My local fly shop is the Bass Pro, the next closest is surrounded by 5 million people (more or less) and about 35 miles away. The BPS shop never seems to have striped rubber for bug legs. Yesterday on someone’s website I learned a quick and easy way to do my own. Take your strand (single) of rubber and twist it, I used forceps with one end in my vise, then take a permanent marker and make a line down one side of the strand. I found it easier to put the pen under the strand next to the marker case (handle). When you let it unwind you have a nice candy stripe around the strand of rubber. I may be the last to the party on this, but a search of the bulletin board did not produce any previous post. So I hope this is useful.
You weren’t the last to the party; it’s a new one for me. I just wish I had read this a few days ago as I have been marking rubber legs with a sharpie pen the laborious way!
Thanks,
Ted
I love that technique. You can vary the interval of the stripe.
Just make sure when you do it, you don’t stop. Make one long pen stroke down the entire leg.
Dan, I was going to suggest we kick you rear for not telling us about this. Then I saw the photo of you with the M-4 or M-16 whichever that was. Are you AZARNG or regular Army?
I could swear I learned that techinque from FAOL. We should encourage the higher ups to add it to the fly tying basics on the front menu. I used it most recently on some carp patterns in hopes maybe I can catch a carp on purpose instead of by accident.
I’m in the Reserves in AZ. I’m the kommander and commo officer for a support battalion (trucks, tents, electric, internet, gas)
My last job was civil military (in the piture) I did the humanitarian assistance missions.
(it’s an M-4 Colt too. It was a pretty good one)
I spent a few years in the MSARNG, when I got back to my home unit from BCT/AIT we were called out for riot duty and issued M-1Garands, only guys just back from BCT who knew how to load the thing had been in ROTC. I trained with the M-14 which is a joy to shoot.
UJ,
My right thumb is slightly wider than my left from releasing the bolt on an M-1 Garand. Commonly known as an M-1 Thumb. Love the Garand, don’t care much for the M-1 Carbine. The M-14, originally designed to give the infantry soldier a lighter weight weapon with a larger ammo capacity than the M-1, was actually heavier than the M-1. The 20 round mag was an advantage over the 8 round clip on the Garand. I’ve carried and fired both and prefer the Garand, though the M-14 is a great rifle. The M-14A2 with the selector switch was supposed to replace the old, great, Browning Automatic Rifle, but didn’t come close to being as good.
Okay, thread hijack over, we now return you to your regular programming.
REE
nonesense!
In AIT when enlisted they gave us M4 A-1’s-select to fully automatic. Of course we couldn’t do anything with the full auto selection as we were not assaulting Cumberland County or anything.
The M4 is great for lugging around in and out of trucks, and using in smaller spaces with limited range targets-like in the city. The M16 is great for picking things off at distance. I never had a chance to shoot or carry the M1 or M14’s. The gun on my truck was a 240 which shoots the same X51/308 as the M14 right?
Now I’m not even allowed to carry keys…
Ya know Ron I kinda highjacked my own thread a little earlier. I have not experienced M1 thumb although I was aware of the condition. I did experience a similar condition when I accidently bumped my M14 while having my finger in the breech checking the bore after clean. It’s a real ouchy+, make a young man say things he wouldn’t want his mama to hear.
Daniel and UJ,
I have an M4 in 6.8 (actually about .270) caliber that I built myself for our police department. It has a 4X14 50mm scope so it can really reach out and touch you, ahem someone! Anyway, while I was building, I decided to go ahead and build the 5.56 version upper also with zero power aimpoint on top for close entry needs that a PD might need. This has been a real neat experience and finding out about all the milspecs was very interesting as I was going through the decision making process. As it is right now, I think I have two great rifles to help my small PD in big situations. 
Michael
um, I’m gonig to show my ignorance here, but I don’t understand. How about a link for those of us that can only figure stuff out by seeing it please? thanks:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT-sMgqZoDI&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL79B8B8F9C348DEA3
this is a pretty good one
That is pretty much how you do it. I found with my Sharpie placing the legs at the point where the tip exited the hardcase prevent it from slipping off the legs. I also tried two at a time which results in pretty good barring with a skip in the back side.
thanks alot:) I can’t get over how simple that is.
thanks again,
hNt
I’m not surprised this thread went from fly tying to armament. We certainly love to talk about our toys…
Yes we do, the loud ones and the ones that make hardly any sound at all. One of the things I miss from when I lived in north Mississippi is I could go out and plink beer and soda cans without a lot of effort. Living in the suburbs of a large city you have to go to a range, punching holes in paper just isn’t as much fun and is much more expensive.