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Real Freedom

Freedom

 

 

This was a sermon from Palm Sunday. The real Preacher was gone that Sunday and I got picked to do the Sunday Message. I am not a Preacher but I love any chance to tell a story and there is no better story to tell than Jesus.

Some of the things I found out

The future will not be what you expect but it will get here sooner than you think.

Don’t make fun of preachers.   (The bad kids that picked on Elisha got eaten by bears!)

We are approaching a holiday! Yah! Paid time off if you are lucky enough to have it. Maybe a long weekend to do something special. The holiday I’m talking about isn’t Easter. It’s Good Friday. Something special happened on that long weekend around 2000 years ago. Jesus went to his death for my sins. Yes he went for all but I don’t ever want to forget it was for me. Most of the time this special day passes without comment but I think it deserves our respect. It was on Good Friday that the sacrifice was made. It was not a done deal till Jesus died. He was both fully God and fully man. He could have cried out from the cross “They are not worth this, let it end” and it would have been finished. That Friday was anything but good for Jesus

You hear a lot of things being attributed to the Bible. Are they really there?
1. Spare the rod and spoil the child? (nope)
2. I saw the handwriting on the wall? ( Yep)
3. God will never give you a burden you can’t bear? (nope)
4. The truth shall set you free? (Yep)

Jesus said the last one but like so many quotes it is best to know the whole conversation than to only remember one line. John 8:31
He was speaking to his followers that were Jews. He said
“If you continue in my ways then you are my disciples indeed; And (some say then) you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” What kind of freedom was he talking about? Jesus talked a lot about freedom. He made it possible on that day we call “Good Friday”

Then the Jews said something really dumb. They said they were Jews and they had never been in bondage to any man. Rather than giving them a history lesson:
Slaves to Egypt
Slaves to Babylon
Slaves to Assyria
Slaves to Greeks
Currently slaves to Romans
He simply said “Verily verily, I say unto you. Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” We know that sin is anything outside of God’s will. We know we are born in sin and will die in sin without God’s grace. We know sin is an appetite. An appetite is never satisfied. A little sin won’t ever satisfy anyone.

And we know it’s the truth! Nothing is easier than staying like we are. We ask God for change but we don’t want to be transformed, we want everything but us to change. Change is scary and forces us into the unknown. So how do we learn to trust God and be what he would have us to be? Maybe we have to learn what we are and how we work.

Millions of dollars have been spent on research into how the human brain works. There is a good reason for this. It might make you rich. What researchers found out is that you have three levels of consciousness going on.

First you have a conscious mind. If your brain were an iceberg this would be the tiny part that sticks out of the water.

Second you have a subconscious mind. This would be under water but you could look down and see it if you think about it (or something makes you think about it).

Third you have an unconscious mind that is on the bottom of the iceberg. It is everything that ever happened recorded and stored that you can’t remember, but it shaped who you are and it’s still there affecting your decisions.

Researchers also discovered that only 20 percent of the decisions we make are done with the conscious mind. That means that 80 percent of our decisions are made outside of the mind we stay in! Think you are in your right mind most of the time? Think again.

Remember the wizard of Oz? There was a man behind the curtain pulling levers and pushing buttons. When the man was revealed they knew the truth. It wasn’t pleasant and didn’t make them happy but once they knew the truth they could change.

Researchers have cataloged 40 different mechanisms that we use to deal with the problems we don’t want to face. These are called defense mechanisms. They have a long definition but the short version is “The way we lie to ourselves so we can live with ourselves.” Here are some of my favorites

1. Denial- No not the river in Egypt. This one gets used all the time.
IM NOT UPSET! THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID! IM NOT SHOUTING! I was listening. I never thought of that.
2. Projection- This is putting your faults on someone else. Why are you being such a jerk! I will be glad when you get out of that crappy mood!
3. Rationalization- Tries to justify unacceptable behavior. I did it for your own good! It was payback! I took it from work but they don’t pay me like they should!
4. Distraction- Probably the Grandaddy of all for our generation. How long do you sit before the phone come out? Could you go a day without the phone? TV? Internet?

Others includes sexualization, deferment and lots more
The researchers say all of us are doing some of these.
Why do we do this ? For the simple reason that a lot of things are just too painful or dangerous to discuss or even think about. How many times have you seen a married couple argue of trivial items because the real problems were too scary? As long as we lie to ourselves our problems will stay with us. These old problems prevent us from the rich freedom God wants us to enjoy.
How can we ever escape the problems of the past? If it is just a memory then why is causing problems? It has already happened!
First with God’s help we have to own the problem. We have to admit the problem is ours and then we have to look deep to see what the problem really is and how it got there. Easier said than done. We lie! How many diets go from Monday morning till lunch? We lie not just to others but to ourselves. Use this quick test. If your answer gets you off the hook it’s probably a lie.
The Jesus quote of “Then you shall Know the truth and the truth shall set you free” is part of a conversation Jesus is having with his followers. The word “then” lets you know something that makes this statement true was said earlier. Jesus said “when you continue in my word Then”. You are not set free when you become a follower, you are set free when you continue to follow. This was the reason Jesus didn’t ask people to change, he simply asked them to follow like he did Matthew.
The conversion to the freedom God wants for us doesn’t happen at the snap of a finger when you become a Christian. It comes when you continue to follow and as Jesus said Then you will know the truth and the Truth will set you free!
The truth that will set us free starts with the truth about us. It starts with awareness. Awareness is knowing why. Why I feel the way I do. Why I react like I do. It requires us to look far beyond the surface and to be absolutely honest with ourselves.
Problem is we don’t like being absolutely honest when we look at ourselves. We will lie like a rug when we self-assess. Don’t do it! If your answer lets you off the hook for anything it is probably a lie. Oh you can call it a “defense mechanism” but in truth it’s just a lie.
We have certain things we need to get done by a certain time. April 15th is looming in my future. I know I have to get that check in the mail by then. Other things I need to do this week, some this month and some this year. The last category has always been the before I die category.
Just like I know I have to get that check in the mail April 15th I know I have to make my life right with God before I die. Sobering thought but it comes with good news. You don’t have to wait! Do it now and start on the path that will give you a life of freedom! You will become what you were meant to be and know the true meaning of joy! Do it now. Talk to Jesus. Accept his invitation to follow. You don’t have to change, you don’t have to tell anyone, you don’t have to do anything but listen to God. He wants you free from all that baggage you have been dragging around your whole life. There is no one that can accept the invitation for you and no one that can stop it. It is up to you.
The Real You:
Not the person they see at work. Not the person your friends see but
The person that talks to God. I call it the secret person. This is the
Person God wants to set free. When you change the inside you don’t
Have to worry about the outside.
I believe the real you is so much better than you realize. You have
Formed this image of a person inside Formed this image of a person
Inside you that you think doesn’t measure up. From the time you
Were a small child with every failure, every scornful jest, every
Rejection this personality you created to get you through life was
Damaged and changed by the lies you had to tell yourself to survive

The real you was formed by Almighty God in his image.
Think about that for a second! God want you to know the freedom like
You have never experienced. Freedom that is more than doing what
Want but the freedom to become what you were designed to be by God!
The Challenge:
Try this for just one day. If that is too much do just ½ day. This Friday
Don’t say anything negative about anything or especially anybody. I
Know there are lots of things that you need to point out but just wait till Saturday!

 

 

I Heard God Praying!

I met a man that needed help. He had lost his wife and was facing many challenges. He was depressed and it showed in his face and in everything he said. I listened to his story and told him I would keep him in my prayers. He didn’t seem impressed but I really pray for people and believe in the power of prayer.
This was my prayer: God only you are all powerful. With words you created all that is. God I know that there are no miracles for you because you can do anything with a whisper. This man needs your special touch. He needs to know he is not alone. He needs to feel your love and to know he is not forgotten. Please do something. Amen
After I prayed my prayed I sat in silence and I heard the voice of Almighty God in my head praying. God said: Tim I have given you far more power than you know. I had you raised by special people that taught you to love. I brought you through hard times so you would know to never place yourself above anyone. Everything this man needs I have given to you. Please do something.Amen

 

 

 

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Ackley Improved

Ackley Improved

 

Maybe you heard the term but are not exactly familiar with the Ackley conversion but it has been around over 50 years. A brain storm of the famous P.O. Ackley, it is a unique way to increase performance from many of our favorite calibers.

The Ackley Improved conversion is essentially an enlarged chamber that by clever design will still allow the parent cartridge to headspace and be held tight against the bolt face. Upon firing the brass will be blown out and forward to conforming the brass to the Ackley Improved dimensions.

The Ackley Improved case will have dimensions that are straighter in the body with less taper. This increases capacity which makes for more powder and increased velocity. The most notable feature of the improved case is an increase in the shoulder angle. Usually the new shoulder will be a 40 degree but not always. This sharper angle shoulder contributes to more consistent headspace and less case stretching. It also seems to improve barrel life by reducing throat erosion.

So if the new case is so much better then why aren’t they made this way to start with? Simple, you can’t form the sharp angles with the forming dies used to manufacture cases. The only way to form the brass is by fire forming. This means firing the rifle to make a piece of brass. It isn’t complicated, you just load a factory round and pull the trigger. It even shoots fairly well with the factory load! Matter of fact this is another of the really bonuses of the Ackley Improved. If you are out of ammo you can shoot the parent case. This can be a large thing if this is your favorite rifle and you are on the hunt of a lifetime but your ammo runs out or is lost. If you were using one of the other wildcat cartridges it would be all over but with the Ackley, no problem!

For most hunters and casual shooter this is nothing more than a minor inconvenience but if the shooter happens to be a competition shooter that uses a lot of brass it might be another story. Consider a Highpower Rifle competitor that need 300 pieces of brass. Now if this same shooter is using a 243 Winchester that has a barrel life of 1200 rounds that might mean giving up 1/4 of the barrel life to make brass. This isn’t to say that shooting the parent cartridge wouldn’t be accurate enough to shoot the 200 yard portion of the match but after these shooters drive 500 miles and pay entry fees to shoot they don’t want to have any variables like a case that doesn’t fit the chamber perfectly. Some are even hesitant to use new brass that hasn’t been fired in that particular chamber before!

It seems the most asked question about the Ackley conversion will be how does it group when fire forming. I have tested several through the years and most did better than expected. In the last few years I rechambered these in 3006, 7×57, 22-250 and 280. I don’t remember any shooting larger than 1 1/2 inch at 100 yards and the 22-250 grouped under an inch.

So after you answer all the customers questions and he reads some of those articles about Ackley Improved and how much better it shoots he decides to have you convert his favorite rifle. Now what do you need to know and what do you need to buy? The knowledge part is basic barrel fitting and headspace along with a good understanding about what happens to a cartridge when you pull the trigger. The buy part is easy, an Ackley Improved reamer and one headspace gauge. One headspace gauge? Yep, one gauge if you already have a standard set of go and no go gauges in the parent caliber size.

Here is what happens when a high power rifle cartridge fires in a chamber. First the firing pin is released by the sear and travels forward striking the primer. The case is pushed forward as far as the available headspace will permit. The primer crushes and the compound explodes sending flames through the flash hole and igniting the powder. Powder burns and pressure increases inside the case. The increase in pressure speeds up the rate of burn tremendously and the pressure skyrockets. The bullet moves out of the case and goes to the end of the throat. The thin case walls are held against the camber walls by what ever the working pressure of the load generates, maybe 60,000 pounds. When this pressure pushes back it stretches the case back toward the bolt face. With the thin walls held tightly against the chamber wall the thin brass just above the head of the case stretches until the head of the case rest on the bolt face. Hopefully everything is square and true and the bullet enters the rifling straight and exits the crown spinning true and on center.

To make sure this happens with an Ackley Improved we have to know how the parent case in going to headspace in new chamber. If you study the chamber drawings, reamer, parent case and fired case you will see the parent case only contacts the new chamber in a small circle at the base of the neck. With such a small area to headspace on the cartridge has to fit tight. For this reason an Ackley Improved should be set up with headspace less than a standard chamber. When converting to A I the go gauge should be used as a no go and a special gauge ordered or made that is .004″ short for a no go gauge.

This means rechambering to A I will not be as easy as sticking in the reamer for a couple turns but will require setting the barrel back at least one thread to get headspace too tight before you start to ream. If the barrel is a Remington or Winchester one turn will be .0625 inch so you will have plenty of room to work.

By the time you have removed the barrel, cut back the barrel shoulder the correct amount so the barrel will tighten up with the sights or lettering in the right place, cut back the face of the barrel so it won’t be hit by the bolt, recut the cone breech, deepen the extractor cut so it will work and reinstall the barrel in the receiver without leaving any marks on the barrel or receiver you will have earned your pay.

The Ackley conversion is not a small job and should not be attempted till you are competent in all phases of barrel fitting. Just remember “a happy customer will tell a friend but an unhappy customer will tell ten so do good work!

 

Timothy P. Whealton

 

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Slings and mounts

Slings and mounts

 

 

While this job might not have the glamour of scope mounting it certainly holds the seed of disaster. I can’t count how many times I have seen a high quality firearm disfigured by off center sling mounts or beautiful wood split and damaged by a screw that was wedged into an improper hole. It reminds me of the golfer that has attempted the 60 foot putt with great care and deliberation but missed and then when the ball is 10 inches from the hole he casually walks up and taps to miss again! He thought the job was so simple that it didn’t need his full effort!

It looks like an easy job. The customer might even add to the illusion with terms like “just pop me a couple holes for a sling”. Might be more accurate if he said “I need two holes with a two step diameter drilled center on a curved sloping surface that has an easily damaged surface”. Bottom line is you won’t get any credit for doing a sling mount job perfect but you sure will catch a lot of grief when it is anything less! Luckily most guns come from the factory with some provisions for a sling these days but the occasional stock still turns up that will need to have sling swivels installed. Understanding the pitfalls of this underrated job might keep you out of a lot of trouble so learn these few tricks of the trade. It just might keep you from waking up nights screaming!

You can do this job with regular tools or save yourself some trouble and buy the specialty tools offered to the trade by some of the gunsmith supply businesses. Drills designed with two diameters that speed up the job will pay for their selves if you are running a full time business. In addition to the drills there are countersinks for the nut required on thin for end installations and drill guides that can help you center up the pilot hole. Brownells sells a tool that resembles a screwdriver. It has a pin that will engage the sling swivel hole and turn in the mounting screw allowing you to keep pressure on the screw to help it resist pulling out of the hole. These tools don’t make the job foolproof but they do speed up the time it takes to do a good job.

It will be the mount for the rear swivel that will cause the most problems. This is normally a simple threaded stud that screws into the stock a couple of inches from the toe. The mount for the forend is normally a 10/32 machine screw with a nut that has to be mounted in the wood below the surface inside the barrel channel to prevent disturbing the accuracy of the rifle. With the forend being relatively straight and flat it is simpler to layout the hole location on center. Examine the threaded portion of the rear stud and you will get a few clues as to what will be working against you. The threads start very abruptly unlike most wood screws. Normally a wood screw is designed to pull itself into soft wood without a pilot hole but one glance at this threaded shaft should be enough to let you know this task would be impossible on a gun stock with this type of threaded screw. This screw is designed to give maximum strength but will require a special pilot hole or it will pull up the wood around the threads before it pulls itself into the hole. This is hard to repair without going to drastic measures so plan ahead to minimize the risk.

The pilot hole is really the critical part of the whole job. It must be large enough to accommodate the shaft or main body of the screw but allow maximum wood for the threads to hold. I usually measure the minimum diameter of the screw with a dial caliper and use a drill only a few thousandths smaller to make sure it is tight but without danger of splitting the stock. If you don’t want to buy a special drill with a two step diameter you will need to drill a second step the diameter of the threads about 1/4 inch deep to prevent the wood pulling up as the leading thread pulls itself into the hole.

Finding the correct location for the rear swivel and making sure it is centered can be a little tricky. Brownell’s sells a neat little tool that is a piece of angle stock that has a drill bushing mounted through the center. In use it is simply pressed against the stock and held square while the hole is drilled. Lacking a drill jig you can hold the stock in a padded vise and level the stock front to rear. Next a center punch is used to mark the location for the hole. Something around 2.5-3 inches from the toe works best. Be alert to any special problems that might cause a problem like the working parts of an adjustable recoil pad or something similar. After the location is marked back up a couple of steps and give it a critical look. If all is well proceed to drill or correct it by moving over and center punching another mark. This is the value of marking the location, you can move it before it is too late! On very thin hollow stocks or synthetics it might require a machine screw and nut to secure.

The front swivel mount is normally a machine screw with nut because the slender forend will could split if the wood screw was wedged into a too tight hole. This mount will also receive the most stress since the gun is carried barrel up and if the sling is use for shooting the bulk of the stress will be on the front. It can also be located with the drill jig or easily centered with measuring using a dial caliper. This hole should be the size of the machine screw and allow it to pass through easily. The recess for the nut can be made with a mini grinder or a counter sink mounted on a drill. Don’t try to use a hand drill with a larger drill because drills are designed to pull themselves into the material and you will probably end up going too deep or pulling up surrounding wood. I like using a drop of thread locker to make sure it never comes out accidentally. This can be disaster since the gun is on the back and hard to grab when it pivots around and the muzzle strikes the floor. If your luck is like mine it won’t happen unless you’re on concrete!

It really doesn’t take that much longer to do a professional job and even though you won’t make a lot of profit it will be another of those crowning touches that make your work a little better than the norm. Do Good Work!

 

Timothy P. Whealton

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Revolvers

Revolvers

 

When I was a youngster just learning to work on guns the gun writers were spitting out articles proclaiming the end of the revolver. They said the informed gun owners of today would no longer accept the failings of revolvers when they could have a modern automatic. I think most of those writers are dead now but the revolver is as healthy as ever in spite of being over 160 years old!

It’s no wonder when you look at what the revolver has going for it. Safety is a primary reason many handgun owners pick a revolver. While you and I might live and breath guns and spend all our hours getting better acquainted with guns a lot of folks only want a gun for an emergency and feel more comfortable with a revolver. With no place for a cartridge to hide and built in safety features like hammer blocks the modern revolver coupled with the fact that a revolver will never cock itself many new gun owners are more confidant they can handle a revolver safely.

Another reason they select a revolver is simplicity. This is not a small thing to many owners. When you listen to the stories of people that have been involved in a real shooting it becomes apparent that simple is better. These people didn’t have time or thinking power to spare to find a safety latch, search for a magazine or pull back a slide. They needed a safe gun that they could put out and get into action with one hand. This simplicity is also on the mind of casual shooters and people that purchase a gun for someone else that might not be of a “mechanical mind”.

Really it doesn’t matter why they picked a revolver, it’s your job to repair,refinish or improve so you have to know how it works and the job each part plays in the functioning of the gun.

Here is how a revolver works. The cartridges are held in a cylinder that revolves as the gun is fired. Instead of cartridges being moved from the magazine to the chamber each cartridge has it’s own chamber. When you see how many malfunctions happen during the feeding cycle, extraction and ejection you realize making these manual operation that are done before and after firing can make revolvers very reliable and quick to get into operation ( especially if it is already loaded).

Like every thing else in life there are a few drawbacks for revolvers. The obvious is with several chambers and one barrel there has to alignment issues, reloading will be slow and all the parts that lock the cylinder in position and unlock it will have to be timed to work together perfectly.

When a revolver fires the cycle of operation goes something like this, the trigger is squeezed to the rear and as it moves the hand attached to the rear of the trigger pushes upward and contacts the cylinder to begin rotation. The front of the trigger pulls down on the locking bolt and unlocks the cylinder before the hand moves the cylinder. Now the cylinder starts to rotate to the next chamber. After it moves out of the locked position the cylinder lock slips off the trigger and a spring power it up where it slides against the cylinder until it rotates enough for the next locking notch to arrive and then the lock snaps into the locking notch. The hand that pushes the cylinder has slid off the notches in the rear of the cylinder as the lock slide into place in the bottom of the cylinder. While the trigger was moving rearward the back of the trigger was traveling upwards and pushing against the hammer cocking it rearward. When the cylinder reached the position where the hand pushed free, the lock snapped into place and the new cylinder was in alignment with the bore the hammer was rotated far enough back that it slid off the trigger and fired the cartridge.

This understanding of the timing of parts is crucial to revolver work. It is not enough that the part be the correct shape and work smoothly, it has to operate at exactly the right time. This timing is achieved by the part that operates or powers the part being operated. Most of the time the parts are rotating on a pin going through the action and small amounts of wear and damage close to the pin will result in large timing changes further away from the pin.

The best example of this might be the hand/ cylinder lock relationship. The hand is engaging the extractor very close to the cylinder pin and the cylinder lock notches are on the outside of the cylinder. Just a few thousandths stoned off the hand will keep the cylinder notches from alignment with the lock.

Revolvers are fascinating guns to work on. They require a through understanding of the cycle of operation and interdependence of working parts.

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Fatherhood

The Big Hammer

I went to church on Father’s day like so many others and listened to a Father’s Day sermon. It was a well-crafted sermon. The preacher used a small toolbox and related how a father needed some of the qualities of each tool. He explained how a father needs to be level headed as he held up the level. He needed to be able to measure out his love as he held the ruler. He went through every tool in the box and had a message for every tool.
As I sat and listened I naturally thought about working with my Dad. He was a mechanic and I spent my early years working in his outboard motor shop. He was a patient teacher and we worked together well. He would add in a few life lessons along with how metal parts work together as a motor. It was a simple time without things like cell phones or internet so distractions were few. I was blessed.
I inherited my love of unorganized life from my Pop. His work bench looked like a junk pile. Several jobs disassembled at one time and mixed together with broken parts and tools made it look like an impossible task to fix anything. People would look and shake their heads. Organized people would feel so uncomfortable they would leave after a few minutes. I can clean my workbench every morning and before lunch it looks like Pop’s.
My sister is a retired college professor and she explained to me how different people are the way they are. She explained that Pop and I are what researchers call a “random” personality. We don’t plan, we don’t do things the same way and we don’t organize things. We tend to be smart and adaptable. We also tend to drive organized people (called sequentials) to use strong drink and bad language.
In spite of Pop’s disorganized workbench there was something you could find. It was the big hammer. Maybe it was because it wasn’t used that often or maybe just because it was big but it was always there. I don’t exactly how big it was but it was big enough you didn’t use it for a regular hammer. You could tell it was old but it was solid. Pop joked and said it had belonged to George Washington. He would tell this to people and tell them he had replaced the head twice and the handle 6 times but it was still George Washington’s hammer.
I remember working on an outboard motor and having trouble removing the flywheel. Pop had already cautioned me about hitting the shaft with a hammer too hard and swelling the shaft. When I asked Pop what to do he studied the job for a few seconds and said “get the big hammer”. I went in the shop and retrieved it from its place of honor. I remember walking back to the job and wondering what was going to happen. Maybe we were just going to beat the motor apart. This wasn’t the type of hammer used for precision work.
Pop was waiting and took the big hammer when I got back. He put a pry bar under the flywheel and with one soft tap the flywheel was loose. I was surprised. I had already hit it as much as I dared and it hadn’t budged but one tap with big hammer had it loose and it wasn’t damaged.
When I asked Pop how come it had worked so well he had another life lesson. He explained how it wasn’t how hard you hit but how much you had backing you up when you applied yourself to a problem. The other hammer has to hit so hard it damages the part before it makes it move because it is a lightweight but the big hammer has momentum so it only takes a tap.
Like a lot of things he said I understand them better now than I did then back then. I have struggled with many things that would have been easier if I had a big hammer backing me up. Things like making a living are easier if you have a great education backing you up. Getting someone to believe you is easier if you have a reputation for telling the truth. Seems like almost anytime you set out on a task you need something backing you up to give you the momentum to succeed.
When I look around I see other people, businesses and even countries with the same problem. I watch as parents threaten children who scoff because they know they have never been punished before. I see a new business open with wild claims about what they can do with inexperienced employees. Sadly I also watch our leaders as they run for office make promises we know they will never keep. I call it magical thinking. We can borrow money to pay our bills and have enough left over to give money to everybody. If we borrow enough we can buy everything we want and live in paradise. This course of action isn’t backed up by anything but lies and fantasies. We know it won’t work but we want to believe in magic to solve our problems.
As I listened to the preacher’s sermon I thought about how much my Pop was like the big hammer. First he was always there. Not in the way but if I needed him he was close and ready to help me. Second he was a powerful tool. He had the experience of many years work and study backing him up. And third he didn’t overwhelm when I asked him. He could show me how to get it done with without screaming and flailing like a drowning person. He was a great Dad.
When I count my resources I see I have a few big hammers myself. A great family, a lifetime of experience and super friends. But my biggest hammer has to be my faith that it was God who put me here and all my “hammers” are on loan from him. When I have to give them back I want them to be in used condition.

 

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Feeling Vs. Seeing

Presence of God

I’m not addicted to TV but recently I watched the Olympics with interest. It was certainly better than standard TV but that doesn’t say much. I watched the opening ceremony just to see what they looked like and the outfits. Then each night we watched a different event. It took a while but I finally decided the end of the events were the most interesting part. Just to see the look on their faces as they realized their dream had come true. Even the ones that didn’t medal seemed to be happy. Some showed disappointment but all projected that they were glad to represent their country and be a part of a great competition. You would think our highly paid professional athletes would show even more appreciation but I guess money changes things.
There was no doubt about it, the outpouring of emotion by those athletes could be felt through the television. Seems we have the ability to pick up emotions even faster than the flu virus. Many cried, unable to handle the flood of feelings. Many spectators cried for the same reason (especially the parents!). Seems people really like to get emotional about something they can see. Maybe that was why God was so focused on keeping his people from worshiping idols. It was a hard task to keep people from idol worship. It still is.
Long before Indiana Jones I was fascinated by the stories of the Ark of the covenants. It was a box built to hold the stone tablets inscribed by God with the Ten Commandments. Ten rules for his people to live by that would make them different from the rest of the world. The rules have never changed. While we have never lived by them in earnest have you ever wondered what the world would be like if we could?
Incredible wealth- No need for armies, tanks, planes and missiles. No need for Police Departments, FBI, SBI, CIA, Homeland Security, IRS or any enforcement of a law. As a matter of fact if you could follow the 10 you wouldn’t need the millions of laws written by man.
Incredible Health- All STD diseases gone. When a virgin marries a virgin they don’t have STDs! With so much wealth other diseases would be wiped out by fantastic research.
Incredible peace- No locks needed. No alarms. You live without fear of your fellow man. There is nothing to fear, you won’t be hurt by anyone and when you die you will live with God forever.
Incredible happiness- With so much health, wealth and peace it would be hard to not be happy all the time.
These are not vague projections but facts of life. We all know it would work. We all know we can’t do it. What a shame.
The Ark was used as a symbol of the presence of God. The presence of God is a powerful thing and the Ark reflected that. It was so powerful that they never knew how to handle it. Of course when anything has power someone will want to use it as a weapon. It proved to be a double edge sword.
Joshua used it as the Lord instructed and stopped the waters of the river Jordan to cross into the Promised Land. He used it again to defeat Jericho.
Years later the Israelites were in battle with the Philistines. Israel had sinned greatly and lost the favor of God. They were defeated by the Philistines and fear was in their hearts. They didn’t turn to God but went and got the Ark to use in battle against the Philistines. The Philistines killed thousands and captured the Ark. It was a bad time!
When the Philistines carried the Ark home they got a nasty surprise. God sent a plague against them. Those that didn’t die were struck with hemorrhoids. Now I’m sure if almighty God gives you hemorrhoids they are not going to be little! No surgery, no preparation H, no ice cubes. Eventually the Philistines send the Ark back to the Israelites. They even sent it home with an offering attached. The offering was 5 golden hemorrhoids and 5 golden mice. You can’t make up stories that good!
When the Jews receive the Ark from the Philistines they were happy. So happy they opened it and looked inside. 50,000 died for this transgression. Then they took the Ark to the house of Abinadab. It stayed there 20 years.
After King Saul died David became king and wanted the Ark to have a resting place in Jerusalem. He goes with a military detachment to retrieve the Ark. They load it on an ox cart and parade in front of the Ark. When the oxen stumble Uzzah reaches to steady the Ark and is struck dead. Parade over! David is scared to go any farther and decides to leave the Ark and go back till he can decide what to do. He leaves the Ark with Obed Edom the Gittite.
Obed was a Gittite which meant he was from the Philistine city of Gath. It also means he would have known about the Ark. I can only imagine his feeling knowing the same Ark that had killed thousands and plagued his hometown with hemorrhoids was going to be left with him!
Obed means “worships God” and it must have been a name he earned. Our Bible only says Obed and his house were blessed. Sources outside the Bible say all the women of his house gave birth every two weeks for the 3 months he kept the Ark. That would have been a blessing then in a world that ran on child labor. Obed honored the presence of God and worshipped Him.
David hears Obed is being blessed and decides it is safe to go get the Ark. This time he dances his heart out while musicians play as the Ark is moved. They stop every 6 paces and offer sacrifices. The Bible says David was dressed in linen. Linen was underwear and David’s wife was not happy to see her husband dancing in public. She tells David with great sarcasm that he has exposed himself in public and is a disgrace. David is not impressed by her and explains that he was dancing before God and worshipping him.
David stands out as someone who really worshipped God. In the true sense of worship he put aside his life and honored God. His example of worship is still valid. Even though he was flawed he still worshipped. He maintained a wonderful connection to God. A worshiper puts aside the self-centered life and focuses on the true greatness of God.
But what happens when we worship God. It seems counter intuitive but we have improvement in our lives. It would make sense that if we get what we want we will be happy. It also makes sense that the more we get the happier we will be. Only problem is we aren’t wired that way so it doesn’t work. We are designed to connect and that connection we get with God when we worship far outshines anything the world can offer.
Need proof? Look at the most devout Christians you can find. You will have to look because they don’t stand up and wave but they are there. Usually working away in some church program or maybe a soup kitchen. You might find her working in the church nursery. You might find him painting the church or raising money to help someone. They will tell you the source of everything good in their life including their happiness is God. They will take no credit for their success. Their fruit will be abundant.
We don’t have the Ark but we have the Holy Spirit. It is the presence of God in our lives. If we take time to worship we will be blessed. It may not be with childbirth every 2 weeks but if it is from God you know it will be good!

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Dogs and Guns

The Little 20

I wasn’t looking for one. Matter of fact I had already decided I had too many. Seems like this has happened before. Somebody will ask me if I want something and I open my mouth to say no and yes comes out. The question was “Do you want a bird dog?”
The correct answer to that question should be NO! A bird dog in eastern North Carolina means quail dog. Since there are not enough quail left to hunt there isn’t a logical reason to own a quail dog. They have to be fed, housed and carried to the Vet. They are hyper, bark a lot and can break out of Fort Knox when they smell something they want. Even worse this dog was a field trial dog. That means he will be extra hyper and prone to run great distances. Well the reason wasn’t logical but it was in my head from 60 years ago.
I saw my Grandad the last time 60 years ago but I knew him through the stories his friends and my Dad told. He was an old farmer in eastern Pamlico County. He was mostly self-educated but evidently very smart. He was well read and subscribed to newspapers from Chicago and New York. My Mother said he was like Ben Cartwright on “Bonanza.” Most important to me was the fact that he was a “gun man.” He was known for his shooting ability and literally hunted till the day he died. He had killed two deer on the day he suffered a fatal heart attack in 1956.
Even though he hunted deer when the opportunity arose he was best known for his quail hunting. This meant he had bird dogs. Usually several of them from what I heard. Quail were plentiful then and the terrain was different. The wooded areas would have fires sweep through every year and burn the underbrush and briars. As a result the woods were tall trees and low grass or broom straw underneath. Perfect for quail!
Quail have an instinct to hide when anything approaches and unless you know they are there you will almost step on them without ever seeing one. This is where the dog comes in. The quail dog runs ahead of the hunter and when he smells the quail he freezes in place until the hunters can get in position to flush the bird. This is called pointing. Then after the bird flushes (quail launch like bottle rockets) if the hunter brings one down the dog will locate it and bring it back to the hunter. This is the retrieve. If the first dog points and another bird dog approaches he should immediately point when he sees the other dog on point even though he hasn’t smelled or seen a bird. This is called backing. Point, back and retrieve are the holy trinity for a bird dog.
All through my youth I listened to countless stories about Grandad and his bird dogs. How his dogs were so smart they could do his taxes if they had thumbs and what a good shot he was with his “little 20.” That meant he was shooting a 20 gauge shotgun for quail. It took a little detective work when I was older but I found out the little 20 was a Lefever double barrel. He liked his big 10 gauge double on ducks and geese but said the 20 was just right for walking behind a dog all day. The choice of gauge or caliber for a gun was a big deal then. Frequent shortages made planning an important part of hunting. Ammo was rationed during war years and well stocked stores were hard to find during the depression.
My Aunt shared a story that I had never heard about Grandad. She said he would sit up at night during WWll and reload his shotgun shells. They were paper casings and would have holes burning through the sides before he would discard them. Grandad read in the Raleigh newspaper that a hardware store in Raleigh NC would sell a case of shotgun shells with every shotgun you purchased from them. First thing next morning he carried her (his daughter) to Bayboro and put her on the bus with instructions and money to purchase 5 single barrel shotguns and 5 cases of shells. A case was 500 rounds packed in a wooden box. She went to Raleigh and walked to the store and bought the guns and shells. Since she was quite attractive she convinced some young men to carry the ammo back to the bus (not everything has changed!) Grandad had enough ammo to last out the war! He gave away the shotguns to his favorite farm workers.
Rhonda went with me to meet Jay the bird dog. The owner had decided Jay had some faults that he would never overcome and was giving up on him as a field trial dog. He lived in the country and when you came down his driveway you knew you were in the right spot. Lots of dog pens, lots of dogs, horses, trailers and a quail house in the field. He met us and showed us Jay. He was total energy, jumping to the top of the fence. He put Jay in the box on the ATV and got two quail out of the quail house. After he released in the field we let Jay out of the box.
It was less than a minute and Jay was “on point”. Amazing to see that bundle of energy freeze completely motionless and wait for us. We took our time getting to him and he talked about Jay’s fault. When we approached the frozen dog and kicked the grass the bird exploded from the thick grass with wing beats too fast to count. As the bird flew away he fired a blank pistol to simulate the shot. Jay remained on point without blinking. He told me “now you will see what’s wrong. He approached Jay to touch him on the head and release him from the point. As he walked toward Jay his rear end squatted about an inch. That’s it! I can’t get him to stop squatting a little and it always takes off points. He told me he had spent 8 thousand dollars on the dog but decided it was a lost case and better to move on.
Jay went home with me. Everybody else that hunts with me has faults that make squatting one inch look pretty insignificant so I reasoned he would work for me. Rhonda is a push over for a pretty dog so that part was easy but I had another hurdle. Sammy and Dexter. Sammy is a 100 pound lab that is pure love. Dexter is a Yorkie that is focused on what he wants. He is 9 pounds of I want to do this my way. You have to chase him down when he gets out and if he sees something he wants like a frog he will hunt it all day.
As I expected Sammy and Jay became friends but Dexter would attack him every time he got a chance. Since I have to pay the vet bills I will just keep them separate. As a group, bird dogs have a high opinion of themselves and won’t let another dog dominate. Jay is the same way. He doesn’t want to fight but he won’t let another dog push him around.
After an adjustment period of a lot of love Jay has become my dog. I know why Grandad loved quail hunting now. It isn’t the taste of quail (fantastic) but rather a chance to hunt with amazing dogs. The dogs hunt like they do because that is who they are. They love what they do and it shows in their work. When they team up with a hunter he should feel honored to have a partner so dedicated and he will be humbled by their ethics.
We have already had a couple of good “hunts” on released quail. No it isn’t like hunting wild birds but it is our only option. Wild bird numbers are just too low for me to shoot one without remorse. And pen raised birds taste like chicken.
After the hunt last week I went back to work on guns. I was looking for parts for a double barrel on the internet and came across a gun for sale. I have more guns than I need and no way had I wanted to buy another one. In spite of that I looked just out of curiosity. It was a Lefever 20 gauge like Grandad’s little 20. It wasn’t perfect but the ad said a gunsmith should be able to correct the faults. It came yesterday.

 

 

 

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Starting Over

Starting Over

 

You wonder sometimes if you can just start your life over. What would you do different? Is it too late? Can I do it? What will my friends think? Am I too old? Will it be any better? Will I screw it up worse and a million other questions that pop up. You start to dream about how you could fix every problem now that you know all about life. You can simply avoid the problems before they even happen.
Probably if you are old enough to read this you know problems and life go hand in hand. If you think starting over will let you avoid the problems you better stay where you are. You will take your problems with you and add more. I know, I have done it several times! Some because I wanted too, some because I had no choice. I’m not qualified to give advice because all I learned is that I don’t know the best way to start over. Luckily I never let not knowing how stop me from doing anything.
The best example of starting over in my family has to be my daughter Susan. She did it with a family of 4 and has made it work. She was working in real estate at Ocracoke, NC. Her husband James was born on Ocracoke and never lived anywhere else. With a 13 year old son and a 7 year old daughter I was sure they would stay on Ocracoke till retirement. With a lot of planning and a lot of guts they left everything they knew and moved the family to Alaska. I can’t imagine a more drastic move without leaving the USA.
But why would anyone want to leave a paradise destination like Ocracoke? It has spectacular beaches, salt water fishing, lots of visitors’ spending money and beauty. While it is wonderful to visit it is hard to stay. Everything has to come and go on the ferry. Being a playground for the rich has made the property values climb above anything working people can afford. If you want anything more than lunch or ice and beer you have to go get it. That takes a day! With only 6-10 children in each grade there just aren’t many things for kids to do on their own.
After they made one visit to Alaska they were committed to changing their lives for the future of their children. They left everything they knew and moved. Taking only a few possessions they sold everything else and bought one way tickets and rode the ferry for the last time. They didn’t have jobs, family for support, vehicles or a home. They did have confidence in their abilities and it was that confidence that made it possible.
When they left they took two friends with them. Both were volunteers that had special skills. When they landed they started the task of finding vehicles and setting up a home in a rental house. Then the volunteers went home and they started the more daunting task of finding a home and jobs. They were uniquely qualified for these task. Susan has worked on computer networks, waitress jobs, real estate agent, rental agent, store owner, and book keeper and Mom. James has more abilities than I can describe but his most impressive is he can design and build anything from a 3 story house to a go cart and likes to work at a pace that scares most people. Ocracoke people seem to shift gears as the seasons change and that mentality probably helped.
Since it was August when they left I was concerned about them going through their first long dark Alaskan winter. When the sun comes up at 10am and sets at 3pm and only climbs slightly above the trees it has to be a different world. But this crew seems to thrive on change and adaptation. The pictures tell the story. Arabella has learned ice skating, Jamie has become a basketball star, Susan was hired by a 24×7 veterinary hospital and then moved to another job with the gas company. Her old job tried to hire her back and the new job gave her a raise before her first day. James used his skills to repair the home they bought at a bargain and now has gone to work with a construction company. The pictures show that a family that use to try to get stuff has changed and now they are trying to do stuff. It has changed everything and they are all thriving!
Now the question is did Alaska bring the change or did the change bring Alaska? I know from talking with many people that have made major changes in life that it always starts with a phrase that is present in every story. It’s only two words but they are important and powerful. The words are “I decided”. It’s that point where you stop dreaming and put your plan into action. That point takes the most courage. You risk losing if you try to change but if you don’t you risk keeping a life you’re not happy with. That might be the biggest disaster of all!

 

 

 

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Can you explain Why?

You don’t really believe that stuff do you?

 

It’s a real question you will have to answer if you haven’t had to all ready. It might come in a real conversation about religion but more than likely it will be just a quick comment and the conversation will move on to something else. Maybe you don’t know what to say or maybe you want to say something but don’t have time but either way you feel like you got attacked. Don’t feel too bad because you are not alone. A lot of Christians have a hard time defending their beliefs. Many will get frustrated and some will even get mad if you ask them to explain why they believe. They need a plan.

The apostle Peter wrote two letters to followers of Jesus that are in the Bible before he was killed by the Romans. He said Christians needed to be prepared to explain why they believed. He didn’t say you needed to be able to explain everything in the Bible but just why you believe. Peter explained why he believed. He was there. He saw Jesus perform miracles. He saw him die on the cross. He looked at his dead body and saw it placed in the tomb. He look in the empty tomb. He saw Jesus alive and had breakfast with him on the beach. He saw the nail prints and marks from crucifixion. He was changed forever by what he saw.

I think we would like Peter. He was a commercial fisherman. He was in business with his Dad and brother Andrew. Probably had a commercial license from the Romans. We know he had a boat and nets. Apparently he fished naked according to John 21-7. Ancient people were not prudish. If you grew up in a one room house and you parents had 10 children or more you knew a lot by the time you left home! Peter was the one that would speak up first when Jesus asked a question. He was out in front. Jesus named him Peter which when translated from the Greek meant rock. When we look closely at his life we see a huge transformation in Peter after the resurrection. He was afraid when Jesus was arrested and denied he knew him. He went into hiding as did the other disciples when Jesus was crucified. After the resurrection he openly preached the gospel till he was crucified himself. According to history Peter told the Romans he wasn’t worthy to die like Christ. The Romans having a sick sense of humor said “we can take care of that for you” and crucified him upside down. Peter lived up to the name Jesus gave him and became the “rock” the Christian church was built upon.

But was Peter the only one? No, not by a long shot! Look at the transformation of Paul. He was a Christian hunter that hunted down Christians for persecution and destruction. In one day he completely changed. He didn’t moderate his life he totally reversed it. It wasn’t like when someone joins the church and starts trying to cuss with less offensive cuss words he really completely changed. Try to imagine a hard line Democrat. Drives a hybrid car with Obama and Biden stickers all over it. Hates big business, oil fired power plants and anybody that would cut down a tree. Next morning he is a registered Republican and wants more off shore drilling and coal mining. That was the kind of change that happened in Paul.

Anybody else? The list is long but another is James the brother of Jesus. Now if it would be hard to convince anyone you were the Messiah it would be hard to convince your brother. Before the resurrection James mocked Jesus when he said he was the Messiah. I can assure you if I tried to convince anybody in my family I was the Messiah I would be laughed off the porch. Imagine if you had grown up with this person and then all of a sudden he is telling people he is God and saying “when you see me you have seen the father”. Yea, that wouldn’t have worked for me. Mama would have beat the health out of me with a damp stick if I had tried that. But after the resurrection James became an ardent preacher of the gospel of Jesus. He believed Jesus was the Messiah in spite of seeing him grow up in his home.

How about his Mom? I have often heard it said that if anybody knew Jesus was the Messiah it was Mary. She alone knew the truth about the virgin birth. Imagine how hard it was to tell that story knowing everyone would think it was a lie. I can just imagine the eye rolling and looking away she experienced. Look at the silence of Mary at the crucifixion. Jesus was killed for saying he was God. If Mary thought he was anything else she would have cried out against the judgement but she was silent. My mother would have said “he is just crazy, don’t kill him for that”! Mary knew the truth.

The list goes on of people that experienced Jesus and totally changed. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Even John the Baptist who was already famous and had lots of people coming to him for baptism. He didn’t get to see Jesus after the resurrection but he instantly knew Jesus was the Messiah when he saw him approach before Jesus was well known and said “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world”. Botton line is there were lots of others that reported seeing Jesus after the resurrection. Lots of witnesses equals lots of proof.

For me compelling evidence comes from the story of the resurrection itself. If it was a carefully constructed lie fabricated by the disciples it might have sounded like this. Jesus was crucified like he said would happen. We knew he was dead but our faith was solid and we knew he would rise on the third day just like he said. We were sorry to see him suffer so badly but we were ready to celebrate his return on that morning at the tomb. At sunrise we were all gathered at the tomb and watched as the angels rolled back the stone and Jesus walked out.

The real story just has the fabric and context of people telling the truth. “We were shocked that he died. We thought he was the Messiah and couldn’t be killed by humans. We were devastated that our world had disappeared and the Jesus movement was over. We didn’t believe it when women said the tomb was empty. That sounded impossible. Most of us wouldn’t even go look for ourselves. Peter went and saw some strips of burial cloth but couldn’t find the body. We thought the body had been stolen or moved. We started hearing reports of people seeing and talking to Jesus but we still didn’t believe it till he came to us in person”. People just don’t make up stories like that.

Then we have the proof of how the Jesus movement spread from such a small group to become not only the dominate religion but a way of life that shaped the western world and changed the rest of the world in such short time.

So what do you say to the person that ask why do you believe? Or maybe the statement will be “You don’t really believe that stuff do you”? You will have to decide for yourself but I like something quick like: “I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead”. Then one of two things will happen. They will be silent for a couple of seconds and the conversation will move on or they will simply ask why? The hope is always that they ask why and you can start telling some of the stories that prove the resurrection. But even if it is the moment of silence a seed has been planted. It might be a seed that doesn’t produce but it might be a seed cast in just the right spot. Just remember to cast lots of “seeds”!

 

 

 

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Extractors

Extractors
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This small part gets a lot of blame for malfunctions. As a Gunsmith it will be your job to find the real cause of the problem and repair, replace or modify the part to cure the problem. Even if you replace the extractor with a new one a complete understanding of the part will help you tune and adjust the new part for best functioning.

The job of the extractor is more than meets the eye. Yes, true to its name it extracts the case from the chamber but it also has a role in the other cycles of the gun. When a firearm is used it will normally go through the cycles of loading, feeding, firing, extraction and ejection. Faulty extractors might prevent a loaded round from feeding smoothly or stop a bolt or slide from locking in battery (firing position). A careful study of the cycle of operation and knowing exactly when the extractor does its job will make you look smarter than a bird dog!

Control round feed or push feed? If the cartridge feeds up behind the claw of the extractor the action can be called a “control round feed” mechanism. Probably the most well known are the Mauser bolt actions and pre 1964 Winchester model 70 rifles but the term includes a lot more. Most semi auto pistols including 1911 style, most repeating shotguns and a lot of repeating rifle feed the base of the cartridge up behind the claw. If the extractor binds on the case rim as it slides in position then the bolt will jam and fail to feed. This might be from rough edges, a too strong extractor spring or the extractor jamming in its slot. Watching a dummy round slide into position might show the problem. If the action is a rimfire and you are testing with live ammo don’t forget that an extractor binding on the case can fire a rimfire cartridge when it dents the rim!

Push feed mechanisms like the Remington 700 and AR-15 will push the cartridge into the chamber until the cartridge stops and then the forward motion of the bolt will snap the extractor over the rim of the case. Broken, deformed and jammed extractors will not allow the bolt to travel forward enough to lock into position and can prevent the gun from firing. This might be obvious or it might be so slight that the bolt looks closed but internal locking mechanisms inside the bolt are not in proper position to allow the firing pin to strike the primer. These are safety mechanisms that prevent firing without the bolt being in battery ( in battery is a term to describe bolt locked into safe firing position). Many times the shooter is convinced the problem is a broken firing pin because the action snaps but there is no mark on the primer.

Extractor geometry has a lot to do with how well it functions. The fired case has to rotate around the tip of the extractor to get out of the gun. If the body of the extractor is in the way the shell rim will be pried out and the shell left in the loading port (smokestack jam). If the extractor is thinned out too much it will break. Usually the factory engineers have worked out the dimensions but frequently with aftermarket parts a little touch-up can help.

Work carefully and understand the job before you start and always “Do Good Work”.