Greetings and Salutations!
Almost Friday thank God.
Again for whatever reason, this’s been a slow week and it -feels- like Thursday. As in tomorrow is Friday and I’m done. But alas, it’s not. It’s been a good day to a point… just tired in general. I think I’m fighting off a bug as Cowboy talked to Gretchen today, and it seems he was sick on Saturday when I tested the 2A1 at his place, and he’s now like sick-sick.
On Saturday he was feeling run down, but he attributed it to the “usual shit”… I mean he does run a ranch and that’s some labor intensive ‘stuff’ right there. So he figured it was just the above average tired, when in reality he’s now got the flu.
So I popped the last of my Ivermectin and boosted the Vitamins to max dose, and hopefully I’ll be good. Speaking of which: My source for the Ivermectin tabs? The website I got mine from is gone. Anyone got a point of contact? I need to reup, the sooner, the better. Throw me a link in the comments or DM me if you would.
Another bonus was that the cases of MREs showed up today:
The mailman gave me the “Poo-Face” for having to offload them. Can’t blame him to a certain degree. Overall they’re in great shape. Not battered to hell and gone like some of the previous MREs I’ve ordered in the past.
The dates on them are good as well:
The ‘check date’ being June of 2025.
That MRE date code “2173-1” indicates the MRE was packed on the 173rd day of the year 2021. This corresponds to June 22, 2021. So about 4 years ago.
Also, it was a perfect order in that the two ‘sets’ came as One of Case A and one of Case B. Respectively Case A being Menus 1-12, and the B Case being Menus 13-24.
Those Menus being as follows for the 2021 Manufacture Date:
Case A:
| 01 – Chili with Beans 02 – Shredded Beef in Barbecue Sauce 03 – Chicken, Egg Noodles, and Vegetables in Sauce 04 – Spaghetti with Beef and Sauce 05 – Chicken Chunks 06 – Beef Taco Filling | 07 – Beef Strips in Tomato Sauce 08 – Meatballs in Marinara Sauce 09 – Beef Stew 10 – Chili and Macaroni 11 – Cheese Pizza Slice 12 – Elbow Macaroni |
Then, Case B:
| 13 – Cheese Tortellini 14 – Mexican Rice and Bean Bowl 15 – Mexican Style Chicken Stew 16 – Chicken Burrito Bowl 17 – Maple Pork Sausage Patty 18 – Beef Ravioli | 19 – Jalapeno Pepper Jack Beef Patty 20 – Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions 21 – Lemon Pepper Tuna 22 – Beef Goulash 23 – Pepperoni Pizza Slice 24 – Southwest Style Beef and Black Beans |
So that was money well spent.
Now I’ve had all of them over the years… there’s a few I miss, like the Omelet with Ham, for which I have been accused of being utterly and completely insane but hey, it was my fave back in the day. Because of that it also always meant I got one as it seemed NO ONE could eat that one.
The other I liked was the Buffalo Chicken.
Granted it practically glowed in the dark with the artificial orange color, but it was tasty IMO. Out of these cases however, the current faves are Number(s) 17, the ‘breakfast’ MRE, then Number, 19, 8 and 20, in that order.
Payday is this weekend so I might have to see if I can budget another case or 4. Gretchen’ll kill me, but hey, -I’m- the one who eats them on the regular.
The other thing I’ve been doing is working on SMLE #2 or Rifle #5. I took the Aussie barrel as I previously showed:
And plunked it into my rust-removal paint removal bath overnight. I pulled it after work today, and well the results show that it’s cleaning up nicely:
I then took a steel brush, followed by a brass brush and scrubbed the hell out of it to remove any and all leftover gunk that was on it. It took ALL the scaled rust off, and then showed me how bad the deep scarring is:
It’s not that bad as it originally appeared.
The pitting on the exterior of the chamber is only about .03mm deep according to my micrometer, so no worries there. The same was for the barrel pitting:
I figure some heavy sanding/grinding and maybe a fill if needed? Thing of it is, none of this pitting will be visible when the rifle gets finished. It’ll all be under the wood and out of sight, out of mind. It’s just ugly. I’d love to know just HOW this pitting came about as the rest of the barrel is pretty much pristine. A wee bit odd thing there Aye?
The rust/paint remover also took the rear sight:
And did this to it:
I really do enjoy doing this I swear…
The only issue with the rear sight is I’m going to have to bore out that screw. I tried penetrating oil, blowtorch heat… the works. That screw is in there like a sumbitch, so I plan on removing it by drilling it out from the bottom-up, and then punching out the remains.
But yep.
It progresses. Slowly but surely.
The next step is some more sanding/grinding on those pits, and then I’ll debate on the fill, IF I even go that route. Like I said, it’s cosmetic for the most part, and won’t be visible when the rifle is finished. Decisions, Decisions.
So that’s it for tonight.
More Later
Big Country
I get mine from Tractor Supply – (Durvet brand – black and yellow box) injection for cattle and swine – 1% sterile solution. It’s approved by the FDA for food stock – in other words for cattle for steaks and burgers, and swine for sausage and bacon. It’s in a 250 mL multi-dose vial (approximately 1 cup). Human dosage is 12 mg which is 1.2 mL of the 1% solution. I use a needle and syringe to draw out 1.2 mL. Always inject 1.2 mL of air into the vial before withdrawing the liquid so as to not create a vacuum in it, and invert the vial so the air is at the top and only withdraw the Ivermectin. I squirt it into a half glass of orange juice and give it a stir. Tastes fine. I’ve been using it since COVID and it’s worked great. There’s about 208 dosages in the vial for something like $80 which is about 39 cents per dose. Keep it in the fridge. Don’t worry about the expiration date (just like MREs, Tylenol and canned goods!)
Yes sir, Doc, absolutely fucking A right. I was gonna post to go to TSC for the liquid version but you beat me to it, and how.
Nice job. BCE – follow Doc’s lead.
https://allfamilypharmacy.com
Proper meds, anything you might need. Easy to get set up and a Florida company to boot.
Dump the sight assembly in a coffee can of water for several days and then try to remove the screw. I’ve resurrected several pliers and adjustable wrenches this way. It’s a REALLY OLD SCHOOL trick that does work. And if that rifle was down under, it may have spent some time down under salt water. That’ll corrode the hell out of areas where the original coating was weak or damaged. Think about the cars in the Northeast and what road salt does to the painted areas that get typically get stone chipped.
Water works when nothing else will. I freed some frozen controls on an old backhoe after using every rust breaker on the market. It took some time, and gentle pressure, but when there was movement, it didn’t take long to have them freed, dismantled, and properly lubricated.
https://www.alldaychemist.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Ivermectin
https://www.barnhardt.biz/ivermectin/
BCE ,,,, some good info here on IVM ,,,,,
Hoping you guys get better,,,,
S/F
Mutt-san
Bought a single box of MREs, got menu b within a few weeks production of yours. Opened it and found out I got two beef patties instead of tuna, which was an extra blessing because I hate canned tuna with a passion.
TTI looked brand new, box was in excellent shape.
I may be way off base as I didn’t follow this rebuild quite as closely but, you said the barrel pitting was hidden by the wood. Was that wood discolored in the channel where the barrel lay? I could see any rain for example being simply surface wiped on top and drying visible pieces. In a general cleaning would you remove that wood? Maybe it was holding just enough moisture over time between takedowns to do that kind of dmg. Saltwater environment would be just corrosive enough over time to explain it. At that depth it doesn’t really appear much more than heavy surface rust from the photo’s. thats what i see and you asked:)
Ordered 4 boxes of mre’s. fed-ex brought two boxes today but claimed they delivered 4 boxes. Amazon refunded the two missing boxes. Maybe the driver needed some mre’s?? anyway mine were built in may 23.
My six were 3 As and 3Bs. Very happy while hauling them up the stairs. Recent manufacture. No complaints. Although a buddy I turned onto the deal, (ordered them through your link to give you a taste) got two As and one at least has pepperoni instead of cheese pizza. Anyway, thanks again for the heads up.
CRC Freeze out works great. Follow the directions on the can
I bought a bottle of the injectable stuff from TSC a couple months ago, pills are too pricey (and hard to get). Pharmacist friend suggested it, same frickin stuff, he said: stromectol.
I used the weight/instructions off NCRenegade.com site:
https://www.barnhardt.biz/ivermectin/
7.2 ml’s for my fat azz @275lbs, you’d probably be up to 8!
Tough getting it out of the bottle, it’s a little bit thick liquid, need a larger-bore needle (which doesn’t matter since you’re not injecting yourself with it). Pour yourself a sweet, syrupy sugary fruit juice in a shot glass, squirt in the horse-medicine on top, down the hatch.
About 61-cents per dose.
Just saying…
You may be the one who eats the MRE’s on the regular, but with hurricane season quickly approaching and the ever present possibility of lengthly power outages should one hit, I bet everyone else would be singing your praises if/when the shit rolls downhill.
I miss the 4 Fingers of Death and Grilled Chicken Patty, Chopped Chunked and Formed.
Both with at least a half-dozen Tabasco shot bottles. Unless I was on watch, I’d save a bottle to dab the corner of my eye.
…”to dab the corner of my eye.” Dude, are you crazy? If you can’t get help here, please get help somewhere.
“That MRE date code “2173-1” indicates the MRE was packed on the 173rd day of the year 2021. ”
Wouldn’t 2173-1 mean it was packed in 2022 (first digit)? That would correspond to an inspection date (3 years from packing) of June 2022.
Those were a good deal. Bought 2 boxes. Price still creeping up. Please post any deals you find like that for us internet impaired types. Thanks!
Got the box I ordered in perfect shape.
box was stamped 07/13/22 packed
07/2025 checked
For frozen screws-gentle application of an impact screwdriver. It worked on the phillips head screws in the floorboards of an old English car.
I agree. Simple little tool can save the day.
For the screw job. Do you have a set of real gun-smithing turn screws? If so did you grind one down to fit that particular screw head even and tight? If using Craftsman screw drivers, they will cam-out of the slot and ruin the head. Now a trick that I learned from an old motorcycle mechanic was too use an electric soldering iron to heat up the head of the screw as hot as you can get it. Just the head not the surrounding metal. The expansion of the screw will crush the crap in the threads. When max hot hit the screw head with a flat faced punch but not hard enough to deform the screw head. Then give it a squirt of Kroil and let it sit for a while. After it has cooled, heat up the surrounding area with the soldering iron but not the screw and using the turn screws you should be able to get er out. I give this advice as getting a screw for that particular hole might be a PITA.
Spin
PS: Sorry have to call you out on this. Getting out of the car and confronting the miscreant was a rookie mistake. Walking into blinding light will get you killed by a little old lady with a Glock in her Gucci purse. Best was to be the grey man and drive through your neighbor hood until they gave up and then and only then to go home. You are not Jack Reacher or bullet proof.