Why do I suspect this?  Because I HAVE lived in the backwoods.  When one lives in primitive surroundings in which roads are mere trails through the woods and rivers and streams are crossed at shallow fords, one begins to understand the importance of doing one’s traveling when the water is down.  Years ago I was talking with a young man who was telling me about how he would go to parties during the rainy season.  Since entertainment was few and far between in the backwoods area of the sertão in which he lived, any party was not to be missed if at all possible.  There was no “the Good Lord willing” part to it at all – it was, “If the creeks don’t rise I’ll be there”  Except that he made it to more than one party even though the creeks DID rise.  Such was his desire for entertainment that he’d come to a swollen creek choked with rushing water and weeds and whatever.  He’d strip down, pick out a point upstream of his desired landing point on the other side and swim across the creek with his clothes held over his head.  Once he got over there he’d dry off as best he could and get dressed again before heading down the track towards the party.

But most folks wouldn’t go to such measures.  Common sense dictates that once the rain tapers off the creek will sink back down and the water will be less dangerous to one’s continued existence on this green earth.  And so, if the rains swelled the creeks and rivers folks would simply wait until such time as they went back down – and THEN go on about their business.  The building of bridges across some of the rivers made traveling easier, but all it took was one deep ravine choked with muddy rainwater to put a damper on a person’s travel plans.

Over the years folks have tried to find various ways of getting through in spite of the swollen creeks and rivers.  One sees four wheel drive vehicles equipped with “snorkels” to allow them to run even with the engine compartment under water.  My uncle would take off the fan belt before driving into a river ford.  This would keep the radiator from getting pushed back into the fan by the water and being damaged. By getting a good steady start and not slowing down he would create a “bow wave” which kept the water out of the engine compartment and thus out of the air intake.  However, he only used these methods when the water was low.  If the creeks were up, he’d simply have to wait for them to go down before continuing his journey.

No, I give no credence to the Creek War of 1813-1814.  It makes an interesting story but has little merit to suggest it as the origin for the saying.  Backwoods living is different from today’s asphalt and steel bridge living.  If the creeks are up you’re simply not going much of anywhere until such time as they go back down.  That’s all there is too it.

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On my own profile, at the time of this writing, 487 people are listed on my “Friends” page.  In that number are relatives, other MK’s, school mates, folks I’ve worked with, people we’ve ministered to, people my wife works with, kids we’ve known since they were wee children and folks I’ve met through other folks on Facebook.  It is interesting to see how certain items appear on successive people’s pages.  Most folks on my list seem to have very similar ideas and tastes.  There’s a few who are radically different in one way or another but for the most part “birds of a feather”.

Humor, games, inspirational videos, music, prayer requests – all these and more are piped right onto my computer screen each time I connect.  It’s been a blessing to catch up with old friends from college and even a “lost” cousin or three I’ve not seen in 30 years or more – all thanks to this social networking phenomenon.

The big question is – will it be a tool or a master?  Will it rule one’s life or will one use it for good?  Who do we glorify through this medium?  Are we working for a better world – or sinking to the same level as those around us?  It is my hope and ambition that this will be one more tool through which I can bring glory to Christ’s kingdom.

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While up there I also acquired a Taylor Throat Reamer.  My understanding is that Alan Taylor, Jim’s dad, is the one who originated this idea.  It reams out the throat on a revolver to remove the constriction some of them have after the barrel is screwed in to the frame too tightly – usually from the manufacturing process.  And the PPPPPP definitely had such a constriction, not to mention that the forcing cone was pretty close to non-existent as well.  So the reamer came back with me.  Once I got settled in and caught up a bit I decided to give it a whirl.

The PPPPPP got stripped down and the reamer was placed through the frame window, entering the rear of the barrel.  I screwed the adapter to the rod and put some oil on the threads so it would release easily from the reamer.  Then I loaded the reamer up with my Lanolin/ATF lube/preservative and set to work.  Just gently rotating the reamer and backing up when I got too much of a bite and starting again, a bit at a time, easy does it.  About halfway through the job I decided to check things out.  That’s when I found out that the reamer was fixed to the adapter and the rod was the part that came easily out.  PANIC ATTACK!  Well, not really, but I was a bit concerned.  Got some ideas from the guys on the forum – chased down some Loctite type compound and proceeded to loctite the adapter to the rod after a thorough degreasing of the surfaces.  Left it in for six hours and had to give it a try.  NOT a good idea- the rod unscrewed from the adapter and we were in the same position as before.  More goop on the threads and this time it sat overnight – for about twenty hours this time.  Since it was the weekend and the powers that be had decreed suspension of all permits there was little call to be in a hurry, but still I went ahead and tried it.  Whewwwwww!!!!!  Out came the adapter with the rod and the reamer slid out the rear like it was supposed to.  So I loaded it back up with oil and finished up the job.

The next step was to slug the barrel again.  This time it came out a uniform .357″ like it was supposed to be.  Oh, some of the loctite had migrated to the barrel wall.  A bit of oil and a tight fitting felt patch on the jag and out it came.  I then used a tight patch and some JB Bore Paste to thoroughly clean the barrel and slick it up. This is something I’d read a lot about but never used before.  When I was done the inside of the barrel was prettier than the day I brought it home.  Nice and shiny.

So, was it a worthwhile investment in time, effort and $$$?  A trip to the range would tell the tale.  So later that week I packed up the PPPPPP and the new Gamo and the old Crosman 1377 and off to the range I went.  Four targets were set up at ten long paces and I used a Taylor-Taffin style rest to brace the PPPPPP as I shot.  The first group was not much to brag about – plus I set it a good 10 feet further away than I’d usually shot.  That’s when I moved it back to 10 paces from the bench.  The next three six shot groups were about half the size of previous groups shot at this distance.  Nothing to brag about on an Olympic level, but still a decided improvement.  And when I got home the bore cleaned right up, with less patches and solvent than it’d ever taken before – and there was no leading at the rear of the barrel like before either.

So yes, it was worth the investment in time, effort and $$$.  The PPPPPP now shoots better, cleans easier and no longer shaves lead.  I’d recommend the Taylor Throating Reamer to those who have similar problems with their sixguns.  You can pick it up from Brownells.  And if you’ve got more than one sixgun, it comes out even cheaper per piece. 

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Then we moved on to the rifle.  The stock’s been cut off for kids which makes proper stock weld and such nearly impossible for an adult, but we still had fun.  They did better with the scope than with the open sights.  Everyone got a chance to try off hand, sitting braced against a stump and prone.  The mom only shot off hand and the dad shot offhand and prone.

Then I broke out the PPPPPP.    That’s the one that started the whole exercise when the mom found out about it.  Ammo’s scarce and expensive but I gave everyone who wanted to try a chance to fire two rounds.  Two rounds of 38 spl may not seem like much, but down here it’s a big deal.  Again, the older girl shot well.  Even with the lousy sights she managed a fairly tight group (can you call two rounds “a group”?) near the center of the target.  The younger girl managed to group both her shots just a half inch or two apart – on the top edge of the target paper.  I’m not sure what she was using for a sight picture but at least she was consistent!  The son again showed less aptitude with the short gun.  I don’t recall that the father shot the 38, but the mother did.  It took some talking and teasing but she finally consented.  One round and I couldn’t see where she hit (I’m guessing she under shot the target).  She was “happy” with her shot, she’d shot a “real gun” and that was plenty.  But some more joking around and she finally tried the second shot – and nailed the target near the center that time.

I don’t think I made shooters out of the family, but I know I DID give them a different perspective on firearms.  And the older girl had a REAL blast – posting pictures of herself shooting the Crosman on her facebook  profile upon her return home.  Sometimes all it takes is a bit of patience and careful instruction to turn a hostile audience into a more accepting one.  Later that afternoon we went up to some thermal springs with them.  There they ran into some folks they knew from “back home”.  And the formerly hostile to firearms mom told her friends about her trip to the range and “he was very insistent on safety and we had a good time.”

Also this year I’ve started messing around with airguns more.  The ‘net is full of modifications for the old Crosman 1377.  It was an eye opener to me when I started seeing all the things folks are doing with them.  My concern was to find a good rear sight to replace the cheesy plastic hunk of junk that comes on them from the factory.  WOW!  They offer steel breeches, modified valves, metallic pistons, fancy grips, rifle stocks (tubular, skeleton, thumb hole, ambidextrous, you name it), muzzle brakes, barrel bands, extended probe bolts and who knows what all else.  It would be easy to drop several hundred dollars to “trick out” the old Crosman.  Well, I ain’t got that kind of money so I won’t be doing it, but perhaps I can pick up a couple of parts while up north and make the Crosman a bit more user friendly.

Also, I got out the old Daisy 120 rifle that’s been quietly rusting in the closet.  One of the kids lost the rear action screw years ago and also the rear sight disintegrated.  Plastic is NOT a good choice for making certain parts of firearms (or ANY parts for the most part).  Rummaging around in the parts bins I found a nut and bolt that would work and the action is now once more fixed in the stock.  The chinese “Dremel” came out with a cut off wheel and the screw stud for the rear sight came right off.  Then an old Daisy 880 I picked up for parts at a (rare) Colombian yard sale got stripped down.  The pumping mechanism is mostly absent.  The barrel is a rifled brass tube held inside the sheet metal barrel shroud via the front sight and a clamp on power plant.  Hmmm…. I wonder if I could set that up to free float with a metal breech on the Crosman?  Time will tell… in the meantime I pulled the rear sight off and measured it up against the 120.  Two wide to fit in the groove.  Out comes the chinese “Dremel” again with the cutoff wheel.  The sight gets stuck in the little vise I finally picked up and work commences… after grooving one side and starting on the other the battery ran down.    Out comes the hacksaw – it hangs up on the tough steel and narrow kerf from the “Dremel”  After some maneuvering around the little ears finally got removed and the edges filed down smooth.  Thank God for access to a vise to hold it still for filing.  The old 880 sight is now almost affixed to the 120 via a cannibalized screw from the 880.  It’s not quite right but shows some promise – now to find a screw that will work, or I’ll just have to tap the hole out to a larger size – if I can find a larger sized screw.

Well, I’ve rambled enough for today.  I’d better get busy and get some things done ’round the office and house.  I put out some notices that I’m looking for Crosman “parts guns” on a couple of forums.  It’d be cool if I could find a couple to play with and bring back with me next month.  I’m officially intrigued with the whole Crosman 22XX and 13XX series of pistols.

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And, furthermore, to show that I’m not a completely insensitive person, I DIDN”T post the original 2007 birthday post on the forum. First I asked a fellow conspirator and radical thinker about it. Well, ok, the posting won’t occur there. Instead, I put up the first piece which is immediately below this. It’s more of a general “birthday post” instead of the pot stirring one I’d typed up yesterday.

All the recent talk about flat guns has put me to cogitatin’ a bit about them. I know that Jeff Cooper was a real proponent of the bottom feeding 1911 family of firearms, but for serious, dependable, defensive work, the semi automatic just doesn’t cut it.The semiautomatic is plagued by a host of weak points which can cause problems when it is called upon to defend one’s life. The weakening of springs in the magazine lead to failures to feed and/or eject (depending on design), the easily deformed magazine lips which also provide feeding problems, the strength (or lack thereof) of the recoil spring which can cause problems for proper feeding, not to mention the need to run pretty much full bore ammunition through them to ensure that the slide will reciprocate properly, all are inherent design flaws.

For defensive use you need a gun that’s likely to go “BANG!” each and every time you pull the trigger. If you get a dud while shooting a semiauto, you need need both hands to run the clearance drill prior to continuing with what you were doing. On the range this is an inconvenience – in a firefight it can get you killed. Yes, you can learn to grasp the slide between your knees or use other means to clear a dud or other failure to function, but most of the procedures to do so are not very safe to execute, unfortunate word there, execute…

Yes, I’ve owned (still do) and carried semi automatic pistols – back in my wet ears years. In a 22 for plinking they are a blast and the jams and malfunctions are not too much of a hassle since they’re almost invariably used on the range and not in defensive situations. But for pure reliability? A good revolver will out shine any semi automatic in that department. You can load anything from wax bullet to full bore hunting loads and they’ll keep on tickin’ – with no fussing around with finicky springs, barrel ramps and other such nonsense. You can load any kind of bullet profile from round ball to full wadcutter to jacketed hollow points to shot loads – and it will feed and fire them all.

I know there’s no way some of you will give up your slide action flatguns, and that’s OK. But you really should consider the danger you expose yourself to by relying on them for defensive work. I guess the best way to sum it up is: “I sure hope you never have to bet your life on one.”

The original “2007 Birthday Post” can be found in the complete article.

I’ve seen the light!!!

One really neat thing about this site is the interchange of ideas on a variety of subjects. Everything from shooting to medicine to politics to religion is discussed, usually in an amiable manner. Sometimes discussions shed more heat than light, but for the most part we discuss about anything in a reasonably friendly manner. These discussions can provoke a lot of thought during one’s day, as one goes about one’s business. If one is a reasonable person these discussions may even lead to a change of mind, to a different way of thinking and living.

Following a series of discussions over a period of time, both on the forum and via “back channel e-mail”, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time I changed my mind. For years I figured that the Lord Jesus Christ was the epitome of leaders of men. Now, due to the discussions on the forum, I’ve come to realize that His methods are fallible and that there’s a better way. So I’ll be resigning my position to seek a higher level of education. At least a PhD if not an MD is in MY future. It’s time to get the lead out and to show the world what can be done with the proper combination of higher education and limitless funding.

After all, if the Lord Jesus Christ had wanted to make a REAL change in the world, why did He come into the world as a poor carpenter’s bastard stepson? Why did He spend the first years of His life working amongst the poor and down trodden? Why didn’t He seek out the palaces of the powerful, the centers of religious and political activity? He must have been wrong and so, obviously, have I .

It’s time to make a change. Instead of being critical of the sparse longterm results garnered by those who have invested heavily in missions in a financial way, it behooves me to find a way to correct their mistakes and to take their investment schemes to a new level. Rather than thinking that the same type of experiment with the same results in three countries by a dozen or more organizations are evidence of a flaw in the design, I’ve come to realize that it’s a matter of inadequate education on the part of the directors of these efforts as well as inadequate financial funding that are the REAL root of failure. So it’s time to change all that. With a doctorate from a prestigious university I should be able to talk investors into backing yet another mass marketing effort to change the fortunes and lives of the poor, benighted, third world citizens that have traditionally been the focus of my own feeble efforts.

This is a liberating realization. Rather than imitating one of the poorest of the poor, a man who had such miserable results that He ultimately payed the price for His temerity via a cruel death on a primitive torture device, it is MUCH better to modernize things and to improve upon His faulty logic by approaching the matter from a well educated and well funded point rather than relying upon the obviously false idea that reaching out to folks in need from the vantage point of a more equal footing is a good way to do things. Thank God for the discussions that have pointed out my faulty logic and the error of doing things differently from those who were born, raised, and educated in the culturally superior North American United States, who are thus unhindered by idiotic ideas of equality with folks who are so obviously wrong on so many levels.

So, it’s time to modernize missions! It’s off to the Ivory Tower of the Ivy League to obtain a gen-u-wine sheep skin which will proclaim to all and sundry that Dr. Paul William Moreland is not to be trifled with. With said sheepskin in hand I’ll be able to attract a new kind of investor in missions, folks who have the same high minded desire to tell others how to best live their lives by becoming like me – the guy with the money and the education. No more of this foolish work amongst “equals”, in fact it will be a relief to be able to live in a nice place in the Rocky mountains that I love so much with a long range shooting range off the back porch, a well stocked gun safe and loading bench, not to mention a huge horde of premium ammunition, and a front porch overlooking the San Juans. With proper funding I’ll be able to live a life of comfort and affluence with bi-annual vacations with my wife and sons (and eventually with their families) to exotic locations around the Land of the Free. On a regular basis I’ll be able to fly to the various mission sights to oversee the work, telling folks to either buckle down and do things my way or pack their bags and leave. Flying first class will ensure that I arrive rested and unsullied by consorting with lesser beings relegated to tourist class by their inability to get their lives in order and produce copious quantities of cash. As a well funded, highly educated, successful director of this new class of mission work I’ll be able to awe folks into seeing things my way and those who don’t respond to my aura I’ll be able to convince with a careful investment of US greenbacks.

Yep, I’ve seen the LIGHT! A new day in missions is dawning! Guys, I’ll finally be able to make it to the CSA each spring and fall, as well as take in other gatherings around the nation. I’m looking forward to it!

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We talked for a while and caught up on a few things, traded blog addresses and other ‘net stuff.  And as we were talking it came out that we live thirteen time zones apart.  WOW!  That’s a LONG ways out there, to say the least.  And yet, even though we work in different parts of the globe with different styles of ministry – we’re still brothers in Christ!  What a joy to know that others are proclaiming the gospel all around the globe, working with people in places I’d never thought of going to, teaching people to serve God, creating a better world for all of us to live in.

I thank God for the Johnstons and their long time ministry in Taiwan.  I thank God for all the people who have given up their lives to serve Him in far off places.   I thank God for giving each of us special talents and abilities and the desire to serve Him in different parts of the harvest field.

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Today? Well, I don’t know what to think. A lot has to happen over the next month and I’m looking forward to seeing how God works things out. Scared? Yeah, but not terrified. Scared like you are when you KNOW you can do it – but there’s still an element of risk. In this case it’s because we know that God can do it – but we don’t yet know how. There’s some anticipation as well, kind of like waiting for a special gift. You know it’s wonderful, but you don’t know what it is.

God’s in control. Of that we have no doubt. We only want to get going – in His paths – and to strike out for the other side of this wild ride He’s had us on for our whole lives. As we look back in time we see how time after time He was there – holding our hands, keeping us from falling. But learning to trust Him? That’s been the tough one because we’re to independant.

Oh how I pray that I can pass this faith to my children, and on to others as well. TRUST IN GOD, ALL WILL BE WELL!

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