Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
that’s what good drugs or sufficient Vodka helps
notchman
Curmudgeon in Training
Should that line be "There are some things not everyone needs to know about."?
2T2-Crash
Contributing Member
She was definitely drunk… alcohol, an inflatable slip n slide on a hill, and dish soap was the cause of multiple injuries amongst our group every Fourth of July in Okinawa when we were there.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
fixed
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Down at the Boat Shed
Mia, Oskar and Jim were standing around the boat, Oskar playing a firehose back and forth rinsing off the saltwater.
“The throttle response is slower than I expected.” Jim said.
“Two diesel-engines instead of three fire-breathing gas monsters would explain it.” Mia said.
“The important part is it ran well at all throttle settings, didn’t hiccup or burp when changing.” Oskar shouted from the bow.
“Did it make sense now what I was saying about how we needed to set up the gages?” Mia asked Jim.
“Yeah, and the redundant copies too.”
“Now we can finish the brackets, hit the thing with paint to seal everything right, and we should be good.” Jim said as he walked forward to where Oskar was.
“Brackets, paint, finish the radio, radar and sonar, brackets, then load the kayaks for a loaded test run to check weight and balance, then fully fueled test run, then everyone on it test run, then practice moving loaded kayaks off the brackets into the water, then…”
“OK, Mia. I get it. Can’t you just let me be happy about progress for a little while?”
“Just don’t want you to forget how much more we need to do.”
“And somewhere in all of that is the weapons stuff Ian wants us to do.” Oskar added.
“Yeah, I got the stuff you are going to use already pulled. We just need to go over it, then spend a little range time.” Jim said.
“At least we are done with all the foam cutting. I still ****ing itch all over.” Mia commented.
“Better an itch than freezing to death trying to paddle without it.” Oskar said.
“Soon as you’re finished hosing her down, let’s get her back inside and get up to the Lodge. I’m hungry.’ Jim said.
Mia, Oskar and Jim were standing around the boat, Oskar playing a firehose back and forth rinsing off the saltwater.
“The throttle response is slower than I expected.” Jim said.
“Two diesel-engines instead of three fire-breathing gas monsters would explain it.” Mia said.
“The important part is it ran well at all throttle settings, didn’t hiccup or burp when changing.” Oskar shouted from the bow.
“Did it make sense now what I was saying about how we needed to set up the gages?” Mia asked Jim.
“Yeah, and the redundant copies too.”
“Now we can finish the brackets, hit the thing with paint to seal everything right, and we should be good.” Jim said as he walked forward to where Oskar was.
“Brackets, paint, finish the radio, radar and sonar, brackets, then load the kayaks for a loaded test run to check weight and balance, then fully fueled test run, then everyone on it test run, then practice moving loaded kayaks off the brackets into the water, then…”
“OK, Mia. I get it. Can’t you just let me be happy about progress for a little while?”
“Just don’t want you to forget how much more we need to do.”
“And somewhere in all of that is the weapons stuff Ian wants us to do.” Oskar added.
“Yeah, I got the stuff you are going to use already pulled. We just need to go over it, then spend a little range time.” Jim said.
“At least we are done with all the foam cutting. I still ****ing itch all over.” Mia commented.
“Better an itch than freezing to death trying to paddle without it.” Oskar said.
“Soon as you’re finished hosing her down, let’s get her back inside and get up to the Lodge. I’m hungry.’ Jim said.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Upstairs
Ian was tired. He had just worked over a stack of firearms Jim had pulled for them to take on the trip. Like most things Jim did, he went overboard by a factor of ten at least. With everything else they were trying to fit into the kayaks, they couldn’t afford to take even a third of what was on the tables when he started.
He went through and narrowed things down a lot. Weird calibers, although effective, were out. He wanted things they could use amongst each other in a pinch. That’s why their pistols were 9mm. That’s why they were all going to use the same rifles in 308.
He figured Jim must have known Ian was going to push most of this shit aside, but he put it out there as options. Ian was going for simple quality versus loading up like he was going to go hunt badguys in Kandahar.
No ARs. No AKs. Combat shotguns? No. 9mm handguns on the float vest in the holster, a 22LR pistol in the grab bag for small game, and the bolt guns in 308. Even in this, he was going rugged and simple.
He ignored the ARs Jim had pulled and instead raided the backroom shelves for the hidden stash of Tikka Arctic 42 Tracker Pros Jim had imported from Germany and stuffed back there where he thought Ian didn’t see. An updated, shortened civilian version of the Canadian Scouts new rifle, it was made for rugged use in the deep wilderness. Iron sights instead of scopes, the action smooth as melted butter, they will do whatever they might need them to all day long, as long as they don’t get stupid. The only thing he needed to do was coat the stocks. If he didn’t, the orange in the laminate has a tendency to transfer to the shooter under the right conditions.
The pistol choice was driven by the holsters already on the float vests. They were surplus military vests, already set up for Berettas. That was no big deal as far as Ian was concerned. They were reliable and accurate as long as they were taken care of and fed right.
Jim still had some of the first batch Wilson Combat did years ago, back before rails and all the other doodads became popular. That suited Ian fine. That meant they would fit the holsters, and Jim wouldn’t miss them as much since they were just gathering dust.
He was still puzzling through the other things as he walked to his room. As he turned down his hallway, he noticed something that stopped him cold. In the hallway in front of his door was a bottle of Sambuca.
Ian was tired. He had just worked over a stack of firearms Jim had pulled for them to take on the trip. Like most things Jim did, he went overboard by a factor of ten at least. With everything else they were trying to fit into the kayaks, they couldn’t afford to take even a third of what was on the tables when he started.
He went through and narrowed things down a lot. Weird calibers, although effective, were out. He wanted things they could use amongst each other in a pinch. That’s why their pistols were 9mm. That’s why they were all going to use the same rifles in 308.
He figured Jim must have known Ian was going to push most of this shit aside, but he put it out there as options. Ian was going for simple quality versus loading up like he was going to go hunt badguys in Kandahar.
No ARs. No AKs. Combat shotguns? No. 9mm handguns on the float vest in the holster, a 22LR pistol in the grab bag for small game, and the bolt guns in 308. Even in this, he was going rugged and simple.
He ignored the ARs Jim had pulled and instead raided the backroom shelves for the hidden stash of Tikka Arctic 42 Tracker Pros Jim had imported from Germany and stuffed back there where he thought Ian didn’t see. An updated, shortened civilian version of the Canadian Scouts new rifle, it was made for rugged use in the deep wilderness. Iron sights instead of scopes, the action smooth as melted butter, they will do whatever they might need them to all day long, as long as they don’t get stupid. The only thing he needed to do was coat the stocks. If he didn’t, the orange in the laminate has a tendency to transfer to the shooter under the right conditions.
The pistol choice was driven by the holsters already on the float vests. They were surplus military vests, already set up for Berettas. That was no big deal as far as Ian was concerned. They were reliable and accurate as long as they were taken care of and fed right.
Jim still had some of the first batch Wilson Combat did years ago, back before rails and all the other doodads became popular. That suited Ian fine. That meant they would fit the holsters, and Jim wouldn’t miss them as much since they were just gathering dust.
He was still puzzling through the other things as he walked to his room. As he turned down his hallway, he noticed something that stopped him cold. In the hallway in front of his door was a bottle of Sambuca.
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223shootersc
Veteran Member
Nice rifle needs some kind of muzzle device in that short barrel configuration.
Thanks, CCG!
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Decisions
He remembered the conversation with Jim the other day. He remembered getting cornered by Gail this morning. He told her he would consider it. He wasn’t lying either. He had every intention of considering it. He just hadn’t. He pushed it back in his mind. It wasn’t time yet. Well, he should have known. That’s not the way Gail works. That’s not the way she thinks. He should have known.
If he gets involved with Nadia, what will Dylan think? What will Kestrel think? What if he gets involved and it goes bad? Thousands of miles ahead and it’s a tiny group. Breakups can be bad with a whole city to avoid each other in. Six people in a campsite? ****ing brutal. If they break up, what will that do to the plan to bring Dylan, Kestrel and the baby here? Would he still be welcome? He knew Jim said it wouldn’t matter. So did Gail. Damn! That’s why he didn’t do relationships. He was horrible at it.
This wasn’t a rental car, something to play hard, put away wet, not care how you park it and drop it at the end of the trip. This was something to be done carefully. He had to go into this looking at the potential for the long haul. Even if it was just the three to six months to get back home, then the same amount of time to come back here. Whether they became an item, stayed and item or not during the whole trip, they would be together and had to make it work. The serious point of decision will be when he goes south after getting Oskar home. That will be the point she could easily say ‘so long’ and cut both their losses.
He picked up the bottle from in front of the door. He made a decision. They were adults. Would it be such a bad thing to try? They still had months to work on it before they even headed out. He put the key in the door. Deep breath. He pushed the door open.
He wasn’t sure what he would find inside. Whatever he was thinking, he hadn’t expected this.
He remembered the conversation with Jim the other day. He remembered getting cornered by Gail this morning. He told her he would consider it. He wasn’t lying either. He had every intention of considering it. He just hadn’t. He pushed it back in his mind. It wasn’t time yet. Well, he should have known. That’s not the way Gail works. That’s not the way she thinks. He should have known.
If he gets involved with Nadia, what will Dylan think? What will Kestrel think? What if he gets involved and it goes bad? Thousands of miles ahead and it’s a tiny group. Breakups can be bad with a whole city to avoid each other in. Six people in a campsite? ****ing brutal. If they break up, what will that do to the plan to bring Dylan, Kestrel and the baby here? Would he still be welcome? He knew Jim said it wouldn’t matter. So did Gail. Damn! That’s why he didn’t do relationships. He was horrible at it.
This wasn’t a rental car, something to play hard, put away wet, not care how you park it and drop it at the end of the trip. This was something to be done carefully. He had to go into this looking at the potential for the long haul. Even if it was just the three to six months to get back home, then the same amount of time to come back here. Whether they became an item, stayed and item or not during the whole trip, they would be together and had to make it work. The serious point of decision will be when he goes south after getting Oskar home. That will be the point she could easily say ‘so long’ and cut both their losses.
He picked up the bottle from in front of the door. He made a decision. They were adults. Would it be such a bad thing to try? They still had months to work on it before they even headed out. He put the key in the door. Deep breath. He pushed the door open.
He wasn’t sure what he would find inside. Whatever he was thinking, he hadn’t expected this.
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223shootersc
Veteran Member
That'll work!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
see pic above- 16.5" unsuppressed
223shootersc
Veteran Member
That rifle pic was what I was talking about. That short barrel in 7.62X51 and you could kill someone at ten feet with the flash! Ha, HA!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
yeah, but I added the suppressed one. Just was pointing out the barrel wasn't as short as it looked. My Styer Scout has a 16"
Shotgun Willy
Contributing Member
Might be a good rifle for a linear compensator. How well does a suppressor drain after submersion?
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
I bet that's a story unto itself.
Just a WAG mind you . . .
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
In Ian’s Room
The room was darker than he usually kept the lights when he was in the room. No surprise since he had turned out the lights when he left it earlier, so any light in the room should be a surprise. The warm glow of flickering firelight came from the fireplace, along with the soft warm light from the oil lamps. With that much flame, it wasn’t that hard to understand why the warmth flowed out the door to meet him. Even so, that probably wasn’t the reason he was sweating now.
Standing in the room was Nadia. She was wearing one of the hotel’s huge fluffy robes. Even with how big they were, he could see her long bare legs sticking out the bottom. She was holding two glasses in his hand.
Ian’s mind messed with him just a little. ‘shouldn’t those be champagne flutes instead of crystal highball glasses?’. Nadia came closer. Ian didn’t know how she did it. He didn’t see her take a single step yet here she was right in front of him, holding one of the glasses out to him.
“Aunt Gail said I should just stand here in nothing but a slave collar and a leash, but that’s just not my style, especially on a first date.”
A thousand images flashed through his head memories and imagination colliding in a rush. To give his brain a chance to reset, Ian reached for the glass she was offering as he spoke, stalling for time.
“To be fair, what your Aunt Gail was telling you would be nothing like what I would call a date anyway.” He took a sip as he watched Nadia smile, the firelight dancing across her features. That’s when he noticed he was in the middle of the room. How did he get here? He took another sip. She had said nothing else. She was just looking at him.
“Since this isn’t a ‘Gail’ first date, I take it you have a slightly different plan?”
“Many, many plans, but I also did my research.”
“Oh?”
“Anything done well takes time. Whenever I rushed things in college, things went to crap. You and I have a long way to go ahead of us, so no cheerleader-quarterback games, no fox-girl cosplay. When you didn’t pounce earlier on the implied offer, I rethought things and talked to people. I had to make sure what I was trying to get myself into, so to speak.” She grinned and took a sip.
“So, you’re not into games?”
“Oh, I have no problem with fun little games and episodes in a relationship. Those are fine and dandy, but relationships themselves shouldn’t be treated like a game. I already told you I was making a commitment to travel with you, to be with you all the way down to your family and back. I will be your friend and partner the whole way. What I’m interested in right now is finding out if we could be more than that. Either way though, I’m still committed to being your friend and partner the whole way south and back regardless of your answer.”
He didn’t know how long he just stood there. He heard the fire crackling in the fireplace. He stood there looking at her face as the light from the flame danced on her features.
“I don’t know if I’m any good for this. The last time I tried…” He wasn’t sure where he was going with what he was saying and trailed off mid-sentence.
“Ten years is long enough to keep bouncing ****-toy to ****-toy. You kid is an adult, married and soon to be a father of his own. You don’t need to seek his approval, or anyone else’s for that matter. Ask yourself what do YOU want.” She paused, then a distressed look came over her. She backed up, spreading her arms wide.
“Or don’t I fit the mold of something or someone you would be attracted to? Are you more a bleach blonde, double ‘D’ and bubble butt kinda guy?” She slowly spun in a circle.
He set his glass down and reached for her. He stopped her pirouette with his hand on her arm.
“Trust me. You are VERY attractive to me. All day long every day. I was worried I was too old for you.”
“No. You’re old enough to be past the bullshit games. You’re old enough to care what your partner needs. You’re old enough to realize there’s more to a relationship than banging each other twenty-four seven.” She grinned again. “Not that I object to recreating, but that’s not what a relationship is built from.”
Ian still wasn’t sure. It was like the cartoons. One ear had the halo talking, the other had the horns. Nine out of ten people probably wouldn’t hesitate unless they were gay, and four out of five of those would consider converting. He had a hot twenty-something throwing herself at him for months now. Not a drunk one who couldn’t see how old he was in the low light of the bar, not one who was looking to get back at her boyfriend.
“No leash and collar, so what did you have in mind?” he heard himself say. ‘Well, I guess I came to a decision.’ He thought.
Her smile lit up the room than the lamps did. She finished her glass and set it on the table.
“We start by getting you clean and comfortable.” She reached out and took his hand, leading him deeper into the suite.
Later
He woke up. He was laying there on the sheepskin pad, curled up to her back, her skin warm to his touch. He lay there listening to her breath, just like he did when they were in the garage, only this time he didn’t have to imagine what her body was doing. He could feel it in his chest and with the arm she had pulled across her torso. She held his arm so his hand rested between her breasts.
They had shared the shower, then a light dinner without getting redressed, at her insistence. The next part was the surprise. She banked the fire and pulled him down to the large sheepskin pad and covered them up with a lightweight blanket. The whole time, Ian just followed Nadia’s lead. She was the one with a plan.
As they lay there, doing nothing more than holding one another, he started to understand. Tonight was more about exploring having more of a relationship than it was about sex. That feeling of contentment, that commitment to try and connect with another person.
He had no idea if any of this was real, or how to do it, but he would try. That’s what he told her too, that he would try and he couldn’t promise to be any good at any of it. That was when she laughed and told him that was ten times the honesty of any of her boyfriends and all she could ask of him.
He closed his eyes and lay there listening to her breathe and the crackle of the fire as he went back to sleep.
The room was darker than he usually kept the lights when he was in the room. No surprise since he had turned out the lights when he left it earlier, so any light in the room should be a surprise. The warm glow of flickering firelight came from the fireplace, along with the soft warm light from the oil lamps. With that much flame, it wasn’t that hard to understand why the warmth flowed out the door to meet him. Even so, that probably wasn’t the reason he was sweating now.
Standing in the room was Nadia. She was wearing one of the hotel’s huge fluffy robes. Even with how big they were, he could see her long bare legs sticking out the bottom. She was holding two glasses in his hand.
Ian’s mind messed with him just a little. ‘shouldn’t those be champagne flutes instead of crystal highball glasses?’. Nadia came closer. Ian didn’t know how she did it. He didn’t see her take a single step yet here she was right in front of him, holding one of the glasses out to him.
“Aunt Gail said I should just stand here in nothing but a slave collar and a leash, but that’s just not my style, especially on a first date.”
A thousand images flashed through his head memories and imagination colliding in a rush. To give his brain a chance to reset, Ian reached for the glass she was offering as he spoke, stalling for time.
“To be fair, what your Aunt Gail was telling you would be nothing like what I would call a date anyway.” He took a sip as he watched Nadia smile, the firelight dancing across her features. That’s when he noticed he was in the middle of the room. How did he get here? He took another sip. She had said nothing else. She was just looking at him.
“Since this isn’t a ‘Gail’ first date, I take it you have a slightly different plan?”
“Many, many plans, but I also did my research.”
“Oh?”
“Anything done well takes time. Whenever I rushed things in college, things went to crap. You and I have a long way to go ahead of us, so no cheerleader-quarterback games, no fox-girl cosplay. When you didn’t pounce earlier on the implied offer, I rethought things and talked to people. I had to make sure what I was trying to get myself into, so to speak.” She grinned and took a sip.
“So, you’re not into games?”
“Oh, I have no problem with fun little games and episodes in a relationship. Those are fine and dandy, but relationships themselves shouldn’t be treated like a game. I already told you I was making a commitment to travel with you, to be with you all the way down to your family and back. I will be your friend and partner the whole way. What I’m interested in right now is finding out if we could be more than that. Either way though, I’m still committed to being your friend and partner the whole way south and back regardless of your answer.”
He didn’t know how long he just stood there. He heard the fire crackling in the fireplace. He stood there looking at her face as the light from the flame danced on her features.
“I don’t know if I’m any good for this. The last time I tried…” He wasn’t sure where he was going with what he was saying and trailed off mid-sentence.
“Ten years is long enough to keep bouncing ****-toy to ****-toy. You kid is an adult, married and soon to be a father of his own. You don’t need to seek his approval, or anyone else’s for that matter. Ask yourself what do YOU want.” She paused, then a distressed look came over her. She backed up, spreading her arms wide.
“Or don’t I fit the mold of something or someone you would be attracted to? Are you more a bleach blonde, double ‘D’ and bubble butt kinda guy?” She slowly spun in a circle.
He set his glass down and reached for her. He stopped her pirouette with his hand on her arm.
“Trust me. You are VERY attractive to me. All day long every day. I was worried I was too old for you.”
“No. You’re old enough to be past the bullshit games. You’re old enough to care what your partner needs. You’re old enough to realize there’s more to a relationship than banging each other twenty-four seven.” She grinned again. “Not that I object to recreating, but that’s not what a relationship is built from.”
Ian still wasn’t sure. It was like the cartoons. One ear had the halo talking, the other had the horns. Nine out of ten people probably wouldn’t hesitate unless they were gay, and four out of five of those would consider converting. He had a hot twenty-something throwing herself at him for months now. Not a drunk one who couldn’t see how old he was in the low light of the bar, not one who was looking to get back at her boyfriend.
“No leash and collar, so what did you have in mind?” he heard himself say. ‘Well, I guess I came to a decision.’ He thought.
Her smile lit up the room than the lamps did. She finished her glass and set it on the table.
“We start by getting you clean and comfortable.” She reached out and took his hand, leading him deeper into the suite.
Later
He woke up. He was laying there on the sheepskin pad, curled up to her back, her skin warm to his touch. He lay there listening to her breath, just like he did when they were in the garage, only this time he didn’t have to imagine what her body was doing. He could feel it in his chest and with the arm she had pulled across her torso. She held his arm so his hand rested between her breasts.
They had shared the shower, then a light dinner without getting redressed, at her insistence. The next part was the surprise. She banked the fire and pulled him down to the large sheepskin pad and covered them up with a lightweight blanket. The whole time, Ian just followed Nadia’s lead. She was the one with a plan.
As they lay there, doing nothing more than holding one another, he started to understand. Tonight was more about exploring having more of a relationship than it was about sex. That feeling of contentment, that commitment to try and connect with another person.
He had no idea if any of this was real, or how to do it, but he would try. That’s what he told her too, that he would try and he couldn’t promise to be any good at any of it. That was when she laughed and told him that was ten times the honesty of any of her boyfriends and all she could ask of him.
He closed his eyes and lay there listening to her breathe and the crackle of the fire as he went back to sleep.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
A Week Later
“Overall, that was a pretty good test.” Jim said as they pulled back into the boatshed.
“Looking at it as tests help you learn thing? Yes. Test that makes you happy? Not so much.” Mia said.
“Hey, the cradles held the kayaks fine!” Jim protested.
“Granted. They held them fine. True. The headache is how to get them from the boat to the water without bending or breaking their frame.”
“Are we overthinking this?” Erich asked.
“Probably, but it sounds like you might have an idea.” Mia said.
“We are looking at getting the six kayaks off the boat once, not off and on and off and on, right?”
“Yeah, the only one we are looking at bringing onto the boat would be John’s” Jim said.
“So, we need to get the thousand-pound kayaks off the deck and into the water without bending them.” Erich said.
“Right.” Mia said.
“Far too heavy to do it by hand, and putting a real crane on to lift them would be tough.” Erich continued.
“That’s for sure.” Mia said quickly.
“If we use some pipes or some dry cleaner rails, we could do some Ts and use the arms like the ones for fastropes on the ‘Hawk. Then when we get to where we want to offload the kayaks, we stick the bars out over the water, slide the kayaks out to the end and down they go.”
“What keeps them from bending when they hit the water?” Mia asked.
“We use some big chunks of roadsign and make some big ‘V’s. The channel will make them stiff enough, and the skin will be smooth for the kayak to sit on. When the kayak hits the water, the sled sinks away and leaves the kayak sitting on the water. It’s like a sabot.” Erich said.
Jim and Mia just stood there, both their minds turning circles trying to see the logistics and engineering.
“If we do that for the four up front, then the two on the rear would be even easier since we have them angles. No cables or ropes or anything needed, just slide it down some rollers. Since it’s a one-way trip, we don’t need to recover the sleds.”
“It means reworking the cradles.” Jim said.
“But the attachment points are still good. The rear two set ups are already pretty good, we just need to make the sleds for those. The rails won’t be that hard since we aren’t looking to make them hoists, just guides to slide the stuff down. If we can find some drycleaners rail, we could knock it out pretty quick.” Erich said.
“Hell, the two on the rear, it sounds like doing a LAPES drop.” Jim said.
“Basically.”
“I might know where we can get some of those warehouse roller systems.”
“That would make those super easy.” Erich said.
“Sounds like we know what to do next.” Jim said.
“I’ll get with the others and keep everyone working on packing out the kayaks while you two dig up the parts. When you have them, give a shout and I’ll grab Oskar and we can work this new concept.” Mia said.
“Don’t forget, Ian wants to go over the firearms tomorrow.” Erich said.
“I won’t, and I’m sure he will tell me a dozen times at dinner.” Mia said.
“Overall, that was a pretty good test.” Jim said as they pulled back into the boatshed.
“Looking at it as tests help you learn thing? Yes. Test that makes you happy? Not so much.” Mia said.
“Hey, the cradles held the kayaks fine!” Jim protested.
“Granted. They held them fine. True. The headache is how to get them from the boat to the water without bending or breaking their frame.”
“Are we overthinking this?” Erich asked.
“Probably, but it sounds like you might have an idea.” Mia said.
“We are looking at getting the six kayaks off the boat once, not off and on and off and on, right?”
“Yeah, the only one we are looking at bringing onto the boat would be John’s” Jim said.
“So, we need to get the thousand-pound kayaks off the deck and into the water without bending them.” Erich said.
“Right.” Mia said.
“Far too heavy to do it by hand, and putting a real crane on to lift them would be tough.” Erich continued.
“That’s for sure.” Mia said quickly.
“If we use some pipes or some dry cleaner rails, we could do some Ts and use the arms like the ones for fastropes on the ‘Hawk. Then when we get to where we want to offload the kayaks, we stick the bars out over the water, slide the kayaks out to the end and down they go.”
“What keeps them from bending when they hit the water?” Mia asked.
“We use some big chunks of roadsign and make some big ‘V’s. The channel will make them stiff enough, and the skin will be smooth for the kayak to sit on. When the kayak hits the water, the sled sinks away and leaves the kayak sitting on the water. It’s like a sabot.” Erich said.
Jim and Mia just stood there, both their minds turning circles trying to see the logistics and engineering.
“If we do that for the four up front, then the two on the rear would be even easier since we have them angles. No cables or ropes or anything needed, just slide it down some rollers. Since it’s a one-way trip, we don’t need to recover the sleds.”
“It means reworking the cradles.” Jim said.
“But the attachment points are still good. The rear two set ups are already pretty good, we just need to make the sleds for those. The rails won’t be that hard since we aren’t looking to make them hoists, just guides to slide the stuff down. If we can find some drycleaners rail, we could knock it out pretty quick.” Erich said.
“Hell, the two on the rear, it sounds like doing a LAPES drop.” Jim said.
“Basically.”
“I might know where we can get some of those warehouse roller systems.”
“That would make those super easy.” Erich said.
“Sounds like we know what to do next.” Jim said.
“I’ll get with the others and keep everyone working on packing out the kayaks while you two dig up the parts. When you have them, give a shout and I’ll grab Oskar and we can work this new concept.” Mia said.
“Don’t forget, Ian wants to go over the firearms tomorrow.” Erich said.
“I won’t, and I’m sure he will tell me a dozen times at dinner.” Mia said.
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223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
feralferret
Veteran Member
CCG, thank you!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Headaches and Wonders
It was pistol day at the range. Well, as natural as a range inside a mine shaft can feel. Jim had a small twenty-five yard range in one of the defunct tunnels for them to use.
Jim had Ian, Erich, Mia, Evelyn, Oskar, and Nadia hard at work on the range nice and early. They were working with their pistols, first to familiarize some of them with the Berettas who hadn’t already been exposed to them. Mia and Erich had qualified with them at some point in their careers, but these were head and shoulders above the beat-up and tired issued weapons they had used before.
They covered tear down, cleaning, inspection and all the other aspects of the care and feeding of the pistol and it’s magazines. Ian had raided the supplies and had ten or twelve magazines apiece for everyone. They marked each and every one of them, both with a letter to designate who’s magazine it was, and a number so they could track any magazine related issues.
Once they had done all of that and everyone was feeling comfortable with them, they went to do some basic familiarization firing. This looked a lot like the standard military qualification course to Mia, and not quite as extensive as the shooting Erich was trained to do for boarding ships, but it served its purpose.
Jim told them they would carry the pistols with them from now on until it felt like a natural thing. They could come in here and use the range when they wanted to tune up and keep sharp. They would have a more advanced lesson in a couple days from a friend of his who would teach them some more ‘combat oriented’ style of shooting, but for now, they would need to practice.
It was pistol day at the range. Well, as natural as a range inside a mine shaft can feel. Jim had a small twenty-five yard range in one of the defunct tunnels for them to use.
Jim had Ian, Erich, Mia, Evelyn, Oskar, and Nadia hard at work on the range nice and early. They were working with their pistols, first to familiarize some of them with the Berettas who hadn’t already been exposed to them. Mia and Erich had qualified with them at some point in their careers, but these were head and shoulders above the beat-up and tired issued weapons they had used before.
They covered tear down, cleaning, inspection and all the other aspects of the care and feeding of the pistol and it’s magazines. Ian had raided the supplies and had ten or twelve magazines apiece for everyone. They marked each and every one of them, both with a letter to designate who’s magazine it was, and a number so they could track any magazine related issues.
Once they had done all of that and everyone was feeling comfortable with them, they went to do some basic familiarization firing. This looked a lot like the standard military qualification course to Mia, and not quite as extensive as the shooting Erich was trained to do for boarding ships, but it served its purpose.
Jim told them they would carry the pistols with them from now on until it felt like a natural thing. They could come in here and use the range when they wanted to tune up and keep sharp. They would have a more advanced lesson in a couple days from a friend of his who would teach them some more ‘combat oriented’ style of shooting, but for now, they would need to practice.
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223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG! Proverbially MOAR!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Later
More advanced was right. The guy Jim had teaching wasn’t very forthcoming about his background, but boy could he shoot. He was able to boil things down into simple ‘just do this’ stuff. No fancy trick shots, no ‘stand like this before you draw’ bullshit. He was teaching a simple squared up to your target. Jim called it a ‘modified isosceles’ stance, but the guy said the label wasn’t important.
They went through an untold number of rounds with this guy. He would have them shoot two-handed, one-handed strong side, one-handed weak side, daylight, low-light, on and on. They brought a kayak onto the range and practiced drawing and shooting from inside the kayak.
They would spend the day shooting, then he would send them home with homework. Practicing drawing and sight picture were the biggest issues, followed by reloading. By the end of the three range sessions, everyone felt a lot better about what they could do with a pistol.
Everyone groaned when Jim told them it was time for the rifles next.
More advanced was right. The guy Jim had teaching wasn’t very forthcoming about his background, but boy could he shoot. He was able to boil things down into simple ‘just do this’ stuff. No fancy trick shots, no ‘stand like this before you draw’ bullshit. He was teaching a simple squared up to your target. Jim called it a ‘modified isosceles’ stance, but the guy said the label wasn’t important.
They went through an untold number of rounds with this guy. He would have them shoot two-handed, one-handed strong side, one-handed weak side, daylight, low-light, on and on. They brought a kayak onto the range and practiced drawing and shooting from inside the kayak.
They would spend the day shooting, then he would send them home with homework. Practicing drawing and sight picture were the biggest issues, followed by reloading. By the end of the three range sessions, everyone felt a lot better about what they could do with a pistol.
Everyone groaned when Jim told them it was time for the rifles next.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
And I'm the other way round; rifles particularly 7.62x51 are my 1st love . . . .
We're all different though . . . . . . .
Knighttemplar
Veteran Member
In this situation I'll keep my Troy 7.62 and my Glock 23 with 9mm, 357, and 22lr upper. With no resupply I want options and a 46 cal can and 22lr can.