Gun Thread: Fourth February Edition!

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!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be the fourth February edition? Coming soon; March editions!!

I finished my taxes this week so I'm in a bad mood. Don't talk to me!

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Last week we talked about range time objectives and the value of having a plan. If you had to identify the biggest 'problem' preventing you from achieving your marksmanship goals, what would it be? Stance? Grip? Sight alignment or trigger mechanics? What, exactly, are your goals and how were they determined? Are establishing goals and measuring progress important to you? Do you have a logical and methodical strategy for practice and improvement? If not, why not?

Not everyone wants or needs to be a great marksman. Just because you like to shoot doesn't mean you have to go all nutty about it like someone we know. As long as you are safe, perhaps achieving and maintaining a level of basic competency is all you are after. Does this describe you? If you had to guess, what percentage of all shooters do you think would fall into this category?

Let us know what you think in the comments!

Whoa! Our pal rhomboid brings the info on biathlon!!

The shooting sport I've long loved is biathlon. Love nordic skiing, but never lived anywhere you could do it as a regular serious hobby, so biathlon was sadly never a real option for me. On a trip to Lake Placid in the mid-90s I did encounter the Russian junior biathlon team (first noticed them as they skated past me like I was standing still - though in fairness I was doing classic style). Watched at the range for a bit - the chain-smoking, vulgarity-spewing Russian coaches didn't disappoint! And I think I still have a Russian 22LR box in my ski wax bag. (I also rented speed skates and glided around the speed skating oval where Eric Heiden and his sister won all those golds in 1980)

Competitive biathlon uses special 22LR rifles for the shooting portion (there are large-caliber centerfire biathlons with long-range targets, nordic field, and moose, which are not part of the international circuit that includes the Olympics). Almost all of these rifles are Anschutz, and most of those are Anschutz 1827 Fortner models, whose ergonomics and features represent the evolved state-of-art. These rifles have a straight-pull action, and use 5-round magazines, which are carried in various kinds of mag-holding slots in the stock. There are also small holes in some stocks for individual "extra" rounds, which are allowed in some formats for make-up shots.

The minimum weight is 7 pounds. Sights are non-magnified diopter with globe front sights (generally). There is a semi-rigid loop harness like a backpack arrangement that allows the skier to ski comfortably with the rifle on their back. There is a small sling attached to the fore-end, through which competitors stick their support hand to tighten up grip and stability. Minimum trigger pull is 1.1 lbs. There can be features aimed at reducing the effect of snow on the rifle and sights, should the skier fall during a race.

And the shooting is what makes biathlon a unique and amazing kind of race. It combines the most aerobic sport there is, cross-country skiing, with a sport that's all about breath control and fine motor skills. You glide into the range with a heart rate of 175, and now need to hit small targets (1.8" in prone, 4.5" in off-hand) 50 meters away. Fast. A good biathlete will clean the 5 target array in 20 seconds - any more, or any misses, and you're likely out of the running.

Competitors generally use 40g 22LR lead solids, with special cold-temperature lubricant and a bit of extra powder. There are usually two shooting sessions, first prone, second off-hand (standing), with a ski lap of the course before/after. Some longer events have 4 shooting sessions.

No other sport like it. And not only does biathlon center around the tension between speed and precision, thanks to the leverage of the shooting portion, it is the most dramatic kind of race around. The clear leader can, with one or two missed shots on his last range session, fall to 15th place - just like that. Missed shots result in either time automatically added to the competitor's finishing time or a lap around a penalty loop next to the range, which adds varying amounts of time depending on conditions and the skier.

I got a one-month subscription to Peacock primarily to watch the biathlon and cross-country in Italy this past week, and it's been spectacular. An indication that biathlon is moving out of its niche is that it is now the mostly highly rated TV winter sport in Europe. Which is incredible really. The amazing advances in cameras (number, type, and quality, to include drone-mounted) and production approach have made both biathlon and cross-country very watchable events. And there's no race format that's more dramatic.

Very nice, rhomboid! Thank you very much!

Does anyone else have biathlon shooting or competition experience?

Here is a look at how the Anschutz biathlon rifles are made.

Well worth a visit if you're in the area. Also worth a visit even if you aren't in the area.

This week's episode: Hired Killer!

Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.

Cigarsinternational.com
Cigarpage.com
Famous-smoke.com
Cigarsdaily.com
Neptunecigar.com
Smallbatchcigar.com
Bobalu Cigar Company
Cigarbid.com
Nicks Cigar World New!

A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid

Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!

Ammo 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
American Elite Ammo
Lucky Gunner Ammo NEW!

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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