Somehow I managed to lose some pictures I took for this post. I had to rebuild my computer recently due to a failing hard drive, so the files may have been lost in some of those bad clusters. Anyway, I still have a few so I'll make due with those. Plus, no one reads this shit anyway, so who cares.

I have recently added a Ruger 10/22 to my gun collection. I figure its great for target shooting/plinking because the ammunition is very cheap. It could also be used for eliminating varmints or hunting small game. I was able to obtain a used model for a great price from a hookup through a friend. The gun was used, but in good condition. The scope was a little outdated and in not so great condition, but this was irrelevant, considering I was unaware a scope was part of the deal to begin with. I wanted to upgrade gun for a couple of reasons. For one, I wanted to increase its usability. Also, I figure if you are going to have one small rifle, you may as well make it look pretty kick ass. As luck would have it, most of the accoutrements for this weapon are all relatively inexpensive. Here is a quick list of the rnhancements I have made.



First things first, I replaced the standard wood stock, with a synthetic Dragunov style stock. This made the weapon lighter, it made it look awesome, and in my opinion, made handling the weapon much easier. The next addition I made was to add a nice shoulder strap. If you ever had to carry the weapon around for any length of time, this would be critical. Next up, I added a muzzle brake. Now, I know this is 100% complete useless on such a small caliber weapon, but it only cost a few bucks, and like I said, I was going for looks to some extent. Go ahead, try to deny that the gun looks wicked with it installed. You can't!

The next items installed were in the guts of the gun: an automatic bolt release and an extended mag release. Since these parts go inside the gun, this was also a good opportunity to completely disassemble the unit, clean it, and gain an understanding of how it all functions. I believe this should be done to every gun you own. Having to break the gun down out in the field, during battle, or perhaps in the dark, or whatever scenario, could be a nightmare if it is the first time you have ever seen inside the damn thing. Here is a look at the guts of the gun once it was broken down.

The auto bolt release essentially just slides into place where the old one was. This allows the bolt to release by simply sliding back the cocking lever, rather than having to operate the seemingly impossible to reach tiny lever in the bottom of the mechanism near the magazine release. The extended mag release to my chagrin ended up being the exact same size as the one that was already in the gun, so apparently someone had previously made that upgrade. Again, only a few bucks so no big deal, and I am sure a fellow gun owner might could use it, otherwise, it makes a great paperweight.

The next thing that would have hindered perfermance was the fact that the scope covered the iron sights on the gun, so if for some reason you were unable to use the scope, you would be shit out of luck without removing the scope, which could require tools you may not have in the field. The solution? See thru sight rings. These rings hold the scope up above the barrel so that you can use the iron sights as a backup to the scope, or instead of the scope if necessary. Additionally, the scope mounted in the rings is well above the gun so that means you can also use the scope as a handle if necessary. dual purpose, yay!

While we are on the subject of scopes, of course, I had to replace the scope. I made an attempt to use a compact style scope, but failed when the scope would not fit properly in the rings when mounted on the gun due to its smaller footprint. I returned the scope and instead went with a standard 3-9, with a 50mm objective. It is a low end scope, but hey, this is a low end gun, I am not trophy hunting or fighting a war, or trying to snipe some fucker at 1000 yards in a 40 mph cross wind in the snow at midnight.

So there you have it. My ghetto rad Ruger mega blaster 2000. fear me.

I should probably apologize in advance, but this post is going to be fairly picture intensive. If you don't like that, kill yourself.

"Beer, it's your best friend, you drink a lot."

I like beer, it makes me a jolly good fellow. I like brewing beer just as much as drinking it. I can brew a product that is superior to commercial brews in every way, and at a cheaper price. Since I started brewing years ago, I have always bottled my beer. This can be a little meticulous. Also, bottling is unforgiving in the fact that it can be inconsistent, and if you over or under carbonate, its done, you can't really do anything to correct it. So what's the workaround? Kegging! Whoa, hold on there Johnny, kegging sounds all hard and time consuming, plus, I don't know how. Alright, calm down asshole, kegging is quick and easy, and beats the shit out of bottling. Let's take a look. First of all you need some kegs. Cornelius kegs, like the kind used for fountain drinks.





Next, you need a place to put the kegs and deliver the beer. Solution: Kegerator! Huh? You don't have one? OK, fine, let's throw one together. First things first, you need a cheap small refrigerator. I went with a small Danby from Walmart. 4.4 cubic feet, just enough room to hold all the pieces.



Take all the racks out of the fridge, then remove the molded door drink holder insert thingy.

If you don't take that piece out, then everything won't fit and allow the door to shut. So you need to cover the exposed foam on the door now, so find something gnarly to put there. A lot of people use dry erase board, or cardboard, or whatever will fit. I happened to have a piece of plexiglass leftover from a previous project, so I decided to use that, and stick something cool behind it.

OK, so now how do you get the beer out of the kegs? You need a tap, a CO2 tank, and a regulator.

Wait, how are we gunna mount that tap tower on top of the fridge? Drill a hole.



I put aluminum tape around the hole for good measure, to make sure moisture didn't collect and cause problems.

I crafted a custom support brace to mount inside the fridge under the tap to add stability. I made it out of an old plastic cutting board. It is not perfect, but it is functional.



So, now stick the tank with the regulator attached inside the unit.



The next step I will not go into details on because it could be a month long conversation, so I will sum it up in two words: brew beer. Then put the beer in the kegs, and put the kegs in the fridge. Attach the gas lines from the regulator(s) to 'in' port on the kegs, and the beer lines to the 'out' ports. Set the regulator to the desired pressure. Allow the beer to sit at pressure for a while then drink it. If there is too much carbonation, back off on the pressure. If its under, turn it up.

So, there you have it. I have a fully functional kegerator, and you don't, so I am better than you. It was quick and easy, and it is so much better than bottling. My first dual 5 gallon batches were excellent. The only bummer was that I tore through all 10 gallons in 3 weekends by myself. I brewed up another 10 gallons this past weekend though, so no worries.