The process continues

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SO I made an offer on the property that I’ve been posting about. I offered 25% less than what they were asking. They said theyd go 10% below ask. So I bumped my offer to 18% below ask. No dice. Said theyd wait till spring and see how it goes.

You may notice I’m  not giving actual cash numbers or details here and thats simply because I might wait until spring and see if it’s still available and if, at that point, they are more amenable to my original offer. But, in the meantime, the search continues.

Can’t say I’m not disappointed, but it isnt a huge level of disappointment. Every week that goes by is another grand to put towards a potential purchase. And its more time for me to get resources lined up and information brain-banked. By the end of the year, I’ll have almost ten grand more to raise the bar on what I can afford. Obviously the cheaper the piece of property the more money that leaves me for the necessities that a property purchase will entail…materials, tools, equipment, four-wheeler, infrastructure, etc.

I have noticed that some propeties I’ve been looking at, and discounted for various reasons, have started to show drops in asking price. Not sure if thats related to winter coming on and the buying season slowing down, or if its more related to the economy and market in general. Don’t really care, honestly….I just want maximum dirt for my dollar.

Im starting to thnk I may just have to sit down with a tab opened to the Montana cadastral and start looking at properties that seem to fit the bill for what Im looking for and contacting the owners to see if they want to sell. Long shot but it would guarantee that the criteria Im looking for are met.

Regardless, its back to trolling the listings and banking away money until the right opportunity presents itself.

 

Winter approaches

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Well, I guess we are officially in the tail-end of fall…went out to start the truck this morning and there was a bit of snow in the air. So, time to drop the Cold Weather Module back into the bag of tricks.

I’ve mentioned the Cold Weather Module before but I don’t think I’ve ever done a post about it. Succinctly, its a collection of cold weather accoutrements to keep me warm if I get caught out in the cold weather….gloves, liners, scarf, hat, thermal undershirt, etc.

Its purpose is so that if me, or anyone with me, winds up getting caught a bit unprepared by a sudden weather change….there are options. Of course, I also keep a winter jacket, socks, gloves, hat, etc in the vehicle. Freezing to death is a peaceful way to die, almost freezing to death, however, is a horrible way to live.

And, I suppose, this means its also time to throw the shovel and sandbags back into the truck.

Sadly, snow season means its also likely end-of-property-hunting season since what passes for roads in those places are going to be even more of a challenge.

Personally, fall is my favorite time of year. Cool days, cold nights, the satisfaction of being warm and comfy when the wind is howling, that sort of thing.

In other matters, someone sent me a couple USB drives in the mail that were full of all sortsa cool fiction and sci-fi books…including Ing, Heinlein, Ahern, and a few other stalwarts in the genre. I wish I had time to read the way I used to, but being digital I can always slap these onto my phone for viewing when Im stuck in line somewhere or such. Big thanks to the thoughtful reader who sent those.

Blast from the past

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Sometimes, if what you need isn’t available in your present, and unlikely in the future, then you’re only choice is to mine the past for it. Case in point – Mini-14 magazines.

I picked up a Mini-14 a few weeks ago and while I don’t mind buying Ruger factory mags, they are expensive and while I’ve had no problems with the twenty rounders, their thirty rounders havent always been reliable.

A few years ago Tapco came out with a Mini-14 mag that was, in my opinion, the best aftermarket Mini-14 mag available. (Keyword: available) Unfortunately, Tapco got caught up in the Remington bankruptcy and it is, for now, ‘not a going concern’.

I’ve mentioned them before, but years and years ago Eagle made some Mini-14 mags that I thought were just amazing. The Eagle mags were 35-round instead of 30, used a constant-force ‘windowshade’ spring that made loading mags a breeze, and I found them to be utterly reliable. They also havent been made since the ’94 weapons ban. I was scouring gunbroker for more Tapco mags and stumbled across a stash of NOS Eagle mags. Hmm. Okay, lets make a deal for all of them.

As I’ve said, the Mini-14 is barely on my radar as a ‘run out the door’ kind of gun. It’ll do in a pinch, but I can’t think of too many situations where I’d not have one of the three dozen AR’s sitting around here to use. But…who knows what the apocalypse is going to look like? Maybe there’ll come a time to tuck this thing in a case at the beta site with a dozen magazines. Who can say? Better to have and not need…

So, if you have a Mini-14 (or Mini-30) and you’re a little annoyed at current mag selections, I can recommend the Eagle mags if you can find them, and wholeheartedly recommend the Gen2 Tapco mags. (The Gen 2 have the still reinforcement tab at the mag lockup point.)

I should also point out that in a housecleaning frenzy the other day I discovered an old tactical vest from the late 90’s/earlt 00’s that still has six Eagle AR mags, fully loaded, in it. An excellent experiment to see how leaving a magazine loaded for 25 years winds up working out.

 

Silver and gold

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Gold hit $4000/oz, and silver hit $50/oz.

Read into that what you will.

I have a stash of gold and silver set aside specifically for land purchase and this climb in metals prices means good things for my ability to afford something.

Sad thing is, though. When it’s gone, its gone.

What I’ll probably do is start diverting a percentage of my dividends each week into metals. Get a little dollar-cost-averaging going.

But, in the meantime…wow.

Swing and a miss

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I had mentioned that I was going to look at a property last weekend. Unfortunately, a couple days before my anticipated expedition, the owners decided they were just gonna pull it off the market and leave it to their kids. So…that one is outta the running.

As a side note, I went and visited, for the third time, my not-quite-everything-I-want candidate on Saturday. It has potential, but, merciful Crom, its a bit of a brutal drive to get there once you leave the pavement. It’s approx. 16 miles off the paved interstate and the quality of the road is such that 20 mph is about the best you can do. And in the winter, well, you’re gonna need a seriously dedicated machine to get in there. But, thats not necessarily a bad thing…it’ll keep the crowds out. I’m fine with that. My plans involve buying a 4-wheeler and a snowmobile anyway.

I’m really torn between making an offer on it and committing, and waiting to see what else turns up. I have an irrational fear of dropping the hammer on this thing and then three weeks later something ‘more perfect’ becomes available. But, this problem exists with everything…houses, wives, cars, property, dinner specials.

At the moment, I’m wargaming ways to utilize/develop the creek that runs through the property. Im thinking the way to go is to pump water to a storage tank at the top of the hill, and then let gravity do the work to provide pressure down at the potential building site. I need to do some math and and other calculations, as well as plot logistics for size of tank and how to transport the bloody thing. But, even if I dont get this particular piece of dirt it’s still a good experiment to run in my head since, eventually, its gonna have to happen somewhere.

Pumping for information

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Okay, so here’s a question – what determines the size/power of pump you need to move water? Is it the weight of the water in the pipe that you are moving? Is it the volume? Is it a combination of the two?

The reason I ask is because I was contemplating moving water on a piece of property I am looking at. I would need to move it 330 linear yards….call it 1000 feet. Of that distance, about a 2/3 would be uphill. Assuming a schedule 40 pipe of inside diameter of approx 1.049″, the formula to calculate volume in a pipe is 3.141 x (radius^2) x length in., or 3.141 x (.27510025) x 12000, or 10371.06 cu. inches of water in a 1000′ length of 1″ pipe. That water weighs approx. 374#. So, am I correct in thinking that to move water through a 1″ pipe for 1000 feet would require a pump capable of moving approx. 374# of water? How are pump sizes/classifications/ratings determined? Whenever I look at pumps, it seems they are rated by their output of gallons per minute. But I’m not really concerned about flow rate, rather I’m concerned about ability to move a particular volume of water.

Or am I looking at this incorrectly? I used a 1″ pipe in my calculations because I was thinking the smaller the volume of water that needs to be moved, the smaller and less powerful a pump would be required. Or would the type of pump be determined by something else? Ideas?

ETA: There seems to be a misunderstanding here. This question is not directed at pumping a well. Im talking about pumping surface water from a collection point (pond, for example) across 1000′ of uphill ground. So, not a well pump.

Still looking

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How is the property hunting coming along, you ask? Nothing terribly remarkable. Im going to look at a property this weekend that is in a region known for local cops and fire retiring to. On the one hand, most of the cops I knew here in Missoula are mostly of like-mind, or at least not opposite of it. And having those kinds of people nearby could be a handy thing if you hit the point where collaboration and cooperating with neighbors becomes critical.

The piece I am going to look at has a spring on it, I am given to understand. I have also been warned that it might be a bit swampy in that area. I am wondering if perhaps developing the spring and giving that water a place to go might remediate that. Dunno. Won’t know until I actually go an walk it, which will be this weekend, I think.

Still haven’t ruled out the other property yet. But I’d like to have a few more options to choose from.  In the meantime, my bookmarks folder is slowly filling with links to well pumps, septic layouts, concrete form construction, PV systems, maps, etc, etc.

What are the biggest challenges? Finding a piece of property with some type of water, isn’t bisected (or worse) with public-accessible roads, has some flat building spots, isnt butted up against another piece of property that had someone build their house right on the edge of the property line, isn’t several hours away, is at least 20 acres, and isn’t more than about $225k. Tough find.

50th anniversary model Mini-14

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I’m a bit of a Ruger fan boy but it’s not really about brand loyalty, its mostly because Ruger, in my opinion and experience, makes guns that are brutally rugged and durable. And thats kind of a quality thats important to me. I love me some Smith and Wesson, but I think that, over a lifetime of medium- and heavy-handloads, the Ruger product will hold up better. Is it as nicely finished as the Smith? No. Is it bulkier than the Smith? Usually. But when handguns have been illegal for twenty years and getting spare parts is not part of the equation any more, I suspect Ruger will the the boomtoy that’s still chugging along.

And before anyone chimes in, yeah Bill Ruger stabbed gun owners in the back. But..he’s been dead for almost 25 years and every restrictive policy he had has been quietly relegated to the dustbin of corporate history. If you really want to boycott Ruger from something from 25 years ago, be my guest…but be consistent. Smith collaborated with the feds on restrictive firearms policies too. And Colt knocked the bayonet lugs off their AR’s long before the 1994 Assault Weapons ban. So..be consistent.

Anyway, I’ve always had a fascination with the Mini-14. Back in the day, if you wanted a .223 (or 5.56) carbine to face down the invading Red hordes with, you were either gonna have a Colt AR or a Mini-14. (Yes, there were other .223’s out there…Valmet, HK, etc….but they were rare and expensive exceptions). The Mini-14, back in those days, was the cheaper alternative to the AR. Nowadays it is wildly reversed with a regular Mini-14 dealering out at around 1/3 to 1/2 again as expensive as a mid-tier AR.

But…I’ve always kinda like the Mini-14 for its old-world style. As such, I couldn’t resist but pick up Rugers 50th anniversary model of the Mini.

The walnut stock is a nice touch. Unfortunately, with the demise of Tapco, the number of readily avaialble, and reliable, aftermarket mags has dropped to zero. Fortunately I stocked up on the Tapco’s when I had the chance. And, with a carefully thought out buying plan, I can probably swing a factory mag or two every month for the next year or so.

Does this thing do anything better than an AR? Well, it flies under the radar a little better, but thats about it. But, not every gun has to be for serious situations. Still, while it would never be my first choice for running out the door, there are far worse choices. Nah, this thing is just for fun and a bit of nostalgia…although, I suppose if worst comes to worst, it could be pressed into yeoman service and do the job.

By the by, I guarantee you that the comments will include something about how someone bought a Mini-14 in 1989 and couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn if they were standing in it. The oderl Mini’s definitely had a reputation for….shall we say….’questionable accuracy’. However, the new barrel design and assembly has alleviated that problem. To my old eyes, its about as accurate as an open sighted AR.

This’ll  be the last Mini-14 I buy unless I come across a used one at a very good price. These things are simply too expensive for what they are to buy new. But…I really liked the looks of this one with its walnut stock, M1 sling setup, flash hider, and bayo lug.

 

Article – Everytown wants stricter laws on guns. Now, they’ll also teach you to use one

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Malcolm X famously said “Only a fool would let his enemy teach his children.” That came to mind the other day when I saw this article:

Some activists devoted to ending gun violence had to look twice at the source of the ads for firearms training that flashed on their computer screens. Everytown for Gun Safety, which has made its name advocating for stricter gun laws and preventing violence, is now offering courses for gun owners.

This seems to be rather upsetting to some people who formerly supported organizations like Everytown. And, one of those supporters, said the quiet part out loud:

“Our mission is to reduce gun violence and keep people from having guns in their homes and here you are giving a gun safety class that encourages gun ownership.”

Did you catch that? Gun safety..reasonable, ‘commonsense’ gun laws….but what they really want is to “keep people from having guns in their homes”.

If I had a friend who wanted to learn how to shoot, do I send them to the program run by the organization that is trying to tamp down my civil rights? Or do I send them the othe program run by the organization that claims to support my rights as it collects and spends money like a multi-level marketing scheme? Correct answer: neither. I take them to the range as often they like and show them what they need to know. Would I trust some outfit like Everytown to teach someone how to shoot without them slipping in some of the ‘common sense’ and ‘reasonable’ ideas about ‘gun control safety’? Heck no, but I also wouldn’t trust an NRA-sponsored course to be politically neutral either.

The best I can hope for is that whoever is taking the class, from organizations on either side of the issue, is intelligent enough to see the different perspectives and do their own research and make up their own mind. But, thats asking alot from the humans we seem to have these days.

Article – Meet the People Who Eat 100-Year-Old Military Rations

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Nathan Abernathy reviews all kinds of foods, but the meal he was about to dig into was special. It had been prepared in 1965. 

The Missouri resident had secured a U.S. military ration from the Vietnam War. On the menu? Canned pork slices, tinned peaches, crackers, a pastry and instant coffee. 

Abernathy carefully inspected the items. The coffee creamer had congealed and was “hard as steel,” he said in a video posted on YouTube. The pastry smelled like “something orange, with rancid nuts in it.” And when he tried to pry open the can of peaches, it exploded—spraying decades-old fruit shrapnel onto the ceiling.

Ultimately, Abernathy, now 47, drank the coffee and nibbled on the crackers. “They don’t taste too bad,” he said, though he added, “my ‘not too bad’ is probably pretty bad for your average joe.” He stayed away from the pork slices.

YouTube has several channels where people munch on things that you’d never imagine wanting to eat. The military rations are, often, quite interesting. I remember seeing Russian rations and, boy, I’m not making an excuse for committing war crimes but I’d be pretty cranky if I had to eat the crap that Ivan was having to choke down.

The US doesn’t have the best rations, but its far from the worst. The Canadians, amusingly, appear to be mostly single-serving stuff you can find in a WalMart and thrown together in a heat-sealed baggie.

I have a few cases of military rations laying about, but theyre for a very particular type of emergency. For most emergencies, whatever is in the cupboards will work just fine, and then there’s the freeze drieds and bulk stuff for when things get really weird. The MRE’s are mostly for that “We are going portable NOW” moment.

Fascinating reading viewing though. And some of these countries, like Japan for example, put some pretty awesome tech into their dining experiences.