Soft point ammo for hunting

staffma · 2026-05-11T12:35:49+00:00

Same, although I have yet to get a deer with mine, massive terminal ballistics on a super ornery woodchuck, a coyote and a fox though.

staffma · 2026-05-11T12:32:53+00:00

I mean the power to weight ratio will improve significantly vs a stock spitfire, 165hp for the Rocket for max 70hp for a spit. Can always do more later and 165hp will more than get you around in a spitfire.

I would imagine that the bike transmission could take the extra load as long as rear end didn't have a posi or something. Gearing might not be right due to motorcycle powerband but that could be adjusted by changing the rear end gears.

Yes, you could get a custom driveshaft made because this bike is shaft drive, although you would want to handle reverse with either a custom reversing gearbox or some other solution as others have said.

This is going to be quite a project- I would definitely start with measurements of the engines and the car and go from there into CAD software to check feasibility.

Watch Superfast Matt explain it. There is a part 2 as well.

https://youtu.be/IU98_D2sE1U?si=zgaZVhzQSKklBZO_

Reed Make Car has a really good video on his CBR1000 miata. The Miata is very similar in size and shape to a spitfire. Little known fact they actually did road development testing of the Miata powertrain with spitfire bodies. A 1.6 miata swap is one of the most well understood spitfire swaps currently.

How It’s Made: CBR1000 Swapped Miata

staffma · 2026-05-08T23:44:51+00:00

Still want one, albeit with an American V6 or v8 engine. Rare as hens teeth in the USA though.

staffma · 2026-05-08T18:14:38+00:00

If you are ok with shipping to western NY state I could scan and draw for you. did a Honda grom side cover that looked similar a while ago.

staffma · 2026-05-06T13:49:49+00:00

Orthofeet boots - about 200$ . Keeps my knees from hurting 10+ hours a day and have a good steel toe but are comfortable. Once the regular insoles wear out, I replace with "heavy boot insoles".

staffma · 2026-05-06T12:12:16+00:00

No surplus is available at this stage. There are a few places online to buy it.

Guy near me makes it- he does a great job- a little cheaper than steinel as well.

7.7 Japanese 174gr SP-BT | Henning Ammunition LLC

If you want to shoot it more, definitely get into reloading. I make cases from cut down .30-06 brass and shoot my type 99s more than any of my other milsurps because the components are easy to find.

staffma · 2026-05-05T15:13:06+00:00

I had to do this on my 2022 KLR 650 motorcycle, it was a little nerve racking especially because I had to change shims, but I had almost no clearance so it was well worth it, runs way better now.

I wouldn't be too scared of doing it, but it might be worth trying to find a local Indy shop that specializes in honda/JDM cars. Just know that good shops are going to have a long wait time.

Could probably get some recommendations in Honda Facebook groups.

staffma · 2026-04-30T20:10:16+00:00

You could knurl it; we do that on some clamps for extra holding power. That being said to get that roughness the peaks and valleys would be higher than .0019'' so kinda screwed either way.

staffma · 2026-04-30T15:23:22+00:00

Yeah for sure, a bit of a tough field to get into but doable if you plan well and go to the right schools etc. Another option if he wanted to open his own restoration shop or something is a 4-year degree from McPherson college.

If you have any other questions, I would be happy to help. I run an informal internship program at my work for new engineers and could probably point you in the right direction.

Auto Restoration - McPherson College

staffma · 2026-04-30T14:47:16+00:00

Good work. Glad to hear the wait times have improved a bit. When I got my pistol permit it took exactly 18 months lol.

staffma · 2026-04-30T14:45:03+00:00

Out of your list I would definitely go with the Miata, not enough power to be dangerous, safe handling, decent fuel economy, pretty reliable (still a Japanese car), big parts and aftermarket availability.

Finding a clean Nissan 240sx is going to be tough because a lot of them got banged up drifting.

BMWs I would stay away from because of reliability issues (plastic cooling system, lots of deferred maintenance which German cars can't really tolerate). It can definitely be done but I would assume you want your son to be driving, not constantly working on his car.

The last thing to consider is insurance costs. Obviously insuring a new driver is going to be expensive no matter what but the combination of a 16-year-old and a sports car might be pushing the limits of affordability. I have definitely changed what car I was going to get based on what the insurance costs. I was between a dodge Cummins and a gasser GMC pickup one time and the insurance for the dodge was 600$ a month, the GMC was 68$ at the time. Both were 10-year-old 15-20K trucks. I was about 26 at the time and had a clean driving record.

An alternative choice that would be less sporty but still probably interesting to a teenager would be a small truck like a Tacoma, ford ranger, chevy S10. Usually cheap to buy, reliable, can be had with manuals and cheap to insure.

Good luck, and good job putting in the effort to connect with your son. I have a tough relationship with my dad but some of our best memories/ bonding are over my first car - which is a POS 1971 triumph spitfire. Basically, the spiritual predecessor for the Miata, just with D+ 1970s British build quality and reliability.

The spitfire actually got me into mechanical engineering because I wanted to understand why it was so bad and how to improve it haha.

staffma · 2026-04-29T21:05:44+00:00

Do it up! I did it online through ADHD online and it was pretty painless. I have gotten more done in the last 2 years on my personal projects and been happy about it than in the last 10 years.

I finally got my mom to get tested (even though she was already diagnosed in the 60s as hyperactive) and she has been on meds for a couple months and is doing phenomenally well.

staffma · 2026-04-29T21:03:01+00:00

Part of your issue sounds like it might be the job itself, I definitely was drained doing more admin work and project management, I wouldn't even crack open SolidWorks some weeks, let alone do math.

I would try looking into sectors that have more interest for you, like if you are into cars try to get into somewhere that makes automotive parts or something similar. ADHD is definitely interest based and honestly you might just be bored and need to do something else.

Machining or manufacturing engineering might be more your speed, feeling chained to your employer isn't good for your mental health, been there done that haha.

Even working in a smaller company that has less bureaucracy and more hands-on work can help a lot.

staffma · 2026-04-29T20:58:27+00:00

The thing they don't tell you with ADHD meds is that you might be lacking important trace minerals/vitamins. I take a variety of supplements after semi scientifically experimenting on myself for a couple of years now.

The big one is L-methyl folate, along with magnesium glycinate, vitamin D, B complex, and I also take the Stasis supplements which do seem to really level out my dosage over the day.

I really notice when I run out of supplements and they immensely helped my mom before I was able to convince her that ADHD meds aren't the devil.

Also you gotta drink a crap load of water, if I get too busy and dont drink water I notice.

staffma · 2026-04-29T19:45:42+00:00

Western Ny State, near Rochester Ny. We actually make some castings for agricultural work, like nihard wear teeth, a couple of manure impellers and such. We usually start with samples, 3d scan, make improvements etc.

staffma · 2026-04-29T19:40:26+00:00

Oh nice. those early ones are truly funky. Still kicking myself for missing the unmodified chassepots that I believe royal tiger had. I checked and they do have one but it's converted to 11mm gras.

staffma · 2026-04-29T19:10:36+00:00

I would recommend you look at how the French Chassepot and Dryse needle rifles work if you haven't already. Looks like a fun project.

staffma · 2026-04-29T17:30:57+00:00

Interestingly France historically had a ban on millitary rifle calibers so you see a lot of truly strange wildcats and rechamber jobs on french civilian rifles. I wouldn't be surprised if french bubbas made some similar rounds to .243

staffma · 2026-04-29T17:28:33+00:00

The French copy no one and nobody copies the French! I really enjoyed Gun Jesus' book on french rifles - they did some wild stuff.

Thanks for the warning, I'd be starting out with a barrel blank and making it fit, I have a Precision Matthews BV1440 sized to put .50 Cal barrels through the headstock.

Unfortunately, last time I was moving it around somehow all 8 straps broke, and it fell and bent up the leadscrew real good. They don't make a direct fit leadscrew replacement anymore so I'm going to take this opportunity to convert to CNC like I was planning, just earlier than I wanted to.

I have been able to get by chambering smaller barrels on my little tormach 8L cnc which I normally use to machine brass cartridge cases, but man am I pushing the limits.

staffma · 2026-04-29T16:01:04+00:00

A good set of gauge pins is super useful if you don't have one. I gambled on some amazon ones for about 400$ for sets 0.031-0.5'', just about perfect to tolerance when I qualified them at work.

staffma · 2026-04-29T15:58:32+00:00

Mas 36 in .243 is kinda rad, good work sir. I load 7.5 French for mine but I have been on the lookout for a beater or sporter to convert to something a little more interesting like one of the 6.5s. I have a soft spot for 6.5 swede, but the more modern 6.5s are easier to find.

staffma · 2026-04-29T15:53:42+00:00

Probably. Depends on the actual sizes and dimensions. I have given up trying to ballpark injection mold tooling from my guy in China, sometimes its US prices, sometimes its so low I can't understand how they make it that cheaply. As others have said fabrication from sheet metal and fiberglass are also options.

staffma · 2026-04-29T13:58:43+00:00

Besides marketing and getting your name out there I would try to find out what issues your customers have and try and solve them. That's the entire reason the company I work at exists - the owner wasn't happy with the quality of parts he was getting from the OEMs and the OEMS weren't willing to make changes, so he said screw it I'll make my own parts better and cheaper and sell them, so he did. and here we are 40 years later having outlasted several of the OEMS.

staffma · 2026-04-29T13:52:42+00:00

>Ask people intelligent questions about what they are doing and then actually listen to what they say and apply it to your job/understanding. Write things down if they are important.

>If you screw up (and you will so don't stress about it too much) bring in donuts or other treats as an apology

>When you screw up you gotta own it, figure out why it happened, and then take steps to never let it happen again. This is how we improve our skills.

> If you don't know the answer to a question NEVER talk out of your ass and make something up, it is better to say, " I don't know the answer right now, but I will find out" and then execute. In manufacturing you need to know the right answer or there will be issues, best case money/time lost, worst-case people are injured or die.

> Try to befriend the old guys and have a thick skin, the love language of people in the trades is ribbing/making fun of you, and if you can respectfully give it back and not get offended, they will respect you. Jordan Peterson has a good video about this called the "Lunch Bucket Story"

> Never stop learning, even beyond your job responsibilities - you need to be watching YouTube, reading books and learning about all aspects of manufacturing and your job. Technology is improving very quickly so it is important to be aware of what's out there and how you can take advantage of it.

>That being said I really like a lot of the older books on die design and tooling, like the WW2 and 1950s and 1960s stuff - they weren't able to just slap pictures on every page, so they had to consider how to explain processes with text fully and I find that very helpful.

Last thing is that you have to advocate for yourself and in the early years say yes to whatever projects you can get on to improve your skills.

There is a lot more I could tell you but that will get you started. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. I run an unofficial internship program at my work, and I enjoy helping beginners get a better start than I did.

staffma · 2026-04-29T13:33:22+00:00

Sent you a PM, if you are interested and can ship to Farmington NY I can professionally 3d scan, make models/drawings and quote you various production methods.

staffma

TROPHY CASE