The "BABY BEAST" says: "Happy New Year to you all". See ya in 2024

[Ugly Sauce]

Instead of staying up late for the new year, and sleeping in late, I'm going to celebrate by going to bed early, getting up very early, and heading to the woods to spend the day celebrating by...wait for it...being in the woods. Smoking a cigar. Cooking Polish sausage over the fire, and exploring some somewhat unfamiliar woods and scablands. Celebrate new year's day, instead of eve. I'll take the Baby Beast, the .54" Plains pistol, and the "Little Beast", the .58" smoothbore TC Trapper.

The pistol is a beast. I decided to put a fresh load in it for tomorrow, and wow, she do pop off with "authority" with 70 grains of 3fg under a patched ball. Recoil is brisk, pretty much like a .44 magnum. A little difficult for good grouping, but I was hitting the paper plate at 50 yards, so I'm happy. A fun pistol to shoot, but you do have to hang onto it. It "pops" for sure.

The Hawg should be happy, I took the golf-club handle wrap off. I'm heading for a total remake on the pistol this winter, and that was the beginning. De-farbing the barrels will be next. I did the .50" barrel, it came out good. The .54 barrel has an insane amount of writing on it. "Warning, call your lawyer before touching gun", "call a priest", "write your will", etc. Then a silver or brass cap on the butt.

Anyhow, happy new year to the good people on THR, from me and "the Beasts". Be good if you celebrate tonight. I thought/think it will be fun to celebrate new year's day.

 

[hawg]

If you're going to do a total remake why not pour a pewter nose cap and get rid of that stubby blunt look.

 

[woodnbow]

Or… chop the barrel and embrace the stubby bluntness!

Happy New Years fellas!

 

[hawg]

I was talking about the blunt nose cap. Chop the barrel it's still going to be blunt.

 

[woodnbow]

I was talking about the blunt nose cap. Chop the barrel it's still going to be blunt.

I got that… just messing with you, it being a new year I wantEd a jump start!

 

[Navy Six 2]

Ugly Sauce, that's what I call a New Years celebration! I'd be doing something similar if it wasn't raining here. My New Years resolution is to burn more black powder than last year.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

If you're going to do a total remake why not pour a pewter nose cap and get rid of that stubby blunt look.

That would be nice. A full-stock version would really be cool, but no way I could do that.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Or… chop the barrel and embrace the stubby bluntness!

Happy New Years fellas!

Actually, looks stubby in the picture, but that's a 9-inch barrel.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Or… chop the barrel and embrace the stubby bluntness!

Well, I'd never chop mine, as I want to burn as much of my 70 grain powder charge as I can, When Mr. Moose comes for me, but I've seen some really nice "chop jobs" with the Plains Pistols. Not sure if it was this web-site or another. Some very nice jobs, one with a half round/have octagon barrel.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Well I done it, got up way before the sun and headed for some different territory. State land about 22 miles away. It's pretty neglected, you have to go through two farmer/rancher gates which are not marked, so most people would not realize that they go to the state land. The road in was really bad, muddy and rutted, with giant mud puddles. More like ponds. But me and Jeep made it. You know, the old pre-2000 Jeep Cherokees are very very off-road capable. After 2000 they became bloated Soccer Mom SUV luxury barges. I've got knobby tires on mine, and it will give any CJ5 a run for it's money.

Lunch camp. I'm usually a neat and tidy guy, but can I sure spread out and make a mess. If I know it's not going to rain...what the heck?

Oh yes, polish sausage on a stick, and coffee made the old fashioned way. Yes, much more work and fiddle-farting to make coffee that way, but man is it good.

Introducing the Little Beast. A kind Gent smooth bored the trashed .50" barrel out to .580". I'm still in the load development stage, but so far she's proved herself reliable and accurate "enough". Best accuracy so far is with a .570" chewed ball, loaded bare-ball. 100 grains of pixie dust, a waxed wool wad over that, then a plain wool wad under the ball, (so the wax wad don't stick to it...kills accuracy) bare ball over that and then a wax wad over the ball so she don't roll out. Hey it works, and I'm hitting a paper plate at 50 yards. It's nice and light, and a pleasure to carry. Edit 1/3/2024: Got my beasts mixed up. Have not shot the Little Beast at 50 yards yet, however, the 25 yard group in small enough that I'm sure it will stay on the plate. Was the Baby Beast that is staying on the plate at 50, with the heavy load.

Yep, that's a big hole in the end of the barrel. Not your daddie's .50"!!!!

Been packing this machete lately just to see how much I would actually use it. Other than splitting rounds of firewood for a hotter fire it really doesn't do much more than my large belt knife will do. Might be more useful up North for cutting boughs, but around here in the pine-woods not so much. Pine boughs are not very comfortable, as you may know. For cutting wood the saw is much less labor intensive.

Two big ponds on this chunk of state land, one on each end. Good enough to drink if you boiled it. This is a big chunk of land, but I'm not familiar enough with it to guess the acreage. Quite a few acres of open country too.

Some very very very giant trees. Without someone standing there, you have no idea how giant this old Grandfather is. !!!

Some of those branches are as big as small trees. The "Little Beast" says: "thanks for listening". The "Baby Beast" Plains Pistol .54 says so too, she came along for the ride.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

DANG! I forgot. The Tatonka say thanks for listening. One of the ranchers bordering the state land has a pretty big herd of them. This is just a few of them. Didn't see any deer elk or moose today, not even coyote, but I did see a herd of Tatonka!!! That's something.

 

[hawg]

Actually, looks stubby in the picture, but that's a 9-inch barrel.

I wasn't talking about the barrel. I was talking about that short flat nose cap. It would look ok if it was flat but longer. It would look even better if it was longer and contoured.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I wasn't talking about the barrel. I was talking about that short flat nose cap. It would look ok if it was flat but longer. It would look even better if it was longer and contoured.

Okay, gotcha. Yes I agree. But the barrel does look shorter in that picture.

 

[armoredman]

Thanks for the pictures, looks like a small slice of paradise right there. We have the Muzzle Loading Hip Howitzer, like yours but with a 4(?) inch tube, haven't really tried any heavy loads in it yet. Though the little hand cannons sure are fun!

 

[woodnbow]

View attachment 1187312
DANG! I forgot. The Tatonka say thanks for listening. One of the ranchers bordering the state land has a pretty big herd of them. This is just a few of them. Didn't see any deer elk or moose today, not even coyote, but I did see a herd of Tatonka!!! That's something.

We had one of the Cherokees, a two door 1997 I picked up at a surplus auction. It was originally Navy owned and bare bones. I lifted it a couple inches to run 33” rubber and also replaced the vacuum control system for the front axle with a cable setup. I could run it in two wheel drive, low range. Very handy when you’re in tight quarters. That little truck would go anywhere. My granddaughter used it for four years of college too. It had over 250k when it finally died. Good times.

 

[hawg]

We had one of the Cherokees, a two door 1997 I picked up at a surplus auction. It was originally Navy owned and bare bones. I lifted it a couple inches to run 33” rubber and also replaced the vacuum control system for the front axle with a cable setup. I could run it in two wheel drive, low range. Very handy when you’re in tight quarters. That little truck would go anywhere. My granddaughter used it for four years of college too. It had over 250k when it finally died. Good times.

I had a 95 Laredo about 10 years ago. It was a good Jeep. I loaned it to my mom when her car went down. She was short and in her 80's. She couldn't even see over the steering wheel. She had to look through it. If you met her on the road it looked like nobody was driving it. I've got an 04 Cherokee Overland now. I like the Overland a lot better. Bloated soccer mom SUV luxury barge tho it may be.

 

[woodnbow]

I had a 95 Laredo about 10 years ago. It was a good Jeep. I loaned it to my mom when her car went down. She was short and in her 80's. She couldn't even see over the steering wheel. She had to look through it. If you met her on the road it looked like nobody was driving it. I've got an 04 Cherokee Overland now. I like the Overland a lot better. Bloated soccer mom SUV luxury barge tho it may be.

Wif, daughter, granddaughters, great granddaughters. None topped 5’2”… thank goodness vehicles are coming with adjustable height seats. The ladies in the old square bodied GM’s looked like someone left a ball cap on the dash I’m 6’2” and getting into the truck after one of them has driven it is an interesting exercise.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I bet that area is big enough for a pewter pour. I made a horn nose for a squirrel gun because all my attempts to pour pewter failed. The area was too small and the pewter cooled off (even with another person holding a torch to keep the area warm.

I always tell people to watch this clip from The Outlaw Josey Wales. Note the Indian with the war bonnet and the poured pewter nose muzzle loader in the background.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

also replaced the vacuum control system for the front axle with a cable setup.

Oh yeah that terrible vacuum system. Didn't know they still had it in '97. My only complaint with my '98 is that the hubs are full time, and it costs a lot to convert them.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I bet that area is big enough for a pewter pour. I made a horn nose for a squirrel gun because all my attempts to pour pewter failed. The area was too small and the pewter cooled off (even with another person holding a torch to keep the area warm.

I always tell people to watch this clip from The Outlaw Josey Wales. Note the Indian with the war bonnet and the poured pewter nose muzzle loader in the background.

The thought of an ebony or horn nose, or something like that also. However, I think the de-farb and butt-cap will be as far as I go with the pistol for now. The idea I like best would be a full stock, but no way could I afford to have someone make one for me. And, then it probably would not fit in my custom holster that a saddle maker made for me. He'd have to make another. !!! More $$$.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I always tell people to watch this clip from The Outlaw Josey Wales. Note the Indian with the war bonnet and the poured pewter nose muzzle loader in the background.

Ha ha, I watch that movie about three times a year, or at least once a year. I could see the scene in my head, didn't have to watch it, but of course I did anyway. Reckon so.

 

[hawg]

Oh yeah that terrible vacuum system. Didn't know they still had it in '97. My only complaint with my '98 is that the hubs are full time, and it costs a lot to convert them.

My 95 wasn't vacuum controlled. My 04 is aa Quadra Trac full time. All the 4X4 lever has is low neutral and high. You can get as fancy as you want with a poured nose cap. I've never poured a nose cap but I've poured knife butts and bolsters.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

It had over 250k when it finally died. Good times.

Oh no! They should never die!! Everything can be replaced. I have heard that some rusted out badly, mine has no rust. 150,000 on the motor, doesn't use a drop of oil or puff the slightest puff of smoke. Did replace the transfer case once.

 

[hawg]

Oh no! They should never die!! Everything can be replaced. I have heard that some rusted out badly, mine has no rust. 150,000 on the motor, doesn't use a drop of oil or puff the slightest puff of smoke. Did replace the transfer case once.
View attachment 1187413

It's not a question of dying. It's how much do you want to throw at it to keep it up. My 95 had no rust and over 200,000 on it. When mom was 88 she backed out of her yard and ran it in the ditch across the road from her house. That's when she decided she couldn't see well enough to drive anymore. Anyway she bashed in one of the front fenders. After that somebody broke out the back glass and the drivers side mirror. I just used it to hunt with after that. Then the power windows went out one by one and the transmission wouldn't shift into overdrive. I could still hunt with it but while I was waiting on disability I sold it and my 4 wheeler and some guns. I never would have fixed it up tho. It would have just cost too much. My 04 came from Illinois and the rocker panels are rusted but everything else is solid. It has 108,000 on it.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I hate power windows. We HATES them precious!! I don't trust them. My Jeep has them. But, you can get all the parts for them for the older jeeps. My philosophy is, that no matter how much you throw at repairs, (and I do my own, so that makes a difference, paying a mechanic could break you I guess) it's much less than the cost of a replacement vehicle, and who knows what hidden problem a used vehicle has. The other scary unknown is how was the vehicle previously abused? Oil changes? What kind of oil? Quicky-Lube? Over-revving? Constant 85-90+mph cruising? When I keep a vehicle "forever", repairs are at the minimum, as it has not been abused.

Or a new one. The new cars and trucks are coming out with all sorts of problems. Very thin weak aluminum castings (engines, transmissions, and differentials) that break easily, engines with pistons installed backwards or without rings, etc. VERY poorly designed engines and transmissions. Electrical, computerized nightmares. Buying a new vehicle is truly throwing money away. Unless you pay cash. (no offense to you guys with new cars or trucks)

So, I think repairs are the lesser of the two evils, the other being taking a gamble that the new rig won't need repairs. Add to that when I do a "repair" I know it's done right. Mechanics can be so dishonest. They can be incompetent. I worked in a transmission shop once, trust me I know. Some guys will even take a used engine, steam clean it and paint it, and install it as a new engine. So yeah, it's a jungle out there!!!