Gun Thread: Working From Home Edition! [Weasel]

'Sup, y'all? Labor Day weekend is upon us and I hope you're all off to a good start. The weather on the East Coast is beautiful after a hot and humid spell, and I think at least one cookout is in order. I decided to stay home from the farm and get a few things done around here, so no shooting video this week, but we do have some content. Let's get to that below, shall we?

So we don't have a shooting video, but I did manage to put together something I've wanted to try for some time, and that's a WeaselAcres home video!

I managed to ramble on for over 11 minutes and still managed to leave out a few points.

Forgotten point 1 is that firearms come from the factory already zeroed from a bench. For example, Sig Sauer firearms are all zeroed at 25 yards, and Smith & Wesson revolvers, at least in the case of J and K frames, are zeroed at 10 yards, all with the firearm's standard load. At one time, Sig Sauer would include with each new weapon a proof target from the factory function test, but I'm not certain that is still the practice. That doesn't mean the factory zero will be true when you are shooting it, given differences in ammunition and the shooter's hold, hence the possible need to make adjustments. Again, anytime you are making adjustments, start slowly! Tiny adjustments can make a huge difference on target.

Forgotten point 2 is to make certain you have the right tools for the job, especially when drifting sights. Many of the sight drifting tools available today claim to be 'universal' when they really are not. Don't risk screwing up the finish on your firearm or damaging the sights by using the incorrect tool. Also, please don't rush out and start making adjustments until you are certain you know what you are doing. The video is only an introduction to the mechanics of sight adjustment, not a step-by-step instructional "how-to" video. For example, the Sig Sauer sights are put on by drifting left to right, and taken off by drifting right to left. Again, if you are unsure, take the gun to an armorer!

First up we have a nice range report form our pal Jesse in DC.

I finally had a chance to get to the range. Self, Miss Tracy, and Rick got out to the Fairfax Rod and Gun club. We had the range to ourselves mostly, one chap showed up with a BP rifle, fired a dozen or so shots and left. Rick set Tracy up on an AR15 with a heavy barrel. He got her started at 100 yards, and she shot well at that range. Rick explained the amount of bullet drop to hit the gongs at 200 meters, and she shot at that range also, probably at least an 80% success rate. This was her first attempt at shooting an AR.

I was over one range bench, and first broke out my Eddystone model 1917. I had brought plenty of HXP Greek M1 fodder, and 20 rounds of PPU cuz the box broke. This is a bone stock un modified 1917, so the factory open sights. I was shooting at the 200 meter range, and rang the gong at least 80 % of my shots. Any failure to hit 100% was completely on me. I can't see so well anymore, but noticed no real difference between the PPU and the HXP, but they are both Garand loads. Tracy fired one mag out of the 1917, but after her session with the AR, her shoulder was too sore to continue. I can see a slip on recoil pad in her future...

Next, I broke out my 03A3. I have only shot it once before. It is a very nice CMP gun that my dad bought from them. It came to me still covered in cosmoline. It has had fewer than 100 rounds through it. I could not hit a gong even once. Fired 10 rounds through it and put it away. I did not like the sight on the Springfield at all, and I discovered the adjustment knob is bent, preventing it from adjusting at all. I will find another sight for it, but so far the 1917 beats the pants off on it. Not looking good for it's continued employment.

Last thing I shot is my Stevens 44 1/2 single shot rifle that my dad built as a young man. Circa 1960... Dad shot varmints at my aunts farm in Poolesville up until '68 when he started Law School. Not shot since then. I tried it once, and the olde Weaver scope failed. I found a 330/M8 Weaver in dads crap and installed it. Then I started accumulating 218 Bee ammo. The gun is actually chambered in 218 Mashburn Bee, so the cases will fire form when shot. I only shot about 10 rounds before time was up. Scope needs more adjustment, and it is a different gun to shoot. Lever action, single shot, very heavy hammer pull when cocking it. Shoots pretty well though, and I hope to shoot it a long time. I will have to reload for this. Found my dad's info cards for rounds he had developed, they may or may not be useful.

Tracy shot a couple S and W's on the pistol range, and Rick knocked over all the chickens at the 200 meter range with the scoped AR. A well done great day's shooting.

Very nice! I know I preach a lot about training with a purpose, but that doesn't mean every range trip should be a chore. You can't beat a plain ol' range day with friends, shooting and plinking and just enjoying shooting. Very nicely done, Jesse in DC!

Next our pal RI Red continues to tweak his long range rifle with nice results! He's added a muzzle brake from VG6 Precision.

Keep up the good work, RI Red!

Next our pal Hrothgar sends in the following link to a great dry fire routine from American Rifleman Magazine.

Thanks Hrothgar! How many of you practice dry fire at home, and how many use these training techniques?

Next up, our pal RancherBob sends us a real winner!

I ran across this old manual in some stuff of my dad's. I thought you might enjoy the breakdown of why to reload. I think it gives us a good perspective of when the "Good Old Days" were.

Is that great, or what? Thank you RancherBob! Will you look at those prices? If anyone is curious, the Hodgdon #19 manual was published in 1964.

Next, our pal NeonMadman has decided to make us all hate him.

For a long, long time, I have been saving my nickels and dimes for a new gun. Specifically, I want a Winchester 1885 High Wall, traditional hunter with the 28" octagon barrel, chambered in .38-55 Winchester. Iron sights (Marbles peep tang sight and front blade) would be a plus, but I could also live with just the scope mounts. I've been saving for a long time, because they aren't cheap, and even passed, reluctantly, on a couple of reasonably-priced used ones because they were the wrong chambering. The .38-55 is an old Ballard target cartridge and has about half the recoil energy of most of the usual chamberings, and I want a gun I can shoot all afternoon, not 3 times and pack it away. I had gotten pretty close, but just ran into a major setback. Last Monday I received an email from the CMP! I had pretty much given up, but after a year and a half, I was now eligible to purchase a M1911 pistol!

Of course I couldn't pass it up. Service grade, with a Remington Rand slide and Ithaca frame. Now, just gotta run down to the store and grab some ammunition. Hey, where's all the ammo?? What's the deal with all of these empty shelves??

P.S - I would be remiss if I didn't include a shout-out to the CMP. This is the third gun I have gotten from them, previously an M1 Garand and H&R M12 target rifle, and each time it has been a pleasure to deal with the fine people there.

Very nice, NeonMadman! Congratulations! I think you made absolutely the right decision with the 1911. Also, I completely agree with your assessment of the CMP. Every experience I have had with them has been 100% positive!

We retired, sold our home, and now RV around the country. Let’s say we are rolling down the interstate and there’s a protest up ahead trying to stop traffic. My rig is really big; a 41’ fifth wheel pulled by a crew cab dually. I don’t have luxury of turning around or backing to Birmingham...

So how about a discussion on non lethal deterrent system? I saw some recent use of mace, but it didn’t look that deterring.

Great question, Larro! My first response would be not to stop. You are behind the wheel of an enormous rolling deterrent, and you might very well have to use it as such. Personally, I would also have a lethal form of self-defense with me at all times, but that might be problematic when travelling from state to state each with different gun laws. I have never been a huge fan of non-lethal systems, but if absolutely pressed, I'd look for some kind of bear spray or even cans of wasp and hornet stuff that sprays a stream about 20 feet, but you need to have a plan if those don't work.

I'm a member of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) which has a large library on a variety of self-defense topics and I encourage you to check them out. I believe at one point they published a video addressing how to deal with mobs and riots.

How about you all? What advice would you give Larro?

Stabby Things
Last week we featured some stabby things from our pal Diogenes, which caught our pal FuzzyInID's attention.

Saw your post about Diogenes and his knife from Ozekes knife shop in Sinop, Turkey. Wow! What a blast from the past that was to see/read. I was stationed in Sinop too (1981-82 and then 1991-92). I was in the Navy (a Russian linguist), and still remember the night a bunch of us Navy types got all liquored up, dressed up in black clothing, stole a can of "Signalman Orange" paint from the Army and snuck over and painted the howitzer in front of the Base Commander's (Army) HQ building. Next day, the entire Signalman company got rousted out of barracks into formation as the senior NCOs and junior officers searched their barracks for evidence. Hehehehe... good times!! Attached is a pic of Ozekes blades I purchased from his shop in Sinop. The larger is my yearly hunting/skinning knife that has broken down numerous deer and elk over the years here in north Idaho. It's a replica of a knife my brother picked up at the annual Green River Wyoming Mountain Man Rendezvous in the 1970's. The smaller gets used every so often when I have smaller game to deal with. It was great to see a post from someone who's "been there, done that" in Turkey, as I have! I wonder if Diogenes ever made it over to the "Gundeck," the bar we Navy personnel had in our barracks?

Great story FuzzyInID, thanks for sending it in! Small world, huh?

Texas MoMe Rifle Clinic
It looks like the Rifle Clinic at he TXMoMe is full. For those of you signed up, please be on the lookout for an email (soon) with details!

Link-O-Rama

I'm really very seriously not kidding around anymore. Buy Ammo
AmmoSeek - online ammo search tool
GunBot - online ammo search tool
SG Ammo
Palmetto State Armory
Georgia Arms
AmmoMan
Target Sports USA

This week we received this from our pal WTM who must know Yosemite Sam is one of my favorites!

Please note the new and improved gmail account morongunthread at gmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

posted by Open Blogger at 07:00 PM

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