Gun Thread: Gun Thread = Fun Thread Edition!

h/t AZ Deplorable moron

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Welp, it was a busy week work-wise, so the week went by quickly. Your ol' pal Weasel is in now in full Texas MoMe prep mode, which mostly involves making a list of things which I need to take wth me and which I managed to forget and leave down at the Farm-o. So, has everyone made their arrangements to attend? It's coming up fast, so you should be rushing your preparations to completion. I'm looking forward to meeting a bunch of you for the first time, seeing many of you again, and doing some shooting together with all y'all. I'm all tingly!

With that, let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

First up, our pal CBD has made a very nice addition to his collection which I understand he's taking on an upcoming canoe trip. By now, it should be no secret that revolvers occupy a special place in my shriveled little heart, and especially snubbys!

My Smith & Wesson Model 629 with the 3 inch barrel finally arrived, and after wading through the incredible rights-violating mess that is NJ pistol licensing, I picked it up on Tuesday. I didn't feel like waiting until Saturday to shoot it at my local range, so I went to my other range which is 45 minutes away, on Wednesday.

I started with .44 Special 240 grain round nose, and it was nice. Solid recoil but nothing unpleasant or difficult to manage. I did notice that the right side grip protrudes a tiny bit over the backstrap, and I could feel it hitting the web of my thumb (I am left-handed). No big deal!

I fired 25 rounds just to figure out point of aim, which is a few inches high, and at 30 feet I was shooting 3"-4" groups. I wasn't trying to be accurate, mostly just getting comfortable with the pistol and figuring out how to grip it. Double action was heavy but smooth, and single action was crisp, short, and light which is exactly what I expected and wanted. It was a very pleasant revolver to fire, heavy enough to manage the recoil but light enough to hold and aim comfortably.

On to the .44 Magnum 240 grain soft points.

Wow.

That is some serious recoil. And sound! I fired three rounds and then noticed I was bleeding! No more than a pint or two, so I had some left, but the slight imperfection of the fit of the grip was enough to chew up the web of my thumb with only three rounds fired.

The only other guy on the pistol range was about 50 feet away, and he noticed the sound immediately. He even came over to chat. He has a Model 29 with a 6" barrel he uses for deer hunting, and he said it is a more manageable pistol, which makes sense of course, but there is something aesthetically pleasing about the 3" barrel. The pistol seems to be perfectly proportioned and, let's face it, pretty damned cool looking!

I might send it back to Smith & Wesson so they can fix the grip, although I have heard from a few people that their gunsmithing isn't what it used to be. I can also get a set of Pachmayr grips. I have a set on my S&W Model 36, and they are great. Either solution will work, and of course it means I get to muck around with the gun, which is half the fun of shooting.

I also brought my Ruger 10-22 rifle with the red dot just to plink a little bit. I fired a couple of magazines and then the range officers came over and told me I wasn't supposed to shoot any shoulder-fired weapon on the pistol range. That was news to me and it's not posted anywhere, but they were polite and nice, and even told me I should try out the .22 plinking range on the other side of the complex. I didn't even know it existed because all I ever shoot there is center-fire rifle and pistol. That was actually loads of fun. It had about 75 different steel targets ranging from 25 to 50 yards away, and in various sizes. I will definitely be going back there.

And a safety note! When the range officer approached me I dropped the magazine, locked the bolt back, then put the rifle down on the bench. After he explained the rule he asked me whether the rifle was clear. It wasn't. There was a round in the chamber! I wonder whether I would have checked had he not asked? I think I would have, but regardless, it was a good lesson

Excellent range report, Mr. D! That is a great gun which I am sure you will enjoy for many years to come. Enjoy the canoe trip!

Next up, our pal blaster shares his spiffy Mossberg in .308 Winchester. By now, it should be no secret that rifles occupy a special place in my shriveled little heart, and especially those chambered in .308 caliber!

Here is my Mossberg Patrol in .308. This is similar to the Scout in weight and design but the rail is back in a more traditional position back over the action, no extra baby rails on the fore-end, and different iron sights.

But otherwise similar with the black polymer stock, 7 1/2 lb weight, 16 1/4 inch barrel, and the ability to use Mossberg MVP mags, M1A/M14 mags, or LR-308 style mags (AR10).

I purchased this used off Gunbroker and is in good shape but it was missing a sling mount stud and the PO had written a number "3" in sharpie on both sides of the stock and not sure if this was the third rifle they owned or whether it is an homage to Tallahassee in Zombieland/Dale Earnhardt. But it's black on black so hardly noticeable.

I have added some accessories and they are cheap so sue me but folding bipod, a paracord sling, and a 2.5 - 10x scope with a lighted reticle and as The Terminator said "the laser sighting." Haven't had a chance to test the range yet I don't expect that laser reaches out too far as it is red and 2mW and certainly not in daylight.

I haven't fired it yet but I expect it to be much like the Scout and the light weight will be nice for carrying it but less so in combating recoil.

Thanks for sending this in, blaster! It's a nice looking rifle, and the Gun Thread is willing to forego legal action as long as you promise to send a range report and target pictures!

Last week we had a question in the comments regarding flying with ammo. This comes up each year as people prepare for the Texas MoMe, so I thought I'd include it again in case you missed it.

Is it allowable to bring ammo in checked airline baggage? Posted by: RTW at October 03, 2021 09:42 PM (GJnvT)

Yes, up to a limit of ~11 pounds. In original cardboard packaging with the little partitions, or plastic reloading boxes - I think they want the cartridges separated, not loose.
Posted by: hogmartin at October 03, 2021 10:36 PM (P4LRL)

Great question by RTW and great answer by hogmartin. Thanks guys!

Ax Weasel
Our pal Washington Nearsider recently went to the range and was chatting with another shooter comparing their rifles.

When I commented on the differences to him, he pointed out two instant upgrades I could make to literally purchase more precision, before the hours and hours of practice required to be truly good:
1 - I have a Magpul bipod, he has an Atlas bipod.
b - He has a scope level attached directly to the tube and I do not.

Which, finally, brings me to my question: What purpose does a scope level serve and why is it important in long-range engagements?

And here's my answer:
I use Harris bipods on my practice guns and you definitely want something sturdy that swivels for cant. You also want a very stable rear bag which plays a huge part in consistent elevation. When I see vertical stringing on a target, all things being equal, it's usually something goofy going on with the rear bag assuming a consistent load velocity-wise.

As far as a level is concerned, a properly installed scope will be precisely level with the scope rail. I use machinist's levels to install them on my guns. If your scope is canted, or if the rifle is canted, then any elevation adjustment you make is going to include a component of windage, and any windage adjustment you make will include a component of elevation.

These two factors are important, but likely aren't going to make an enormous difference at a few hundred yards. The single biggest factor will be having a properly developed and consistent load (barrel harmonics and muzzle velocity) that is properly tuned (bullet jump) to your chamber and barrel. These will turn a 1" group into a single hole on the target at 100yds.

The key here is to have a solid setup with the scope absolutely level with the rifle and the ground. An aftermarket level can be a big help in achieving the correct setup especially on uneven terrain. Thanks for the question, Washington Nearsider!

Which naturally leads us to the subject of bullet stabilization and barrel twist.

Make it a point to know your rifle twist and what bullet weight is optimized in it.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Last week I included a video clip of a fast draw champ that frankly I didn't know much about until our pal Dantes came along and bitch-slapped me with some knowledge.

Fastest gun...Bob Munden. He lived in Butte MT.

Nice guy. Hell of a shot. I bought a couple of 44 mag pistols from him, one regular, one which was built for the kind of trick shooting he did.

Posted by: Dantes at October 03, 2021 06:45 PM (RSA4U)

So I thought I'd find out a little more about the guy and assigned the project to the GT Research Staff. Here's what they found.

Here's a video where they hooked him up to some sciency stuff to measure his speed.

Pretty interesting guy!

Ammo
I am seeing more and more reports of ammo coming back in stock, however, the prices are still slightly obscene.

Good news: You can find it.
Bad News: You're going to pay for it.

Here's a weekly look from Wideners, a supplier I have used for many years for reloading supplies and ammo.

So where are you? Starting to buy, or still holding out for the prices of yesteryear?

Gun Basics 101
A big part of the anxiety of going to the range by yourself is what to do when something goes wrong. As you become more experienced, this begins to go away and you just deal with any problems as they arise. This week She Equips Herself offers a look at how to clear handgun malfunctions.

If something happens with your gun at the range, STOP and investigate. If needed, place the gun down pointed in a safe direction and call over one of the RSOs; they're being paid to help you!

La Finca is a brand I like for obvious reasons (translation: The Farm). It's a decent cigar at the affordable price of under $3 each at JR Cigars

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
Bud's Gun Shop

Our pal Catch Thirty Thr33 sent us this week's entry which is equal parts humor and truth.

Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. 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 Weasel at 07:00 PM

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