luvmy40

@dfitzbiz

The optics world has exploded in the last 20 years. My bench rest .308(I sold it to buy my '06 RSV) sported a Trijicon AccuPoint 5-20 x 50 and it was worth the discounted price I paid for a gun show display model. I'm not sure I'd pony up the $1600.00 they go for new at this time. This Osprey Global 3-9 x 40 MD has a good reputation in the bargain level scopes and does seem, at first glance to be well made. The rings it came with are junk, at least it came with rings. The glass is very clear and the Mil Dot reticle is crisp. The windage/elevation adjustments are 1/4 MOA/click and the detent is distinct but not too aggressive. The knobs can be reset to show zero at your discretion. Only range time will tell if it's durable/reliable. The MSRP is $169.00, I paid $125.00 for it at a gun show in Birmingham. I've never seen them in any retail store but there is always an Osprey Global vender at every gun show I've been to. They have an elite series which have FFP available, but you are back into the $1,200.00 range for them. Vortex glass has a spectacular reputation, though their prices have risen along with that reputation. I've never used anything but their red dots. I had a Leapers(UTG) BugBuster on an AR15, 5.56 for a few years and it was actually quite nice. I just decided to stick with red dots on my ARs and gave the BB to my son in law.

I just finished converting the RAP (Ruger American Predator) to accept AICS mags, lapped the scope rings, leveled and mounted the scope. I'll get it bore sighted tomorrow, but the weather looks like a no go for the range this week end.

Drain the fuel tank and refill with good gas. If it sat for any length of time with ethanol in the fuel, it's garbage. Check/replace the fuel filter. Verify the fuel pump is working. Do a compression test. Synchronize the carburetors with a four channel manometer. Have the valve shims ever been adjusted? How many miles on the clock?

As it turns out, there was a pretty large gun show here in Birmingham this weekend. I didn't find a better deal on the rifle, but I did find a good price on an Osprey 3-9 x 40 glass. I've never owned Osprey before but they are supposed to be a decent, budget optic. US owned. US and Japanese(glass) parts. Assembled in China. After the gun show, I went to get the Ruger American Predator in .308 at the shop by my hotel. After a bit of a SNAFU, the salesman didn't seem to know if he could sell a long gun to an OH resident. I educated him on the current laws and pulled up some corroborating evidence from the interwebz, and a few minutes later I was in possesion of a new rifle. He appologized and offer a few nice little freebee cleaning items and a discount on a very nice looking OTF knife. The planer will have to wait until my next unexpected bonus!

Carl, I always try to help when I can. Rarely with $. Mostly with my time and experience. On the few occaisions I have given cash to to someone who looked to be in need, it has backfired drastically.

It's nice to have these First World conundrums! I recently got a nice pay raise and a small bonus. Enough to treat myself to a new toy or two. The problem is I can't decide what would be the best route to go. I have recently jumped back into wood working, and I have always wanted a good thickness planer. I have also always been an avid shooter and sold my last .308 to buy my '86 VR. I am also a complete and uterly hopeless knife junky. First, the money isn't enough to buy another Venture. There is a great deal from Home Depot right now for the Dewalt DW735 Planer with some add ons and a nice rolling stand. There is a gun shop down the street from my hotel(I'm workin in Birmingham for a few weeks) that has a Ruger American Rifle in .308 with a Sig 3-9X scope for about the same $ as the planer combo. There are several high end knives that I have wanted for a while that I could never justify. I don't need any of these. I want them all(including another Venture). Obviously, the knives would be the most superficial, least "useful" choice. I'm not sure which, between the rifle and the planer would be the most practical choice. I really don't have room to store a lot of rough sawn lumber, which is the primary reason for having a planer. For that matter, I don't shoot as often as I used to either. Help me decide how to spend my children's inheritance!😝

Just spit balling here: White smoke typically indicates coolent in the exhaust. Did you notice a sweet smell? I'd start with a compression test. You may have blown a head gasket. Check the engine oil for signs of coolent contamination.

New dedicated crash vehicle driver! Hope you still make it to Maint. Days and such.

Gen 1 Tech Library has the manual and schemetics. https://www.venturerider.org/forum/forum/15-venture-and-venture-royale-tech-library-83-93-read-only/

I have to agree with RR, '06 Black Cherry for the win. Though my '84 FXRS would be my first big bore love.

The whole exhaust system or just the mufflers"

The whole exhaust or just the mufflers?

Kris is back at home! She's doing great and is happy to be home. Thank you all again!

Kris has been scheduled to be released from the VA Rehab center noon Friday. The following surgery has not been scheduled yet. Again, thank you all for your prayers and support. All the medical teams involved thus far have commented and praised her support from family and friends and that includes all of you.

I'm surprised skydoc_17 hasn't popped in on this one yet. OP, PM skydoc_17. Earl has the shim kit and sells the gaskets needed for the job at a very reasonable price. He also has the clutch upgrades and SS brake line kits for our Ventures. He's a straight shooter and backs his products up with excellent CS as well.

Kris has been transferred to the VA Louis Stokes Medical Center in Cleveland for her acute rehabilitation program. She will be undergoing another open heart surgery to reconstruct her aortal artery in a few weeks. Her recovery thus far from 3 weeks of medically induced coma on life support is nothing short of miraculous. She is now able to get up and down from bed and chairs with out aid and walk with a walker. Always supervised, of course. Two weeks ago she could just barely move herself around a bit in bed. Thank you all again for the prayers and support.

Anyone who has spent more than a minute or two with Freebird knows what kind of man he is. For those members who have not had the honor of meeting Don, I want to tell you, he is the best of them. I met Don first several years ago at his annual maintenance day get together and have seen him and Eileen a few times at other MDs. He's the kind of guy that can include everyone in his conversations and still seem to focus on YOU. This is a rare quality and one that follows through into every thing I have seen or heard about Don. A few weeks ago my wife suffered a serious heart attack and has been hospitalized since. I contacted Don to see how much it would cost to install a stair lift and was surprised at the price, in a good way. It was far less than I expected, though still out of my budget when the hospital bills started rolling in. I later asked for some advice regarding buying one of the many used stair lifts on Craig's List. He gave me some things to look for and warned me off of one that was out dated and, probably unserviceable. A few hours later he called me and told me not to buy anything, he had a used unit that he would let me have and install it for me and Kris. It turns out this "used unit" might have had some of the parts unboxed but had never been installed. Don came out and installed the lift yesterday, I am glad I took his advice as I would have still been working on it today had I done it myself. Once again, Thank you Don for your friendship and for everything you do here and everywhere else. The world is a better place with you in it.

Kris is out of the ICU and will probably be transferred to an acute rehab facility early next week. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Kris continues to improve. She was transferred from CTICU at the UH Cleveland Med Center(over an hour drive) to the UH Portage ICU(5 minute drive) early this morning. I was hoping she would be out of ICU, but this is still a good leap forward. They have started physical therapy and, while she still has the tracheostomy, they took her off the ventilator completely last night. They had been putting her on the ventilator in CPAP mode while she "slept". As if anyone not heavily sedated could sleep in an ICU ward.

Now that's my kind of yard! No mowing!

They did the tracheostomy Monday and Kris is off the ventilator during the day and on CPAP at night with what they are calling a Trach Collar. She has a "voice valve" that can be installed when off the CPAP that allows her to talk and, eventually eat and drink. She started physical therapy yesterday and is showing improvement on all fronts. I am still concerned about the delirium, which seems to come and go, but the ICU team does not seem to think it's anything to worry about at this time. Hopefully she will be out of the CTICU soon.

It seems that for every step forward there is a stumble back. Kris had to be re intubated today. She was just too weak from the surgeries and sedation to clear her lungs on her own. She's still improving on all other fronts, but they will be doing a tracheostomy tomorrow so they can take her off of the sedatives and use a ventilator when needed so she can clear her lungs and still be coherent and mobile. The delirium has not waned as of this evening. Again, thank you all for the prayers and support!

Kris and I recently(a year or two ago) down sized the house but up sized the yard. We love the house and yard(botanical garden), but the grounds are a lot of work. Not anywhere near the yard maintenance as you have Don, but a lot of "gardening". I absolutely hate mowing grass. It might be different if I had enough area to run a hydrostatic zero turn mower, but the walk behind mowers simply suck.

Good news! Kris is off all sedation and the ventilator and the heart and lung machine. She was experiencing ICU Delirium yesterday but the doctors think she'll get better with time off of the sedatives.