Sunday, March 17, 2024

Got Some Range Time in Today

We had another beautiful Spring day here in southeast Pennsylvania. I got together with a friend and we did some shooting on his property. 

One of the guns I brought was my High Standard Sentinel .22 LR revolver, about which I've written here before (check the tags on the right).

Last June, I replaced the original square butt grip with a round butt grip.



This was the first time shooting the gun with the round butt. It works for me and will make the gun more concealable should I need to do so.

The ammo I fired through it today was a box of CCI Stingers. I found that they shoot closer to point of aim in this gun than ammo with heavier bullets, so that's what I've settled on for feeding it. I do want to try some Federal Punch and while I think I have a box I couldn't find it.

One thing we noticed today since we fired most of the ammo double action is that the grooved trigger really sucked for DA shooting, especially on the edges. After I got home and cleaned it, I removed the grip and held the piece in a vise, then used some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and then a round stone to dull the serrations. This should make it better for DA practice sessions. 

Last week I bought a World War Supply canvas M3 Tanker Holster, which is based on the USGI WW2 leather holster for the S&W Victory Model and Colt Commando .38 Special revolvers. The High Standard Sentinel is a little smaller than a S&W K-Frame and fits nicely into this holster.




With its alloy frame the Sentinel weighs only around 20 oz. so it's nice to carry. It would make a nice gun for the woods. In the past two years since I bought the revolver I've fired hundreds of rounds through it and had zero malfunctions, including no misfires. If I was limited to a rimfire for self defense this would probably be my first choice.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Ruger Speed Six Range Report

I shot the Ruger today for the first time. Both groups below were fired double action at 10 yards.



The Pachmayr Compac grips I installed are great, BTW. They are very comfortable for my small hands and do a good job of absorbing recoil. I'm half tempted to modify the grip frame of my Service Six to Speed Six dimensions and install a set of these.

The lower group is 40 rounds of .38 handloads with a Speer 158 grain .358 LSWC on top of 4.9 grains of Winchester Autocomp in mixed brass with CCI primers. This is a full .38 Special service load equivalent.

The headshots were .38s with a 178 grain .359 Keith LSWC on top of 5.3 grains of Unique in mixed brass and CCI primers. This is +P and approaching a .38/44 load.

The load with the Keiths has been very accurate in my 4" S&W Model 15-3, Ruger Service Six, and S&W Model 28-2 but between the Carnauba Red bullet lube and Unique, it's very smoky. As a black powder shooter that doesn't bother me, however. The fouling wipes right off.

One of the nice things about Autocomp, though, is how nicely and consistently it meters in a powder measure, in contrast to Unique. A couple years ago I made my own load chart for my RCBS Little Dandy. I took a variety of powders and did an average of 10 throws in the different rotors and Autocomp was by far the most consistent, even better than other ball powders like HP-38 and Universal.

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

New to Me Ruger Speed Six

I've long been a fan of the Ruger Security, Service, and Speed Six revolvers. I much prefer them to their successor, the GP-100, which while being stronger and simpler to make, is bigger and in my experience, not as smooth.

The Ruger Sixes were made in both blued and stainless steel versions. The primary differences are the sights and shape of the butt.

  • Security Six: Adjustable sights, square butt, 2.75", 4", or 6" barrel.
  • Police Service Six: Fixed sights, square butt, 2.75" or 4" barrel.
  • Speed Six: Fixed sights, round butt, 2.75" or 4" barrel.
Most of the Sixes were chambered for .357 Magnum. There were some chambered for .38 Special for department contracts, and some Speed Sixes in 9mm which used moon clips.

Of the three major Six variants the Speed Six is the least common.

The Sixes are a bit beefier and more durable than S&W K-Frames but will still fit in many K-Frame holsters. For example, my 4" Police Service Six fits nicely in my Victory Model shoulder holster. (I've had the Service Six for years and it's a fine shooter, especially since I installed a set of Sile wooden target stocks.)

The first centerfire handgun I ever shot was my father's blued 6" Security Six that he used in bullseye competition back in the 80s. Between all the rounds he fired, nightly dry firing, and a Wolff spring kit, it was very smooth with a great trigger. Unfortunately he traded it off many years ago.

Last week I did some searching on Gunbroker and found that Robertson Trading Post had several Speed Sixes listed for sale at reasonable-for-2024 prices. I ordered one and picked it up from my local FFL today.




Aside from what are purported to be squadron markings on the left side of the frame, the gun is in excellent shape and appears to have been barely shot. It's very clean and the action is smooth for a Ruger. Lockup is solid and the timing is perfect. There is a small ding on the left of the front sight but it doesn't affect sight picture.

According to Ruger's web site the serial number places it as 1982 production.

It had a set of Sile rubber grips on it which are actually meant for a Security or Service Six with a square butt. I got this set of NOS Pachmayr Compacs off eBay for under $20 shipped. They fit the gun better and feel like they were made for me. I have a 3" S&W Model 10-8 with the same grips and it's very comfortable to shoot.

Although the Ruger is a .357 Magnum, it will see only .38 Special loads with maybe a few exceptions, since I'm not a fan of .357 blast and flash.

One might wonder what's the point of a medium-frame snubbie. IMO, it would make for a fine carry gun in cooler weather when you can tuck it into a large coat pocket or wear it outside the waistband but under a coat or vest.

Friday, January 12, 2024

Got a Lathe Spider

A couple weeks ago I ordered a spider for my 7x14 minilathe, something I should have bought years ago. Little Machine Shop had it as their weekly special so I finally pulled the trigger on it.

Link to minilathe spider: https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1136

The spider threads onto the end of the spindle and provides additional support to long workpieces, to prevent them from whipping around.




To install the spider you remove the gear cover on the end of the headstock and simply thread it onto the end of the spindle.




I used it today while drilling and tapping the flared end of the factory ramrod that came with my Investarm Gemmer Hawken. Even though I bought an unbreakable Delrin rod for it from Track of the Wolf, which is threaded on both ends, I want to keep the OEM wood rod as a spare.

This shows the ramrod mounted through the spindle bore.




And here I was using the lathe as a tapping guide to keep the 10-32 tap straight. I did not do this under power. Instead, I used the chuck key as a handle and rotated the chuck manually. Power to the lathe was off when I did this.




Aside from drilling and tapping the end of the OEM ramrod to accept 10-32 accessories like cleaning jags, worms, and bullet pullers, both ends of both rods got drilled and cross-pinned. To drill the holes I used my minimill.

Always cross-pin your ramrod tips! Failing to do so can result in the ends pulling off the rod if you get a jag stuck or need to pull a ball. It's simple to do so:

  1. Drill a hole through the rod crossways. I used a #40 drill because for my pin I used some brass rod 0.098" in diameter.
  2. Chamfer both ends of the hole.
  3. Drive the rod through the hole and cut it off. I used side cutters.
  4. Using a hammer, peen over both ends on a metal surface. I used the anvil on my bench vise.
  5. File the ends of the pin smooth.
One end of the Delrin rod from Track is tapped 10-32 and the other is 8-32. I will use 10-32 jags, etc. and have an aluminum T-handle with an 8-32 stud on the end. I have qualms about using it for cleaning or ball pulling.

Just another example of how my small, tabletop machines help me out with gunsmithing tasks.

Video: Banner Grabbing with Nmap

 


Video: Nmap Scanning for Specific Open Ports

 



Saturday, January 06, 2024

Investarm Gemmer Hawken Rifle

With Lyman getting out of the black powder business, Muzzle-loaders.com has taken over as an importer of Investarm guns. I had a 10% off coupon from them that expired at the end of last year, so on 12/26/23  I put it towards a left handed .54 flintlock Gemmer Hawken. It arrived this past Wednesday. The Gemmer Hawken is the current incarnation of the Lyman Great Plains Rifle, which for decades has been very highly regarded for a production muzzleloader.

Back in the 1990s I had a LH flint .54 Lyman GPR but sold it off after a few years. At the time I wasn't hunting and my shooting interests were more along the lines of milsurps and S&W revolvers. I wish that I had kept it. Let's just say that the Investarm rifles made today are not as nice as those made even 10 years ago, much less my old GPR. In particular, the triggers were horrendous. Rough, difficult to set, and so heavy when unset as to be unusable. So, I ordered a Davis Deerslayer from the Log Cabin Shop and it arrived today. The Deerslayer was originally designed for use in  the T/C Hawken and Renegade, rifles but it also works in similar guns like the GPR/GH.

Installation was painless and while the instructions mention removing wood, that wasn't required. (Doing so may be required on a T/C.) The rifle now has an easy to set trigger that would be usable even when unset. Dry firing it feels like I'm holding one of my custom muzzleloaders. In my opinion the Davis triggers are worth the $80 asking price (although it shouldn't be necessary to replace the triggers on a factory rifle to get something usable).

Pic before installing the new triggers:




Yesterday I added a couple coats of clear Watco Danish Oil to the stock, which is some unspecified European hardwood that was lightly finished. Older Investarm guns, including the Cabela's Hawken I took a big doe with in 2022, had walnut stocks. I also replaced the vent liner with an RMC unit that uses an Allen wrench for removal. It's coned internally as well on the outside so it should help ignition.

The lock sparks well even with the cut agate flint that it came with. L&R now makes left handed RPL replacement flintlocks to fit the GPR/GH but I'll give the factory lock a solid workout before thinking of replacing it.

The only other modification I have planned it to put slots in the barrel keys and install pins held in by the escutcheons so they can't fall out and get lost.

I may not be able to shoot it until next weekend, due to the weather. I'm hopeful that it will shoot well with 70 - 80 grains of 3Fg and a patched .530 ball. I'm also going to try some .526 balls which should make for easier loading in the field. My reason for getting a .54 is to improve my chances of a complete pass-through on the large whitetail deer up in Tioga County, compared with the .50s I've been using.

As an aside along those lines, I'm hoping to work up a good conical load for my percussion Cabela's Hawken .50 that I can use during the early antlerless season. I have some Hornady Great Plains bullets that should shoot well in the gun and be really effective on deer.

Aside from the larger ball, the Gemmer Hawken will give me a flintlock rifle that's easier to handle inside a deer blind, since it's significantly shorter than the longrifle I toted last week.

More to follow after I shoot it ...

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Video: Hardware Troubleshooting on the Linux Commandline

I put up one more video for 2023. I hope you'll find it useful.




Have you ever wondered how to troubleshoot hardware issues in Linux, especially from the commandline? In this video we'll take a look at tools you can employ from a Linux shell session to help identify hardware, diagnose and troubleshoot issues, and work toward solutions to hardware problems.

Thank you for watching my video. If you found it helpful, please give me a Like, Subscribe, and Share. There's more to come!

ALL LOGOS AND DISTRIBUTION NAMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

PDF COPIES OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON MY GITHUB SITE:

https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

SOURCES FOR LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA IF YOU DON'T HAVE RELIABLE BROADBAND INTERNET:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R4gu9Y

LinuxDiscOnline: https://www.linuxdisconline.com/

NOTE: AMAZON LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND THEN BUY SOMETHING I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.


Video: Exploring and Scanning with Nmap

 In this video we learn how to explore networks and scan hosts using Nmap, the Network Mapper.



Thank you for watching my video. If you found it helpful, please give me a Like, Subscribe, and Share. There's more to come!

ALL LOGOS AND DISTRIBUTION NAMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

PDF COPIES OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON MY GITHUB SITE:

https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

LINKS FOR THE SOFTWARE AND BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

Nmap: https://nmap.org/

Nmap Free Online Book: https://nmap.org/Book

Softcover book: https://amzn.to/48a9XS8

Homebrew: https://brew.sh/

VMware Workstation: https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-pro.html

VMware Fusion: https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion.html

VirtualBox: https://www.virtualbox.org/

UTM: https://mac.getutm.app/

VMware vSphere ESXi: https://customerconnect.vmware.com/en/evalcenter?p=free-esxi8

Metasploitable (Intentionally vulnerable Linux VM): https://sourceforge.net/projects/metasploitable/

CVE Vulnerability Search: https://cve.mitre.org/cve/search_cve_list.html


SOURCES FOR LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA IF YOU DON'T HAVE RELIABLE BROADBAND INTERNET:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R4gu9Y

LinuxDiscOnline: https://www.linuxdisconline.com/


NOTE: AMAZON LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND THEN BUY SOMETHING I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.

Video: Exploring Linux Shell History and HISTCONTROL

In this video we take a look at the Linux shell history function along with HISTCONTROL.

 



ALL LOGOS AND DISTRIBUTION NAMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

PDF COPIES OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON MY GITHUB SITE:

https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

SOURCES FOR LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA IF YOU DON'T HAVE RELIABLE BROADBAND INTERNET:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R4gu9Y

LinuxDiscOnline: https://www.linuxdisconline.com/

NOTE: AMAZON LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND THEN BUY SOMETHING I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.


Video: Exploring the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy

 This is the second video on my YouTube Channel, @InformationTechWithDave:



Understanding how the Linux filesystem is crucial for system administrators, enthusiasts, and developers who need to manage and troubleshoot Linux computers.

In this video we''ll learn how to move around the Linux filesystem, display directory contents, and what the different directories or folders are used for.

YouTube Channel: InformationTechWithDave

Earlier this month I started a new YouTube channel to share some of the knowledge I've accumulated since changing careers into IT back in 1999. So far I have uploaded videos on topics related to Linux and cybersecurity. I have plans to expand on that in the future.

My channel's home page is: https://www.youtube.com/@InformationTechWithDave

The first video was this one:


Later videos have better audio because I bought a Fifine K650 USB microphone at Microcenter. I then added this pop filter from Amazon.

Please take a look and if you find the information I'm providing useful, subscribe, hit the notification button, and share my videos.

PDF versions of the presentations for my videos can be found on my GitHub site: https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

Friday, November 03, 2023

Galco Draw-Ez for Holsters

Recently I've posted about M3 Tanker Holsters, of which I have three variants. The no-name copy that I wanted to use with my Beretta M9 was very snug, so I did a couple things to make it usable.

First, the leather was very dry, so I worked in some 100% neatsfoot oil. This softened it a bit and will preserve the leather. At some point I'll also rub some Sno-Seal dressing into the outside, to provide some water repellency.

After treating it with neatsfoot oil, I wrapped the Berretta in Saran wrap and forced it into the holster for about a week. This loosened it a little and the I added a plastic bag over the Saran wrap, then let it sit in the holster for another week or so. By this point it was getting there. However, the gun still dragged when drawing it.

So, the final step was to rub some Galco Draw-Ez Solution into the inside of the holster where the gun rubbed against it. I let it sit for about 10 minutes, put the naked gun back in, and tried drawing. It made a noticeable improvement.

Draw-Ez comes in 1/2 oz. (15ml) bottle. It's not cheap but a little goes a long way. If you have a leather holster that is hard to draw from it's worth trying.