Thoughts for this evening

1. First of all, Vanessa and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on Friday and she gets more and more awesome every day. Tonight I attributed this to her terrible short-term memory. We're a match made in heaven for sure.

2. Ellie smiled at me for the first time today and nothing of this world will every compare to that.

3. Panther Arms already makes the 338 federal in an AR-10 platform. I was correct saying that it was a good idea but it had already been executed.

4. We met our new prospective partner church and they seemed awesome.

5. Pat got an awesome 79 Corvette that is not amphibious evidently.

6. The new .45 loads are sweet! 4.7 grns. of win 231, 200 gr. rainer bullet, mixed brass, win LP primers. The new reloading press is also awesome. I recommend a Dillion RL550B to anyone that has a semi-auto. When I get the automatic primer feed functioning for large primers I will really be in business.

7. I hope we have all of our IT equipment tomorrow at the inventory.

8. Evidently I am going to Monterey CA for a week at the end of August for a counter insurgency commander's course. The uniform is civies! The "hey you" details seem to get better as I go up in rank.

9. The coupon I thought I had was $20.00 off, not 20% as I originally thought so I just ordered one Nikon 6-18x40 mil-dot scope. It will find a nice home on top of the Rifleman's rifle. I plan to shoot it this year in the 600 meter open at River Bend Gun Club. I will also try to find some F class long range shoots at Ft. Benning.

New Reloader and Reloading Thoughts

It was time for an upgrade on a reloader. I finally made the jump to a progressive press. Only because I got a deal on it of course. I upgraded to the Dillon RL550B. Dillon claims 400-600 per hour but we'll see. I'm sure this speed is at the cost of quality. You can't beat the "feel" of the single stage press. I've decided to only load my high-volume loads like the .45 ACP and the .223 Remington. My line of thought is that a semi-auto needs a progressive press to feed it. I will continue to load precision rifle rounds for bolt and lever guns on the Rock Chucker 4 single-stage. We should be up and running in a few days.

I was reading up on the .338 federal yesterday. I think an encore barrel in this chambering is in order. There's something magical about a short-action case that can put a 220 grain bullet on target at .308 velocities. The .338-06 didn't make it on the commercial market but I think the .338 federal might do it. I believe that it will be more popular for the same reason the .308 edged out the 30-06 as the military round back in the 1950s. It's a lot shorter with similar performance. The word is efficiency. I wonder how long it will take an AR-10 manufacturer to introduce this chambering. My money is on Panther Arms being the first.

I haven't forgot the 6.8 SPC. I think this might be another encore venture. There is something cool about a round designed specifically to kill enemies of the United States. Patriotic. I'm not sure if I could justify the single-shot with a round designed to fit the AR-15 platform. We'll see. I may just have to call it a .270 short. I wonder if there is a .270-08 out there somewhere?

Our first night away without Ellie

We had a pleasant evening thanks to Mom. She kept Ellie for a while so Vanessa and I could go out and have some fun. We went to a new Italian place in Gainesville and it was awesome. We followed up with a game of mini-golf and some coffee. I could tell she had a great time but couldn't wait to get back to Ellie. I hope she had a wonderful birthday.

Thanks Mom for keeping Ellie for a while.

Korey brought up an interesting concept a few days ago. I'm not historically a huge fan of Taurus pistols but they're on to something here. It's "The Judge." It is essentially a revolver available in a 3 or 6 in barrel. It has a huge cylinder to accept .410 ga shotgun shells. It looks pretty silly to me but for a car gun it might be pretty cool. It also accepts the .45 long colt bullets which is another feature. This would also make a great trail gun for hikers or backpackers. The .410 would be great on small game at reasonable distances.

Web Gallery

Here is the link to our web gallery:

http://gallery.mac.com/gtmiller21#gallery

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VANESSA!

Catching up

Well I did it. I finally drug myself to the verizon store and picked up a blackberry 8330. I realized today how much my cell phone knowlege lags behind. I decided to get with the program by blogging from my new phone.

Little Ellie's first doc visit was today. Everything checked out fine. They're having us watch for signs of colic though. I'll let you know at 4am what I think. This is only her fourth night home so we'll see.

The Barnes family brought us dinner tonight and it was awesome. Jake is getting big. Christine helped deliver Ellie so she and Vanessa are a lot closer now. Dan and I already go way back from our interesting choice to attend a military college.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The New 50 cal

That's right. The M2 .50 cal machine gun is getting a little brother. Evidently the Army is planning on fielding it around 2010. It is smaller and lighter with less recoil. It is currently being tested in several locations. I am interested in seeing if it will become a man-portable platform and if it has any credibility as a tripod-mounted sniper weapon. It is supposedly more accurate than the M2. Remember that the M2 holds the record for the longest recorded sniper kill at 2500 meters. The Soldiers interviewed made it clear that the M2 will not be replaced but it will be supplemented.

Anyway, here is the link at global security. 

Observations of Fatherhood

I have a wonderful relationship with God (always improving), a wonderful wife, and a beautiful (currently screaming) baby Ellie. Life comes with challenges but these three elements of my life make it more than worth it. I've realized a few things since I've become a father.

-I get just under one year now to earn father's day

-I need to get Vanessa her own cell plan or get an additional job $$$$$$$

-I carry as much stuff for Ellie as I do for the Army (rucks need wheels like strollers)

-Vanessa is actually superwoman in disguise

-Ellie poops a lot and on a lot

-0 time belongs to me

-The washing machine will never stop running again

-I can't spend a week in a hospital room doing nothing and then run 5 miles without almost dying

Just a few observations. I'm sure more will follow when Ellie has more that 2 days at home. I'm really glad that I get a strange sense of accomplishment from otherwise unfavorable circumstances.

Ellie Kate Miller

On Sunday Vanessa gave birth to Ellie. She was really a trooper through the whole thing. I was impressed with her ability to cope with everything. The whole process was amazing. We are blessed to have such great family and friends to support us. God has truly given us a gift. I look forward to going back home and finding our new routine. I'm sure that things will never be the same but I am okay with that. I also look forward to the new experiences that Ellie's life will bring us. Having my own family is awesome.