JeffS7444
Well-known
Cool Hunting.
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By-tor
Well-known
Telescopes and Deep Space
The Orion (M42) & Running Man (NGC 1977) Nebula
Flame (NGC 2024) & Horse Head (or Barnard 33) Nebula. The bright star in the image is the far left star in the Belt of Orion.
The Orion (M42) & Running Man (NGC 1977) Nebula
Flame (NGC 2024) & Horse Head (or Barnard 33) Nebula. The bright star in the image is the far left star in the Belt of Orion.
x-ray
Veteran
I’m really pleased to see the number of marksmen here. My dad introduced me to the sport when I was 5. This year marked 70 years of shooting.
My dad was a photo hobbyist and shot trap for enjoyment and my brother is a photo hobbyist as well and shot trap and IHMSA also. I spent 55 years as a photographer and shot USPSA. My wife enjoys plinking with 22’s and I introduced my son to USPSA when he was 10. My step daughter was on her high school ROTC rifle team and did 20 years in the navy and my son did 6 in the National Guard.
It’s a great sport for the family. It requires each person to observe all safety rules and give their undivided attention to what they’re doing. It’s a great way to spend quality time with the family.
I shot USPSA and did pretty well back in the 90’s And went through a lot of 231 and 540 but have gone more to Accurate powders for light loads. I now mostly shoot 22LR and 38 special but do shoot some 9mm, 45acp, 45LC, 44 spl and mag, 357 and 38 super, one of my favorites. I even load 38 S&W (not special). My main interest is revolvers, bolt action 22’s and lever action rifles but enjoy anything that goes bang including a 45 cal black powder cannon that we shoot every4th of July.
I tried IDPA but was terrible. Arthritis and age take the fun out of it so I go to the club a time or three a week and punch holes in paper. My wife often goes too and takes one of her 22’s and we shoot and enjoy being together.
I’ve known quite a few photographers that were marksmen. Both share similar requirements, focus of attention and a steady hand. They play well together.
My dad was a photo hobbyist and shot trap for enjoyment and my brother is a photo hobbyist as well and shot trap and IHMSA also. I spent 55 years as a photographer and shot USPSA. My wife enjoys plinking with 22’s and I introduced my son to USPSA when he was 10. My step daughter was on her high school ROTC rifle team and did 20 years in the navy and my son did 6 in the National Guard.
It’s a great sport for the family. It requires each person to observe all safety rules and give their undivided attention to what they’re doing. It’s a great way to spend quality time with the family.
I shot USPSA and did pretty well back in the 90’s And went through a lot of 231 and 540 but have gone more to Accurate powders for light loads. I now mostly shoot 22LR and 38 special but do shoot some 9mm, 45acp, 45LC, 44 spl and mag, 357 and 38 super, one of my favorites. I even load 38 S&W (not special). My main interest is revolvers, bolt action 22’s and lever action rifles but enjoy anything that goes bang including a 45 cal black powder cannon that we shoot every4th of July.
I tried IDPA but was terrible. Arthritis and age take the fun out of it so I go to the club a time or three a week and punch holes in paper. My wife often goes too and takes one of her 22’s and we shoot and enjoy being together.
I’ve known quite a few photographers that were marksmen. Both share similar requirements, focus of attention and a steady hand. They play well together.
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x-ray
Veteran
I played sax, trumpet and French horn for many years. I had a 1938 King Silversonic trumpet, very sweet, and bought a new Selmer Mark VI tenor and alto in 1965. My French horn was a Conn 8D and regret that I don’t play now. I loaned my trumpet to a stepson and never got it back. 🥺. I was so involved in my career I figured I’d never play again and sold my Mark VI’s to another photographer friend and sold my conn to a student. I seriously regret selling my tenor.
My sister in law’s father is Dr Eugene Rousseau who was contracted by Yamaha to redesign their saxes.
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
W231 and AA#9 have become my favorites. In IHMSA it is so much fun to see those 200 meter rams slowly topple over.
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
Selmer Mk VI's are selling for crazy money today! It is just like what's happening with the Leica M6.
The father of a friend of mine traded an alto and a tenor Selmer Mk VI. Although he'd had them and played them since the 1950's, they were stll in amazingly good cosmetic and playing condition. He traded them simply because he wanted something different - he'd played them for 50 years. The saxes he traded them for, which were new, were worth about 1/10th the value of his Selmers. He just didn't know. Needless to say, those Selmers were sold the very next day. Is what the music store did unethical? I don't know, but I think it's morally wrong not offering him extra cash or something to make the trade fair. I wish I'd known he was going to do that - I'd have offered him fair market value.
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Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
Wow! Photos like that used to be the domain of only the largest telescopes in the world and highly extended exposures. Those look like they were made from a space telescope!
Just astounding!
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x-ray
Veteran
I no pretty sure I bought mine in 1965. The story at that time was they weren’t as good as the earlier pre Vietnam way models because all the good brass was going into making artillery and rifle brass. Now the 60’s vintage are considered some of the best.Selmer Mk VI's are selling for crazy money today! It is just like what's happening with the Leica M6.
The father of a friend of mine traded an alto and a tenor Mk VI. Although he'd had them and played them since the 1950's, they were stll in amazingly good cosmetic and playing condition. He traded them simply because he wanted something different. The saxes he traded them for, which were new, were worth about 1/10th the value of the Selmers. He just didn't know. Needless to say, those Selmers were sold the very next day. I wish I'd known he was going to do that - I'd have offered him fair market value.
I bought mine from Manny’s in NYC. I think I paid something on the order of $450 for the tenor and a bit less for the alto. A year or so ago I saw a couple of clean 60’s vintage for $20K+. Not even considering the value I wish I’d kept playing.
I always had great luck with 231/HP38 in 45acp. I used it as pretty much a universal powder until I started reducing loads. I shoot a lot of snub nose 38’s and started using Berrys 125 flat nose and a minimum load of 231 as per Hogdons. I had several incomplete detonations or squibs due to failure to ignite the powder. I caught it and didn’t fire a second round but on analyzing what happened, the primer detonated but didn’t ignite the powder. The bullet almost made it out but the powder remained in the barrel si I know it had powder. I’m very careful and in 40 years never had a true squib. Anyway it happened again in another revolver so I thought I need to crimp a little tighter. You have to be careful with plated bullets so as not to damage the plating and get separation from the core.
The tighter crimp didn’t help. I then tested several shots with the powder in the rear of the case and chronographed them. The detonated clean and consistent. Then positioning the gun forward shaking the powder to the front of the case my velocity was 200+ fps slower indicating a severe position sensitivity in light loads and light bullets.
I tested again with 158 RNFP polymer coated and never had an issue.
I found N100NF to be similar to Bullseye and #2 close to 231 but no position sensitivity. Consistency is quite good and in light loads I find it much cleaner than 231.
I’m a big fan of light bullets and fast powders especially in short barrels. I feel there’s considerably less recoil and accuracy is high.
Some of the fun of shooting is coming up with that perfect combo for your specific gun. Most people don’t realize but ever barrel has its own personality and what work in one won’t in another.
I bought a Ruger Precision 22wmr a few years ago and did a lot of testing to find the right round. Accuracy at 100yds was all over the place with different manufacturers rounds until I tried Hornady VMax. Works great for me but probably not in another of the same make and model.
I’m not good enough to be a serious competitor but here’s a 5 shot group of the VMax at 100yds.
For those non shooters, you’re not good until you get 5 shots in one ragged hole. I’m working on it.
Attachments
By-tor
Well-known
Taken with this scope from my back yard. 420mm FL with a reducer bringing it down to 330mm and still not wide enough for the large objects. It sits in the back yard while I control everything from inside the house using a small tablet.
It consists of a cooled (I normally use -20c) 9mp, 1" square sensor camera attached to the imaging scope, a guide scope, auto focuser, filter wheel, a small computer (red box) that everything connects to that is connected to the wifi extender on the tripod leg that is connected to my home internet and sitting on a equatorial mount that tracks the object I choose (depending on the time of year) across the night sky.
Each of those images is around 100, 3-5 min. exposures that are then stacked together and then stretched in photoshop.
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
That's funny, because on a few saxophone forums some people will argue in jest that the pre-1960 european saxophones, particularly Selmer, are the best because the brass was harvested from old battlefields. Anyone who has seen spent brass at the range after a few weeks knows better!
I've been using commercially available cast linotype semi-wadcutters for light loads. I was concerned about my 3.9g of 231 being almost like a whiff of dust in the bottom of a .38 case; but it's been reliable. IMR 4227 is a slower choice that will fill the case more.
Yes the quest for your best-ever group, just like a perfect 40 in Silhouette, or maybe the first time at breaking par on a golf course - the excitement and mental anticipation almost guarantees you'll botch it. I think a person has to have this happen a few times before being able to achieve it.
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Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
That is impressive! Where are you and at what altitude? How many clear nights do you get throughout the year and is there much light pollution?
Where I am, you can't even see the Andromeda Galaxy decently because of atmospheric conditions.
By-tor
Well-known
Located on the coast of NC at 44' above sea level. We get a good bit of clear nights and we have a bortle 4 night sky with the moon being the only light pollution.
Not so great image of Andromeda
Not so great image of Andromeda
raydm6
Yay! Cameras! 🙈🙉🙊┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘ [◉"]
Yokosuka Mike
Abstract Clarity
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
Looks stunning to me. Your equipment and technique is first class. I would've thought these were made at a desert observatory at 5000 feet.
agentlossing
Well-known
At the risk of sounding like a geezer, how do you define "Cool Hunting?" I've seen a few different ideas of the concept. This looks like fun.
JeffS7444
Well-known
It's pretty subjective. For me, it's an exercise in taking the time to observe situations which are fleeting, or easily overlooked, with an emphasis on those which I found pleasing, or which made me stop and ponder for a moment. And it's probably best that there is no universally agreed-upon definition of "cool" because that would be, uh, uncool, as it would leave little room for surprise and discovery.
I started taking photos of my meals simply as a way of remembering what I had been doing. But at some point realized that if I put a little more effort into reducing surrounding clutter and finding the best possible light, the result was way more memorable than if I had simply grabbed the nearest available seat and started slurping my soup.
Arrangements of stuff (top center) had been vaguely on my mind for some time, inspired in part by the "idea board" trend, the discarded-items photos of Hong Hao and the supermarket scenes by Andreas Gursky. Mine are arrangements of everyday items, but they also serve as a snapshot of what was on my mind at the time.
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
Thanks to certain threads in here, I started collecting watches. My wife can't cope with my latest collecting craze. Now I spend time in watch forums trying to learn more about them.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
You'll need to strategize: Ms. OtL has an orchid addiction which I strongly encourage...
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
Ok. I need to go back to the drawing board and come back with a plan. 👍