Joined: May 2008
Posts: 10,106
Likes: 2,760
From: Fredericksburg, Va
Bikes: ? Proteous, '65 Frejus TDF, '73 Bottecchia Giro d'Italia, '83 Colnago Superissimo, '84 Trek 610, '84 Trek 760, '88 Pinarello Veneto, '88 De Rosa Pro, '89 Pinarello Montello, 'Litespeed Catalyst'94 Burley Duet, 97 Specialized RockHopper, 2010 Langster
I have to confess, being mechanical, anything that allows me to use tools. I started with bikes at a young age, tore my first one down more times than I can remember.
So cars were next. Currently I'm into 4x4's, all Jeeps. I own 3 and my daughter owns one. I know them really well and keep them going for a long time. Collectively we have over 800,000 miles on them, none less than 140,000 miles. And when I say Jeep, I mean live front driven axles! No IFS wanna be's.
Shooting:
1. Photography but not very good at it. I like the mechanics. Cameras are cool mechanical devices even though they have gone digital. I can capture mechanical stuff digitally!
2. Guns, bolt action mostly because that is what my dad was into. When he passed, I got them. Domantly Mausers (93, 95 and 98's) and Winchester Pre '64 M70's and 2 M54's.
He was at a gun show once, when he noticed a fellow with a Mauser slung over his sholder with a for sale sign on it. He noticed that the Peep sight was a rare one worth about $300. He watched the fellow walk around the show once and then asked him how much he wanted for the gun. $150. He said, "lets go outside". No negotiation, he handed over the $150 and took the gun.
When he got home he started looking the gun over but could not identify it. Kind of like what goes on here about bike frames! It had unique markings like "US 1906" on the ring and Obendorf. It was all original but the former owner had drilled and tapped for rings. He started searching. Found a $65 book on Mauser Obendorf Sporting Rifles. The shop owner asked him if he was going to leave or buy the book! He bought the book. At home, he started looking throught he book and found a pictrue of the gun he bought. The book had recorded SN of known sporting weapons built by Mauser in Obendorf (not many were made, they provided military weapons) at the back of the book. The pictured gun SN was within 200 of the gun he had bought. Built in 1912 in US Govt Model 1906 .30-06 cal. Unusual for a European gun to be chambered for a US military round in 1912!
I have a prototype of a supercharger kit for the Jeep 4.0L engine sitting in my garage.