IAB Sharps

[Ranch 13]

Skip the side mount, just go with the DZ package from Buffalo arms, order the 6x48 drill and bottoming tap sets from Midway.
 If you want to reach the 1000 yd line with that outfit be sure to get the higher blocks for the rear mount.

[IE300]

Thanks for the advice Ranch 13. I assume you don't think the side mount will give an additional ridgidity in the rear mount as opposed to the top mount screwed into the receiver. I had figured it might be more ridged as well as eliminating the need to drill and tap the receiver, but I'll follow your advice.
The regular mount that came with the long scope uses 8-40 screws according to the instruction sheet where it describes what tap to use. Does the Buffalo Arms set with the DZ Inertl mount come with 6-48 screws, or is this just your personal preference? I was just wondering because with the 8-40 you get a heavier shaft screw, but with the 6-48 you get more threads per inch, but on a thinner shaft. Obviously if the mount comes with 6-48 screws, that will be the way to go. But if it's a matter of choice (I see that Buffalo Arms states that this setup comes without screws) than I might prefer to go with the 8-40 only because I already ordered a tap and drills for that size. But if you feel that the 6-48 is the better choice, I could certainly return and exchange them for 6-48. Let me know what you think. Also, I assume I will need to get screws for the mounting. Can you advise the correct type and size of screw if they are not included with the Buffalo Arms set?
Regarding the higher blocks for the rear mount. If I don't get them, what would be my approximate range limit? And if I do get the higher blocks, am I undermining my ability to engage targets at a closer range?
And one last thing. It seems that my hammer extends in toward the center of the receiver to the extent that it will hit the scope when the scope is set at anything below a height of about 1.5". Unless I were to use a very high front block, the scope would be at an angle set for very long distance. The only I can see to eliminate this is to offset both front and rear mount substantially to the left side of the barrel and receiver in order to clear the hammer. Am I missing something obvious, or does my particlar hammer configuration extend much farther to center than most other sharps? Is there a replacement hammer which would impact the firing pin block in the correct position, but have the hammer spur not extend toward the center? Thanks in advance for your help!

[Ranch 13]

You don't mount the rear mount on the reciever, it'll be a bout 3 inches ahead of the reciever, and the front mount will be centered 7.2 inches ahead of the rear mount.
 You may want to call Dan Zimmerman hisself and discuss the mounting of that 18 inch scope. 

[IE300]

Well, I changed my mind again and decided to take what I got and see what I can do with it. What I have is the 30" scope, the precision mount, the sliding mount, and the extended height front mount. Actually, I should be getting the extended height front mount tomarrow from FedEx. But everything else is here and installed.
I have an IAB/Armi S. Marco 45-70 Sharps 1874 Model with a single trigger and an octagonal 28.75" barrel with a streight grip and shotgun style buttplate, the rear sight of which is just dovetailed in with no screws. This required me to drill and tap 4 holes centered along the top flat which were 8-40 sized to go with the mounting screws included with the precision mount. I used an 8-40 bottom tap with the recomended size drill from Brownells along with their Tap Rite tool which holds the tap at a perfect 90 degree angle to assure the threads are true and tight from the very top of the hole on down. If I never use it again, it will have been well worth the $28. I spent on it.
I installed the mount base with 4 torx head gun screws I got from a local gun shop. The mount only came with 2 of the 4 screws needed, and they were soft cheap screws with slotted heads. Even if they had sent all 4 screws, the gun quality torx screws were a much better choice. They were a good quality hard steel with heads that allowed me to tighten them up for a solid hold.
The mount itself required some work. I had to refit the elevator to the body of the mount, as the elevator shaft was not seating correctly on the bottom due to the elevator thread block not sitting flush against the side rail. After correcting this with a Swiss file I was able to seat the elevator in the proper position which in turn allowed the elevator to adjust smoothly.
There was a problem with hysterisis due to the scope block being too wide causing it to bind, but fortunately the scope block that came as part of the sliding mount fit correctly and solved that problem.
I did add a spring around the scope tube under the sliding bar, and that should give some additional cushion to the recoil that the scope tube will experience when shooting. The spring fits well, but could probably be a little stronger to assure it returns the scope to it's "ready" position. I lubed it with a little lithium grease, and I think under actual recoil it will probably return to position on it's own. If not I will just have to retract it manually, which I would have to have done anyway. My main purpose in adding the spring was, as I said, to help minimize the recoil stress to the scope. If it also happens to return it to battery, so much the better.
When I get the higher front base tomarrow, it shouldn't take me more than 20 minutes or so to change it out with the one that is on the rifle now. Than it will be ready to give it a live fire test, and hopefully sight it in.
Everything actually seems to be working correctly and adjustments seem to be smooth with the ability to lock up well once adjustments are made. In dry test runs everything seems to be as it should. If I can get it zero'd in and make some good groups, I will be a half happy camper. If I can do that and than change settings, than revert back to original settings to demonstrate repeatability, I will be a full happy camper.
Like anything else in life, this is a learning experience. If I can make this setup work like it is supposed to, even if I have to do some more work on it, I will consider it to have been a worthwhile and enjoyable experience.
Haven't learned to keep it short, but I am at least working on breaking up my thoughts into digestable paragraphs. Hope that good enough for now........Happy Weekend!

[cpt dan blodgett]

Sounds kinda like a self build unertl

[IE300]

I'll take and post a couple of pictures of the setup. Of course, it ain't pretty if it don't shoot. I'm hoping to do that tomarrow, but it depends on the weather and how much work I have to do before I can maybe get to the range. Boney Notches!

[IE300]

IAB Sharps Rifle with Leatherwood Malcolm Scope and Precission Adjustable Rear Mount / Extended Height Front Mount. Installed with sliding mount attatchment and added exterior tube spring to retract scope tube back to ready position. Everything works smoothly as it should, including the spring returning scope to position, however the rifle has not been shot with this setup installed. It goes without saying that just because everything works smoothly and correctly in a "dry run" situation, doesn't mean things won't go wrong in live fire when setup is subjected to recoil. Not to mention that it is all for naught if the setup doesn't improve my ability to hit what I aim at.
My gut feeling is that this setup will actually perform well when I get the chance to shoot it. The main thing I wonder about is the ability to go back to previous settings and be able to repeat my performance after changing setting and than reverting to previous settings.
I should tell you that it took a good few hours of handwork and fitting to get this mount to operate smoothly. When I first opened it up, it's operation was anything but smooth. If it ends up working well, I will feel that the work was well worth while, but I will consider this setup to be a "pre assebbled kit" that you should expect to put some time and effort into to get it up and running. I will keep you posted, as I am hoping to be able to fire this rifle next weekend.

[IE300]

 
Well I guess everything is relative, particularly when it comes to putting together a "cheapo" Sharps rifle setup. For myself, the most expensive single piece I ever had in my collection over the years, was a CAR 15 that I bought back in the mid 1980's. I no longer have it, but at that time I picked it up from a classified ad in the Phoenix newspaper for $400., but it wasn't a Colt by any means. It was built on a Sendra receiver and cobbled together from a parts kit. It did have a forward assist, and I probably put a couple of thousand rounds through it before I sold it. I guess it was built well because it never missed a beat, never ran off, and the disconector always kept is from shooting more than one round at a time. Anyway, as usual, I digress. I mention this rifle only because up until this Sharps, it was the most expensive single piece I have ever owned, at $400.
Now the "cheapo" Sharps;
Rifle                                  $550.00
Scope, Mounts, etc.            $664.99
--------------------------------------------
Total Package                   $1,214.99

Considering that when it comes to Sharps rifles, that amount would get me a Pedersoli Sharps with basic sights, I guess this realy is a "cheapo" Sharps Rifle setup. So you guys with the Custom US made Sharps rifles with US made Malcolm style scopes can laugh at me and look down your noses, but I'll tell you one thing. I sure as Hell aint telling my wife about what this "cheapo" setup cost. I know from experience that her reaction would be...."so what do I get out of the deal?" To her it just looks like another old cowboy rifle, and I'm gonna let sleeping dogs lie as long as possible. In my will I make a note of what it cost so she can get a fair price out of it, or give it to her new husband who will probably like it just fine. Bet he doesn't tell her what it's worth either.

[wildman1]

When I buy a new gun my wife is usually with me and gits one herownself.  WM

[cpt dan blodgett]

Tell us how it shoots. 
Actually way different from a Unertl  Set up.  Unertl blocks are a long ways apart and spring goes in front as I recall.  Has been years since I shot mine.

[IE300]

The spring was really just an add on I came up with to work in conjunction with the Leatherwood sliding mount. Since the top rail of the sliding mount runs so close to the scope tube there is very little space between them  to accomodate the spring, so I was limited to a spring that was produced from fairly thin wire. I would have prefered a spring that was a little heavier and would provide more resistance to recoil, but the only way I could have done that would have been to grind the underside of the top rail of the sliding mount for additional clearance for a thicker spring. I felt this might weaken the sliding mount, so the tradeoff is a lighter spring. Everything opporates smoothly with no binding, so the spring does return the tube to it's original position which was my primary goal anyway. If the spring also happens to absorb some of the recoil, that will be a bonus.
I had also thought about mounting the spring forward using the front mount as it's anchor piont, but the front mount uses a leaf spring mounted at 6 o'clock to maintain position of the front of the tube, and the addition of a coil spring in that position would have interfered with the leaf springs action, and probably caused binding between the two. I also felt that additional stress to the front mount would best be avoided, since the manufacturers information indicates that the majority of recoil stress is placed on the rear mount. The rear mount is secured with 4 gun quality screws for which the barrel was drilled and tapped, in addition to the dovetail. The front mount is secured by an expanded dovetail only with no screws for additional strength, which is another reason to avoid placing any additional stress on the front mount. I am considering the possability of adding a steel block which would be both screwed into the rear portion of the front mount, than securing that block directly to the barrel using a screw which would extend through the block and into a drilled and tapped blind hole in the barrel. I might even consider mounting blocks to both the front and rear of the front mount so that it would be screwed in at both front and rear as well as dovetailed. It remains a work in progress, but I don't think I will be doing anything further until I give it some live fire testing to see how everything actually holds up in the real world.

[IE300]

Not to change the subject, but this is actually distantly related to the subject at hand. Very distantly, but related just the same by virtue of the fact that it regards my first attempt to do something with a vintage looking scope.
I had actually bought this scope on GB about a year ago (cost about $80.) because I thought it looked a little like an old style Malcolm with the Unertl style adjusters. I was thinking about mounting it on a Martini Henry I had at that time, but when I got the scope I realized it was probably for a .22 and would come apart the first time I shot it with the 577-.450 Martini round. The only marking was on the mount which had "NEWTON" cast into it, with the scope itself having no markings at all. It's a fixed power I would guess probably about 3x or 4x, and the 2 small rectangular covers on the side are secured with small slotted screws. Loosening the screws allow the covers to slide which is how the piece is focused. It was a little foggy when I got it, but I was able to take it apart and clean it up which improved the clarity a good deal.
I sat on this scope for a year doing nothing with it. Than I got the Leatherwood scope setup for my Sharps, and since I had to get the higher front mount I found myself with an extra front mount which was the right height to use for this project. I had been thinking for a while about trying to use this scope for an Uberti Remington Revolving Carbine which I had converted to .22 rimfire with a Kirst .22 conversion unit, but I couldn't figure out how I wanted to mount it.
I had actually since seen this exact scope in another forum under the heading of "Mystery Scope" by someone who had one and was asking if anyone had ever seen one. Nobody was sure, but the consensis was that it was probably worth about $120. or so, so I was satisfied that if I modified it I wouldn't be defacing a rare and valuable scope. So thats what I did.
First I removed the rear sight from the dovetail of my Uberti carbine and replaced it with the unused front mount from the Malcolm scope, which also had a 3/8ths dovetail. Than I cut the rear portion of the scope mount, drilled a couple of holes in it, and mounted it to the topstrap of the Uberti carbine, where I had drilled and tapped 2 holes to corespond with the holes in my modified scope mount. The setup is nice and solid and streight, and I think it looks pretty good. I have the same carbine also set up with another Kirst conversion unit in .45 ACP, so I have my choice in calibers. Although I don't think the scope setup would stand up to a centerfire rifle cartridge recoil, I think a pistol cartridge in a carbine should be no problem. I've shot this carbine with the .45 ACP unit installed several times, and recoil is pretty minimal, not a whole lot more than with a rimfire.
I haven't sighted it in yet, but I have no reason to think that it wont work well. The only limitation is that the Kirst unit uses a .22 barrel that is only a couple of inches long, so accuracy probably won't be that great. But I will probably be altering the Kirst unit with a full length barrel liner pretty soon, and it will probably be capable of some good accuracy.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Nice lookin' toy, IE300!  There seems to be no end to your cleverness.  Looks real good on that Carbine!

 

[IE300]

Thanks Steel Horse Bailey!
          I couldn't resist givin it a try, so I just popped of a few rounds in my living room at a target. I used some of those Super Colibri BB Caps to keep the noise down. In some rifles those things are quieter than a pellet rifle, but I guess between the super short barrel and the cylinder gap, they still popped a little louder than I would have liked. Anyway, I just tried a few shots at about 20 feet, and the scope seems to work pretty good on that little carbine. I think it's gonna be a real nice plinker! Thanks for your kind words!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I'd love to "try that one on for size" myself!  Those little Colibris will dispatch small rodents, I un'nerstand.  Did your ears ring at all?  If not, that'd sure be a neat way to amuse yourself some rainy afternoon!  I would still use plugs or muffs, 'tho.

Now - if you had MY 60 year-old ex-Tanker's ears ...

 

 

[IE300]

In side shootin 'em in that gun I'd probably use muffs if I did it again, but that's just in this gun. I've shoot the Kolibri's in a revolver and they sounded just about the same as they did in that little carbine. But I have also tried these Kolibri's in a Marlin semi auto rifle and in that they were really more quiet than most pellet guns I've shot. In fact, in that Marlin they sounded exactly like what you see in the movies represented as a pistol being fired with a silencer! The sound of the slug hitting the plywood was a lot louder than the actual report of the rifle with the Kolibri. Even though the Marlin was a semi auto, there wasn't close to enough power to cycle the action so it it was basically the same as shooting any locked breech rifle. That being the case I would guess that any rifle with a similar barrel length (about 18") would have about the same report. If you were to shoot 'em in your backyard with a bolt action rifle, people would think you were shooting a quiet pellet rifle.
As far as penetration goes, I was using a piece of scrap high quality plywood with an oak veneer. This is furniture grade stuff and much harder and denser than the plywood used for most projects. In this stuff at about 20 feet the slugs penetrate from .25 to .31 deep, meaning thats the depth from the surface of the wood to where I first hit lead with my caliper probe. In regular plywood I'm sure penetration would be deeper. Might not sound like much, but I would think it would be plenty to take out squirl size animals with a headshot. I sure wouldn't want to get hit with one of them! Specs say 500 fps, but it's a solid 20 grain slug so it's got some inertia to keep it going once it hits the target. Doesn't just go pancake like a regular pellet.
Two things I've read to keep in mind when using these. First is that they are supposedly pretty dirty, so you should probably run a bore snake through your barrel about every 50 rounds. I've also heard that just shooting a couple of rounds of regular .22 ammo will clean out the bore. The second thing probably relates to the first, and that is that some people have reported having slugs fail to go all the way through the barrel. For this reason you probably shouldn't use rifles with real long barrels. If a bullet was lodged in your barrel and you fired another Kolibri, it probably wouldn't be a dangerous situation, but you would probably get a ringed barrel. And if you had a Kolibri bullet lodged in your barrel, and followed it with a standard or high velocity round, that might indeed create a dangerous situation. Either way, you want to pay attention when shooting these out of a gun you haven't tried with them before.
As far as shooting these out of a pistol, they are pretty loud. Nothing like regular .22's, but still loud enough that you would want to use ear protection. Since they require a minimal backstop, they would be a good round to use indoors in a homemade range, but ear protection would be a must. And unlike shooting them in a rifle, people won't think you are shooting a pellet gun!
So my bottom line is that I think these are great for shooting in rifles outside. A lot more fun than a pellet gun, and really a lot like shooting a rifle with a silencer without having to actually get a silencer. I'd love to see what kind of accuracy you could get out of a rifle at say 50 yards or so!

[IE300]

I'll keep it short (as short as I am capable of). Last night I was all packed up and ready to finally go to the range with my IAB Sharps set up with the Leatherwood Malcolm Long Scope installed with precision mount with sliding mount attaccment. Added to this is a spring surounding the scope tube to return the scope to position so it doesn't have to be manually reset after each shot. I've previously described some of the work done to this scope setup to get it working correctly.
Anyway, all set up and ready to go this morning when I got a call to check an alarm system going off in one of the buildings I manage. Priorities should be that the shooting range is more important, but if I don't have a job I can't buy the things I like, so I had to check the alarm and put off the range for one more day. Today the weather was perfect, but I am hoping the morning will bring me one more good day before winter sets in. Keeping my fingers crossed; packed up and ready to go.
I am bringing my H&R Officer's Model Trapdoor with a higher front sight than came with the gun. It was shooting about 20" high at 50 yards, and it took me about 15 rounds to figure why I wasn't even hitting the paper last time I took it out. Hopefully the higher front sight will lower POI to a usable level at distances of less than a mile! We'll see. I'm only going to spend a few rounds on the H&R this time.
I'm also going to play with my .22 conversion revolving carbine a little. Just want to get the scope fairly well registered at 50 yards and see what kind of groups I can get with it until further improvements like a longer .22 barrel liner. Again, I don't want to spend much time with this one right now.
The project of the day will be my "Cheapo Big-Bore Single Rifle", the IAB Sharps with the Leatherwood Malcolm Scope setup. I will let you all know how it goes. My gut feeling is that it will be either really good or really bad.
Really good would be sighting in the scope, getting 2" groups at 100 yards, moving out to 200 yards and getting 4" groups, than moving back to 100 yards, resetting the mount to the same 100 yard settings I estabinshed the first time, and than getting 2" groups again with the POI the same as the first 100 yard group. Add to this that the mount allows easy smooth adjustments and locks into position after adjustments are made.
Really bad would be anything that could go wrong does go wrong. Can't zero scope, can't produce groups, mount locks up or won't hold settings, firing pin breaks, cases split, barrel splits open, action locks closed, case sticks in chamber, Obama gets reelected. You get the idea. Yeah, I know. He said he would keep it short. Well if everything goes wrong at the range, my next post will probably be pretty short. If everything goes well, well......ever read Moby Dick?

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Call me Ishmael.

Well, 3 Hunnert, I hope the alarm going off was an easy fix rather than a real emergency.

Also - good luck with your new front sight on your O-Mod Trapdoor.  As to the Scope Project, you are setting very good goals, IMHO.  200 yds. is certainly less than capable, but personally, I'd be happy with 4" targets at 200 yds.  Hell -  I'd be pretty happy to HIT my target at 200 yds.!  Mostly, 'cause that means I'd actually have someplace with 200 yds. to shoot on!  (My goals aren't very high ... )
 

Hope tomorrow gives you  mild weather and an alarm-free morning to shoot your rifles!

[IE300]

Thanks for the kind words Steel Horse. The alarm was just a system equipment problem, which is what I would have bet on, but I still have to check 'em out when they happen. I put what I think was a bad sensor on bypass when I reset the system, so it shouldn't be a problem. And unless it rains, I'll brave whatever cold weather God wants to throw at me. My range has 50, 100, and 200 yards. It's really not much of a range when it comes to comforts, but the benches are pretty solid though uncovered. I got my poor man's "Field and Stream" brand lead sled. Not as good as the real thing, but at $50. it gives me a steady rest to give it my best shot. Without it I really wouldn't do well at all, but with it I should be able to actually get a pretty good idea as to what my equipment might be able to do. I'll give you the range report tomorrow. Boney Notches! ( I had thought it was Walter Brennon that said that in an old cowboy movie, but now I'm thinkin' it might have been Hoot Gibson in one of the old Three Mesquiteers  movies I used to watch with my Dad.)

[Steel Horse Bailey]

 

[IE300]

 
LOOKS LIKE PERFECT WEATHER AGAIN TODAY! OFF TO THE RANGE AND I CAN'T USE BAD WEATHER AS AN EXCUSE FOR POOR PERFORMANCE EITHER WITH MYSELF OR MY RIFLE SETUP. NOW IT'S UP TO ME AND IAB!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             LAST SHOTS AT THE LITTLE BIGHORN WERE WITH A SHARPS RIFLE WITH TELESCOPIC SCOPE SIGHT FIRED BY
                                       First Sergeant Ryan  M Co. 7th U.S. Calvary At The Little Big Horn

"Captain French of my company asked me if I could do anything with those Indians, as they were out of range of the carbines.  I told the captain that I would try, and as I was the owner of a 15-pound Sharps telescope rifle, caliber .45, which I had made in Bismark before the expedition started out, and which cost me $100 I fired a couple of shots until I got the range of that group of Indians.  Then I put in half a dozen shots in rapid succession, and those Indians scampered away from that point of the bluff, and that ended the firing on the part of the Indians in that memorable engagement, and the boys put up quite a cheer.
 
Shortly thereafter, the Indian village began leaving the Little Big Horn Valley and the encirclement of the troops on the bluffs was over.  Ryan and Captain French fired the last shots of the battle:
 
"When they moved, the captain of my company, Thomas H. French, and I fired into them while they remained in the range of our two guns, and those were the last shots fired in the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  That was well known by every man in Reno's position."
 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Awesome!  I hadn't heard this.

$100 !!!!!  That was quite expensive!

[IE300]

$100. for a rifle back in those days was one heck of a lot of money, and I'm sure it must have been the best that money could buy. A quick check of the internet suggests that $1.00 in 1876 was the equivalent of $32. now. There are so many variables that it is impossible to make a direct correlation between that value of currency at different times in our nations history, but the formula I found gives an overall indicater of monitar comparison between today and 1876. Using that formula would suggest that that Sharps rifle with scope cost the equivalent of $3,200. today, which I find pretty interesting. That amount is really pretty much in line with what one would pay for a similar rifle with scope today! You could certainly pay more or less, but I think this really is a pretty valid comparison of value. A good Sharps rifle with scope cost a lot than, and it cost a lot now.
Of course back in those days a productive hunter could recoup his investment fairly quickly, especially at the height of the buffalo hyde market. Now we have to recoup our investment in terms of satisfaction of ownership and enjoyment in using our rifles, 'cause we sure ain't going to pay for our rifles by selling Buffalo skins! Guess I'll have to settle for holding my cheapo Sharps while I watch Quigley Down Under again.
One other thing a lot of people don't know about the Battle of Little Big Horn is that there were actually 3 Custer brothers who died there. We all know about George Custer, and a lot of people know that his brother Thomas was a Captain who also died in that battle. He carried an Officer's Model Springfield Trapdoor, which must have been quite a prize for the Indian who was quick enough to pick it up! I have one of the H&R Officer's Models and I love it. Shoots pretty good, and from what I understand it's a fairly faithful rendition of the originals. I think of Thomas Custer every time I hold it. Boston Custer is almost never heard about. Most people don't know he even existed, much less know that he also died at the Little Big Horn. He was a civilian who was employed as a forager for the troops in the field. I don't know if he served with his Brother's continually, or if he just happened to be unlucky enough to be serving with them when they had their last engagement. I don't know what kind of rifle he carried, but I think it's safe to assume it was most likely a Springfield Trapdoor. I wonder if he died trying to pry an empty shell out of the chamber?
Still haven't tried my Sharps yet. I was packed up and ready to go to the range when I got a call about a flooded basement in one of my buildings. Seems like somebody up there doesn't want me to try out that Sharps! Maybe next weekend.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Think Tom Custer was one of a handful of folks to be awarded the medal of honor twice and the only soldier in the civil war to recieve it twice for separate actions. 

[IE300]

You are absolutley right about Thomas winning the Medal of Honor twice. The second time he received it was at Sayler's Creek during a rebel counterattack. He had just jumped his horse over the rebel breastworks, and while reaching for the enemy flag he was shot in the face at point blank range by the color bearer. After Thomas shot the man dead, he yelled to his brother,"Armstrong, the damned rebels have shot me, but I've got my flag!" The bullet went in his cheek and exited his neck. He wanted to keep fighting, but his brother placed him under arrest and sent  him to the surgeon. They were some kind of soldiers back in those days.
I recently read a book titled CUSTER AND THE LITTLE BIGHORN by Jim Donovan, which has that and a lot of other very interesting and well researched information. Anybody interested in US Western history from that timeframe would certainly enjoy it. Not only that, but I got this $29.95 hardcover with lots of great illustrations for $9.95 at Barnes & Nobel, and last I looked they still had them on their bargain shelf. One heck of a deal, and I think I'll give it a second read real soon!