Picked up one of these on the EE recently.  

http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/210042/cabelas-traditional-hawken-percussion-rifle-right-hand-reviews/reviews.htm?page=3&sort=submissionTime&dir=asc

The kit is BNIB from 2007.  

Anyone ever built one before?  Hints? Tips?

Ive been interested in, but intimidated by, a blackpowder build kit for a long time.  I can do basic woodworking and follow directions, but, is there any hidden 'gotchas' in this kit?

TRG

This thread is about a garden, please keep it on topic.

How's my 45-70 doing and my .22-250?  You need my address or something to send them?

TRG

Something, I need something.

Hay finally, after months of waiting for the weather to dry up, the baler to get caught up and the summer heat to settle in ... the balers arrived and baled.





Made 72 bales.  The baler, last year, agreed to buy the bales from us for 7.00 per bale.  Might seem low, but most balers charge YOU per bale or exect you to give them the hay for free (to keep your ag exemption). These guys agreed to buy instead of splitting the crop.  As a lurker her told me, "Relationship is more important than money..."  Solid advice and to relationship with this baler is pretty good.  Did a very good job cutting and baled more of the property than last year.

He's talked about spraying the back portion for weeds, but, I'm pretty happy with the hay production and the deer like to browse the back portion.

I've been shopping for a crew cab 4x4 diesel truck for several years.  Have not been able to find anything in a decent price range, with solid reviews and not priced too damn high for what I need it to do.  Namely ... haul a tractor on a trailer (occassionally), drive in mud (sometimes) and haul some feed from the local co-op.  I average under 5k miles per year for my 1994 Chevy 2500 and I have not been able to justify buying a replacement.

I bought a 1999 Ford F350 Crewcab on CL the other day and spoke with the owner.  7.3 diesel.  3x4.  Solid maintenance history.  176k miles.

Went to look at it today and went through the paperwork.  the truck showed a 'salvage' title around 7k miles.  Nothing on the truck indicated that it had been wrecked.  I used to rebuild cars in HS with my dad.  Insurance write-offs from a local insurance resale lot.  I know what to look for.  This truck showed no signs of damage and it's been driven 170k miles since being 'totaled'.

Owner had a carfax that showed the truck was owned by a Ford dealership (owner's personal farm use vehicle) for 6 years. Spotless maintenance history all documented oil changes, service, etc.

Has a brushguard, tow package (frame based hitch), Gooseneck hitch (removable), gooseneck 'air flow' tailgate, and additional aftermarket springs in the back and a programmable Superchip.

Crawled all under it and saw the ball joints were all still intact (no busted/leaking rubber) and grease on the zerks to indicated recent maintenance.


Pics:







Either a cow or a fifth of whiskey dented the truck while the car dealer owned it.



Under the hood was 'natural.  No sign of steam cleaning to hide oil leaks.  From main seal leaks enough to cause a sandy/oil build up but, the truck had been parked on concrete and showed no oil spots.  Minor enough to ignore.






I got the truck for 6750, cash.

KBB with the truck's info: http://www.kbb.com/ford/f350-super-duty-crew-cab/1999-ford-f350-super-duty-crew-cab/short-bed/?condition=good&vehicleid=5486&intent=buy-used&options=209739|true|209767|true|209789|true|209779|true|209779|false|209789|true|209858|true|209805|true|209823|true|209839|true|209864|true|2729972|true|209916|true|6436769|true|209944|true|209916|false&mileage=161387&pricetype=private-party&persistedcondition=good

TRG

nice score on the truck and the hay too.  

Have not had rain here in 63 days and more days over 90 in history.

Salvage title was from the flood damage.  Time to look for a flatbed for that Farmer Brian.

Great score on the truck. Too many people run scared from salvaged titles because they don't know what to look for.

A good friend and farmer lost his Ford dually on a boat ramp. He bought it back from the insurance company. Luckily it was not running at the time it was sunk. He restored it and still drives it today. Mostly just draining and replacing all fluids and lots of cleaning.


Hay! That ranks second on my list of them things I hate. We didn't have the option of round bales way back then. I have thrown, and stack mine and everyone else's share of hay. Top ranked most hated Tobacco! I would rather pick cotton to ever have to work tobacco again.

No rain here since July 2nd.  Just started hitting the 100s last week.

Sandy soil that was once quicksand here is now the consistency of hot, dry, powdered sugar.

You in potatoland yet?

TRG

Flatbed is really not a bad idea.  It's too tall to reach inside and grab saws, tools, feed right now.

TRG

My dad built a wooden two story barn back in the early 70s.  50x30 as I recall.

Played many times in it.  Filled it with hay, by hand, many times.  One summer we were running around 25 head of horses and dad got some good deals on square bales (also, never head of round back then).  I think this was 1980ish.

Filled it, to to bottom with coastal.  Dad got spendy and scored several hundred alfalfa bales as well.

It was so full of hay that there was no longer any room to play in it.  But, we had plenty of hay for that upcoming winter.

Lighting hit the barn while we were eating dinner a few days later.

Helluva fire.

TRG

sounds about right

Ayup.

One christmas, maybe 1981?  82?  My dad bought us deer rifles from Santa.  Mine was a 30-06 as was my older brother's. Kid brother had a 6mm.  All remingtons.

We had the bottom stalls (10x10 I think) filled with hay.  Dad leaned some scrap 2x10 materials against the outside of the barn and we paced back about 50yds and aimed at the wood.  

We were all surprised that the rounds blew right threw the boards.  They *migght* have been 3-4 layers thick?

Dad was a little sheepish about the holes in the 'new' barn.  

We fed the hay out all winter.

That Spring, when the stall was empty, we found the fragments of the rounds had gone entirely through all that hay and had left fragments of jackets in the opposite wall of the stall.  It left us all in utter amazement.   There must have been 20 visible piece of jackets and several more places that were indented/buried fragments.

I'm sure some of the mares ate some lead that winter, but, more than anything we all learned a little more about what a bullet was capable of doing.

TRG

Put the deer feeder out in the same area where I saw most of the deer last season.  I actually have two feeders running this year.  The original location, 100yds from the deer blind, and the one by the observed trails.

The original (from last year) location has seen exactly ZERO deer this year.  I am basically feeding mice.

Several pics of a doe with a yearling.  Another doe with a spotted fawn.  Couple single does.

This is the largest group on the cam so far:



The spike looks like he will be legal during the season.   County allows one buck with a 13" spread, the other must be a spike with one unforked antler.



Does are only legal on Thanksgiving weekend.

TRG

Did you ever go into he barn at night with a BB or pellet gun and shoot the rats and mice? Dad's only rule was....don't shoot the tin.
My barn cats loved it.

No, the barn was wooden ... however... there was a metal chicken coop.  It made a delicious THINKKT! sound when you hit it with a BB and it was excellent for checking zeros and groups.  Dad busted our ass many times for shooting that coop.

I'm not sure if he was more pissed about the holes in it, or the fact that not once ... not once ... did it even cross our dumbassed minds that a chicken might be hit on the other side of the metal.

I am almost certain is was an aluminum sheet metal on the coop.

TRG

Love comes full circle.

If you need to go around the world to sixty nine it's as easy as zero one two three.

TRG

close, no cigar.

Man, hearing the hunting rules in your area makes me jealous. I could walk out into our backyard any day when the weather is nice and get within 50 feet of a nice buck or doe

Nice find on the pickup.  

I have been keeping an eye on craigslist for land for some time.  I just am not seeing even partially treed parcels for any reasonable amount of money.  I've seen one place for a decent price, 3k an acre x 30 acres but it had a pipeline likely to be expanded in an unknown fashion, and then everyone else wants 6-10k an acre or more.  For dried up, dusty pasture.  I take that back, I did see one place two hours NE of Dallas for 2500 an acre, but that's 4 hours from me.

Guessing oil staying at 45-50 a barrel will help, if I don't get laid off first. That's the other problem..it needs to be a deal, or it isn't worth the risk of being tied down yet having to relocate to find a new job.

Don't need much.  15-20 acres with some trees, some scrub or pasture, and a tank or two.  All I want to do is dove and hog hunt, and if it adjoins bigger tracts with scattered scrub and trees, and a bit of water, I should be able to pull in a few deer.


My garden is done, with the heat.  We did great on squash, zucchini, bell peppers, and cukes, but I figured out the squirrels and the dog were stealing my tomatoes before they ripened.  The pellet rifle will get some practice after the first hard freeze.

Craigs list is really not a good place to look for land for sale.

www.Zillow.com

http://www.landsoftexas.com

Around here, anything under 4k per acre is very rare.  All depends upon where, how far to town, size (smaller ones like 10 or less are 2x the price per acre), location...location.

TRG

I've been looking for a flatbed.  Unless I am missing something ... that's going to be 1800.00 ... or more... to purchase and adds a shit ton of weight.

TRG

I have a nice one I will sell you for $500, swing by and pick it up.

I want to hear more about your neighbor problems.

Talked to Asst. Fire Marshal a second time.  Neighbors had not removed the brush... "He does not want us on his property../helpless whine from neighbors"

This was AFTER the Asst. Fire Marshal had spoken to me, and confirmed they had my permission to come on to the land to remove it.

He called them back and told them, "Look, I told you before, you have his permission to remove the brush.  Next time I come, it's a ticket and you go to a judge..your move."

They removed the brush.

I called the AFM and left a voicemail thanking him for his help.

As for the trash in the fence row, it's a separate issue and I'll revisit this fall.

TRG

Best price shipped?

TRG

You know, I checked zillow daily for months when I was looking for a house last year and couldn't ever remember seeing but the very occasional parcel of land on there, so I quit looking.  I went back and looked after reading this post and see several candidates in this area within a few minutes of my drive to and from work.  Thanks.

Perhaps a GIANT "No Dumping" sign is in order? You may have similar results as your "No Trespassing" sign.

Good idea.  

TRG

Well it looks like you've been staying busy.

Yup.  Seems like there is still something to do around here...constantly.

TRG

Same here when my health isn't stopping me.

 

Found this on CL for sale in my town.  Fits a 79 ford.  Mine is a 99 short bed.

Seller is going to send measurements tomorrow, but, honestly, I have no idea where to begin to measure to see if it would fit.

http://easttexas.craigslist.org/pts/5177541872.html

I'd really like to be able to remove the original bed and install a wood sided flat bed.

TRG

Send plane ticket, I will come make it fit.

It would cost me less to ship the bed and truck to you.

TRG

Save your gas.

close, no cigar.

"Don't waste your gas."

TR

close, no cigar.

"TRG"

See what having a kid does to you...

Forgot he was a goat.

See you guys on Facebook and other gun boards.

I'm done here.

TRG

God speed.

Locked at OP's request. Will unlock at OP's request~~Kitties