Tin Bum tuning!

http://www.airrifletuning.com/products/

Tx200 tune up info from a forum

Re: TX200 Project by roadrunner » Sun Mar 01, 2015 10:34 pm

The first thing you need to know about the kit is the titan spring will shrink by about 5mm, this will happen over about 200 shots and only by shooting the gun, after it shrinks the power can be upped by adding power washers, but i found to many washers caused the rifle to become harsh with no extra power gains,you will also have to take care not to leave the gun cocked by mistake, yes that killed my second spring,my current set up and the best ive had as yet is an uncut titan spring polished on the guide end, no power washers and the thinest slip washer,shot a bit hot until the spring shrunk but has settled nicely at 11.5 fb with AA express 7.9 grn to fit the kit, wash all the grease away with white spirit not turps though, replace any seals, dont polish the piston or the inside of the comp tube,waste of time,use the moly slide on the piston slip rings add three drops to the inside of the comp tube and wipe it around the top inch of the tube then slide the piston in and out to coat the tube,the moly slide is safe infront of the piston as long as its not pooling at the bottom, coat the spring in the supplied grease not to much as it will fling off, grease the slip washer and insert the spring into the piston, i used moly slide on the spring guide,the comp tube and the piston and the inside of the guns action is also lubed with moly slide rebuild the gun and shoot it, you will require a chrony to see what its doing what should you expect, without the piston weight the gun will have less recoil with medium and light pellets but heavy pellets wiĺl feel worse,dont expect single figure fps readings either the lighter piston shows variations in pellet differances,the titan spring will give a faster shot cycle and together with a lighter pellet you should see 815 fps and 11.5 fb from a 7.9 grn jsb pellet my prosport shoots very well and now i found a pellet thats accurate and gives a soft shot cycle iam as happy as a dog with two tails my prosport shoots as accurately as my s400 but then it always did the differance now is its easier

New brush cutter... Work commences!

After borrowing U.Bobs Sthil FS90 strimmer and not being surprised to find it wasn't running properly I've bought a DIYers brush cutter from B&Q for £112. It's a fine machine for our job. We don't need anything heavier me thinks. So I've started cutting back the reeds. I expect to have to do this numerous times over the next couple of years until we just get grass growing. Nice to see what we have bought under the reeds. I think we might have to do some drainage!

How to take cuttings from apple trees

The apple tree (malus domesticus) has been developed into hundreds of varieties in many shapes, fruit colors and sizes to suit growing climates and consumer tastes. Apple trees produce plentiful blossoms in the spring months and require nearby blossoming trees to provide cross-pollination. Because the rootstocks of the majority of popular apple varieties are susceptible to disease, most apple trees are grafted onto hardier rootstocks. You can grow an apple tree from a cutting, but keep in mind that the resulting apple tree may not turn out identical to its parent because of the influence of the rootstock onto which the parent has been grafted.

1

Cut an end-section with sharp pruning shears from a branch on the upper part of a healthy, mature, dormant apple tree in winter or early spring before any signs of growth appear on the stems. The cutting should be several inches long and include at least two buds.

2

Stir together one part sand and one part peat and fill a flowerpot with this mixture. Another growing medium mixture is one part peat, one part perlite and two parts sand.

3

Remove buds and leaves from the lower half of the cutting from the apple tree, leaving at least two buds. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone.

4

Stick the cutting into the growing medium in the flowerpot about halfway and press the medium firmly around the cutting so it stands upright on its own.

5

Moisten the cutting and growing medium with water from a spray bottle. Cut the bottom from a clean, clear, two-liter plastic soda bottle. Screw on the cap and set the bottle over the cutting in the flowerpot, creating a mini-greenhouse. Alternatively, set the entire pot inside a clear plastic bag and seal it closed. It is important to keep the bottle or bag from touching the cutting.

6

Place the flowerpot in a warm location out of direct sunlight. . Remove the cover and mist again, if needed, to keep the cutting evenly moist throughout the rooting phase. Roots should emerge and leaves will appear on the cutting after a few weeks.

7

Transplant the established cutting to its permanent location in late winter or early spring, keeping the root ball intact.

Things You Will Need

Pruning shears
Sand
Peat
Perlite
Flowerpot
Spray bottle
Clear two-liter bottle
Plastic bag

Tip

If you cannot plant the cutting immediately after removing it from the mature tree, seal the cutting in a plastic bag and store in an ice chest or a refrigerator until you can process it so that it doesn’t dry out.You can root multiple cuttings in the same pot as long as they are far enough away from each other so the leaves do not touch or overlap.

Jointing a rabbit

I use a sharp axe but otherwise pretty much the same as this. Good tip on belly flaps!

https://youtu.be/WYancLuBrmE

Rabbit and apple

Ingredients 
Serves: 4 

8 rabbit portions, about 1kg (2lb 4oz)25g (1oz) plain flour2 tablespoons sunflower oil2 onions, sliced250g (9oz) chestnut mushrooms, quartered150g (5½ oz) black pudding, sliced300ml (½ pint) dry cider1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauceSalt and black pepper15g (½ oz) butter1 tablespoon light muscovado sugar2 Cox's apples, cored and cut into wedges1 tablespoon cider vinegar

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Method
Prep:15min  ›  Cook:1hr15min  › Ready in:1hr30min 

Toss the rabbit in the flour to coat evenly, shaking off any excess flour. Heat the oil in a wide, flameproof casserole and cook the rabbit over a moderate heat, turning often, until golden brown. Remove from the pan.Add the onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the browned rabbit, black pudding, cider and Worcestershire sauce.Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the rabbit is tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.Melt the butter and sugar in another pan, then add the apples and cook gently for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until golden. Sprinkle with cider vinegar and bubble for a few seconds. Spoon the apples over the casserole and serve hot, with crusty bread or baked potatoes.

Nutrients per serving

Vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin

Robin Jessop Twitter feed.

Lanacar lane land. SOLD. (To us!)

The land goes down to the Widdale Beck.

 

Definitely have Red Squirrel on the land. This one seems to have died from some infection under its armpit. So no Grey Squirrel about for shooting but I saw a couple of rabbits bolt for cover. Wood pigeon on the ground under the Beech trees and coming in to roost in the tall pines. (Scots pine?)

As there was pigs on the land before, I'm not surprised to see evidence of rats.

We exchanged contracts on the 30th of September so this little bit of land is ours now. 

Day and night digital scope review

https://youtu.be/Jxa9-aSQ4-8

Dead seals.

Saw these dead seals yesterday washed up on the beach at Sanna Bay, Ardnamurchan.

The larger one looked like it had been dead a while and was bloated. It was at least 5' long. The small one which must have been a pup that got caught in the storm the day before.

We went back today and it was interesting to see the progress the gulls had made eating the carcass of the pup with the skull almost picked clean.

Rose Hip Syrup

This recipe is from Hugh at Riverside cottage.

Rosehip syrup

Rosehips are, of course, a fruit the same family as apples in fact and this classic autumn hedgerow syrup has a unique and lovely flavour: warm, floral and fruity. This method is the simplest and best I've found for making rosehip syrup. Double-straining ensures that the tiny, irritant hairs found inside rosehips are removed. Photo: Simon Wheeler.

Prep5minsCook20minsServs1

Method

Sterilise a couple of bottles and vinegar-proof screw-tops or stoppers by washing thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinsing well, then putting them on a tray in a low oven (at 120°C/Gas 1⁄2) to dry out and heat up.

Roughly chop the rosehips in a food processor in batches, then transfer to a large saucepan and add 1.25 litres water.

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for around 15 minutes.

Strain through a double layer of muslin, letting the pulp sit for a good half hour so that all the juice passes through.

Wash out the muslin, or cut a fresh piece, fold to double it and pass the strained juice through it again.

Measure the rosehip juice into a large saucepan.

For every 500ml, add 325g sugar.

Heat slowly, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes, skimming off any scum if necessary.

Decant immediately into the prepared bottles and seal.

Label when the bottles have cooled completely.

Use within 4 months and refrigerate once opened.

Serving suggestions

Try it for breakfast trickled over porridge, pancakes, drop scones or eggy bread; use it to sweeten plain yoghurt (with some chopped apple if you like); or for a delicious pud, trickle it on to hot or cold rice pudding or good vanilla ice cream.

Sloe Gin

I've been thinking about making some sloe gin this Autumn. This recipe is from Dales Life Mag.

Air Arms s410f .177 carbine review.

So I've sold my s410f PCP. The money was needed. (Car repairs needed and no work for pretty much the whole of August!) It was a good introduction to PCP rifles and let me start off by saying that despite what's written below I really liked the rifle. Quite a few of the problems I had are more to do with multi shot PCP in general and not just the s410f.
Build quality was good and the recoilless action was without doubt accurate if a little inert and uneventful. Blueing was great but I'm not too sure about the shiny beech stock though I liked the shape and fit of it. I think I just don't like varnished stocks. Maybe look for something in walnut next time.
It was the first .177 I've had since I was a little lad and whilst I can see what all these guys on forums are on about who swear by it for its flatter trajectory etc I found it not as reliable for hunting. When it comes to rabbiting you really need a .22 as the extra knock down weight is noticeable to my mind.
I did like the fact that the s410f was lightweight at 6 lbs odd for carrying around and initial I thought it better for standing shots than the heavy spring powered rifles I've always used before. However the more I've used it and the more I use the second hand TX200hc I bought this summer the more I realise that the spring rifles are much easier and steady to aim with. The TX200hc .22 out shoots the s410f from prone certainly, mainly because it sits so well on target. Put a bipod on the PCP and it's a different matter though with cloverleaf or single hole groups achieved at hunting ranges.
Perhaps the longer classic version will be a little more front heavy and sit better on the forward hand. It would give more shots too. Coming from spring power only having 60-70 shots before recharging was a bit of a ball ache. Again a .22 would be better.
What about the 10 shot magazine. For me this didn't work on a hunting rifle. Maybe I'm an anachronism as everyone else online seems to think it's a must. After 10mins in the field never knew of I'd recycled the bolt after the last shot though getting into the habit of engaging the manual safety helped. I was always paranoid about putting two up the spout. And while we are on the topic of the safety what on earth is that safety all about in the trigger like that with that poxy wee spring on view. When the rest of the rifle looks so good it's a let down. I see Rowen Engineering do a nice brass set back trigger that removes the safety function which on a single shot would be fine I think. The other thing about having a magazine (which cycled flawlessly over the two years I've had the rifle by the way) is that it changes the rhythm of shooting. It all seems to get a bit fast and furious if you allow it. When plinking on the range the novelty of rapid fire soon wears off when you have to stop and fill the magazine up again. It seems to break your concentration, alter the pattern as it were, and whilst hunting with springers I've never really had a problem with reloading. It's part of the skill. You've got one shot. Get it right.
So would I have another .177 Air Arms s410f. No. But I'd have an .22 Air Arms s400 classic with a walnut stock and a Rowen Engineering aftermarket trigger. That would be nice.

Fruit trees for Lanacar Lane?

http://www.vanmeuwen.com/fruit-and-vegetables/fruit-trees/apple-and-pear-trees/fruit-tree-collection/V53153VM?source=google-prodex&gclid=Cj0KEQjw6am-BRCTk4WZhLfd4-oBEiQA3ydA3px0dDxMp32ZAdrDVfhj8j-udYJPrwrMP8qasy7u-WMaAqD-8P8HAQ

If we get the Lanacar Lane land the rushes will need dealing with.

http://farmnw.co.uk/news/rush_management_in_upland_pastures_spraying_cutting_ploughing_dr

Fingers crossed.

Offer accepted! Waiting for the solicitors to do their bit now. Wonder what's going to become of the current encumbrants?

Conkers

It must be autumn if the Horse Chestnuts are showing conkers.

The first day of Autumn

I suppose the start of Autumn is a subject thing

https://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2012/09/20/when-does-autumn-start/

Two new little boats made for two little boys

Another rabbit pastie recipe.

Mrs Bridges Tearooms published a note.

Wild rabbit pasties (recipe)

(makes 10)

 

2 skinned and gutted wild rabbits, meat removed and chopped into 2 cm dice.

Fresh rabbit stock (recipe below)

3 slices streaky bacon (sliced)

1 white onion (finely chopped)

1 lge peeled  potato (chopped into 1cm dice)

2 med peeled carrots (chopped into 1 cm dice)

half glass red wine

Tspoon tomato puree

Tblspoon plain flour

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

Tspoon chopped fresh thyme

Seasoning

 

Rabbit stock

Bones from prepped rabbits, roasted until golden.

1 Peeled white onion

2 carrots (roughly chopped)

2 sticks celery (roughly chopped)

half leek (roughly chopped)

5 cloves garlic (skin on, sliced in half)

Tblspoon tomato puree

15 peppercorn

Handfull fresh thyme

Handfull parsley stalks

Couple of mushrooms

Tblspoon worcestershire sauce

 

Sweat vegetables to gain a little extra colour, add all other ingredients and cover in water, bring to near simmer and skim, cook for 1 and a half hours (skimming all the time), strain and reduce until a flavoursome stock is achieved, dont season with salt until the end (if at all) as reduction could make it too salty, portion and freeze if you have too much. Onion skins can send a stock bitter so remove.

 

Colour rabbit pieces in smoking oil.

Sweat onion and bacon for 4 mins, add garlic and sweat (seperate pan to rabbit)

Add red wine and boil until completely gone.

Sprinkle on the plain flour and cook out for a minute or two.

Add tomato puree and cook for a few seconds.

Add rabbit meat and fresh thyme.

Ladle in some stock just to cover the meat, Stir.

Bring to a simmer.

Add stock as needed just to keep mixture nice and wet.

After 20 minutes add the potatoes and carrots.

Cook for approximately another 25 minutes or until the rabbit is tender.

Reduce liquid (if needed) to a very thick sauce.

Taste and season if needed.

Chill and then wrap in puff pastry to your favourate design.

Egg wash.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Bake 200 degrees until golden

Watch out for third degree mouth burns straight from the oven.

With a freezer full of rabbit a variation from the usual pie might be in order

http://kitchen.nine.com.au/2016/05/18/19/09/rabbit-and-chicken-pasties