I have one of each (cabinet/drawers) of the Yukon rollers, and they are well built and really handy in the shop. The drawer version would be better for a variety of tools and cleaning stuff, the cabinet version better for storing handguns in cases/boxes or ammo.
There's a wide variety of drawer organizer bins on Amazon that work great for cleaning stuff like rods/brushes, etc.
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:
So I stopped by HF last night so I could look at these hutches, and they definitely would not work for what I was thinking. I'm sure they are good for what they are built for, but for a closeable gun bench the height is too short, I'd hit my head all the time leaning in to actually work on stuff.
I think I will keep an eye out for a deal on the Yukon cabinets for some basic lockable storage and a decent work surface.
Zeroing new glass on my Tikka T1X .22 today. DNT "TheOne" 7-35x56... another chinascope that is reported to punch way above its price point. Got it dialed in without any issues, and it's impressing so far. More on the scope when I've got more rounds through it.
I'm running short of my usual fodder for the T1X, Norma Match-22, so I was shooting TAC-22 today, which is the same ammo but not the 'top tier' lots. Not sure how they figure that out (RWS actually produces it), but it is what it is. In any case, the TAC-22 was shooting well today, with one 100yd group right at 1 moa and one just a hair over .5 moa. Pretty good for 'cheap' .22LR.
We have a busy weekend with a Military Rifle/Pistol match Friday, Defensive Handgun Match Saturday, and 200m Pig match on Sunday!
In reply to Rodan :
I've run about 500 rds of that stuff through my T1X and had similar results. Not bad for cheap ammo. It does leave a wax residue on my fingers though. I just think of it as built in moisturizer.
I've been really wanting my 5.56 to sell, partially to free up some budget for the s10, but also because I have the hair brained idea of 45-70 loaded with my BP and home cast jobbys. Breaking shoulders for the cost of primers. It wouldn't be good for anything but laughs.
Anyone have any experience with any of the CVA offerings? I don't need a repeater, and I certainly don't want to pay the hotness tax for the current lever gun market. Henry makes a single too, but it's $250 more, and not sure it's $250 nicer.
Does anyone have any experience with a Kimber Rapide? Looks like a very nice all stainless steel 1911. They want $1100 for it. It has less than 50 rounds through it. I can not figure out if it is a competition pistol or if it is just a really nice 1911.
EDIT. To add photo
In reply to dean1484 :
I've had several Kimbers over the years, and they've all been pretty good 1911s. My favorite carry piece for many years was a CDP Pro. That said, the newer Kimbers don't have a stellar reputation for quality, and IMHO the 'upgrades' on something like the Rapide are mostly cosmetic. I still think they're a decent 1911, just not top tier anymore. FWIW, I found 3 completed auctions for stainless Rapides on GunBroker from $880-1025. If it were something I were after I'd be trying to close the deal at $950-1050OTD...
In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :
I recently got a CVA Scout in 45-70 Govt "Stainless", but haven't shot it yet so no impressions on how it performs. I will say the build quality is pretty good (but not exceptional) and the trigger is VERY nice on it. Really is put together well - though you will need to remove the optic rail, degrease it and the mounting screws, and then reinstall and properly torque the screws (the optic rail is notorious for coming loose if you don't). I went ahead and put it in a Boyds stock with Pachmyer Decelerator pad optioned, added a 5/8x24 thread adapter to factory muzzle threading (18x1mm), and an American Precision Arms Gen 3 Little Bastard .45cal muzzle brake/compensator on the end. Optic on it is a Burris Signature HD 2-10x40mm scope with the E3 Ballistic reticle (was a very nice on sale price + store credit). Looking to use it as a 45-70 load development platform and if ever needed a large game taker (Bought some high BC Hammer 402gr Shock Hammer monolithic bullets would like to use.)
Nice thing is it breaks down like an over-under shotgun - so can fit it in a much smaller case than you'd think for storage if you want. Really looking forward to shooting it, also want to be sure the thread adapter works fine (the ID through-bore is REALLY close to the muzzle bore, but it is exceptionally concentric - so should be fine). Once verify adapter is fine, will Rocksett it in place, no need for factory metric threading this side of the pond.
If don't need threaded barrel or care about the barrel fluting, the black versions can be had much cheaper than the "stainless" version. The black version is also a true 25" barrel while the threaded "stainless" model is actually more like 23-1/4" to the muzzle, included brake installed pushes it to 25" if you include the added on brake. Am not sure if the "Stainless" version is actually stainless - seems more like a stainless look coating to me, but maybe it actually is stainless but it is not your typical stainless... very dark matte look with a pebbly texture on barrel, muzzle brake, receiver, and trigger guard/action release.
In reply to Vracer111 :
Man that looks good. One of these days we need to get together on the range.
In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :
Updated with daylight pics I just took to show how it actually looks. It's a Boyds stock, so kind of last route to go with for a stock if there are no other choices. Fitment is not great nor is the wood quality/finish consistency, but it works fine for an inexpensive rifle setup. Nice thing about the APA Gen 3 Little Bastard is the threaded comp ports on top - lets you remove set screws to be able to tune muzzle jump and any side roll to basically zero and track bullet trace with scope. Once you have port configuration optimally tuned for the rifle, you can Rocksett the remaining setscrews in place.
I would like to get together on the range too - Sunday would be only time I really could make available other than Friday afternoon's.
Finally started into reloading, beginning with 9mm to get experience and have some ladder test loads I need to try out in a new pistol. Already tested first run of mixed brass rounds with 3.0gr Titegroup which were running about 200fps slower than 124gr Blazer factory ammo (907fps vs 1100fps), you could feel the difference too - much softer shooting. After that first run made more ready to test with 125gr .356dia Hornady HAP bullets, Win brass, WSP primers, and 3.1/3.2gr of Titegroup & 3.6/3.7/3.8/3.9/4.0gr of Accurate No.2. Press am using for pistol round loading is a Dillion Square-D and decided to do all operations other than priming the brass on it - find it much easier to prime by hand with a separate bench primer.
Once find a good load for the 125gr HAPs, want to find good load for 180gr and 200gr 0.400" HAPs for 10mm. Then switch over to the rifles ([1st]45-70 Govt, [2nd]300BLK, [3rd]30-30Win, [4th]6mmARC) with a LEE turret press.
In reply to Vracer111 :
I can make a Sunday work. At some point. The next few/dozen weekends are devoted to finishing the S10. I'll reach out when I have a better idea of my schedule
I miss Handi Rifles, I almost bought a survival version a few times.
I do wish there was a cheap single shot on the market still in a wide variety of calibers, or one with swappable barrels that didn't cost a ton. I know there's the Rossi Tuffy but I've read middling reviews on it
In reply to Antihero :
Though not all currently available, the CVA Scouts have a decent choice when it comes to cartridges and still can be had NOS used: 223 Rem, 243 Win, 6mmARC, 6.5 Grendel, 300BLK, 308 Win, 350Legend, 35 Whelen, 44mag, 444 Marlin, 450Bushmaster, 45-70 Govt.
Re Kimber, the counter guy at my local shop said that Kimber is hands down the brand most commonly traded in for something else. The new stuff is generally regarded as overrated.
I passed on the Kimber.
Bond. James Bond... 
Shot my Manhurin PP .32 for the pistol portion of our Military Match this morning. The fact that it shot even better (100-8X!) than my $299 1911 resulted in much wailing and gnashing of teeth from my competitors! Ha!
If only I was doing so well with my '96 Swede. Up to 175/200 this month, but still chasing a good POA/POI. I swapped the front sight out for a slightly shorter one, but it's still not quite there.
Vracer111 said:In reply to Antihero :
Though not all currently available, the CVA Scouts have a decent choice when it comes to cartridges and still can be had NOS used: 223 Rem, 243 Win, 6mmARC, 6.5 Grendel, 300BLK, 308 Win, 350Legend, 35 Whelen, 44mag, 444 Marlin, 450Bushmaster, 45-70 Govt.
I'll have to look into them
In reply to Rodan :
Interested to hear more about the scope. Have been watching the Athlon Optics Midas TAC HD 5-25X56 that dropped to $500 recently for my 10/22 setup for NLR match.
Did manage to piece together a budget 20" heavy barrel 223 AR this week for a few hundo and some elbow grease. I was psyched to snag a new Timney drop in trigger for $130 shipped for it.
84FSP said:In reply to Rodan :
Interested to hear more about the scope. Have been watching the Athlon Optics Midas TAC HD 5-25X56 that dropped to $500 recently for my 10/22 setup for NLR match.
Early this morning, I set up both tripods on our patio so I could compare the DNT to several of my other scopes side by side. It was light out, but the sun wasn't over the mountain, so no direct sunlight... basically early morning 'twilight'. Observed object was a manzanita tree at 163 yards. I compared at 14, 20, 25 and 27-30x, with scopes set to matching power for comparison.
DNT 7-35x56
Arken EPL-4 6-24x50
Athlon Ares BTR G2 4.5-27x50
Athlon Ares ETR G2 4.5-30x56
Athlon Chronus ETR G2 4.5-29x56
All of these scopes are FFP, and the DNT replaced the EPL-4 on my Tikka T1X. The first thing I noticed was the eyebox on the DNT is more forgiving, and that remained true compared to all of the above optics. The Ares BTR had the tightest eyebox, but the DNT was better than all of the others. DNT was sharp to the edge, with no CA visible. As far as clarity and color, the DNT was better than everything but the Chronus, and they were very, very close. If anything, I have to give a slight edge to the DNT, which is a huge win as it's about 1/2 the price of the Chronus. 4 years of progress really does matter. The DNT "TheOne" reticle is very similar to the Athlon reticles, and I like it better than the Arken reticles. The only thing I can really criticize on the DNT is that the crosshair isn't quite as sharp, and is a bit thicker than the Ares ETR or Chronus ETR. Also, the illumination on the DNT 'bleeds' a little more than the higher end Athlons, but I don't use the illumination very often.
I really like the turrets and other tactile touches on the DNT. It's easy to figure out what you're dialing, and the 'clicks' are positive. I really like the 45* offset windage reading, as you can lift your head and see it without having to look around the right side of the scope. Much easier to use without coming all the way off the gun.
I haven't looked through a Midas TAC, but I expect it's about equivalent to the ARES BTR from the reviews I've read... which is pretty darn good, but I think the Arken EPL-4 is probably just as good for a lot less. If you're going to spend $500, I would definitely spend the extra $100 to get the DNT....
TLDR, the DNT is a huge win at the price point.
45* offset windage (not my pic):
ETA:
For my last two projects, I've used these rings from Amazon. They've mounted easily, and seem to be very well made. With the price of rings these days, it's nice to have a reasonable option. For a heavy recoiling gun, I'd probably spring for something name brand, but they've worked great on my rimfires and .223.
So the Mosen and K31 went to the range today to teach these AR using kids what us older guys can shoot. So much fun to show the youth what these things can do. 2" targets at 100 were easy with the K31 and once I dialed in the mosen it was also easy. Since the irons on the mozen only go down to 150 meters I had to shoot just a touch low but the windage was spot on.
The mozen is a new rifle for me. I picked up at my sones encouraging last fall. He picked it out of a large lot that Cabela's had. He picked really well.
It has been a really long time since I shot a mosen. I highly recommend it. Just a fun rifle that packs a pretty big punch. And is very accurate. They have the reputation of being "minute of barn" but I think that is just not true. I am very sure I could hit an ipsic size target at 400 yards with the one I have. The K31 is laser. It is good to 600 yards with irons. A big part of it is the difference in the amo.
7.62x34r on the left and 7.5 Swiss on the right
The 762x34r and the 7.5Swiss that the k31 uses are similar in recoil to each other. For comparison they are more powerful than a 308 but a tad less than a 30-06. My degassed M1 is softer shooting but a full power 30-06 rifle will be a bit more felt recoil.
I am hoping I can set up a range day for older different rifles at my club. AR15s are fun but stepping out of the comfort zone of the AR platform is so much fun. It is the big reason I don't shoot my AR stuff very often. My old weird stuff is so much fun.
Anyone have a recommendation for gun grease? These older rifles need grease in places as well as oil in other places. I am out. I was using waterproof synthetic grease used in lower ends of outboard motors and it worked fine but is is not rated for the high temps you can see in a rifle.
Wondering if anyone has a recommendation.
In reply to dean1484 :
I got a sampler pack but have not used any of it yet... yeah I suck: https://www.cherrybalmz.com/
A really long podcast about lubes from 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oimwq6QBlzc
I've been using the stuff recommended for the M1A for everything needing greasing and anti-corrosion, Lubriplate No. 130-A (Part# L0043-004). Use it for high wear surfaces and installing AR barrels/barrel nuts. Big 'ol 15oz plastic tub with resealable lid. It's not specific for firearms and rated to operating temp of about 170. Lubriplate do make a gun specific grease (SFL) which is rated for operating temp from -50 to 350 F.
Well damn.....John Taffin died
In reply to Antihero :
The older we get...
I remember reading columns by Elmer Keith, Jeff Cooper and Skeeter Skelton. All long gone now.
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