{"id":8252,"date":"2025-10-24T00:05:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T00:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/?p=8252"},"modified":"2025-10-24T00:19:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T00:19:03","slug":"travellin-man-and-getting-prepped-to-roll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/24\/travellin-man-and-getting-prepped-to-roll\/","title":{"rendered":"Travellin&#8217; Man and Getting Prepped to Roll"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Greetings and Salutations!<br>On the road again&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Willie Nelson - On The Road Again (Official Audio)\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dBN86y30Ufc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Ahhhhhhhhhh&#8230;<br>Willie my man man!<br>Grew up listening to him.<br><br>So I did my laundry after work, prepped the bags, got my HARD print maps as well as my nav-board and compass, as things are a mite &#8216;squirrelly&#8217; out there&#8230; I don&#8217;t have anything specific, but the &#8216;hive mind&#8217; out there is pointing to a bunch of potential weirdness&#8230;  So in light of this, as soon as I made the decision to go, (last weekend TBH&#8230;  It was one of those split second choices) but hey!<br><br>Being Bipolar is a BIG help when it comes to impulsive purchases and things like this trip amiright?  That and last Sunday, the Palmetto State Daily Deal was just tooooooooooo good to be true:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"772\" height=\"706\" src=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/palmw.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/palmw.jpg 772w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/palmw-300x274.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/palmw-768x702.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">With a $25 coupon, and using Sezzle, I paid $72 down, and three more payments of $72.  Including the S&amp;H? Like $288 in total, with Sezzles &#8216;nut&#8217; being an additional $20?  I think?<br><br>I <strong>had<\/strong> to do it.<br>ZERO Sales Tax Until the 31st.<br>Now, granted, no BCG <strong>BUT<\/strong><br>I have like 4 on hand as spares along with all the fiddly-bits as you well know.  Add on that right now they ALSO have a MilSpec BCG going for $69.99???<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"357\" height=\"566\" src=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/palm2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/palm2.jpg 357w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/palm2-189x300.jpg 189w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 357px) 85vw, 357px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">As stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Bolt is made&nbsp;of Mil-spec Carpenter 158 steel, Shot peened,&nbsp;<strong>bolt is marked<\/strong><strong>&#8220;MP&#8221;<\/strong>, but is individually high-pressure tested and Magnetic Particle Inspected. Gas key&nbsp;is machined out of bar stock, chrome lined phosphate coated, and&nbsp;secured with grade 8 fasteners and staked per mil-spec. Bolt carrier&nbsp;is&nbsp;phosphated outside and chrome-lined inside.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These bcg&#8217;s were purchased as a contract overrun for an overseas Eastern European contract.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Huh<br>&#8220;Eastern European contract&#8221;  Sounds like they <strong>were<\/strong> destined for The Krain BUT considering how poorly things are going right now, they may have run out of DotMil Daniel Defense DDM-4s to refurb and repair.  They&#8217;ve been from the REAL reports I&#8217;ve seen, getting their collective heads handed to them recently.<br><br>The Rasputitsa is when Ivan <strong>really gets rolling<\/strong>.  Per the Wiki the Rasputitsa is&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8230;literally &#8220;season of bad roads&#8221;<sup>[1]<\/sup>) is the&nbsp;mud season&nbsp;that occurs in various rural areas of&nbsp;Eastern Europe,<sup>[2]<\/sup>&nbsp;when the rapid&nbsp;snowmelt&nbsp;or thawing of frozen ground combined with wet weather in spring, or heavy rains in autumn<sup>[1][3]<\/sup>&nbsp;lead to muddy conditions that make travel on unpaved roads problematic and even treacherous.<sup>[1][3]<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">THIS is why Ivan&#8217;s tanks have traditionally had tracks that are WAAAAY wider than US Tracked vehicles&#8230;. it helps to keep them from bogging down.<br><br>They&#8217;ve taken a LOT of territory as of late.<br>Upwards of 10-15km a day.<br>Which when dealing with the VAST distances, the Krainians are out of manpower per their own Generals.  They can&#8217;t hold the line, and Russia has been doing the &#8216;encircle\/cut off\/annihilate&#8217; thing, forming up, and pushing <strong><em>AROUND<\/em><\/strong> from two directions, usually stubborn defensive hard points, cutting them off, and then blasting the fuck out of them with 1000kg Flying Bombs until they either surrender, or everyone in the encirclement is fucking dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Anyways&#8230;<br>I picked up the new M-4 today, and then did my usual thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG20251023192919-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG20251023192919-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG20251023192919-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG20251023192919-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG20251023192919-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG20251023192919-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG20251023192919-1200x900.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I switched out the rear stock for the one with a rubber butt-pad. Added the oversized mag release, and a BAD Lever (I keep those &#8216;in stock&#8217; here at the Casa as well) and then I then zeroed the Trijicon with the bore-laser to 50m. (The length of the house which is good enough for DotGov work IMO) and then gave it some war-paint.<br><br>I figure that better to have a &#8216;disposable&#8217; with me on the trip rather than one of my &#8216;custom builds&#8217; with the specialized Ni-Boron BCGs and the 2lb triggers, never mind the custom buffer(s). Better a $300 &#8216;poors&#8217; than one of my better builds.<br>So for sure I&#8217;ll be out of pocket tomorrow.<br><br>I&#8217;ll update as I go as I <strong>will <\/strong>have my portable tablet to keep up with &#8216;shit in general&#8217; &#8216;cos as I said, shit <strong><em>feels<\/em><\/strong> squirrelly&#8230; We&#8217;ll have to see.<br><br>So More Later<br>Big Country<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"799\" src=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/og-1024x799.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/og-1024x799.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/og-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/og-768x599.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/og-1200x937.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/og.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greetings and Salutations!On the road again&#8230;. Ahhhhhhhhhh&#8230;Willie my man man!Grew up listening to him. So I did my laundry after work, prepped the bags, got my HARD print maps as well as my nav-board and compass, as things are a mite &#8216;squirrelly&#8217; out there&#8230; I don&#8217;t have anything specific, but the &#8216;hive mind&#8217; out there &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/24\/travellin-man-and-getting-prepped-to-roll\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Travellin&#8217; Man and Getting Prepped to Roll&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8258,"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8252\/revisions\/8258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigcountryexpat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}