Well treated wood is always awesome.  Completely understand Utility of synthetic stocks. But still find Them pretty much soul less. I would love to own some truly well figured walnut but if I did I really doubt I would ever be able to take it out and bang it around. Pretty much all my stuff eventually gets knocked around.

Equivalent: every Randall knife I bought over the years I bought with the intention of using.  And every time I look at the grind and think about how long it took to do that by hand and The knife turns into desk art.

That's not what they were made for though. I know for sure that one of my knives is being treated like that and it bothers me a little. Why spend the time figuring out what geometry cuts the way I like, how the heat treat works with the geometry for the task it was designed for, how well the sheath works, and on and on, just to sit on a table and get fondled every once in a while.

That's part of the reason I decided to shift most of my efforts into culinary knives. Someone who chooses to spend more than a few bucks on a kitchen knife is probably going to use it.

That's why I stopped short of a furniture grade finish. This is a kids gun, I don't want to be heartbroken when it gets a ding.

No apologies are necessary.  You wrote a cool story.  You finished it and got it published in a format that we could purchase.  That is far better than the average for stories here and it was a fun ride.  It would have been cool if the sales justified writing becoming a career for you but clearly that wasn't the case.  More stories would be great but not at the expense of it becoming (remaining) a chore for you.

Short stories perhaps?

Checking in, hope all are well.

Anti-archive bump.

Another (unnecessary) bump hoping all is well for all of you (us).

GENERAL NOTE: just realized I had not posted since things kicked off in Europe.  Pretty sure
everybody here understands that was/is a key "organized friction/fail" event/marker.  Could have
been started any time in the last twenty years...but just happened to start now.  So the "managed
collapse" continues on schedule.  Pay.  The.  Utmost.  Attention. To.  Your.  Social.  Engineering.
Efforts.  From.  Now.  On.

--DFarm--understood on fancy knives.  A purely emotional reflex.  Your comment on kitchen knives
is insightful.  I am pretty sure at some point I will order "more practical" leather inside-the-pants
friction sheath for at least one Randall 14, and trot it about, and maybe cut something every now
and then...but I do a lot of digging, prying, scraping, and generally abusive utility stuff with lesser
knives, like Glocks, and Kukris...and I just don't know if I can do that to those lovely needle tips
and flawless grinds of Randalls in general.  Interesting to note the wear patterns of the few Vietnam
Randalls that survive in pics--the big damage was obviously from digging.

--Designated--I have a couple of long awaited wood stocks on the way.  They are not "customs"--
but they are pretty enough, and one or two will eventually get outdoors.  They will have utilitarian
oil finishes, as opposed to Westley Richards/etc. flawless, because I know they will get knocked around.
Two rifles will have BellCarlson synthetics, which can be used like a hammer, and probably will be.

--Greyguy, much appreciated.  The great success/meaning of the book was this thread.  Which will wax
and wane over the years, but never die.  And there is another option/method, heretofore untried, and
entirely alien to my nature--videos/digital media, etc.  Much in the manner of the book (one writes what
one wants to read) I know I will do at minimum one video on a "grail gun" I have wanted for fifty years,
and which will be delivered this summer.  It is within a theme, but there is literally not one exactly like
it on youtube--a cz550 in a .375 wildcat with many many subtle alterations.  A superlative rock crusher
for my future wanderings.

--LastCrusader--short stories--entirely reasonable--but to what end?  Advise.

--CPn/Rn--good to see you.

--Moondancer--and you.

GENERAL NOTE:  I will be heading out at some point this summer.  Pictures forthcoming.

GENERAL NOTE: an interesting addenda to this thread would be any variety of non-specific
comments about progress in managing our social environments as frictions increase.

Example: individuals on this forum: very close to "optimal."  But geographically isolated.
Individuals in Idaho: very close to "optimal."  But geographically isolated/separated--all the
way from the Canadian to the Nevada border.  Not much "right here."

Good to see you man.

Short stories reinforce certain lessons. Can add in important details in peripheral information. Also is more accessible to people who don't want to read the full story yet.

--Designated/M--likewise!

--Last/C--all true.  Accessibility very much so.  Issue as always is marketing/ROE/audience.  I like
this audience here.  My gut tells me to leave as is.  Vanity suggests that spicy youtube videos shooting
the arcane and the artful would increase my exposure exponentially.  Net net...I'm not in a hurry.

--Last/C--short stories as examples/lessons.  Agreed.

GENERAL NOTE:  If the controlled demolition actually creates "struggle/conflict" etc. if there
is anything I would beg the posters here to understand:  Study the word/concept "feud."
A strong bias in this community (at large) might be construed as "military/militaristic/combative"--
this is an extremely dangerous bias.  When "the military" does military things, THEY DO IT SOMEWHERE
ELSE.  And then they come home.  Here.  

We are already here.  If we/you/us start/engage ANY ACTION that initiates a feud, there is nowhere
else to go.  You/we/us will live with the consequences for generations.  Afghanistan et al. did not
build those mud forts for us.  They built them for the next mud fort down the road.  

Study "Bloody Kansas."

How can one do everything possible in a low/medium/high conflict environment to effect/manage/CONTROL
change in local behavior without starting a feud?

Good to see you too, DC. Live, events, occupation, have kept me from traveling as I would have liked this year.

“Bloody Kansas” Fascinating, I had never heard of those events. Serious parallels to recent activities.

Hayfield and McCoy-type behavior is the norm outside a narrow band of civilization. Very destructive.

I’ve been in Wyoming camping and hiking the last couple weeks. These are from the south west part of the state, beautiful country
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Beautiful!

Randomly found this post in this thread thanks to my hand twitching on the screen as I dozed off to sleep.

Thankful for it.  Read the excerpt at top of thread and downloaded this short story.  Impressed thus far.

great stuff...

I have not seen a sheath like you describe for a model 14 though I am sure they exist.

I do carry an old Busse hogfsh in a custom chest rig, It is very secure and comfortable for a large fixed blade.
I will try and dig it up and take some pictures.

We are entering uncharted territory and for a variety of reasons, I don't think this nation will survive. Feuds over
race/religion/class/politics will make hatfield-mccoy look like a kids tea party and so they will be used as implements
of the destruction. I am seeing more of this every day but most won't see it until they are literally hit over the head
with it...

CPN/Rn I wonder how many will be "traveling less" for all possible reasons...forever.  
The "Bloody Kansas" events/phenomena/all inclusive cannot be studied enough.  Every
possible lesson may be found there.

Last/crusader Hatfield/McCoy--exactly.

Coontrapper, much thanks!

Dfarm, good to see you.

viralinsurgency, great to see you.  Very pleased to see late adaptors lo these many years.  I recommend
you take a private moment to consider the self-selecting criteria that brought you here.  Specifically.  Here.


Heron there is a custom sheath maker who seems to specialize in Randall/s--I will find link at some point.
But my resolve wanes speedily when I recall how handy ( and cheap ) a Glock knife and a leatherman and
a rudimentary kukri can be.  And I have a lot of affordable/mid range "desk art"--what essential task does one
do these days with an old S/W Highway Patrolman, except admire it?

Designated/M--really.  Dude.  Awesome.  Then.  And now.

If you don't shoot your pistols, sell them for ammo.

A kydex sheath for a Randall?

I read Soldier's Son 1 & 2 since my last post.  Very much enjoyed it, and would certainly read sequels, though I understand writing isn't your passion or profession, and your time and attention is otherwise engaged.

I wish America had more people standing up to today's tyrants, be they "librarians" or just those with the heart and dedication to Constitutional principles.

You can't even reference the founders and that voting won't fix the mess we're in without getting an account warning on Arfcom these days, which literally just happened.  Sad and infuriating state of affairs we're in...

Last/c desk art is forever!  And i am good on ammo.  The sheath maker does custom leather if understnd correctly you suggest kydex for a randall might commit sacrilege agreed.

viral the balance between outspoken and reticent has shifted strongly in favor of reticent.  A clever mind can always communicate essentials without provoking dissent, controversy, or surveilance.  You will find this thread selects strongly for reticence.  As do the books.  Note
the absence of proper names/nouns.  Both here. And there.  Not an accident.

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Getting outside.  Top pic is 20 lbs raw honey from   High desert farming ranching Family south of Big desert. The rest is self-explanatory.

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Just finished SS.

What a stimulating read.

Not many books leave me wanting to go back and look up topics like this one did.

Thanks for putting the time and effort into it.

Who killed Herrhausen? :p

Platter charges vs EFP?

RAF or STASI? Or are those just 1980s RussiaGate.

Why was herrhausen killed?


Great series. Time to reread with a notepad haha

--ViolentD good to see you.  Late adoptions are always fascinating.

--HerrHaussssen analysis a little to on the nose for this or any forum.  I see you
have noted a few things of interest.  Issue/s this incident was "timing tech"/co-ordination/
observation/personnel which severely limits the number of potential actors.  Severely. And.  "What
(whose) ox was (had been/would be) gored?"  A tidy little incident to explore.
Or maybe a hash dazed lezbo Red Cell with scooters and stopwatches
got really really lucky...

It's been a heck of a couple weeks for individual rights in this country.  Maybe there's hope yet.

Hell yes.  Max interesting.  Might have bought a decade.

Maybe more if these actions can be built upon.

My hope is that people have been forcibly shaken awake by the events of the last couple of years and don't like what's been happening under their noses.

Hope isn't a very comforting plan though.

Before the miracle of the USSC's June decisions in 2nd Amendment, Abortion, Regulatory Agencies, I would have given the USA no better than a 5% chance we could see the path corrected, ever.  Now, I'd say I hope we've maybe doubled that to maybe a 10% chance.
DFARM is correct:  "Hope isn't a very comforting plan though."

DFarm--Moondancer--good to see you.

Agreed on "hope"--I find it fills my hands with nothing.

GENERAL NOTE: let's edit the proper names.  Stay not available.  Just practice.

Holy Shit Designated!!!!  Story.  Please!

I cultivate friendships with old farts.  This was a gift from a good friend, getting in his 70s, a historian and reenactor.  He decided he wants to reduce his collection of flintlocks, as he's been collecting for 50 years and he's never shot some of them.  Well he gave me a choice of several .50 flintlock rifles and I picked that one.  

It's a Tennessee Mountain Rifle, can't tell when it was made, but it's a .50 flintlock, with a 41 1/4" barrel rifled 1/56, so round ball only.  I'm shooting it with 70g of FFFg.  So far I've shot it at 50yd and it groups pretty nice.  Looking forward to poking some deer with it.

Historically, it's a rifle that's a descendent of the Pennsylvania/Kentucky rifle lineage, but adapted for the Blue Ridge mountain region in VA, NC, TN.  Brass was harder to come by in that area in the 18th century, so you don't see elaborate patch boxes or nose caps.  Fittings were iron usually, the hole drilled in the stock was to hold tallow to grease your patches.  They were simple rifles for simple men, and they traveled across the mountains into the Ohio River valley and further west with fur hunters and traders in the early to mid 19th century.




ETA: Notice that the rifle the picturesque gentleman is leaning on has been converted to a percussion lock, although retaining the characteristic stepped forestock and tallow hole of a Mountain Rifle.

Designated that is a coolest post/story ever.  Feel kind of possessive--that is exactly the
kind of story that will make this thread live forever--on the other hand, that rifle and
story should be shared...everywhere?  Mind blowing history.  As you see fit.  Thank you,
D/M.

Yeah, wow.

That's beautiful!

Congratulations. Quite a gift!

Top Collection St. George Slaying The Dragon Statue - St. George, Legendary Medieval Knight Sculpture in Cold-Cast Bronze with Color Accents - 10.5-Inch Medieval Figurine https://a.co/d/h1JjJd2

Awaiting the arrival of this little statue for my meditation table.

Thanks for the inspiration.

A present rarely opened. Watching Restrepo again. Fuck it hurts.

Former11 a Great gift indeed.

ViolentD  I wonder how many of us have artifact meditation Memento desk displays or equivalents.  Lots.

Designated  Knowledge is pain. Nice to see you.

Will be doing a general post on a new to me artifact. Planned for the last half century. Really.

Custom.  Every part nitrided except springs.  Stamped with relevant if obscure iconography.  Notice the recoil booster yes really.  But it keeps blast off the face.  Planned this since I was a teenager: Attached File

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