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There are plenty of activities, both solitary and with family, to enjoy during the months of gold and snow. Of, course, cross-country skiing immediately comes to mind. Survivalists in snow counry should make sure that they and their families are competent. Below -20 WD-40 is an ecellent replacement for wax and helps greatly with waxless skis.
Digging snow caves and building igloos are great for the whole family. Then spend a few nights in them to test equipment as well as your own limits. Do it in your backyard for the sake of convenience and safety.
There are inside activities as well. When I was a boy my father showed me how to build both an electric motor and a crystal set. Since he was an electrical engineer he didn't bother with kits but simply bought the components.
Indoor gardens are great. Millions of people grow herbs in the house, but there's no reason not to grow other fruits and vegetables. Even people without greenhouses can raise excellent crops.
This is the time of the year for bullet casting, but let's not forget swaging. I make .223 and ,224 bullets from empty rimfire cases. I also make bullets for .25 auto using spent shotgun primers. During the war people made bullets using small centerfire brass. The results weren't that great, but it kept the boys shooting.
If you want to see what your bullets look like after they come out of the barrel but undeformed there's no better way than shooting them through snow.
If you have wild roses in your area gather up some berries and make rosehip jelly. It is delicious. They're out here waiting for you right now. This is a good time as well to cook big pots full of food and freeze them for use in the warm months. I have more than eighty pints of marinara sauce that should last through next Christmas. This is the time of year to locate places suitable for caches. What looks suitable in August might be under ten feet of snow in April.
There aren't too many yard sales this time of the year so check the classified ads where you live. It's great family fun to buy the entire contents of a house and sort through them.
Most of these activities cost little or nothing. Bullet making equipment can be expensive, but once you have it you have it for life.
We're having another mild winter so far; I caught some trout for dinner yesterday.
And of course there is always cutting firewood, which I sort of enjoy. Might as well cut wood as go to the gym, I guess.
How do you make a .25 automatic bullet out of a shotgun primer? Just get rid of the rim? Do you try to add some lead to the interior?
What .25 do you shoot? .25 is one of the few calibers I don't shoot or load. I always wanted an HK-4 set with all 4 barrels, probably it is one of the few .25s that it's really possible to shoot accurately. Don't see them around much.
I do have a few .32 ACPs that would surprise for accuracy. An old Colt that as long as you have good enough light to see the very fine sights, shoots almost like a miniature Gold Cup. Cast works great in these.
And of course there is always cutting firewood, which I sort of enjoy. Might as well cut wood as go to the gym, I guess.
You would never catch me in a gym; I don't tolerate boredom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Mitch
How do you make a .25 automatic bullet out of a shotgun primer? Just get rid of the rim? Do you try to add some lead to the interior?
What .25 do you shoot? .25 is one of the few calibers I don't shoot or load. I always wanted an HK-4 set with all 4 barrels, probably it is one of the few .25s that it's really possible to shoot accurately. Don't see them around much.
I do have a few .32 ACPs that would surprise for accuracy. An old Colt that as long as you have good enough light to see the very fine sights, shoots almost like a miniature Gold Cup. Cast works great in these.
Corbin makes dies to reform the spent primer into a jacket. You just insert a short piece of lead wire for the core. The link mentions it, but it doesn't say anything about it. You can get information from Corbin. For firing the .25 with somewhat irregular feeding you can just load a #3 Buck pellet. I also cast these bullets with an old Lyman mold. I bought an HK-4 when they came out; it is a dandy. My favorite .25 shooters are that and a Mauser 1910.
Examine the material on the Corbin website. He makes quite a variety of products.
The .25 has been chambered in auto pistols, multibarreled pistols, revolvers, carbines, and even a machine pistol for a short time after the war, the Italian Lercker. I believe that it's the third most popular centerfire handgun cartridge of all time, beaten only by the .32 A.C.P. and the .32 S&W. Feeding far more reliably than the .22 rimfire, the .25 auto vest pocket pistol is a very practical concealed carry gun.
I think winter time is just as good as any for activities. You can hike and work outside with out worrying about insects and animals in hibernation. Fire a weapon because during freezing weather less people are outside and less likely to complain. Things are generally more quiet. Indoor places are more cozy. Working outside, so long as the temperature isn't below freezing can be more pleasant than working in the humid summer time.
Ice fishing and trapping not only get you out of the house in the winter, but get you some fresh meat for the table and can put a little change in your pocket as well.
Nothing like snowshoeing through a frozen woodlot at -20 degrees with your drag full of prime fur, the snow squeaking under your feet and the scraping of your sled the only sounds you hear. Camping on the trail in a snow cave, reading sign in the snow, a hot pot of coffee on the fire while the northern lights play in the sky overhead, can't beat it.
Of course, it helps to be in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, etc. where you have a true snow season. I remember my few winters in Idaho Falls, if you have not experienced it you might doubt what I say, but in many ways a winter that "sets" and you have powder snow that does not thaw can be easier to get around in, using anything from a car to your feet, than the typical Eastern freeze-thaw mess. The winter around here tends to alternate between dry and cold, and wet and just cool, with snow occasionally. Except in those few years where it snows a good bit. El Nino and La Nina.
I was a little too young to "catch" the HK-4 when they went on sale, would sure like to run into one at a gun show. I guess the practicality of a .25 as a carry gun depends on what you end up shooting.
You would never catch me in a gym; I don't tolerate boredom.
Me either...always got my exercise for free, or when I could arrange it, for a profit!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTSilvertip
Ice fishing and trapping not only get you out of the house in the winter, but get you some fresh meat for the table and can put a little change in your pocket as well.
Haven't done any trapping since boyhood, but ice fishing is something I make time for every winter!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTSilvertip
Nothing like snowshoeing through a frozen woodlot at -20 degrees with your drag full of prime fur, the snow squeaking under your feet and the scraping of your sled the only sounds you hear. Camping on the trail in a snow cave, reading sign in the snow, a hot pot of coffee on the fire while the northern lights play in the sky overhead, can't beat it.
Yep, we've all got snowshoes, and I have a couple of large 2' x 4' black plastic 'sleds' from Cabela's that I use to transport gas, cordwood, propane tanks, what have you. We are pretty much snow-less up here even at this late date, but it's comin'. Have found tracks and scat of deer, moose, bear, and coyote on our place (in the dirt, not yet in any snow). We still have the firepit in the yard, and I've made a tent with mylar-faced camping tarps, heated with a Dakota fire pit, which makes it too warm inside...but I love bannock and jerked beef with hot Tang, made over the Dakota pit.
We found a place to get Rosa Rugosa plants, and should have our own rose hips in a few years!
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