Gettin' Older

[ColColt]

I've discovered I'm going to have to get a shorter work area to do casting so I can sit. Yesterday I knocked out around 4-500 38 cal 158 gr bullets and today about 300 170 gr and now I'm paying the price. Between a bypass surgery on my leg several years ago due to PAD(Peripheral Artery Disease) and a current hernia, I feel I need to sit about two hours instead of standing two or three. This getting older ain't what it's cracked up to be. I remember when I could do this for hours and no after effects...not anymore.

[Char-Gar]

Getting old is not for the weak!

[btroj]

Sure bears the alternative, for now.

[ColColt]

I also just discovered that today's session may have been all for naught. I let the bullets cool and miked them...most ran .355-.356. That's too small for a .358 groove diameter. I may as well chunk them all back into the pot. I had cast them fairly soft(BHN 10) and that was the as cast diameter. What a waste of time. I guess I should have believed what I had heard about Lyman molds running small. This was a new 358429 mold.

[snuffy]

Heck, I've been sitting since I started casting in the early 70's. Occasionally, I ladle cast for the BEEG boolits, then I have to stand. I just hit 65, AND retired, I have no plans to stand for anything!:lol:

[ColColt]

Well, Snuffy, looks like we're the same age. I hit 65 on Valentine's Day and now am officially an old timer.

[twotoescharlie]

well children ,wait till you get 74. it just gets worse. you will get places to hurting that you didn't even know you had.

TTC

[captaint]

Heck, anymore I do all my casting and loading sitting. I'm pushing 62 and my "fun" things wouldn't be so "fun" if I had to stand. I do have to stand while smelting. Did that last Monday and I'm just getting back to normal now...... enjoy Mike

[ColColt]

About seven years ago the only thing I took was Tylenol about 3-4 times a year. Now I'm on three blood thinners(Aspirin, Plavix, Warfarin), cholesterol meds and blood pressure pills. Then I have to take CoEnzyme Q10 and fish oil tabs to keep "free radicals" under control. But, I'm still here and didn't have a single operation in 2010 so, life's good.

[snuffy]

Not to whine too much, but I'm recovering from prostate cancer, now going through I.M.R.T. radiation therapy. Robotic surgery last August to remove it, missed some cancer. Got 8 more treatments left of 38. Problem is I have little energy, one side effect from the radiation,(X-rays).

I have traveling aches, different one each day. Type 2 diabetes with insulin, 2 meds for that, 2 for blood pressure and an aspirin each day for a heart stent.

If I couldn't sit while casting and reloading, I wouldn't do either.

[Char-Gar]

I will hit 69 in a couple of months. Until two years ago I took no medications of any kind. Today I take a half dozen pills a day (blood pressure, blood sugar and arthritis and a few other things). So these things do set in on you with age. But, I am still up and going, working part time, shooting in a pistol every Saturday and enjoying life. I am no longer winning any pistol matches coming in in the middle of the pack, but I have fun and enjoy the guys and gals that shoot.

[nanuk]

the two best quotes I ever heard

one from a book: Growing old isn't for Sissies!

and the other I can't remember where: I'm so old, it takes me all night to do what I used to do all night!

[nanuk]

I think age is dynamic

I wake up feeling 85, by 11am I'm 16, by 3pm I'm 55 and ready for my nap, and by 8pm I'm 65 and ready to retire...

[Von Gruff]

I think age is dynamic

I wake up feeling 85, by 11am I'm 16, by 3pm I'm 55 and ready for my nap, and by 8pm I'm 65 and ready to retire...

:holysheep

[smilie=l:

Von Gruff.

[ColColt]

I think age is dynamic

I wake up feeling 85, by 11am I'm 16, by 3pm I'm 55 and ready for my nap, and by 8pm I'm 65 and ready to retire...

You just described me except by 11 am I'm 30 instead of 16. Sixteen is only a fleeting memory that I relish but wouldn't want to go there again....well, some things I'd like to have back today I had at 16-remember?;)

I'm Type II as well but don't have to take meds for that. I was able to control it with diet and mornings I'm usually 95-110 with my sugar and A1C is 6.0 now.

[Papa smurf]

I thank Richard Lee every time I go to cast . At 72 my hands are not so strong anymore and heaver steel molds are all too much for long casting periods. I have some of his single cavity molds in rifle and pistol calibers. Old age aint for sissies----------------Papa Smurf.

[ColColt]

One of the good things about getting older is you can tell your friends secrets and have no fear of them getting out because they won't remember them anyway. I find myself carrying around little yellow stickies and a pen so I won't forget to do something I need to do. I don't trust memory 100% anymore.

Ya'll may have seen some of this but it bears repeating....

THE PERKS OF BEING 50+

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released f irst.
3. No one expects you to run - anywhere.
4. People call at 9 PM and ask, "Did I wake you?"
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won't wear out.
8. You can eat dinner at 4 P.M.
9. You enjoy hearing about other peoples' operations.
10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
11. You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.
12. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
13. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no
matter who walks into the room.
14. You sing along with elevator music.
15. Your eyes won't get much worse.
16. Your investment in health insurance is finally
beginning to pay off.
17. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists
than the national weather service.
18. Your secrets are safe with your friends, because
they can't remember them either.
19. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
20. You can't remember who sent you this list.


GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER

1. Sag, You're it.
2. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy.
3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket.
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Doc Goose.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Hide and go pee.
9. Spin the Bottle of Mylanta.
10. Musical recliners.



SIGNS OF WEAR

"OLD" IS WHEN..... Your sweetie says, "Let's go
upstairs and make love" and you answer, "Pick
one, I can't do both!"



"OLD" IS WHEN..... Your friends compliment you
on your new alligator shoes and you're barefoot.



"OLD" IS WHEN..... A sexy babe catches your
fancy and your pacemaker opens the garage door.



"OLD" IS WHEN..... Going bra-less pulls all the
wrinkles out of your face



"OLD" IS WHEN..... You don't care where your
spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go
along.



"OLD" IS WHEN..... You are cautioned to slow down
by the doctor instead of by the police.



"OLD" IS WHEN..... "Getting a little action" means
there's no need to take any fiber today.



"OLD" IS WHEN..... "Getting lucky" means you find
your car in the parking lot.



"OLD" IS WHEN..... An "all-nighter" means not getting up to pee.

[mdi]

I've been pretty healthy all my life and acted like it too. Now I'm paying for it; bad knees from running on concrete and many years of stand-up jobs. Back pains from tossing 55 gal drums of trash around 8 to 12 hours a day for nearly 18 years. And recovering from surgery and radiation treatments from other abuse and living in Los Angeles for 60 years...

Heck, just living in LA is bad for your health!

[RP]

Well I am casting like crazy now so when or if i get old all i got to do is load and shoot. How is that for a plan?

[3006guns]

Sounds like a heck of a plan! If you can remember where you stashed all the boolits.............:kidding:

Why is it that our mind tells us we're still in our twenties (or thereabouts) and your body keeps hurting in places that are anatomically impossible?

[mold maker]

At 69, I ain't gonna complain too loudly. My Mom lived to 93 and the last 40 yr she had MS and Type 1 diabetes. She was wheel chair bound for over 30 years and never complained. She cooked, fed herself and did lots of the house work up until last year when cancer finally took her.
If I live another 25 yr, I just pray that I can be as gracious as she was.
However I do sit every chance I get. Casting, swaging, loading, and shooting are all sit down activities. I even sit to run the wood splitter, and I've done over 17 cord this spring.
If it can't be done seated I probably won't do much of it.

[ColColt]

I think one of the biggies for me is that I'm still looking at the 20 year olds just like i use to but what hurts is that they're not looking back anymore. I don't think a man's mind gets past 25-too bad everything else does.:sad: My former father-in-law was a real treat. We were standing side by side at a urinal in FL and he looked down and said, "Well, o' boy, we had a lot of good times together but I outlived you".:)

[williamwaco]

I also just discovered that today's session may have been all for naught. I let the bullets cool and miked them...most ran .355-.356. That's too small for a .358 groove diameter. I may as well chunk them all back into the pot. I had cast them fairly soft(BHN 10) and that was the as cast diameter. What a waste of time. I guess I should have believed what I had heard about Lyman molds running small. This was a new 358429 mold.



STOP !
Don't toss those bullets yet.

That is too much work.

Have you slugged your bore?

I have owned well north of 20 .38 specials and .357 magnums over the years.
I have never seen one that had a .358 bore. Most are .355 - .357.

I will almost guarantee you those soft bullets will perform perfectly in your .38 with plinking loads if you lube them with alox/beeswax. I just last week loaded some 158 grain SWCs over 7.5 grains Herco (.357 load). They were sized .356 and shot 1" groups at 25 yards from my scoped Thompson Contender. They were cast from recovered bullet cores that test 8.7 BNH on my Lee tester.

[waksupi]

The problem with a revolver, it is the cylinder that the boolits need fit to, not the barrel.

[Buddy]

I was just forced into retirement at 57. Survived squamous cell carcinoma (neck cancer), but 32 years of driving a tanker destroyed my back. 3 herniated discs and degenerative spine. It's bad enough SS Disability didn't even make me have a hearing. Between the Govt and my Teamster pension I think I've figured out how to live a steak life on a hamburger budget. We can legally harvest more deer in WV than I can eat till season rolls around again. I put 7 in the freezer last fall. Beats the hell out of paying $12 lb. @ the grocery store for a good steak. I won't complain, I've been blessed, I just wish I could get thru the woods like I could 30yrs ago.

[songdog53]

As stated before " getting old not for timid" As i get older and all my years of abusing body working and picking up things i knew shouldn't and couple of bouts with cancer just shows what you do when young will come back to haunt you. No standing for me either casting or reloading, if had to stand would never get anything done. All we can do is grin and bare it.....besides nothing lasts forever.

[Iron Mike Golf]

I also just discovered that today's session may have been all for naught. I let the bullets cool and miked them...most ran .355-.356. That's too small for a .358 groove diameter. I may as well chunk them all back into the pot. I had cast them fairly soft(BHN 10) and that was the as cast diameter. What a waste of time. I guess I should have believed what I had heard about Lyman molds running small. This was a new 358429 mold.

What's your alloy? Different alloys have different thermal expansion (and thermal shrinkage) per centages. Nominal dimensions for that mold are using Lyman #2, right? That's 90% lead. More lead will mean smaller diameter. Hotter mold and melt will mean smaller diameter, too, right?

Maybe for that mold, alloy, and casting temps, you could try beagling?

[Iron Mike Golf]

The problem with a revolver, it is the cylinder that the boolits need fit to, not the barrel.

I thought it was fit boolit to groove diameter and fit cylinder throat to that boolit diameter.

[ColColt]

Like most here I abused myself in my youth by staying up till sunrise at times and guzzling down way too much alcohol for years, smoking, wild women, etc. I quit 90% of that by around 30 but the smoking remains and always will I started that in 1959 as a teenager and other than my dog and shooting, it's all the pleasure I have so, I don't plan on quitting-don't want to.

The bullets I cast from this Lyman mold before even attempting to run them through the size die will drop freely through the cylinder of my revolver...that is too small. The alloy was something like 4 # of lead to 3# of 50/50 lead to Linotype with a BHN of about 9.4. If a mold will only work with a specific alloy it's no good to me. If I wanted a softer alloy like this or even a BHN 18 it should through a decent enough bullet to not be .355 when it's suppose to be .358. The Lee will drop them between .359-.360". Lyman said to send it back so that's what I'm going to do. No need in me messing with it at this point. They should have made it right before it reached the stores.

[midnight]

Spent most of my money on booze and women, the rest I wasted.

Bob