There is a brand new coffee shop that opened up in a small strip mall near me. I stopped my the mall for something and when I got out of my car the smell of roasting coffee beans immediately hit me. It was wonderful. My curiosity forced me to go into the shop and try some. I was rather disappointed on walking in as the smell that I got outside was gone in in the tasting room. Apparently the roasting process was in the back and separated from the tasting room. They roast their beans one week in advance and the roasting beans I was smelling would not be brewed until next week. Oh well. I sampled some of their "brew" and was about to leave when I spotted this on their side wall. I was fascinated. Talk about slow drip!!
Super busy with work, moved into a higher position last year, I'm a salary slave now. Still have a few spyders but haven't messed with the main project one in a bit. Still have my c5z and a centrifugal supercharger setup waiting to go on it but debating swapping the ls6 for an ls3 first. Swapped in a built trans and diff last year when I changed clutches and rebuilt the torque tube.
Also got into .22 long range. Shooting a .22 300yds is as challenging as shooting my comp gun at 1200 but 1/3 the cost of ammo, even when feeding Lapua to the .22. I picked up a couple of PCCs and enjoy them at the range and a nice beretta 1301 comp that is a dream of a shotgun. I'm also now trying my hand at building from parts kits and doing a CETME build currently.
Good to hear. I never thought I would like .22 when I started on my gun journey but it has become my favorite to shoot. I have the Ruger 10/22 P90 conversion that is fun to shoot rapidly for metal targets. My favorite out of all my guns is my CZ 455 .22 bolt action. It is very accurate and fun to shoot with matched ammo. I would set sheets of small targets at 25 yards and spend all the time in the world to shoot tight groups practicing my breathing and concentration. I like that I can look though the scope for immediate conformation when the bullet penetrates. It would put me into a mediative state that would feel great for the rest of the week. Thankfully the range I use to go to did not have a time limit for the lane so I could spend hours for just $20.
There is a brand new coffee shop that opened up in a small strip mall near me. I stopped my the mall for something and when I got out of my car the smell of roasting coffee beans immediately hit me. It was wonderful. My curiosity forced me to go into the shop and try some. I was rather disappointed on walking in as the smell that I got outside was gone in in the tasting room. Apparently the roasting process was in the back and separated from the tasting room. They roast their beans one week in advance and the roasting beans I was smelling would not be brewed until next week. Oh well. I sampled some of their "brew" and was about to leave when I spotted this on their side wall. I was fascinated. Talk about slow drip!!
Believe it or not they are doing it right. I have a coffee roaster that I split with a friend that is over his house but since I am no longer welcome because I am not you know what I can no longer go to get coffee roasted and I do not want to make a big deal of it.
After beans are freshly roasted you can make coffee from it but it will not taste very good. It takes at least 3-5 days depending on the bean to off gas and mature depending on the type of greens. Most coffee will peak in flavor after 5 days and that is probably why they wait a week to get you the best product.
I am still getting coffee from eBay but it has gone up a lot in price but still worth it. To keep it in peak flavor I keep some of it in the freezer. My espresso machine is very temperamental with the beans and the grind.
@mrsponz@dev My favorite plinking rifle is my 10/22 with lots of Volquartsen bits in/on it. Very accurate for the price. I'm not a competitive shooter so haven't delved into real high end ammo but CCI mini mag flies pretty true... And at $12/100rds it doesn't get any cheaper these days. I hardly put up paper targets anymore because the aural feedback from steel is more satisfying to me. As long as I can consistently tap the 2"diameter plate @25yds while standing I'm happy with my accuracy.
10yds or so for the male child... He's just getting into it. Wish they made a lefty version, his front hand placement is dictated by avoiding brass hitting his arm.
Female child could care less. She's tried it and hits about half the time, but after 5 or less rounds she's lost interest.
@dev still ordering macaw most of the time myself. Just ordered last week for first time in 1.5mo or so and was sad but not surprised to see the $8 shipping charge. Easier to stomach when ordering 5-10lbs at a time to distribute amongst peers. The two local roasters I like charge between $1-1.2/oz so the $11/lb I just paid macaw is still a pretty good deal.
@mrsponz@dev My favorite plinking rifle is my 10/22 with lots of Volquartsen bits in/on it. Very accurate for the price. I'm not a competitive shooter so haven't delved into real high end ammo but CCI mini mag flies pretty true... And at $12/100rds it doesn't get any cheaper these days. I hardly put up paper targets anymore because the aural feedback from steel is more satisfying to me. As long as I can consistently tap the 2"diameter plate @25yds while standing I'm happy with my accuracy.
10yds or so for the male child... He's just getting into it. Wish they made a lefty version, his front hand placement is dictated by avoiding brass hitting his arm.
Female child could care less. She's tried it and hits about half the time, but after 5 or less rounds she's lost interest.
The 10/22 is fun and there are so many mods for it. I did get a better trigger but it's still awful with the bull pup conversion.
I bought a case of the match ammo but I found the CCI to be almost as good. When the matched ammo runs out I will not buy anymore since I have no plans of competing. I just like to control my breathing and remain still for the shot. Because I have a crossover with photography I found that practicing both hobbies benefits each other as I can shoot at slower shutter speeds so I do not have to raise my ISO for a clean image.
Probably the most interesting thing I have done was 3 gun long ago. It made me understand running and gunning is not the same as shooting at a range.
@dev still ordering macaw most of the time myself. Just ordered last week for first time in 1.5mo or so and was sad but not surprised to see the $8 shipping charge. Easier to stomach when ordering 5-10lbs at a time to distribute amongst peers. The two local roasters I like charge between $1-1.2/oz so the $11/lb I just paid macaw is still a pretty good deal.
Im not pleased with the price increase but I have been pleased with their quality. Their espresso beans has been my staple for a very long time. I have bought from some of the best online roasters in the country but I found Macaw to be the best because they always make a consistent batch I can depend on. Unlike other roasters I believe they have deeper contacts to get the best greens.
Same, growing up hunting, a .22 was for small game and kinda boring, now for groups and comps, it's fun and challenging. I've got a Tikka in a KRG chassis and Burris 3.3-18 scope, it'll shoot better than I can. I can't imagine a time limit on a range, the three I frequent are either free but kind of private, $5 for all day and go to 100 yds and the last one is about 5 hours away that I pay a membership to use but is pretty world class. I also set up steel in my field behind my house and can shoot out to 350ish yds.
I use CCI standard velocity a lot as it groups about .75" at 50yds for me and is about 1/3 the price of match ammo. One of the ranges I use doesn't allow steel but a couple shooting buddies and I will throw a golf ball out at 25ish yds and take turns popping it, making it roll out further and further. It's a fun game and helps with building fast target acquisition.
You are lucky. All of the ranges in my area except the one I mentioned in rural Maryland that is an hour drive are time based and expensive. The closest one to my house you have to buy their ammo at retail prices to shoot. Apart from being expensive it is full of unsafe idiots so I don't go. One of the other perks of living in Maryland is if you have an AR or handgun you can't stop anywhere and have to drive straight to the range or gun dealer when transporting. They came very close to saying you could not transport to the range and only to the gun dealer.
It is one of the perks of living in a gun control state full of Rinos that go along to get along. In the Northern part of VA it is nicer but also time limited with expensive range fees also full of Rinos.
Apart from being expensive it is full of unsafe idiots so I don't go.
Here's the first two reasons why I don't go to ranges. Third (and lesser) reason being the clinical feel.
The idiots are truly the biggest concern. Being in a state with some of the loosest gun laws around is also providing its own "perks"... At the forefront currently is jackasses who think it's cool to dump a full mag into the air while driving through residential streets at 3am. Happening all over town, unless you're in higher upper class neighborhoods. Hope you weren't trying to get some sleep at that hour... Takes local PD about 15min to respond to "shots fired" calls, so they never catch anyone.
NYE there was one with an AK hanging out the window. 7.62 shells all over the street the next morning.
I'm all for allowing responsible citizens the right to own any weapon they choose but here... anyone who doesn't have an active felony on their record is able to buy a gun via retail, and anyone who can't go retail just has to hit the secondary market and buy off someone who doesn't even bother with a bill of sale, or get their SO to buy it for them.
I don't know what the answer is, and not trying to turn this thread towards politics... But here, any gangbanger who can bother to save up $300 can get himself a 9 with relative ease, and it sucks.
Apart from being expensive it is full of unsafe idiots so I don't go.
Here's the first two reasons why I don't go to ranges. Third (and lesser) reason being the clinical feel.
The idiots are truly the biggest concern. Being in a state with some of the loosest gun laws around is also providing its own "perks"... At the forefront currently is jackasses who think it's cool to dump a full mag into the air while driving through residential streets at 3am. Happening all over town, unless you're in higher upper class neighborhoods. Hope you weren't trying to get some sleep at that hour... Takes local PD about 15min to respond to "shots fired" calls, so they never catch anyone.
NYE there was one with an AK hanging out the window. 7.62 shells all over the street the next morning.
I'm all for allowing responsible citizens the right to own any weapon they choose but here... anyone who doesn't have an active felony on their record is able to buy a gun via retail, and anyone who can't go retail just has to hit the secondary market and buy off someone who doesn't even bother with a bill of sale, or get their SO to buy it for them.
I don't know what the answer is, and not trying to turn this thread towards politics... But here, any gangbanger who can bother to save up $300 can get himself a 9 with relative ease, and it sucks.
I get into these discussions all of the time with friends and family that are hardcore anti-gun which is the majority of them. They are the ones that bring it up most of the time because they can't believe someone who they think is responsible about most things can be so dense when it comes to so called common sense gun control.
I win all of my arguments by having them agree with me. I explain to them about the FFL paperwork and how you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if you are a felon, prohibited person or for a straw purchase. The conviction rate for clear prosecutorial offenses is very low and most of the time they are dropped. I am not talking about a person who made a mistake on the from as the FFL will try to help any misunderstanding before it is filed. These are easy convictions along with those felons that are caught with guns in their possession are pleaded out with greatly reduced sentences becoming a revolving door. Enforcing the laws on the books is the best way to get guns off the street reducing gun violence and it is a very strong deterrent. Instead of doing that they are always scheming to punish the law abiding. They get mad at me anyway and make it about AR-15s which they know nothing about. Then they say why not have a registry. I explain that we have a great system put in place with the ability to track weapons used in a crime without a registry. What I often find weird at times is some of the people I know that are anti-gun probably shouldn't have them because they make off the cuff statements of shooting or killing someone in jest when a responsible gun owner understands that you don't brandish your firearm and you don't talk about shooting anyone even if you don't mean it.
I found it interesting that Bill Cosby became anti gun because he had the temptation of using his firearm when he got angry at someone as a justification of why people shouldn't own them. I think for some people that is true but now that he is a felon problem solved.
The PS pump in my OBXT finally gave up completely last week. It's leaked for the entire 2.75ish years I've owned the car. Since I bought the project AW11 the other cars got jealous and had to act out, make sure I still loved them. The Spyder overheated twice out of the blue... I think the thermostat stuck closed. Bought it a hardtop and it hasn't overheated since lol. Then it was the OBXT's turn... PS pump starting spraying fluid all over the (screaming) belt while trying to parallel park downtown during an upper class event. Classic.
Once in it (started 2 days ago) I learned the alternator pulley has been reaching out to touch the upper radiator hose (under load I guess) and hard worn a pinhole in. Drained the coolant system to replace the hose... May as well do the cyl4 coolant mod while the system is empty right... And may as well install the JMP custom VF46 I've had in my possession for 13 months since I finally got the cyl4 mod done...may as well. May as well replace all the rubber bits and hoses near the turbo while I'm there. May as well put the STI pitch mount in while the intercooler is out of the way.
Got her fired up yesterday, bled PS and coolant system, no drips. Finished buttoning up and we're back on the road. 200 miles into the hardest part... Breaking in the turbo nice and easy. Keeping the car in "Intelligent" (see: slow) mode is annoying but keeps me from hammering the go pedal so much.
Gave in briefly this morning getting on the highway and opened her up in third... 2500-5000rpm. Registered 305tq at the wheels! 30-40 more than I usually see. Faster spool and much smoother delivery. Color me impressed. Looking forward to finishing this break-in and retuning.
No sideways movement in the old turbine, and just a tiny bit of forward/back. Pretty sure there's a blown oil seal in there thou...
It has taken the good part of a little over 2 weeks but I finally finished remodeling my kitchen. Initially it was just a cabinet refresh but it turned into a little more.
I get the Amish now where you are focused on your work for purpose. It can get a little chaotic but then when it comes together it is exciting. I have to say it's nice to have so many choices of buying things from Amazon than having to make trips to the hardware store with limited options.
Another nice thing is the newer water based paints and poly that has very low VOCs so I can do everything indoor. This was far more satisfactory than replacing a good set set of genuine oak for cheap particle board since wood is so expensive these days. Conservation is far better than having more manufacturing.
