Other Hobbies

[etemplet]

Just post a Seadoo for sale on Craigslist. People will start sending you machine gun pics as a trade offers.

I like ONE AT A TIME shooting. "Plinking" mostly with a 22. I have a 7mm Remmington Magnum I bought in 1977'. I made a target to shoot across this pond about 125 yards. It was about 5/8" - 3/4" thick about 4 inches in diameter with rings machined into it. I welded a 1/4" by 1" flat bar to a short piece of pipe so it would swing when hit thus dissipating the energy to decrease damage to the target. It was pretty sturdy and I stuck a rod through the top VIOLA. Just what I wanted. The target didn't last long at all. Each hit with the 7mm drilled a 3/8" deep by 3/8" wide hole in the target. My nephew's 243 did about the exact same damage. On that first hit there was a bulge on the back side of the target. I'm talking 5/8" thick metal, So we aimed for the holes in the target. That next shot went clean through the target and tore metal out the back . My cool target was junk pretty quick. It was a shocking revelation for me. Yikes !!

 

[jhjesse]

I hope you feel sorry for those of us in California where everything is illegal. LOL.

The biggest complaint my customers have when I travel to Bakersfield is not being able to buy ammo.

 

[AKnarrowback]

According to Federal law it is a "pistol", an AR with a barrel length under 16" that is not capable of accepting/holding a stock. The buffer tube the adjustable stock slides on does not have the ridge along the bottom with the 5 or 6 holes in it to provide a locking position, it is just a round tube. It is "convenient" that it is just a hair short of length a normal stock would be. My goal was to have an SBR (Short Barrel Rifle) without having to pay the tax, go through the background approval process and (most of all) not have it registered with the feds. If it meets Pistol requirements then it is just a pistol and nothing requiring a Federal tax and registration (full auto, SBR, any other weapon, etc). A 223/5.56 has such a light kick the buffer tube end doesn't hurt the shoulder at all, the 10" barrel still gives high enough FPS for the TSX bullet to open up on impact and accuracy out to 1000 feet is spot on with minimal drop over a 16" barrel. I can pull the pins out and drop the two halves in a small back pack for hiking, the assembled unit tucks under the truck seat by my feet with ease. A 20 round mag keeps things compact.

With ammo plentiful, vs nonexistant for 8 years in recent history, I spend $50 from every paycheck on ammo of some kind to be stocked up. Most of it is 22LR, which was being let go for $75 a 400 brick during the shortage. I have enough to for me, my son, his son, his son's son for a couple generations, to grouse hunt. Anything I sell will only be for what I paid so someone else can take his kids out without getting ripped off.

 

[AKnarrowback]

Dude you can kill people with your bare hands. You don't need guns or knives. LOL

First rule of surviving a fight is to avoid one in the first place.

 

[mikidymac]

According to Federal law it is a "pistol", an AR with a barrel length under 16" that is not capable of accepting/holding a stock. The buffer tube the adjustable stock slides on does not have the ridge along the bottom with the 5 or 6 holes in it to provide a locking position, it is just a round tube. It is "convenient" that it is just a hair short of length a normal stock would be. My goal was to have an SBR (Short Barrel Rifle) without having to pay the tax, go through the background approval process and (most of all) not have it registered with the feds. If it meets Pistol requirements then it is just a pistol and nothing requiring a Federal tax and registration (full auto, SBR, any other weapon, etc). A 223/5.56 has such a light kick the buffer tube end doesn't hurt the shoulder at all, the 10" barrel still gives high enough FPS for the TSX bullet to open up on impact and accuracy out to 1000 feet is spot on with minimal drop over a 16" barrel. I can pull the pins out and drop the two halves in a small back pack for hiking, the assembled unit tucks under the truck seat by my feet with ease. A 20 round mag keeps things compact.

With ammo plentiful, vs nonexistant for 8 years in recent history, I spend $50 from every paycheck on ammo of some kind to be stocked up. Most of it is 22LR, which was being let go for $75 a 400 brick during the shortage. I have enough to for me, my son, his son, his son's son for a couple generations, to grouse hunt. Anything I sell will only be for what I paid so someone else can take his kids out without getting ripped off.

We can’t hunt here with lead or even have it with you during hunting season even if not hunting. Limits the .22 target fun. And the rest of the time we are in high fire danger so again no shooting.

 

[mikidymac]

The biggest complaint my customers have when I travel to Bakersfield is not being able to buy ammo.

What do you do in Bakersfield? I’m only about an hour away.

 

[jhjesse]

Work in power plants. I have a customer close to Buttonwillow and Mickittrick.

 

[mikidymac]

Nice. Unfortunately they are closing our nuclear plant here in a few years. Environmentalists finally won against reason.

 

[jhjesse]

I’m a gas turbine Guy. Try to stay out of nukes. Too much “red tape.”
My friends like to ride quads in the desert. That is a lot of fun.
There is a lake that I drive by while going over the grapevine to and from LAX that looks pretty cool. I think it is called Pyramid Lake. Have you ever been to that lake?

 

[tobytd]

Come on Mikidy pics of your Chevelle!!! Had a friend in high school who had one,mommy bought it for him. Black w/ silver stripes around fender wells and rocker panels. GOOD looking car. Loved the ‘cow catcher ‘ bumpers

 

[mikidymac]

I’m a gas turbine Guy. Try to stay out of nukes. Too much “red tape.”
My friends like to ride quads in the desert. That is a lot of fun.
There is a lake that I drive by while going over the grapevine to and from LAX that looks pretty cool. I think it is called Pyramid Lake. Have you ever been to that lake?

Never been to Pyramid lake but we take our dirt bikes and RZR’s to Hungry Valley which overlooks that lake.

 

[mikidymac]

Cough up the pictures of the Chevelle and the Ford Bro. Can't wait to see them.

They are both on the back burner and partly started projects. 51’ is the wife’s and is going to be a rat rod kind of. Stock chassis with a 9” and disc brakes, 302 with AOD trans.

Interior will be stock. The exterior is bare metal cleared with House of Kolor red ice pearl.

 

[etemplet]

Man that is cool !!! That must have been a ton of work to get the bare metal looking like that !! You must have a lot of room. Where do you work on the skis ?? I have 4 acres buy my shop was not designed with enough space for all I am doing. I've had concrete poured out back for 10 years for the 30' X 25' extension. Footings are in place to weld the frame I just need to get on it soon.

 

[mikidymac]

Man that is cool !!! That must have been a ton of work to get the bare metal looking like that !! You must have a lot of room. Where do you work on the skis ?? I have 4 acres buy my shop was not designed with enough space for all I am doing. I've had concrete poured out back for 10 years for the 30' X 25' extension. Footings are in place to weld the frame I just need to get on it soon.

Standard 2 car garage on a normal small lot. I do a lot of shuffling. I typically have about 2/3 of the garage open and everything else pushed off to the other 1/3. Projects come in and out of the 2/3 area to be worked on but remember I am in California so other than a small amount of rain the driveway and side of the house are open for business almost all year.

This is the current project and hopefully last watercraft so I can get to work on the pickup and chevelle.

 

[mikidymac]

Come on Mikidy pics of your Chevelle!!! Had a friend in high school who had one,mommy bought it for him. Black w/ silver stripes around fender wells and rocker panels. GOOD looking car. Loved the ‘cow catcher ‘ bumpers

Here is the Chevelle and almost nothing has been done to it.

With 3 generations. My dad on the right special ordered it in 72', 73' SS, 350 4 barrel, Turbo 350, A/C black interior. I came home from the hospittle in it, at 16 it was my first car and still have it today. The only thing that was ever done to it was when I was in high school I pulled the 175 HP 350 and built 4 bolt main 350 for it and like a stupid high school kid I sold the original block but everything else is numbers matching.

At the moment it is waiting to be the next project but it is going to be a Pro Touring build but nothing is going to be done that can't be brought back to original. Interior will stay all original, exterior is going to be silver with charcoal stripes, coilover and lowered suspension, Corvette C6 ZO6 brakes and LS3/4L65E trans.

 

[etemplet]

Dude... it's been raining here for months. Everything is soaked. I don't want to move skis around it is so wet. I got parts in my aircraft hanger, parts in Sissy's Hot house and parts in my shop. I got skis everywhere but you can't see them from the road. LOL I got 5 skis in my hangar. I need a 50' X 50' but I'm not turning the house into a shop. It still looks like a nice yard.

 

[dgoodwin10]

Between knowing how to wrench and weld, I ALWAYS have a project going on. It keeps my sanity in check. In no particular order:

My 2004 Rhino 660 with long travel and a pile of other goodies. Paid for by flipping Seadoos.

My wife and I bought a house in 2017 and have been making it ours ever since. I have a shop build in the near future, but most all my work goes down in the carport. The latest addition was landscaping, fence and this patio. My wife wasn't near as enthused as I was about the lights...maybe because it was pushing midnight.

I really enjoy welding and metal fabrication. New ramps put on the trailer I built back in 2013. That trailer has brought home many Seadoos!

We have a family lake house with an older fleet of boats. We restored our 1997 26' Fisher pontoon last year.

After:

Before:

And my other favorite toy- a 1997 Suzuki King Quad 300 that I took down to bare frame and restored/modified.

 

[Matt Braley]

Great stuff. Good job on those toys and tools.

 

[etemplet]

Cool stuff and very nice trailer !!! I use the gorilla welding approach, UGLY but strong. I muse about learning to weld properly. I have MIG and Stick but don't weld often enough for it to motivate me. I've built trusses out of 3" pipe for my shop, built the shop, and all kinds of stuff. Many repairs to equipment... you name it. It takes me longer cuz I suck at it and I have lots of grinding wheels. LOL About the time a I get decent... I don't weld for a few years.

 

[dgoodwin10]

Thanks for the kind words. For anyone interested in a build thread on the King Quad, see here: https://www.suzukiatvforums.com/forums/suzuki-kingquad-300/23338-96-king-quad-300-resto-mod.html

Since this is a Seadoo forum, here’s 2 of the 3 loads I’ve taken to the dump recently.

 

[mikidymac]

The dump, just where those filthy Yamaha’s deserve to be.

 

[KyleW2]

I work on and flip four wheelers and occasionally ride them. If anyone in Dallas TX area is ever looking for a four wheeler and has a jet ski to trade, I am always open!

 

[nateccnn]

Two mountain sled snowmobiles, 2 sea doos, 1 ski boat, two Polaris predator 5oo's, Harley heritage (only one cuz who needs friends on a ride?) 2 dirt-bikes, Ranger side by side for hunting, Iconic toy-hauler. I stay pretty busy.

 

[etemplet]

Yes you do I bet... LOL

 

[AKnarrowback]

I built the sled out of a pile of parts I had in the yard. This past fall my Wife told me to haul all that "junk" to the dumpster. As I was hauling it all to the truck I realized I had enough to "frankenstein" a machine together. It's a mix of 94 summit 580 (frame and motor), 95 skandic (hood, bellypan, seat), 97 700 rmk (rear suspension and all 4 shocks) and probably some other parts I forgot about. It's ugly as sin, but ran hard all winter and never skipped a beat. My Wife made the mistake of getting me a go-pro that gets the old GPS signal for speed.

That was "high noon" in mid January, -15F, a little ice in the middle, no State Troopers or Moose.

Not bad for a pile of parts.