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Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
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9:02 pm - A few more pics
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We hunted for deer this morning with no luck, but my brother saw two does. I'm hoping to chance upon a legal buck when I head back up in a week. Or hoping to take a doe when I get to hunt 2-3 days of muzzleloader season in 3 weeks.
Anyway here are dad's pics from duck hunting, in all their blurry flash and flashless glory:
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| Monday, November 23rd, 2009
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12:01 pm - a little hunting update
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Went out saturday morning with dad. We went upriver a couple miles instead of around here, saw absolutely nothing. I think I heard a duck in the morning but didn't see anything. Was frustrating with the river being a little deeper and was difficult setting decoys there.
Tried again today with my brother. Pretty much a bust again, though the river wasn't too deep. We ended up seeing one flock of high, disinterested geese.
Tomorrow the weather looks promising for waterfowl, so we will give it another shot in the morning.
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| Thursday, November 19th, 2009
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10:16 pm - Pistol Match #4
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Ended up shooting a 702. Came in second for the match.
As it was the final match, the league champion was announced. Steve Pang took this one, I was in second. But they gave him a trophy! I was close! Had I done better in the first match, or improved this match, I could have taken it. I think the differecne was like 40 points or so.
Was fun though, I look forward to January and the centerfire match. Now the question is whether or not to get another pistol like I've been thinking about, or just use my .45 for that match. Hmm...
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5:10 pm - A ducking disaster!
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That's how today was. The weather forecast was for cloudy, which I guess is duckier weather than we've been having.
We woke up, got set up and were in position within 3 minutes of legal shooting hours. 0623 is when they began, 0626 we were sitting down. Not terrible timing, getting better at it. Had a slight delay getting hung up on some rocks downstream, hard to see them in the dark.
The action began pretty soon. We had a pair fly overhead downstream, I called to them and thought they were gonna leave. THey looked like specks so far away. But they wheeled back in and came over our spread. They circled once high up, then circled again as I called. The second time they were maybe on the edge of range, almost overhead. We could have tried shooting at them but we passed it up as too far.
Shortly after that dad said "one is coming!" as we heard a quack upstream. I picked it up and saw it go downstream, but my comeback calling worked and it came in right along the riverbank a bit, from the downstream. It flared its wings and put its legs out about to land, I said to dad SHOOTSHOOTSHOOT since he has yet to shoot any game in 10 years of hunting with my brother or myself. It was a perfect easy shot, low, slow, not much lead needed to be added. I didn't shoot and kept calling figuring dad was taking his time. Before I know it the duck is off and dad had been looking hte wrong way the entire time! ARGH!
I always thought my dad's problem was gun manipulation and shooting skills. Now I realize he doesn't even see the game! Not until it's too late and flying away. He is good at spotting them then!
I wish I had jumped and taken the shot since I would have had a duck for the pot today.
Then the solitary duck came back in from the upstream side, just a little ways out from our decoys. I called and he took a closer look, told dad to shoot, and that he did. He is slow on the pump though and I followed up with two shots, and then the duck was out of range.
Shortly later the pair flew by again but didn't come in. A little bit after that, we saw them all as a trio flying high and fast, wanting nothing to do with us. I called and saw one dip out of formation for a moment, but no dice.
We did have a merganser come and land among our decoys, but I called dad off before either of us shot at it. The NYS DEC does not recommend eating mergansers, but they still count toward your bag limit.
Our final action was a flock of about 6-8 ducks plus a pair with them pitching in and landing at the downstream portion of our spread. I was slow on the reaction here and got confused, since the pair was higher up and behind hte landing ones. I called at the landing ones when I should have just started shooting, they were landing after all! But I said to dad "take the high pair!" and he opened up on the drake in front and I unloaded on this hen. All misses. I reloaded and dad fired a third shot, but they were long off by then.
That brought the totals for today to 5 misses for me and 5 misses for dad. Pretty bad shooting on my part. With all those opportunities to shoot I should have brought home at least one more duck.
I think with the larger flock, I ended up shooting high. I will blame it on my new waterfowling outfit. I love it, but I am not used to having the extra bulk and the high collar. I think I was getting more chin-weld than cheek-weld on the stock, and so lining the beads up in a high-8 configuration, sending my shot strings over the tops of the geese.
Next time out I will try to take a moment extra to make sure I have a good cheek weld before shooting.
We called it quits at 10 since we both have obligations in the city tonight. I have my pistol match at the West Side range again tonight, last one for this season though there is rumors of a centerfire match in January. Then we will be going back upstate Friday afternoon along with Kaitlin. I hope to get a couple morning hunts in there, maybe if Kaitlin is brave she will wake up early too and come along as observer, company, moral support, and photographer.
Sunday I will come back to the city with everyone, and then my brother will meet me and we will head back upstate until the day before thanksgiving. The original plan is deer hunting, but maybe we will change that or mix it up: ducks in the morning deer in the afternoon. We will see.
Anyway here are some pictures of yesterday's success. Including some blurry shots of the beaver that has been paddling around up there. More pictures to follow when I get them off dad's camera
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| Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
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5:28 pm - Hunting; take two, success!
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Woke up earlier this morning to get out there and put the decoys out faster. Ended up slightly delayed, legal shooting began at 0622 today. We had the decoys set up and were sitting down at 0635. I sent out a few calls figuring it might attract something, or at least that's what I hope.
0645 I hear quacks, I quack back, see a duck veer off toward shore, and then notice a flock heading right for our spread. I quickly mount the shotgun, disengage the safety. Everything happened so fast but also felt slowed down "bullettime" style. I distinctly remember the safety going off, and feeling every bit of my trigger press. Recoil though is never noticed in any major way.
I was rewarded with one duck spiraling over into the river. In retrospect I should have been faster on the pump and put two more shots out there and maybe got two more. Dad didn't even have his shotgun loaded! Load your shotgun first! He was futzing around with the goose flag for some reason instead of sitting with a loaded gun. My brother and I are in the unique position of teaching him how to hunt...for 10 years now, though I jumped in the game a little later than that. I am hoping that hunting over decoys will give him more chances to shoot and maybe hit something, but damn it that won't happen with an empty gun!
Anyway, I jumped up after that and saw a damned Bald Eagle circling my duck in its death throes! I quacked with the call at the eagle for lack of any better option becuase I did not want to lose my first duck to an eagle! I could have shot the damn thing I was getting so angry.
I managed to drag the canoe in the water real quick, splashed into it, and paddled off to get my duck before the eagle did.
I was rewarded with a mallard drake. They sure aren't as big as geese!
We ended up calling it quits at 1040, didn't even see any other ducks today. Maybe the weather was too nice for them. We did see a couple of beaver swimming around though.
Going out again tomorrow morning, then back to the city for a pistol match in the evening, dad has something to do as well. Back up Friday for more hunting action and general outdoors enjoyment. The weather forecast is cloudy tomorrow, I am hoping to have another shot at some ducks. Get a better meal out of it.
The duck is cleaned now and soaking in some salt water to draw the blood out. Looking over different suggestions online, I think we will be eating the breasts. The rest of the carcass has been skinned and fat trimmed as per NYS DEC advice, but I think I will use it to make duck soup or something. Get those other little pieces of meat away from the carcass and make full use of the bird. There was a little bloodshot meat from where two pellets hit the body, seems a couple pellets hit the head as well.
I can't wait to get more chances at ducks.
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| Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
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6:41 pm - Hunting ducks; take one
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This morning we woke up and set out to get ducks. No leonids for us with the cloud cover, and things got light quicker than I expected. We ended up being a little behind schedule with the decoys set out.
My waders and new jacket are pretty awesome, I'm glad I splurged a little for the set. I had a little slip and stuck my arm in the water, all that got wet was my hand and wrist. Thankfully the water was relatively shallow, and it was the last decoy. 8 geese and 16 duck decoys. We sat in our spot a little ways up from home.
We ended up seeing a red tail hawk and two ducks. We learned a lesson with the ducks: PAY ATTENTION!
The first duck came out of nowhere as I was studying the nearest decoy and thinking "you look so good decoy!". All of a sudden I go "That's a duck!". Unfortunately, when we sat down, Dad and I figured we would see more geese than ducks. So we had to swap out shells from T shot to something more suitable. Which meant not enough time. THe duck landed right in our decoys, right in front of us! DOH! It would have been such an easy shot, in fact the hard part would be not peppering the entire body with shot.
It ended up popping straight off the water within a second and flew to the far bank. I tried to call it over but it wanted none of us after that.
Second one was probably a merganser, it flew in right over our decoys, another easy crossing shot, and landed slightly upriver. Also no response to calling, and I thought my duck quacks sound pretty good!
So tomorrow we will set out a little earlier, and we will pay more attention! PAY ATTENTION. We will have our guns loaded for ducks since the geese tend to be a noisy bunch and should give us enough warning if any fly, though we saw none.
On the paddle back home we ended up stirring up a flock of ducks in front of us, who flew upriver. I nearly loaded up and took a shot.
I went to the range afterward and put a few rounds through the flintlock. Was having some trouble at some point, turned out the flint was loose. Fixed that but had some ignition issues. I think my priming flask needs some cleaning since it is not throwing as much powder. I know I read somewhere that the recommendation for poor ignition is not to overdo the powder. However I find that when I just get the flash in the pan, a hefty dose of FFFFg in the pan does the trick in getting the gun going, but definately with a little more hang-time than a fresh clean gun. I am hoping that fortune puts a doe or button buck such as my brother's in front of me come muzzleloader season. I am not having a lot of faith in finding a big buck for deer season.
With regards to deer season, I am contemplating skipping opening day so that I may return home with the proper amount of holes in my body. I have not seen much sign of legal bucks on the public land we hunt, and I do not have a doe permit this year. I'll still have plenty of time to hunt deer during the week with my brother. I still would hunt opening day though, just would be hunting ducks/geese instead of deer.
Speaking of deer, and my brother, Dad and I just ate some venison steaks from his deer. Cooked them in a pan with a lot of butter and a little onions. Delicious! Came out perfect, not overdone. I did have some venison in a restraunt in May I think, but it was a goulash kinda thing. These steaks were simple and relatively plain, but absolutely fantastic. I have had venison before and thought it was just ok several years ago, maybe over a decade ago. Proper cooking makes a big difference, and I really now get why people love the taste of venison. I look forward to more
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| Monday, November 16th, 2009
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8:49 pm - Vacation! Hunting! Yeah!
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After 6 hours of involuntary overtime this morning, am finally upstate. Got the decoys ready, dad is with me, and my waders came from Cabela's. Those geese and ducks better watch out. They also better come in range and give us some shots.
I was hoping to catch the Leonids before going to sleep but I think I will just try to wake up a little earlier and not cut the time so close. Hopefully will catch the remainder of them pre-dawn as we set up the decoys and get settled in for some hunting.
Will be back to work Thanksgiving night, but this should hopefully turn out to be a good hunting vacation, with a pistol match in the city thursday night. I am not getting my hopes up for regular gun season, which falls during this vacation and some days off. No doe permit for me this year, and I've never seen a legal antlered buck around here, not where we hunt at least. I might get brave and try some other spots a little further from home. If things turn out to be the normal disappointment, then I hope that I can at least get a doe during the muzzleloader season.
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| Saturday, November 14th, 2009
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9:15 pm - King Obama!
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So since the coronation, this guy sure seems to love bowing to royalty.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/11/obama-emperor-akihito-japan.html
I know the other times his supporters tried to play it off as "oh he was just leaning in!"
And yeah I know there are plenty of other things to criticise him on, I just think this shows how fucked up everything is. I don't want to get all right-wing talk radio about it, but NO American should bow to royalty, no matter what the country. Especially not the country who attacked us at Pearl Harbor.
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| Sunday, November 8th, 2009
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8:30 pm - DEER
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Congratulations to my brother ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) dedbuffalo on his first deer. OUR first deer as a family too. A little button buck that he shot at about 25 yards with his bow. Things seemed to work out about as perfect as they can for someone with no prior deer experience or any real deer hunting mentor. We are learning this stuff as we go along.
Now hopefully I will see either a legal buck during my gun season vacation, or anything shootable during muzzleloader. I think next year I will have to get some PA licenses so I can take advantage of their early muzzleloader season.
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| Monday, November 2nd, 2009
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6:16 pm - IPSC
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Yesterday evening I met up with Jim out in NJ and we went to the Tenafly rifle and pistol club. They were having a small 3 stage IPSC match, indoor range. Relatively informal, but not as informal as anyone who has shot with me and the timer. It was strongly IPSC based, a two gun match, pistol and shotgun.
I used my G19 and Remington 870 with the 18" barrel and stock 4+1 capacity. There were a mix of guns present, some glocks, a few 1911s, Jim using his SIG 226. Shotguns seemed to be a mix too, a 590A1 like mine, an 870 with all the tacticool accessories, Benelli M1 Super 90. A couple people used basic hunting pumps and a semi auto.
Overall I think we had about 15 shooters, give or take a few. All for an indoor range. Stage 1 was on hte left and stage 2 on the right, we were divided into two squads. One squad did one stage, the other did the other, alternating taking turns. The final stage was a combination of the first two with the moving targets removed.
Stage 1 consisted of busting 9 clays from 3 positions with the shotgun, then engaging a "distant" target with the handgun, moving to a port, shooting a close target through that, then closing the distance and shooting 3 targets and a steel plate from behind cover. Shotgun was on a table with the chamber empty magazine filled.
Stage 2 starts out sitting, get up and open a window, shoot through it, move to a car door and shoot through its window at two targets, move to a port which will activate two targets to slide by on a track. Shoot them while they are moving, then move to take out 4 steel plates. Plate #2 triggers two swinger targets that are swinging behind cover. So after the plates move on to the swingers and finish the stage.
As far as skill goes, Me and Jim were right up at the top there, there was one guy who was fast but his hits didn't look so amazing to me. But he did pretty good. The rest of the shooters were pretty crappy, also known as "average". A lot of people know how to shoot a gun, and they can hit a static target pretty consistently.
Not many people know how to RUN a gun though. Once movement, multiple targets, varying distances and so on are added into the equation, most people seem to fall flat on their face. Which almost happened at this range with a really slippery floor!
Even with the shotguns, some of the shooters nearly needed an entire 25 round box to hit 9 clays. 9 stationary clays at distances under 25 yards. When me and Jim ran the clay course, we never needed more than 9, and I think we both might have used as little as 7 or 8 due to the angles. I got to run stage 1 a second time as a re-shoot because Dante, Sergio's brother, acting as RO forgot to have me insert the magazine in my pistol.
I was surprised at how many misses they had, the guys with the semi autos were the worst, the very definition of "spray and pray". Yes a semi auto lets you be fast, yes you get reduced recoil. But to blaze through the targets you still need to point it in the right direction! Not just hammer down on the trigger! I can shoot a semi-shotgun faster than a pump, and it would have saved me time, butI know my limits and do not shoot faster than them! Just because someone can shoot really fast, does not mean that you can without practice! You might fool some people into thinking you know what you are doing, but when they see you missed multiple times, well...it looks really dumb to have a shotgun with 9 round capacity that you need to reload for only 9 targets.
So there is a lesson to be learned here, and that is perfect practice makes perfect! Anyone who has even contemplated defense with their firearms needs to run them in a defensive manner! When at the range that means practicing magazine changes, shooting from different positions, behind cover. Practice malfunction drills, tactical reloads, shooting on the move, reloading on the move. Practice that with handguns, with rifles, and with shotguns. Learn the tricks to keep different operating systems running well under pressure. That means quick smooth reloads, getting ammo in that gun and getting it up and shooting as fast as possible. I don't think anyone but me, Jim, and maybe a few others actually had that figured out before. I think Kaitlin would have done better than some of the people there who had spent a bunch of money on fancy 1911s and shotguns, all sorts of racegun gaming stuff. And Kaitlin only shoots a few times per year!
I had a lot of fun and learned a few new things here and there. I enjoyed finally shooting "tactically" in a sort of "official" scenario, with range officers and other competitors not just Jim and Sergio.
I did have something to complain about, but I'm not really letting it get to me. And it has a little to do with the rules of IPSC, and more to do with the fact that some people are just plain annoying. One of the guys running the match, who Dante does not like apparently, is a bit of a wiener. While I had not shot an official IPSC match before, he had an "I'm the expert" approach to introducing us, and while friendly, I don't think he gauged our skill adequately. He was thinking "these guys don't know what they are in for" when that is far from the truth. Based on his shooting, he didn't have much to claim in the way of expertise.
Now, this is where I get hte sneaking suspicion he hates to lose, and once he saw how we were doing, he became a bit of a stickler regarding scoring. In IPSC there are certain procedures they want you to follow to finish a stage, which is fine. I did make one mistake in stage 3, when I forgot to engage the last clay from the third position. I saw it in the second position so I shot it, tactically, it made sense. But the rules of the stage were that that set of clays was supposed to be engaged from the left. Fine.
But all of a sudden this wiener guy tells me he is gonna give a few more procedurals, claiming that I did not hit the swinger target with 3 out of 4 shots. He said that two shots went through one of the "no-shoot" targets and that he saw it. I said ok where are the holes? There were none, he just said he "saw it" and that there weren't the powder marks on the holes in the targets. BULLSHIT, I know I hit those targets, I know that at a distance under 7 yards I did not throw my shot by 16 inches. But fine whatever, I know how I did, and he wants to be a wiener about it fine.
My suspicion is that once he saw me shooting well, at the top end of the competition, he got jealous and wanted to find reasons to keep my score from blowing him out of the water. I was not the only one contesting his first attempt to give me 3 procedurals for the clay thing, when the guy who was actually timing me saw the other mistake that happened, not my fault. 2 of the 3 clays were not there when I shot, and the wiener guy didn't like the idea of giving me a reshoot as Dante suggested. I am sure that got confusing, but the fact is, I made one mistake, this wiener guy wanted to give me 5 procedurals. And he used some fuzzy logic regarding that swinging target. I wasn't gonna argue since I just went to have fun and try something new, but this guy really struck me as a weasel by the end of the night. Enough that I wish I had contested it some more, since I didn't get to see the swinger target before he scored it and taped it over. BUT THERE WERE NO HOLES IN THE NO-SHOOTS!
The procedural for the clay, I accept that, but I do think I was tactically correct. This is why I want to try IDPA next, I think I might like it slightly more than IPSC. I am a little annoyed that IDPA will not let me use the full 15 round capacity of my G19 mags, but I understand wanting to make it about skills not just equipment. For one thing, I think dropping a fully loaded magazine is dumb, and a tactical reload with retention makes more sense for the real world. After all those rounds you just dropped on the ground might be the ones you need to save your life. I know they do IDPA at Wilkes Barre and at a range in Factoryville, PA, I'll have to get out to them someday.
I dunno if they are emailing scores out for it or what, I'll have to get in touch with Dante and see what's up. I'll still go back to this place when convenient with Jim, because it would be nice to beat that wiener guy repeatedly.
As for today, I managed to sight in my Thompson Center Icon. Shoots pretty good, and as long as I don't flinch it does keep 3 shots under 1 MOA with factory ammo. I'll have to get some match grade .30-06 to try through it sometime. I ended up scoping it with a Zeiss Conquest with one of their BDC reticles. I'm pretty happy with the combination, need to just get a sling for hunting with it now. Maybe see how it does at 200 yards sometime.
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| Sunday, November 1st, 2009
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2:04 pm - 2 gun match
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Work last night was nuts, I'm glad I made it through. Breakfast with the woman, a little nap, and hopefully this afternoon I'll be stopping by in NJ on the way upstate. One of the ranges Jim and Dante go to is having a 2 gun match, pistol/shotgun, and apparently it is zombie themed.
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| Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
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2:25 am - Mossberg really has gotten stupid
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Recently Mossberg has been putting out guns with big stupid ass muzzle brakes. As in the same brake that's on the Barrett .50 rifles.
First it started with the stupid breaching standoff device, because we all breach so many doors. Not that I'll really knock people based on "what you need", but it does seem pretty specific.
Now they have gone off the deep end putting the .50 brake on every gun they have. Their bolt action budget hunting rifle, the pistol grip only shotguns (already a pretty dumb idea), and even their .22s. TWENTY TWO LONG RIFLE WITH A .50 BRAKE! It needed caps.
I do own two Mossberg shotguns out of the 3 shotguns I own. But man their new stuff really is making me want to sell off the Mossbergs and replace them with Remington 870s for a pump gun. No stupid shit in their lineup as far as I can see. My 590A1 doesn't have any stupid ass .50 brake, and my 500 works fine for hunting. I guess I wouldn't sell that since it's a little beat up these days from all its time in the bottom of a canoe.
But still, a .50 brake on a .22? Makes me embarassed to say I own a Mossberg.
They are putting themselves on the same list that I put owners of Desert Eagles and Kalashnikovs with no stock. The dumbass list.
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| Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
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10:02 pm - AK vs AR-15
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OMG TEH AK IS LIEK TEH BEST!!!!!1
Ok, I do like AKs too, but there is so much BS among non-gunnies, and even among gunnies, I love real deal stuff like this:
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10:00 pm - Pistol Match #2
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Shot another NRA Conventional bullseye pistol match tonight. 90 shots at 50 feet, a mix of slow fire, timed, and rapid. I did much better this time, shooting I think a 704 or 705 total. I might have even won, unofficially so far. We will see when the scores come in.
I didn't practice as much as I wanted, but I did have a good 40 round practice session on tuesday. A firm grip, confirm sight alignment, proper breathing, squeeze the trigger. It's just a checklist, simple as that, I just had to make sure I did it. I think I only had two complete misses this time, though I did have one alibi string of fire.
I had one round fail to eject in one stage, and called the alibi. I shot two extra shots on a target during the alibi firing, and unfortunately that took two 10 point hits away, and i know I threw one of the alibi firings low. Oh well, I do hope I actually won, we will see how the scores come in.
Gotta go to work in 30 minutes, next match is Nov 5th.
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| Sunday, October 18th, 2009
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6:58 pm - discomfort and the weather are dumb
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I was gonna go duck hunting this morning with Dad. But we decided not to since hte forecast was 90% chance of rain all day, and I don't like being cold and wet. Neither does dad.
In the end we should have, because it barely rained at all, and the day ended up sunny. I did fast forward in human advancement from hunter-gatherer to agriculture though. Took care of most of the garden for winter, though we still have a few snow peas and string beans growing and want to see what happens with that. And some daikon radishes which are very spicy.
The garden has been pretty much a disappointment this year, I didn't take any pictures of the bounty since I don't think there was much of a bounty. Corn did awful, so did watermelons, at least in the flavor department. Lettuce was kinda iffy. Beets just don't seem to grow for me. The legumes did best this year but they seem to do well all the time. Good thing that I like them. Was very disappointed in the corn and lettuce. And of course we all know about the tomato blight.
I don't think our bees are going to give us any honey this winter either. One hive survived last winter, hopefully they can make it through another. The second hive is weak, and just a little while ago I helped dad move them closer together, his idea being that they will help insulate each other.
Did get out to the range for some semi-lazy shooting with Sergio though. Same for yesterday. He finally got his 9mm suppressor. We were playing with that on his SBR MP-5 and MP-5k clones (semi-auto only, one was originally an HK-94 and the other an SP-89). Shot my anschutz and .22 AR as well.
9mm suppressors need subsonic to be hearing-safe. 115gr stuff still zips along with a supersonic crack, even out of the short barrels. And even though muzzle blast is reduced, it still is uncomfortable to shoot without hearing protection. 147 grain subsonic stuff is awesome though, out of the suppressor it seems quieter than high velocity .22.
Still isn't silent though, and that's why "SILENCER" is a misnomer. If I am walking down the block and hear that noise, I will still know someone is shooting a gun, and hopefully not at me! Really, what it comes down to, is that the NFA laws are retarded, and unfortunately will never be repealed. Suppressors are on my to-buy list when I retire and move to a free state. Or maybe if I set up a corporation or trust when I buy out of NY property...hmm.
The big disappointment today was not hunting, and I realize rain is a stupid excuse. I've been hunting in the rain before and been fine, with the flintlock even! I have waterproof cold weather clothing, and I should use it! NO MORE EXCUSES! Goose starts back up on Oct 24th, and Ducks as well on Nov 7th. I have some days off and vacation falling within the time frame. Also will get to hunt regular gun season for deer, but no doe permit this year. Waiting on the scope for my TC Icon right now, should be able to sight that in on my next trip upstate.
I suppose I will go all out and spend the money on a pair of waders and a waterfowl camouflaged hunting jacket (waterproof of course). Why not, and it should make waterfowl hunting a little more comfortable. I am feeling more inclined to become a serious waterfowler, as we are right on the river, and I have some decoys and will pick more up next season.
Tomorrow will be a day of upland game hunting with dad, hopefully we will have some luck with Mr. Haasenpfeffer or knock down some grouse (or pheasants).
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| Friday, October 9th, 2009
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12:13 pm - Match Results
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I actually took second place! Surprised me for sure. I will now have to make sure I can cut out those misses I had...assuming they would have been 10s!
And hopefully get rid of those malfunctions in the buckmark. Will see how the rest of the matches do as everyone improves.
( match results behind the cut )
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| Thursday, October 8th, 2009
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9:31 pm - Shot the match
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Even though I've competed in highpower I got the first match jitters this time anyway. I managed to calm myself down for a lot of it, but there were a few complete misses here and there. This was all NRA conventional pistol, .22 at 50 feet indoors. One handed that means. 90 shots overall, 30 in slow fire (10 in 10 minutes) and then a bunch in timed fire (5 in 20) and rapid fire (5 in 10). I started out with a really good slow fire target...except I took one dumb trigger pull and missed the paper entirely. I also put one out of the black other than the miss, the rest in the black. THat then psychologically screwed me up for my next slow fire target.
I did pretty decent in the timed fire, the rapid fire I rushed a little.
Overall I think I did OK for some of the rest of us doing OK. There were 7 shooters overall, they only have like 14 firing points anyway. I think there would have been a second relay but two other people showed up late.
Thankfully, I only had one light strike, during the slow fire stage. That might have been what also screwed me psychologically.
I now have a feel for the course of fire, and hope to improve next time. Look forward to seeing the results as well.
I had to walk there because had I waited for the dumb ass bus I would have been late. Busses in this city are a pain in the ass and only good for when you decide to ride instead of walking, but don't have to be anywhere at any particular time.
Work tonight, next match is the Thursday after next.
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8:48 am - Pistol Match
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After a relatively uneventful night I am home. This is good, because I have my first ever NRA bullseye pistol match this evening at 1900. Just cleaned up the Buckmark and hope that it will work well. I have been having some malfunction issues with the buckmark. At first it was because the lock washers for the top sight rail needed to be replaced. That solved some of the issues. I also replaced the firing pin, because I was having light primer strikes.
I still am having light primer strikes, even with a really clean gun. It is getting downright annoying. I suppose I might have to replace the firing pin spring and/or the hammer spring as well. I tried cleaning out the chamber as has been recomended as well and hope that will help for the match. It's only 90 rounds plus a 10 round fun target for this first match. There will be 3 other matches to follow, every other Thursday evening. I could use my .45 for the other matches but I think I'll stick with .22, since I have a ton of Wolf Match Target.
Like my first highpower match, I'm not expecting to win, but I hope I don't come in last! But with the possible malfunction issues, we will see...
must get some sleep now so I can wake up early for the match
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| Monday, October 5th, 2009
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2:03 pm - The Springfield 1903
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A few pics of it. Shot it on Saturday at 200 yards, nothing more, nothing less. I don't know how anyone ever used the notch sight on it, but I guess the peep isn't exactly the best one for combat either. Makes one realize how true the saying is "The German's built a hunting rifle, the Americans a target rifle, the British a battle rifle".
But it does shoot wel and it is fun to shoot, plus it's part of American history. Mine is from 1919 production, WWII rebuild with a C stock. I'm still going to be looking into all the variants and such for it. I forgot to take a picture but it has the Pederson cut on the side of the receiver (now to pick up a Pederson device HA!)
( a few more pics )
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| Friday, October 2nd, 2009
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6:54 pm - Well, I must be totally insane.
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Came upstate after work this morning, and picked up a T/C Icon in .30-06 I ordered from the new local gun shop here. It's pretty damn cool, can't wait to get out and shoot and then hunt with it. But I need to order a scope for it first, probably going to be a Nikon Monarch since there is a good rebate offer for the rifle and Nikon scope.
Did a little shooting with the .22, and the glock 19. A guy I know at the range told me that the shop near the range had a Springfield 1903 in pretty good conditon, albeit a WWII rebuild. Still a nice 1903 even if not all matching.
I went over there and took a look at it, and it was pretty cool, but I decided to sleep on it.
Well about 10 minutes away it started really weighing on my mind, so I called Jim and asked him what he thought. I was originally gonna post on AR15.com or something but well, I just started thinking about it so much.
So he convinced me, I turned around, and bought the rifle in the last 8 minutes the shop was open.
That's two .30-06 rifles in one day. One for hunting, a new-ish design with a reputation for accuracy, and another WWI/WWII vintage C&R. I kinda got out of C&R rifles a while ago, but well, I already have a ton of .30-06 for the Garand and if every American should own a Garand, all TRUE Americans should own a Springfield '03 of some sort!
I'll have to work some overtime next week.
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