Parkerizing and Punching

It has been quite a while since my last post,

As the title of this posts suggests I have begun trying my hand at parkerizing firearms. I'm happy to say that so far I am pleased with the results. It isn't a overly complicated process but much like any finish work, prep is everything.

My first attempts were on old Lee Enfield actions and random bits and pieces. I learned quite a bit in a few weekends of fiddling and would almost be ready to take on actual work doing it. My set up is quite rudimentary at the moment; consisting of a portable bbq burner and a large bbq. Add some stainless steel pots and strainers and you are almost there!

The first action I attempted to parkerize.

You can see that there are spots where the finish didn't take. This is due to poor handling procedures and not thorough enough degreasing.










After many attempts on smaller less expensive things I decided to take the plunge and do an Inglis High Power I had recently picked up.

 The frame looked as though it had been cold blued at one point, it is quite possible that this was a parts gun put together by someone who worked for Canadian Arsenals. The slide started out life as a No.1 Mk I* but at some point went through CA and had the rear tangent sight milled off and replaced by the No.2 Mk I* sight. The original serial number on the slide was milled off and reparked.

I decided that the finish on the slide wasn't worn enough to warrant re-parking, plus I wasn't sure how the solder on the rear sight would react to the solution.

 

So this is the finished product, sadly I had forgotten to sandblast and park the magazine release!

 

 

The shade is actually closer in person then the camera shows. The frame is slightly lighter than the slide but not by a great amount. Im very happy with how it turned out.

 

I hope to have larger tanks in the next few months so that I can begin to do shotguns and rifles. By next year I would like to invest in some polishing wheels and try my hand at hot bluing. That will be the true test of my abilities! I will say I have learned a lot and I am looking forward to trying out new things.

On to the punching!

Glad to say I am no longer stuck at 180-185lbs as I am now 165lbs! While I still sometimes get to go to CrossFit it is difficult to fit it in my current budget, I would certainly still be doing it if I was able. I am now doing KFM or the Keysi Fighting Method with some very cool people!

SIG Sauer P225 and CrossFit

My SIG Sauer P225 arrived this Friday, it came to me with a BAR STO Threaded barrel which is no longer in production. So far I'm very pleased with this firearm, its very slim in the grip which is great for a person with smaller hands. It is basically a scaled down version of SIG Sauers P220 .45ACP pistol and was offered to the German police to replace their Walther PP's. Chambered in 9mm Luger it packed considerably more punch then the Walther while remaining small for the time. The P225 is also still in service with the Canadian airforce and will remain so until Canada purchase a new pistol for its armed forces. Being a single stack magazine it is limited to 8rds, this will mean I have to do more magazine changes in competition but this is something I would personally carry if I were legally allowed to. I'd rather train with something I may actually take into a shoot situation then worry about my times.

When it came to me it had a set of XS big dot sights installed, I've never used these style sights before so it will take some time for me to adjust to them. I've also taken the liberty of installing a P226 DAO hammer and 16lb hammer spring. I plan to use this as a competition gun and I've found that running the standard DA/SA trigger of the SIGs throws me off, so for consistency sake she'll be all DA! The issue I am having so far is the shape of the trigger, it doesn't have a lot of rearward bend which makes the trigger feel heavier then it is. I'm also having issues with the profile of the trigger, being made of a stamped part the face is quite round and it has a tendency to force itself into the first joint of my finger. Doing dryfire drills I can already tell I need to get a different trigger or modify this one, its just not going to work for what I want to do.

I just ordered a set of grips from www.marschalgrips.com I've read his wait times are significant but well worth it. And as far as I can see he is one of the only grip makers who do grips for the SIG P225 other then Hogue. The reason I chose to go with them is he will be modifying them to eliminate the decocker notch. It should make the pistol look very streamlined. I chose Maple as the wood, I've never had light coloured grips before so It should be interesting. I'm very pumped to get this pistol together shooting the way I want. I think it'll be a keeper.

The grips I will be getting are similar to these but sans the SIG and P6 text blocks.

Image property of www.marschalgrips.com

On the weightloss front Ive been stuck between 180 and 185lbs but last week I started doing Crossfit at CrossFit SubZero and feel better every time I come home. The owner/coach there is very motivational, and not in a soft "you're doing great" sort of way. He yells at you and is a prick, I love it. (He's actually a great guy) If anything motivates me to do something its saying I cant do it and making me mad about it. I feel like I can do anything after coming home from Crossfit SubZero, its like a drug and I am so very hooked.
I have to say it isn't your average gym, Its way better!

Zombies, where the fuck are they?

This month has brought many different things, we had our CDP match on the 23rd and while there wasn't a zombie scenario it was fun anyway. I donned some zombie paint to mark the last shoot of the month and maybe put people off their game a little bit. It must have worked as I placed 4th out of 15 shooters, missing 3rd by just over 2 seconds.



Failed to seat the mag and this was the result. The factory SIG mags don't fit quite right, have to do some more modification on the gun to get them to run correctly. That's what I get for running a Chinese copy I guess!


I also picked up a High Standard Flite King that was formerly owned by a police station in one of the outlying communities in the area. I have some very interesting plans for this firearm, a bayonet lug and pistol grip are two things I will be working on as well as parkerizing the receiver/barrel. Possibly going to order some nitre bluing salts from brownells and try my hand at that for some of the smaller parts.

I've finally broken the 190lbs mark and I am now that much closer to attaining my goal of 170lbs. I hope to start crossfit sometime in the next month, Very excited to start excersizing again, the first few weeks will be horrible but its all worth it. I'm starting to fit into clothes I haven't warn in over 3 years and it feels great! People who weren't aware of my lifestyle change are now starting to comment on my weight loss.

The road, the match and two wheels.

Its been three weeks now since I started eating better and I am able to see some real change. The scale tells me I've lost 20lbs which is great, its about what I was expecting to lose in this time frame. Others are mentioning that I look like I've lost weight, these comments come mostly from people who were aware of my dietary change. Things seem to be on track and I'm starting to exercise more often now, I feel much better and have more energy. I am having difficulty staying up past 11pm which I guess is what normal people do, for someone who has traditionally stayed up past 1am it is a little strange. Even now I'm having some difficulty keeping my eye's open.

Last months CDP match went well, we had 13 shooters out on a mostly sunny day. I placed 6th over all which is consistent but not where I want to be! I had two stoppages, one stovepipe and the other was a double feed that really affected my score. The hit friendly target certainly didn't help either! All in all it was a good day and I was glad that my Father was able to come out and shoot. He did well for not having any time to practice or shoot since the previous match.

Lastly, I completed my Motorcycle safety course and I am much more confident because of it. I only wish insurance wasnt so high for someone under 25! I cant wait till next summer so that I can actually afford to ride! I think about riding daily now and every time I see someone on a motorcycle I cant help but be jealous.
The interesting thing is that during the course I was able to ride a Kawasaki Ninja 250, I had no experience on this style bike but I was pleasantly surprised how good they feel. My original ideas on what I wanted in a motorcycle have changed greatly because of this and I now long for a sport style bike. I do have a preference to the naked bikes such as the Triumph Street Triple and have found myself watching every video on youtube.

GLOCKenspiel virtuoso

Just finished a "Trigger Job" on a friends Glock, I use quotations because I don't really consider is a true trigger job. There wasn't much skill required to preform this task though it was a very fun experience as I've never disassembled a Glock before (more then removing the slide). Now have a better understanding of its inner workings and I must say I'm impressed with it. Its not overly complicated and it diverges so greatly from the hammer fired guns I'm so accustomed to working on. I did polish a few of the working surfaces where metal contacts but I doubt it made a great impact on its performance. (I think I would have felt like I didn't actually do anything if I didn't polish SOMETHING!) The job is mostly replacing the few springs that are ingeniously positioned within the pistol!

 I have to say, id do 100 Glock trigger jobs before I'd do my CZ 75 or SIG again. Its just that easy.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

Well, went to see the new Planet of the Apes movie with my father. It was interesting, wasn't quite what I was expecting but I was pleased. I think? It had enough nods to the originals but not so obvious that it would make it hokey. The CG was decent and usually very good but was lacking on some shots. I'm not here to review movies so I'll get to the point. The main thing is that I didn't eat any Popcorn OR drink any fountain pop. I resisted the urge to have even a couple handfuls and feel pretty good about it.

Though it would have been really nice to eat the whole bag and have lots of instant gratification its not worth it. Someone told me once, "Nothing tastes as good as being in shape" I just have to keep remembering that line. Sometimes repeating it over and over when faced with some of my previously favourite foods junk.

In other news, I've been haphazardly trying to get ready for the next CDP match. I'll be running this one and have a few courses of fire thought up. I haven't had a whole lot of time to do any practice drills as of late so I'll be going into another match without shooting since the last one. Considering we have one match per month that doesn't work out so well for me. I'll most likely place 4th or 5th depending on who shows up and how many guys come out. As long as I beat a few certain people I'm doing ok. Really its all fun no matter what, its just nice to win.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

I gotta get in shape.

"Too much sitting has ruined my body. Too much abuse has gone on for too long" - Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)

Not long ago my wife had mentioned the Paleo diet (Paleolithic), I was quite interested as I've always questioned the food that we as a society eat. None of the food you see seems natural anymore, it all seems disconnected in some way. Food is more often then not tied to an emotion rather then as a means to sustain ones body. Sure, I will be using it as a way to lose weight but by no means is it a "Diet" in the contemporary sense. Unlike the adds you see on magazine covers while waiting in the line at the market (that usually include fast and easy recipes for cupcakes). This is similar to the diet our ancestors had when we were still a hunter / gatherer society, a diet we are genetically geared to intake.

It is the beginning of a long and hard road to a better, fitter and more healthy me. I start this journey with my wife and little boy, whom I love very much. Since his birth we have been having some difficulty in keeping a good diet, between working and trying to keep everything in order, fast food has been king. My diet has been poor for much longer and it has become painfully obvious that I need a change. I'm extremely grateful my wife is willing to attempt this with me, because without her on board I doubt I would have the strength to do it.


"There will be no more pills, no more bad food, no more destroyers of my body. From now on will be total organization. Every muscle must be tight." - Travis Bickle

As of this date I am 5'8 at 224lbs, I hope to reach 170lbs one day. Obviously I wont be getting any taller.