the 7 mil they are fairly stout loads 3070 thereabouts for the first 2 and 2965 for the 180 grainers I will have to get a picture of the target I call Fatboy it's a bit wider than most bit like me I've been using that one since 2012.

PS this is Fatboy with three shots roughly the same place 757 yards 130 grain eld-m cruising along 2854 feet per second 10mm steel plate with copious coats of white Matt paint.

Screenshot_20221227-153744_Gallery.jpg

[deye243]

Thanks Deye, that looks good. I was thinking 5mm might be thin enough to at least get buckled at 500m. I found an old post of yours where you said you use 10mm at 1000yd with 7mmRemMag, .260 and .300WinMag.
https://enoughgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=9562&start=30#p159179
I think I'll have to buy a sheet of 5mm, make some gongs, then try some offcuts with different cartridges at different velocities and work out for myself what the minimum ranges are. 5mm plate is around $360 for a 1200mm by 2400mm sheet so it's pretty good value once you work out the minimum distances you can shoot it at.

Do these cartridges do any damage at all to 5mm mild at these ranges?

Have you tested mild to determine minimum distances and thicknesses for different cartridges?

I have not done any real extensive testing but what I do know over the last 10 years is 5 mm mild steel plate is fine for 223 at 500 if you get 2 in exactly the same spot you get roughly a 1 mm dimple if you could call it that reason why i laminated the target for the 260 is that I can use it with 130 grain projectiles at 500 the 147 funnily enough make about a 4 millimetre dimple so out to 700 for that which is fine for me because 500 yards is way too easy with a 260 10 mil plate is perfectly fine for 7mm Remington Magnum with 162 eld-m 168 vld burger and 180 grain vld burger and in the 7 mil they are fairly stout loads 3070 thereabouts for the first 2 and 2965 for the 180 grainers I will have to get a picture of the target I call Fatboy it's a bit wider than most bit like me I've been using that one since 2012.

PS this is Fatboy with three shots roughly the same place 757 yards 130 grain eld-m cruising along 2854 feet per second 10mm steel plate with copious coats of white Matt paint.

The attachment Screenshot_20221227-153744_Gallery.jpg is no longer available

[/quote]
Bugger that I got enough for 3. Torsos two pieces were used in the laminated Target also made a 2/3 size and two 1/3 size targets.all for the princely sum of $30.
These are the 1/3 size great fun with the 22 these were set up at a couple of hundred yards.

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[deye243]

Don't know what happened there the highlighted section should have been the price on the plate

[bladeracer]

Bugger that I got enough for 3. Torsos two pieces were used in the laminated Target also made a 2/3 size and two 1/3 size targets.all for the princely sum of $30.
These are the 1/3 size great fun with the 22 these were set up at a couple of hundred yards.

Screenshot_20221227-214855_Gallery.jpg

Screenshot_20221227-214237_Gallery.jpg

I have asked for prices on off-cuts and they quote me a smidge under what I'd be paying for the full sheet anyway. As they never actually have material on-site I guess they must buy in a sheet to cut me the off-cut, making me pay for the whole thing then they sell the rest of it at 100% profit. Silly buggers.

I don't need any torsos, I just want square or rectangular plates. A quarter of a sheet - 1200mm by 600mm is enough for a 600x600mm plate, two 300x300mm, two 200x200mm, two 150x150mm, four 100x100mm and six 50x50mm plates - for $90 plus some cutting discs. The remaining 3/4 sheet would make some nice big long-range plates or maybe just a bunch of half-scale Silhouettes.

[deye243]

Apologies I forgot to say at the scrap yard bairnsdales pretty small considering but if there's one thing we have it's a great scrapyard they have offcuts there nearly 2 inches thick the stuff I am really after is 6 mil or 8 mil problem is they rarely ever have that yet they have plenty of 10/15 mil and thick stuff Kennedys trailers is just up the road maybe they don't use any of the 6 or 8 mil building truck trailers

[Die Judicii]

Went out to another "new" property last night and found myself busy.
Talley ended up at six foxes, all from the same vantage point.
I found most of them come daybreak in the almost knee deep grasses, and left them where they fell.
Two that I couldn't find were located by the property owner on quad.
As I was leaving, he told me that one of them was not a fox,, but actually a huge feral cat.

I didn't bother to take any pics, but maybe tomorrow morning, I'll have something better than just foxes.
I've gotta go back tonite,,,,,, so fingers crossed

[colin.rac]

Went out to another "new" property last night and found myself busy.
Talley ended up at six foxes, all from the same vantage point.
I found most of them come daybreak in the almost knee deep grasses, and left them where they fell.
Two that I couldn't find were located by the property owner on quad.
As I was leaving, he told me that one of them was not a fox,, but actually a huge feral cat.

I didn't bother to take any pics, but maybe tomorrow morning, I'll have something better than just foxes.
I've gotta go back tonite,,,,,, so fingers crossed

Not a bad haul there!

[wanneroo]

Went out to another "new" property last night and found myself busy.
Talley ended up at six foxes, all from the same vantage point.
I found most of them come daybreak in the almost knee deep grasses, and left them where they fell.
Two that I couldn't find were located by the property owner on quad.
As I was leaving, he told me that one of them was not a fox,, but actually a huge feral cat.

I didn't bother to take any pics, but maybe tomorrow morning, I'll have something better than just foxes.
I've gotta go back tonite,,,,,, so fingers crossed

This is a very general question that I have always wondered about. Why do property owners make an effort to shoot foxes?

I always have foxes here and they seem to eat all the small critters including feral cats. I have had hunters on the property take them in season for the fur which is fine by me as others always move in. Overall I do not make a big effort to get them, but always wondered why other property owners do.

[deye243]

Because here in Australia they eat tens of millions of dollars of young lambs every lambing season and through the 90s we had what's known as a green drought around here where 4 years you'll only just get enough water to keep the Paddocks green Creeks stop flowing dams ended up empty people had to cart water for livestock for years on the dairy farms those hungry foxes they even gave calves a hard time.
And don't get me started on how many chooks we've lost to those bastards of things over the years and another thing in Australia they are vermin just like cats the only good cat is it dead cat the only good fox is a dead fox the damage they do to Australian fauna is incredible

[bladeracer]

Are foxes native there? Here they're an introduced pest with no real predators to keep their numbers in check. As declared pests, property owners are required by law to eradicate them.

When I was a kid I was required to keep their numbers down as I was hunting sheep properties, and they were worth very good money - like $45 to $85 apiece. I did sell some rabbit furs as well but they weren't worth much compared to the effort of tanning them, I really just sold the fox and cat furs. I lived off fox money for about two years, they easily paid for all my shooting. Now there is just a $10 bounty on them so I don't bother with that, I just shoot them to protect native fauna.

This is a very general question that I have always wondered about. Why do property owners make an effort to shoot foxes?

I always have foxes here and they seem to eat all the small critters including feral cats. I have had hunters on the property take them in season for the fur which is fine by me as others always move in. Overall I do not make a big effort to get them, but always wondered why other property owners do.

[wanneroo]

Because here in Australia they eat tens of millions of dollars of young lambs every lambing season and through the 90s we had what's known as a green drought around here where 4 years you'll only just get enough water to keep the Paddocks green Creeks stop flowing dams ended up empty people had to cart water for livestock for years on the dairy farms those hungry foxes they even gave calves a hard time.
And don't get me started on how many chooks we've lost to those bastards of things over the years and another thing in Australia they are vermin just like cats the only good cat is it dead cat the only good fox is a dead fox the damage they do to Australian fauna is incredible

Thanks for the explanation. Around here we have a lot of folks that have what I call "hobby chickens" in their back yard and the foxes will go after those but I have never heard of them going after livestock or anything. That seems to be more of a thing the coyotes do around here.

[wanneroo]

Are foxes native there? Here they're an introduced pest with no real predators to keep their numbers in check. As declared pests, property owners are required by law to eradicate them.

When I was a kid I was required to keep their numbers down as I was hunting sheep properties, and they were worth very good money - like $45 to $85 apiece. I did sell some rabbit furs as well but they weren't worth much compared to the effort of tanning them, I really just sold the fox and cat furs. I lived off fox money for about two years, they easily paid for all my shooting. Now there is just a $10 bounty on them so I don't bother with that, I just shoot them to protect native fauna.

Yes I believe they are native here. They do get hunted for their fur around here and there seems to be plenty of them. Going by the trail cams I have about 4 of them around right now. Sometimes I see them during the day and they are not really spooked by me.

[bladeracer]

Yes I believe they are native here. They do get hunted for their fur around here and there seems to be plenty of them. Going by the trail cams I have about 4 of them around right now. Sometimes I see them during the day and they are not really spooked by me.

Being native does that mean you have a fox season and tag limits as you do with deer?

[Lazarus]

I ground the bevel and put a handle on a skinner I'm making from an old Oregon solid chainsaw bar for my niece's partner.


Just the edge to go, then some Kydex pants for it.

[Oldbloke]

That looks fancy Laz. But will the steel be up to the task?

[deye243]

Wondering that myself considering chainsaw bar is soft it is a weird metal it copes very well with chain running over the rails even if it is lubricated with bar oil but it is so easy to file.
We used old chainsaw bars back in the 80s for the replaceable cutting blades on augers for drilling holes in the ground for house stumps some of that ground north of tyres in Latrobe Valley had a lot of that yellow red slate type rock in the ground they held up surprisingly well.

[Oldbloke]

Deye243 let's convince Laz has just wasted 40 hours of his life working on a POS.

But in all seriousness my bet is it wasn't a great choice.

[Oldbloke]

Rooted around with the CVA ML.

Re-fitted my DIY peep sight.
Gave the bore a lap. Cause it's always a bastard to load and clean.
Then re-crowned it.
Sorted out some ML sh1t.

Now I'm having a dark ale.

All in all, a lazy day.