Hello from the UK
- Thread starter Athos
- Start date
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motorcarman
Compulsive Collector
I bought the 'E'-Type for $1200 but I had to drive to South Carolina (halfway across the country) to get it.
My brother crashed it a few years later and I sold it for $1500 in the 1980s.
Yes they are bringing 'stupid-money' now.
cycleguy2300
TGT Addict
It was being replanked at the time and we didn't tour it, but we got to see just how much wood it used between ribs and planking... it was impressive. The D-Day museum was pretty neat. Just lots of cool bits of history everywhere. We're hoping to go back in a few years once kids are old enough to remember it.
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cycleguy2300
TGT Addict
I do all my own wrenching and they are easy to work on. A few dodgy electronic bits go wrong from time to time, but its not too bad all in all.
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I was trying to bide my time, but the English car talk is busting my restraint. My first car was a 1967 MGB - freaking loved that thing. Everything was mechanical - down to the voltage regulator. Gave me a fantastic appreciation for the British engineers - including Whitworth and his damn wrenches and threads. Rebuilt damn near everything on it. My first trip out of the US was on a cycling/hostelling tour in the UK My psychotic girlfriend at the time and I rode our bikes from Gatwick to Edinburgh. Gave a great Scotsman a rattlesnake tail on Hadrian's wall - while he was lambasting me about riding a Japanese bicycle - "How can you ride that after what they did to you????" Been many times since, but just to London - meh - you've seen a big Euro city, you've seen them all. Get me out to the small towns - pretty much the same way I feel about here.
cycleguy2300
TGT Addict
Its not so much London as all the museums in London. I could spend a week just between The Natural History Museum, THE BRITISH MUSEUM, The Tate Gallery, The Victoria & Albert and the Imperial War Museum.
I am not a fan of big cities, but I do like cities with history and London has a lot of history that is accessible for very little effort.
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Actually, I damn near married a girl from Bury St Edmonds; but we were both still a bit too young at the time which is too bad as we were very compatible. She's married and living in California now, and we're still good friends mainly keep in touch via Facebook.
And yep, I was with the 81 TFW which had 120 A-10s (six squadrons). If you're ever in the area, drop by the Bentwaters Cold War Museum. I have many friends who volunteer there, and they've got one of the two A-10s on display in the UK (the other is hanging from the ceiling at Duxford) as well as a load of great displays from the Twin Bases.
I worked with a lot of Commonwealth servicemembers during my 25 years in the USAF, and several since retiring 15 years ago (I'm a DoD contractor). It's always been an enjoyable experience, especially in Bosnia, SHAPE/NATO and Afghanistan!
Agreed. The British museum blew my doors off.
They were barbaric, and amazing. I still have mixed emotions.
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London is a great city for the history and the museums. The Imperial War museum is a must. Some great museums in the US too. The 9/11 Memorial Museum was very emotional and I loved the WW2 museum in New Orleans too. Being a sailor I can’t resist a warship, so USS Consitution, Intrepid and Alabama were all very good. Always wanted to see an SR71, so that was a nice tick in the box in Mobile.
I can’t imagine anyone driving on your highways in a Sprite or an MGB. Must feel very vulnerable with the size of some of the trucks you all hair around in. Saying that, I had a 2006 Mustang GT with a Saleen blower. That thing was interesting to blast down the narrow country lanes of Devon!
You’ve got some awesome roads out there. I’ll ride the dragons tail before I die for sure!
I can’t imagine anyone driving on your highways in a Sprite or an MGB. Must feel very vulnerable with the size of some of the trucks you all hair around in. Saying that, I had a 2006 Mustang GT with a Saleen blower. That thing was interesting to blast down the narrow country lanes of Devon!
You’ve got some awesome roads out there. I’ll ride the dragons tail before I die for sure!
Athos,
Welcome to TGT.
I spent quite a bit of time in England and Scotland. Had a great time, went to a couple of shows with some colleagues. One time when 2001 took the wife on a break from our stint in China to wind down in EU. In our stay in London I had the chance to shoot in one of the ranges, not Bisley, though had my driver take me through the range. We shot ARs, no gas systems, but with courtesy devices.
In the late 90s I spent a few months in East Kilbride, Edinburgh. Love Rose street. Toured the coastline one weekends. A friend took me to a Army base not too far from Edinburgh, could not remember it any longer, shot with some cadets. Those bullpups are not too bad, but not as precise as our beloved match grade ARs.
In '98 while in Edinburgh I had the opportunity to shoot in the Northern Scotland Championship in Blair Atholl. A friend in Velvet Gardens loaned me his Musgrave action bolt gun and provided the ammo for the 2 day match. The match was from 300 yards through 1000 yards. Beautiful range. We sighted in on Ponclair Range the day before we drove North. Here is the sighting target. It stayed on the range club house till Chas sent it to me about 5 years ago.
Last trip to UK was in 2002 as guest of the company I hired for our project in China. From London we flew up to Glasgow to do some crazy pub visits. Trip was cut short after one of guys got into some more than shouting match against one of the locals about their football teams. Our guy took home a Glasgow kiss for souvenir.
Welcome to TGT.
I spent quite a bit of time in England and Scotland. Had a great time, went to a couple of shows with some colleagues. One time when 2001 took the wife on a break from our stint in China to wind down in EU. In our stay in London I had the chance to shoot in one of the ranges, not Bisley, though had my driver take me through the range. We shot ARs, no gas systems, but with courtesy devices.
In the late 90s I spent a few months in East Kilbride, Edinburgh. Love Rose street. Toured the coastline one weekends. A friend took me to a Army base not too far from Edinburgh, could not remember it any longer, shot with some cadets. Those bullpups are not too bad, but not as precise as our beloved match grade ARs.
In '98 while in Edinburgh I had the opportunity to shoot in the Northern Scotland Championship in Blair Atholl. A friend in Velvet Gardens loaned me his Musgrave action bolt gun and provided the ammo for the 2 day match. The match was from 300 yards through 1000 yards. Beautiful range. We sighted in on Ponclair Range the day before we drove North. Here is the sighting target. It stayed on the range club house till Chas sent it to me about 5 years ago.
Last trip to UK was in 2002 as guest of the company I hired for our project in China. From London we flew up to Glasgow to do some crazy pub visits. Trip was cut short after one of guys got into some more than shouting match against one of the locals about their football teams. Our guy took home a Glasgow kiss for souvenir.
Thanks @Bamban, we are blessed with some wonderful ranges over here. Lydd and Hythe are my main haunts but Bisley is a 2 hour drive away too. Sounds like you had a great time, that’s a beauty of a group you have there!
The SA80 is accurate and reliable enough for what it is. I’ve been using it for nearly 18 years now and it blows my mind that we are still clinging to something so ergonomically flawed. I’m a big fan of the AR platform and have my own straight pull version, 16” match barrel, Jewell trigger etc. Just wish it had some gas parts!
Sounds like your pal had the full Scottish experience though. You know what they say - a pint and a fight, a great British night!
The SA80 is accurate and reliable enough for what it is. I’ve been using it for nearly 18 years now and it blows my mind that we are still clinging to something so ergonomically flawed. I’m a big fan of the AR platform and have my own straight pull version, 16” match barrel, Jewell trigger etc. Just wish it had some gas parts!
Sounds like your pal had the full Scottish experience though. You know what they say - a pint and a fight, a great British night!
@Athos, you are right about the beautiful ranges there. Blair Atholl range is even on the cover page of one of the books published here decades ago about 1000 yard shooting. I still have the mental picture of the wind condition and correction as the wind blew in from about 2 o'clock and bounced off the mountain on the low end of the firing line.
I wish the US NRA adapt the UK fullbore rules. I love the 3 shooters on the mound concept where one is shooting, next shooter is getting ready to shoot, and the 3rd scoring. The rotation is like a sighting shot every time. Target goes up, within 45 seconds shooter must decide on wind and shoot. Time lapse as monitored by each target puller, the target goes down.
Here, the shooter is allowed 1 minute a shot for the time block utilized by the shooter. Most shooters I see on the firing line do not crank and shoot when the condition changes. They wait their condition inside their alloted time.
Not a surprise the Americans struggle to win the International Palma Team Match against the Brits, Kiwis, and the Blokes from Down Under.
I wish the US NRA adapt the UK fullbore rules. I love the 3 shooters on the mound concept where one is shooting, next shooter is getting ready to shoot, and the 3rd scoring. The rotation is like a sighting shot every time. Target goes up, within 45 seconds shooter must decide on wind and shoot. Time lapse as monitored by each target puller, the target goes down.
Here, the shooter is allowed 1 minute a shot for the time block utilized by the shooter. Most shooters I see on the firing line do not crank and shoot when the condition changes. They wait their condition inside their alloted time.
Not a surprise the Americans struggle to win the International Palma Team Match against the Brits, Kiwis, and the Blokes from Down Under.
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