@orkan Sounds good, thanks for the prompt reply.

@dddoo7 Haha, no I didn't run it in the drill press. I would have to have super powers to shut it off fast enough. It's tempting but way too fast a spindle speed. The correct way in mill is to stay centered over the hole and put a center in the mill spindle and use a tap wrench with a center hole in the handle to align the tap to the drilled hole. I would switch the mill to neutral and come down with the quill until the tip of the center was in the tap handle then put a little downward pressure on the tap and start the tap. Get a couple of threads going and back up to break the chip then go a couple turns more and you are started straight with the hole. I tapped hundreds of holes this way until we got tap heads for the mills. In my old drill press I drill the hole then without moving anything I put the tap in the chuck and turn it by hand until the tap gets started then loosen the chuck and use the tap handle. Tapping a hole straight by hand can ruin your day and the piece you are working on but I bet you knew that. We used lots of spiral taps and did bottom hole tapping so they had to really had to line up in the hole but with a mill and a DRO it's no problem until you get down to tiny taps then it gets challenging doing it manually. Later the owner of the shop started using tap mills in the CNC machines and for through holes used gun taps that push the chips out the bottom of the holes. Another tip for tapping a hole is spot drilling before you drill the clearance hole. Spot drilling is always a good thing to do so the bit doesn't walk around but drill the spot deep enough so the diameter of the spot is a few thousands larger than the hole so the tap has relief to start easily and the first chip is formed easier and that helps the tap go straight. Both of these stocks had the sling stud rail adapters and with the bipod installed had movement. These are solid :)

Reminds me of my distinction between two sorts of individuals seeking results ..... Busy versus perseverance. The busy individual more than often demonstrates a perceived appearance of earned recognition and devotion - rarely wavering, satisfied with their achievements, where as an individual of perseverance seeks honest results and an examination of the how/why obtained. One has reached their limitations and the other still expanding. Perfection is momentary, change is constant .... at least while living on Earth.

Know your mentors ...... Erik Cortina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvSrClo02hY&t=339s

Yummy, and I bought fresh broccoli today!!

Holy moly .... addictions. My approach to help resolve my problems started with a mental/physical awareness of the problem and acceptance that it was a problem, then a psychological approach to creating a path towards rejecting the substance, and then the physical dues I had to pay and endure to break the immediate grip from dependency. The grip is loosened, but still dwells within ... hidden, but will undeniably reemerge if given the chance. A determined, sometimes daily decision must be adhered to in order to remain substance free. Once chemically "free", it then becomes a choice of lifestyle. God Bless the quality of life and relation to family and friends that will follow. But just because you may not be consuming the substance presently, make no mistake .... the neural pathways of synapses between neurons in your brain have been physically altered and there is a likelihood that your brain will not return to its processing of thought as done prior to addiction as to the processing of thought presently. Keep in mind that the past is what it is .... recorded history.

@buddhaman I'd personally wait until the price comes down to more of a "normal" place. ;) $15 a box or so seems reasonable. It could be had once for $10 a box, or less.

@buddhaman @buddhaman said in 17WSM: Do you on occasion dry patch your barrel? Not my 22lr, no. @buddhaman said in 17WSM: Do you ever apply a lite amount of oil to the inside of your barrel? If I'm not going to shoot the rifle for some extended time, yes. @buddhaman said in 17WSM: Have you shot enough rounds of 17WSM to determine if your approach to 22lr will apply to 17WSM? Yes, and it will not. My 22lr cleaning practices do not carry over to anything else. My 17WSM cleaning practices more closely resemble my centerfire cleaning practices. Often I can go several thousand rounds before cleaning my 17WSM, HMR, or HM2. However, some barrels require much more attention than that.

You have a choice ..... mash your teeth or have a slice of apple pie. WHAT???? I would say there are easy ways to do things in life and then there's the grind. But it's not that easy. The path that I've decided to take takes time and effort, maybe a little trial and error, and also developing within yourself a judge of character ... a circle of trust. Let me tell you, it's been a rocky road this life of mine in search of obtaining goods and services. It's cost me time, money, grief, and ultimately reward. The internet can be a grand source of information and access to "available" goods. There's an old saying that somehow relates to some of what's going on ..... "Promises, promises." Until you have an honest understanding of your relationship to your surroundings and goals, well, I'm thinking that you'll meet obstacles to include grief and loss of money. First off, an understanding of your personal morals, your approach to your own sanctity .... it's near difficult to move towards a relationship with those around you. That being said, if you are driven by honesty and righteousness you will have a better chance of surrounding yourself with like kind. My approach since the later part of owning a few businesses and then pushing towards personal endeavors is to not do business immediately with every Joe Blow that's offering me a "better" deal. Do a little research, ask your trusted friends for their opinion. And take time to develop a trusted rapport with those providing you with knowledge and those providing you with goods. This doesn't happen overnight .... sometimes in a shorter period of time depending on your judgement skills, but once this circle is developed ... stick with it. Chasing what's not there is usually a waste of everybody's time and a sign of disloyalty to your tried and true circle. But I can get it cheaper!!!! Get over it. Distributors don't have time to deal with a one time shot in the dark or a sale that takes their time away from servicing their well established vendors. And it's just not fair to a vendor for a private entity to demand wholesale pricing. Again, to me, it goes back to developing a trust rapport with a provider, knowing that because of our relationship they will do their best to honor my order. Yes, some things are time sensitive and require a more immediate action .... sometimes a push is necessary, but if you have communicated that time sensitivity to your provider, well then there it is. I have noticed in past dealings that some vendors may know how to obtain products in a rapid manner, but don't consider the loss of time in shipping. Most suppliers ship ground. Know that ground is not guaranteed and is sometimes not trackable. But there are shipping services available for time sensitive deliveries ... to include SameDay. It's costly, but if a piece of equipment is down costing your business money, well .... figure it out and tell your vendor your preference. But getting to daily activities. Develop a historical trust in your provider and I promise you, you'll be enjoying a nice slice of apple pie with a full set of teeth than gumming mashed potatoes.

There is no given formula. When I was a kid, gold was $32/oz ... Coke's were 5 cents .... and our first fast food hamburger place in town was Burger Chef, 15 cents. Why did those prices rise?? Most would answer inflation, and yes, it could be defined as a product of inflation. But what brings on inflation? Devaluation of the US Dollar due to excess government borrowing, world crisis, catastrophe with the weather, regulations placed against industry in obtaining materials ...... the list could go on and on. Many people equate inflation to tangible goods and the cost to obtain the materials necessary to manufacture that commodity. But industry has to consider the intangible aspect of doing business and the near yearly cost of being able to provide that product to the public. The cost of litigation incurred by a company can not only become unpredictable, but for many companies, unsurmountable. Why do you think that many of the major corporations throughout the world are diversified in ventures that have nothing to do with the core company. They need to spread out the risk of loss over a wide spectrum as to not take a major loss and be out of business. But let's discuss protection from loss .... well I'll just buy insurance. We all know that in its basic form, insurance is a crap shoot. You either need it when something goes wrong or you don't. Was it money well spent? It is when you need it, but when you haven't had a major claim in years, you want it cheaper. Can insurance rely on the history of past payouts to predict future premiums? To an extent ..... but insurance companies fall into the same boat as major corporations. They must diversify (or spread out their risk) and not have all of their policies located within a specific geographic locale or type of insured. Yes, they may specialize in certain types of coverage, but most if not all insurance companies must be broad as to spread their risk. But they must also be able to have enough foresight to be able to predict the future. No one's been able to master that yet. So in essence, companies that intend to do business with other companies or individuals purchase insurance to cover the liabilities they may encounter, and they do so annually not knowing for sure what those premiums will cost. WOW!!! What I've discussed is high school economics. Try and put your mind around the complexities of many of the other costs incurred ..... healthcare, utilities, import/export fees, legal fees, pay raises, and equipment replacement .... to name a few. So yes, prices have raised throughout my lifetime. Some products have improved, some have not. Government policies come and go. But the spirit of humans prevail ..... we all have needs and we surely have many wants. I guess what sets my mind to wondering has some bearing on what Greg and Daniel discussed today ... an ever growing society of instant gratification with little regard to how it is obtained. Some of what I'm seeing today in America and other so called "civilized societies" I've only witnessed in other countries while I was in my youth. From the 1950's, along with the Civil Rights movement, we as a country worked towards the unification of our country. In time, any economic class and all races were allowed to walk in a building, ride in a bus, drink from a water fountain of their own will. Today seems to be heading in the opposite direction, segregating and cancelling cultures. My outlook of the American society today is so confusing to me. Sorry for my personal ramblings. Well, the song from the 60's "The Times They Are A Changing" ..... we have it within ourselves to help steer the country's course, God only knows what it will take and how long we must persevere. An optimistic outlook driven by truth and endurance is a life well led. Like the old Motel 6 commercial ..... we'll keep the light on for you!

Flashbacks of my first 22 creed barrel for the DT.

@bigfoot your right about nutrias being imported to eat lilly pads that clogged up the freshwater waterways, but the people that imported them didn't realize that the nutrias preferred to eat marsh grass instead ..... marsh grass that holds our marshes together, hence the destruction and eroding of our coast here in Louisiana. Chef Paul Prudhomme tried to get people to eat nutria, but we have much tastier things to eat here in Louisiana and most everyone said "No way!!!" And there are also some nasty ass birds that live down this way as well ..... But in general, in Louisiana, you can make a pretty good meal out of most anything that comes from a ditch (crawfish, crabs, turtles).