Smarties Bar & Grill #76

The fields where we live, this goes on for miles and miles
https://www.google.com/search?sca_e...EAHREOALkQ0pQJegQIEhAB&biw=1366&bih=617&dpr=1

 

Hiking down river and shooting my 1863 Remington pocket model replica in 31 caliber.

Shoots a 47 grain .323 round lead ball.
To give you an idea a piece of double ought buckshot is 330 in diameter. And for a shotgun there would be nine of those in the shell..... Assuming a standard 12 gauge load of double ought buckshot

It is a modern replica of the 1863 Remington. I'm shooting 9 grains of 3F Swiss black powder.

These black powder replica revolvers come in three common calibers. 31 caliber and 36 caliber and finally the 44 caliber.

I killed a wild hog on the river about 8 years ago with a 44 caliber which shoots a 454 lead ball with a 30-grain powder load.

Now the 31 caliber is the baby but I certainly wouldn't want to be hit with it. Plenty of people back in the days of the civil war era met their maker with one. And for you curious minds, yes it is legal for me.

According to federal and state law anything made on or before 1898 or a replica thereof, using a primitive ignition system is considered an antique and is not a firearm, no one is prohibited from owning one. At least in the free States of America. Now you do have a handful of the most liberal states whose state law classifies this like any other gun but fortunately Florida is not one of those fascist States.

If you're not familiar with one, a cap and ball revolver is cutting edge civil war era technology. First you have to remove the cylinder from the gun and charge each chamber with the appropriate load of black powder or muzzle loading powder ( modern smokeless gunpowder will cause the gun to turn into a grenade ).... Then you have to load your projectile on top of the powder and ram it home with the loading lever..... After you have accomplished this, a number 11 percussion cap goes on the back of each chamber of the cylinder.

The hammer strikes the percussion cap which has a small explosive charge that passes through a tiny touch hole of the nipple, thus igniting the main powder charge.

I only go and shoot it once in a blue moon because it is a real pain in the butt to clean and reload. But it is fun and it makes me appreciate what my ancestors had to work with.

So having the day off I decided to hike far down the river to a remote region and touch off five rounds. Perhaps if I was to come across a pig weighing less than 80 pounds I might try my luck as they are considered feral and there is no season or bag limit. But I'm a couple of miles away from my van so I'm certainly not going to try to shoot anything heavier than that. And realistically I would need to be within 30 ft to be certain I could place a well-placed shot with what basically amounts to a belly gun.

But I have been known to take a hog on the river before.

I hear a lot of countries that have very restrictive firearms laws will also allow their citizens to own antique reproductions such as this one. But lots of luck finding black powder and caps

There is no paperwork involved with such a purchase, one need only be 21 years old to purchase. Maybe Hunter Biden should have stuck with one of these?
Look closely at the back of the cylinder and you can see the small copper percussion caps.

 

The wind was blowing pretty hard out of the straight west. That made the fire fast moving but it didn’t widen out a lot to the north and south. That means only part of our ground was in danger. Just a house, few barns, some horses, Jackstock, and a bunch of llamas and alpacas.

The main cow herds were a few miles away to the south of the fire path mostly. We did have about 15 bulls up at that place but they were downwind of the disked field and the field I ran the pivot on. If the fire would have reached us I would have driven the bulls up next to the wet line of the pivot. The water spray from the pivot would mitigate the smoke inhalation hazard as well.

If the main cow herds were threatened the plan was to drive them off cornstalk fields they are still grazing and onto already grazed bean stubble fields that don’t have enough residue left to burn. Also there are fields close with growing rye cover crop on them that won’t burn.

Moving animals isn’t easy. But fortunately you don’t fight these things alone. It’s a community effort. Life is different out here. I’ve stopped and put out grass fires along highways a couple times during corn harvest while hauling corn to town. Others stopped as well and we had it contained before any fire departments arrived. I posted this elsewhere on the forum recently to explain a little of what it’s like out here.

Prairie fires have been a thing here since before my ancestors arrived. Natives set and directed fires to manipulate Buffalo herd migrations. The grasses then were several times taller than what we see today in pastures so those fires must have been amazing. Fires still occur. A lot are started by railroads and cigarettes thrown out of windows and some by accident by farm and ranch work (exhaust systems, welding, etc.). It’s part of life here. No major earthquakes or hurricanes. But there are fires and tornadoes.

Several years ago I had part of a cornfield taken by fire. Caused by our combine picking corn in high winds. A neighbor still had a large dozer blade on his tractor from piling corn silage so he drove over and dozed a fire break to keep it out of the rest of the field.

One major reason fires like the one that took out Lahaina Maui last year are getting worse in Hawaii is the fact when there was active agriculture in those areas, the producers had tillage equipment, tractors, and water resources right there ready to fight fire. Now all those resources are gone and there is nothing but small municipal fire departments mostly to fight the fires.

The fire the other day here had hundreds and hundreds of local ag producers as well as dozens of volunteer fire departments from all over the state on site. People not on fire departments help move animals, feed firefighters, etc.

 

There is an animal refuge here and I can actually hear a real live lion bellowing behind me some 200 or so yards off.

It does make me feel better I still have two rounds in the gun. Although I think shooting at a big cat with such a peashooter would probably be the last thing I ever did...

The big cats are in cages but you know every once in a blue moon a big cat can get out of a cage...

 

The dry season here in Florida runs from basically November into April. This winter has been the craziest one I have seen. Though we have not seen a freeze yet ( usually a few brief ones by this time of year ) it has been extraordinarily wet like almost as much rain as we get in the summer.

Which makes me somewhat sad because the river is too high for fossil hunting. But not too high for a little bit of pew pew!

Currently it is 82° here

 

Well it’s pretty at least!

 

Revolver hunting is definitely a challenge. Anyone can get within 100 yards of a deer but to take a deer or a hog with a revolver requires you to try to get within at least 100 ft without the animal knowing you are there.

That is a skill in and of itself before you even consider being able to aim and fire and hit the animal. I'm not saying I'm the world's greatest hunter by any means but when I killed that hog the stars all lined up that day and I was probably within 80 foot. There were two of them and I even missed twice because these cap and balls tend to shoot high.

The third shot I aimed at the ground underneath the chest of the hog and I ended up putting a 44 lead ball through both lungs. It was a broadside shot and it went through a rib bone puncturing both lungs on its way and then I found the ball lodged under the hide on the far side. So it was almost but not quite a complete pass through.

It's not like I was particularly aiming for the lungs just the vital region but a lung shot is as good as a heart shot ( particularly if you manage to hit both of them ). It ran about 15 ft and squealed very loudly twice and lay down and gave up the ghost.

 

Actually Feb' is the 3rd driest month usually.
However this Feb' was the warmest and wettest on record (going back 180 years)
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/24157183.warmest-wettest-february-record-east-anglia/

 

My happy place, as long as one of those Lions doesn't manage to get out and come down here....lol especially now that I only have one shot left in the gun and I didn't bring anything to reload with

 

Did you have trouble getting any of your seeds last year? We were having trouble getting bean seeds and don't know how it will be this year.

 

I haven't looked for them lately but I'm quite certain we have a lot of them around here.

If you want to you could PM me a mailing address and I would send you a few of them which would set me back all of about $5 postage included.

I'll go to the ranch supply store sometime in the near future and even see what type they have and you can choose what they have. Just an offer

 

Yes since Covid it’s been a mess. Half the time we bought a certain variety it turns out to not be. And selection was poor. And germination has been poor.

My wife saved some seed last year hopefully that helps some this year.

 

What a heart warming story. Here in the UK, more and more people just assume the government will step in, to the point where if you suggest you might do something you are warned off.
I'm made the same as you. The other night on my way home the was a guy in the dark on a busy road changing a wheel, the cars going past didn't even slow down. I pulled up my big SUV into the middle of the road and stuck my hazards on. The mans wife came over and said they didn't need help but I just smiled and kept the car in place until they'd finished. They waved and blew kisses when I pulled away.
Nothing on your scale, but how would I have lived with myself if I'd read they had been hit.
Of course all the folks in my little close look out for each other but I miss the Britain of my childhood where we acted like you do now.

I wasn't hinting at climate change
I just wandered how often this stuff happened and whether you had semi permanent plans.
Farmers here are asking for better water storage rather than the environment agency using their fields as flood plain for months at a time.
Our weather is certainly changing but our government is too slow to react.

 

Lovely and peaceful. Is it far from your home?
My wife and I's favourite walk. (Minus weapons no lions here.)

 

It's up the road about 6 mi and then I walked down river about 1.8 miles. On the way home now and time to go ride the dirt bike for a bit

I know there's a big cat refuge up there and it occurred to me as I was sitting on the riverbank. ..... I thought to myself, self..... I'll be damned if that doesn't sound like a lion bellowing.

I listen to bit longer and I'm like yeah that's a f****** lion, I hope they got that bastard in a strong cage. Lol

Florida is home to a plethora of invasive exotic species. There are even monkeys where I was born and raised in Central Florida. Silver springs where they filmed a lot of the Tarzan movies.

Evidently back around 1920 or 30 some boat captain ( silver springs was a tourist attraction even back in those days ) decided to put monkeys on an island in the river and unbeknownst to him they can actually swim pretty well. To this day there still is a healthy population of rhesus macaques.

One of the James Bond movies was filmed there in the '60s I believe it was die another Day maybe? and also creature from the Black lagoon was filmed there as well.

And it's only a weapon if you use it as one, I just get a kick out of sitting here and shooting at random targets. Lol

 

People still help you out around here. I was driving way out in the country the other day and came to a stop sign meeting a Backcountry highway and there was an old man pulled to the side and a minivan.

I just slowed down and asked him if he was okay and if he needed a ride or water or anything. He said he was okay so on my way I went.

There are still good people in this world

 

I love the little stories you get on these forums. Monkeys in Florida and Tarzan movies.
What time is it there now?

 

I don’t think there’s a scale or that the act itself matters. It’s just the willingness to help others or give of yourself (time, money, possessions, doesn’t matter). Stopping to help roadside has declined a bit based on cell phone prevalence I think. Being hit from behind is certainly a danger even if the actual tire problem was being handled. Good thinking on your part.

My neighbor that I interact with the most and I were in contact throughout the fire. We share a lot of property lines and join forces for fall harvest so we know and understand each other’s operations well. We both agreed we don’t have good enough plans. Both of us were a bit indecisive about evacuation of animals etc. when the fire was still hours away. You shouldn’t have to think much in those situations—it should just be reacting to accomplish pre planned tasks in my opinion.

Small fires are common I guess. We almost burned up this particular neighbor’s combine once in the last 5 years. Hot bearing dropping ball bearings and debris into the field. Shovels reside in every vehicle for fires, snakes and irrigation so there is always a tool. Semis we haul grain in are required by law to have extinguishers. There are at least two extinguishers that come standard on a combine from the dealer. Some guys have a 1000 gallon trailer water tank with gasoline powered pump they take to fields during harvest. That’s something I’d like to get. We are somewhat prepared but could do better.

When we have dry dormant grass and high winds (45 mph and over) it’s not uncommon to have a substantial fire somewhere within 200 miles of me. I don’t know the exact frequency but it’s certainly not uncommon.

When you say environmental agencies use fields as floodplains how does that work? Is drainage a problem like in some other countries because waterways are silted in but fields haven’t been allowed to add sediment from regular flooding to maintain elevation above creeks and rivers? I don’t know much about water management history in your country.

 

Nowadays everyone has a mobile so you assume helps on its way.
But I have a theory people like to help each other, it strengthens their soul. I help my neighbours a lot, I'm one of those practical people.
But I often ask for little helps I don't really need because it makes people feel good to reciprocate. It builds friendships and often ends with a beer or two.
Not quite as real as your version, but I do my best.

 

Nice... tho' I stilll have several colt replicas, I regret having traded off my Remingtons

 

Moonraker was filmed in Silver Springs.
Released in 1979.

 

Don't you also have to grease the chamber opposite the percussion cap to prevent misfire?

 

I never did and never have... what the risk (was supposed to be) is that without grease sealing the chambers it might start a setting off the other loaded chambers.

 

Typically you would put a wadding between the powder and the ball or put a bullet lube over the top of each chamber.

There are many different historical recipes. But they're all natural lubes or waxes without petroleum ( one should not use any petroleum based products for muzzle loading as it builds a shellac it is very difficult to clean )

I make my own bullet lube which is about 70% pure beeswax with 30% pure Crisco that I put on a tuna can on the stove burner on very low.

There are two reasons for using bullet lube. one is to help prevent chain fire of multiple cylinders and two.... It helps to lube the bore to keep the black powder fouling soft for easier cleanup.

Chain fires typically do not injure people but they are very disconcerting when they happen.

So you do everything you can to prevent those.

 

Yes, but please remember Murphy's law. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.