So... Spatial analysis is slowing my life down... this is one course I just can't 'wing it' in! Life has been way too busy, and I'm down to re-cleaning and re-inspecting firearms instead of shooting them. I need to be reloading and casting bullets; first skirmish for N-SSA in my region, Carolina, is coming up soon, and I'm just a bit short on rounds for the Enfield and the Smith Carbine. The Enfield rounds, at 485 grains each, take up a lot of my precious lead, and take a while to cast... I haven't found a really quick method of turning out quality bullets at high speed. Allowing for cooling, it simply takes about one minute per bullet to cast them. Compared to taking only about 25 seconds to load and fire, it just doesn't seem like a fair trade-off! The Smith rounds are a little better, as only weighing in at 340 grains they cast and cool much faster, but I have the added time of actually loading cartridges for them, with that annoying little bit of flashpaper in the flash hole at the bottem. Plus, they go a lot faster; I can get about 5 aimed rounds a minute off with the Smith. Oh, the troubles of shooting sports! Spring is nearly here, though, and that means classes end soon, and I'll be safely back up in the mountains and have some time to devote to casting, loading, and shooting. Oh, yeah, and just wondering around in the woods far away from anybody... I need some alone time about now!
LG
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Back to school
It is time. Pack the books, laptop, guns, etc. back into the truck and head back to school. I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted to over the Christmas break .Yeah, I still say Christmas. Get over it with the "holiday" terminology. I'm not particularly devout, but to me it's Christmas, and that's what I'm gonna call it. Anyway, I did get to sight in the EBR, and I'm a bit happier with the accuracy than before, though I think the feed area still needs work, as it is still gouging the bullet when loading from a mag (though not when hand-chambering), so I think I know where to go next to decrease the group size. I'm pretty sure the rifle should do better than 2" at 50 yards off rest, even with iron sights.
In other gun-related news, we took my Mother's .32 Crockett rifle (by Traditions) down to try it out (Guns make great Christmas presents, don't they?) Range conditions: Pretty frickin' cold, snowy and windy. Still the little rifle performed very nicely, even though we didn't have a powder measure that would throw good loads for the gun... ended up using a 50 gr. measure and guestimating 30 grains. At 25 yards off hand it produced groups on par with the EBR from rest at 50, so I think it is going to be a great performer with a little more consistency in powder measuring and tinkering with the load. Lessee... 30 grains of powder per shot gives us 200+ shots per pound of powder, and the .31 roundballs come out at somewhere over 150 balls per pound of lead, plus 1 percussion cap per shot... quite a bit cheaper to shoot than the EBR! I really like the gun... I see one of these, or something very similar in my future. I'm really fond of guns that I can afford to shoot enough to really feel comfortable with offhand, and right now that would be, um,... .22s?
Along this line, I have to admit that I really like shooting offhand. Shooting from a rest is necessary to sight a gun in, verify the sights/safe gun function, and get become familiar with it's quirks (if any), but what is the point beyond that? You should be familiar with shooting from various rest positions, especially for hunting, and know how your rifle performs from a rest: does it change the point of impact if you rest on the barrel vs. the forearm? Does it change if you hold it tightly on the rest as opposed to just sitting it on the rest? I think a shooter needs to know these things, but I also feel that once they are identified, most of the ammo should be spent from an offhand position. Sure, you may need to go back to the rest occasionally to work on sight alignment, trigger pull/squeeze, breathing, new loads, etc., but if you have these components down, along with a good hold, you're going to be prepared for most any shooting situation in hunting. Self-defense will require additional skills, but being able to shoot well from your two hind feet is a darn good starting point for any type of shooting. Too many hunters go run a few rounds out of the rifle before hunting season, from a rest, to make sure the sights are still on, and wonder why they miss a shot in the field when they're walking along, then presented with a sudden target and they're forced into taking an offhand shot, or not shooting at all. Few can resist, but very few hit where they want to. Offhand practice won't convey the ability to hit a moving target (that is a whole new skill to practice), but it will give you the opportunity to take quality shots when the game happens to be standing still, and increasing the opportunities is a lot of what getting ready for hunting season is all about, isn't it? If not, why bother with feeders, trail cams, stands, scents, and so much other paraphernalia? If you can shoot well offhand, and know your limits, then a handy branch to rest the arm across is a bonus, not a necessity. Use it by all means, but use it to increase the chances of a well-placed shot, not as prop to just give you a chance. If you don't have time to visit a range often, use it wisely: a few shots from the bench to assure you that everything is okay (and keep you from blaming misses on the rifle), and then the rest of the day's ammo offhand. Start at a reasonable range, 25 yards is not too close, and develop the skills to give you confidence in your ability to handle your firearm well in any position. Sure, some of the folks may make fun of you for shooting your scoped magnum at 25 yards... ask them to show you how well they can do it offhand. If they do it better, ask them them for advice. I suspect that few of them will accept the challenge - far safer to go back to the bench and show how well their gun groups at 100 yards instead of demonstrating what their actual shooting ability is.
It is hard to admit that, as an American, you may be a lousy shot. I grew up shooting, and considered myself an above-average marksman (don't we all!)... up until I decided to join the North-South Skirmish Association, shooting American Civil War arms at breakable targets, offhand and timed, at 50 and 100 yards. A 4" clay pigeon on a cardboard backer at only 50 yards? I could roll this competition! Only, not. With the clock rolling, iron sights, other shooters firing all around me, and no rest in sight, those 4" targets looked like pinheads... little bobbing, weaving, dodging pinheads. I broke a few in my first competition, and went home knowing that I needed to work up a better load for my gun; it obviously wasn't grouping well. After weeks of load experiments, it was grouping nicely; at least an inch better at 50 yards. (Of course, I carefully ignored the fact that the initial group was about 4", which was tight enough to hit most of the targets if I was doing my part.) It took the first year of competition shooting, maybe a little longer, to admit that the musket was just fine... it was the loose nut behind the trigger that needed attention. That was nine years ago, and over the intervening years I have put a lot of time, practice, and study into learning to shoot well offhand. I'm still not Hawkeye, but I am realistically now at the level of shooting that I considered myself to be at when I started. Plinking on the farm is a lot more fun now that I can usually hit the can instead of just hitting close enough to bounce it around. (Just bouncing it used to be a "hit", even if it didn't have a hole in it... no more. A hit is a hit, and a miss is a miss. Don't kid yourself, I remind myself ever so often - no hole, no hit.)
Enough of that rant, but you can understand why I love guns that are affordable to shoot. Learning to shoot offhand takes a lot of ammo, and that is why a .22 usually accompanies me to the farm. However, the little Crockett rifle has added a new twist... I can hear one calling to me... "I'm light and easy to carry... I shoulder well... I'm cheap to shoot... and I'm accurate. Oh, yeah, and I cost less than 1,000 rounds of quality 5.56mm..." Hmmm...
Off to school, y'all! Unfortunately, no rifle team at this school... big surprise there... State school...
LG
In other gun-related news, we took my Mother's .32 Crockett rifle (by Traditions) down to try it out (Guns make great Christmas presents, don't they?) Range conditions: Pretty frickin' cold, snowy and windy. Still the little rifle performed very nicely, even though we didn't have a powder measure that would throw good loads for the gun... ended up using a 50 gr. measure and guestimating 30 grains. At 25 yards off hand it produced groups on par with the EBR from rest at 50, so I think it is going to be a great performer with a little more consistency in powder measuring and tinkering with the load. Lessee... 30 grains of powder per shot gives us 200+ shots per pound of powder, and the .31 roundballs come out at somewhere over 150 balls per pound of lead, plus 1 percussion cap per shot... quite a bit cheaper to shoot than the EBR! I really like the gun... I see one of these, or something very similar in my future. I'm really fond of guns that I can afford to shoot enough to really feel comfortable with offhand, and right now that would be, um,... .22s?
Along this line, I have to admit that I really like shooting offhand. Shooting from a rest is necessary to sight a gun in, verify the sights/safe gun function, and get become familiar with it's quirks (if any), but what is the point beyond that? You should be familiar with shooting from various rest positions, especially for hunting, and know how your rifle performs from a rest: does it change the point of impact if you rest on the barrel vs. the forearm? Does it change if you hold it tightly on the rest as opposed to just sitting it on the rest? I think a shooter needs to know these things, but I also feel that once they are identified, most of the ammo should be spent from an offhand position. Sure, you may need to go back to the rest occasionally to work on sight alignment, trigger pull/squeeze, breathing, new loads, etc., but if you have these components down, along with a good hold, you're going to be prepared for most any shooting situation in hunting. Self-defense will require additional skills, but being able to shoot well from your two hind feet is a darn good starting point for any type of shooting. Too many hunters go run a few rounds out of the rifle before hunting season, from a rest, to make sure the sights are still on, and wonder why they miss a shot in the field when they're walking along, then presented with a sudden target and they're forced into taking an offhand shot, or not shooting at all. Few can resist, but very few hit where they want to. Offhand practice won't convey the ability to hit a moving target (that is a whole new skill to practice), but it will give you the opportunity to take quality shots when the game happens to be standing still, and increasing the opportunities is a lot of what getting ready for hunting season is all about, isn't it? If not, why bother with feeders, trail cams, stands, scents, and so much other paraphernalia? If you can shoot well offhand, and know your limits, then a handy branch to rest the arm across is a bonus, not a necessity. Use it by all means, but use it to increase the chances of a well-placed shot, not as prop to just give you a chance. If you don't have time to visit a range often, use it wisely: a few shots from the bench to assure you that everything is okay (and keep you from blaming misses on the rifle), and then the rest of the day's ammo offhand. Start at a reasonable range, 25 yards is not too close, and develop the skills to give you confidence in your ability to handle your firearm well in any position. Sure, some of the folks may make fun of you for shooting your scoped magnum at 25 yards... ask them to show you how well they can do it offhand. If they do it better, ask them them for advice. I suspect that few of them will accept the challenge - far safer to go back to the bench and show how well their gun groups at 100 yards instead of demonstrating what their actual shooting ability is.
It is hard to admit that, as an American, you may be a lousy shot. I grew up shooting, and considered myself an above-average marksman (don't we all!)... up until I decided to join the North-South Skirmish Association, shooting American Civil War arms at breakable targets, offhand and timed, at 50 and 100 yards. A 4" clay pigeon on a cardboard backer at only 50 yards? I could roll this competition! Only, not. With the clock rolling, iron sights, other shooters firing all around me, and no rest in sight, those 4" targets looked like pinheads... little bobbing, weaving, dodging pinheads. I broke a few in my first competition, and went home knowing that I needed to work up a better load for my gun; it obviously wasn't grouping well. After weeks of load experiments, it was grouping nicely; at least an inch better at 50 yards. (Of course, I carefully ignored the fact that the initial group was about 4", which was tight enough to hit most of the targets if I was doing my part.) It took the first year of competition shooting, maybe a little longer, to admit that the musket was just fine... it was the loose nut behind the trigger that needed attention. That was nine years ago, and over the intervening years I have put a lot of time, practice, and study into learning to shoot well offhand. I'm still not Hawkeye, but I am realistically now at the level of shooting that I considered myself to be at when I started. Plinking on the farm is a lot more fun now that I can usually hit the can instead of just hitting close enough to bounce it around. (Just bouncing it used to be a "hit", even if it didn't have a hole in it... no more. A hit is a hit, and a miss is a miss. Don't kid yourself, I remind myself ever so often - no hole, no hit.)
Enough of that rant, but you can understand why I love guns that are affordable to shoot. Learning to shoot offhand takes a lot of ammo, and that is why a .22 usually accompanies me to the farm. However, the little Crockett rifle has added a new twist... I can hear one calling to me... "I'm light and easy to carry... I shoulder well... I'm cheap to shoot... and I'm accurate. Oh, yeah, and I cost less than 1,000 rounds of quality 5.56mm..." Hmmm...
Off to school, y'all! Unfortunately, no rifle team at this school... big surprise there... State school...
LG
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Finals of... Deer Season?
So, after finishing things up at school, I was able to take the LAST TWO DAYS of deer season and actually go into the woods and hunt, instead of just thinking about it. It was cold, raining, and windy... classic. The deer, or course, had better sense than to be out in this mess, especially with an armed stranger prowling about. I even hunted from my 'magic tree', from which spot I've taken many, many deer over the years. No luck. Two weeks before, a friend just back from Iraq wanted to go hunt on the land and unwind; in the process, he killed three deer in two days. Coming back to the house, he berated my brother and I for stealing deer from the local petting zoos to stock the farm with. Lovely. He lost track of the deer he saw; the only deer I saw was one that had very carefully bedded down about 15 feet behind my truck and quickly bounded over the fence onto county land (aka "out-of-bounds") when I returned cold, tired and wet the last day. As if insult needed injury, I found out that 4 deer had passed just behind the house earlier that same day while I was out in the woods.
So... finals for deer season are over this year. Based on the score, I think I'll be taking the course over next year...
LG
So... finals for deer season are over this year. Based on the score, I think I'll be taking the course over next year...
LG
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Finals are over... Finally!
OK, I made it through finals with only a minimum of sleep deprivation, and hey! Christmas came early for me. I'm a fairly likable guy (really!), so how could I deny myself the opportunity to purchase a Shiloh Sharps business rifle when it came up for sale through a friend at a really good price? I couldn't, so it came home with me... a plain but exceptionally well made gun in the light plinking caliber of .50-140. NOT what I was looking for... our deer in this neck of the woods aren't typically armored, and I usually hunt with a .45 caplock and a nice pleasant load of 65 grains of 3F; it has proven quite sufficient. But, oh my... the .50-140 is fun to shoot. Yes, it does have a stiff recoil, but not unmanageable with 425 grain bullets. I really wanted a .45-70, since I already have reloading equipment for that caliber, but this gun came with dies, brass, a mold... kinda shot the "I'm not set up to reload that caliber excuse" ( A known, valid excuse for passing up a firearm at a good deal, though employing it often leads to regret later). I've not shot it enough to really see what sort of groups I can get with it, and the first few shots were of the 'hang-on-for-dear-life' variety, until I realized it wasn't going to incapacitate me. Even so, I was getting a fair offhand group at 50 yards using the 10-year-old ammo that came with the gun, more than adequate for whitetail hunting. (Normally I am leery of handloaded ammo that comes with a gun, but: I trust this individual, all shells were full-volume Pyrodex, eliminating the possibility of a double charge, and all measurements were within spec for the round.) Now I'm looking for a 600 grain mold, preferably for paper-patched bullets, and getting ready to load some more rounds with the 425 grain bullets using honest-to-goodness, real blackpowder. I guess I should mention what I consider a 'fair' group to be, just to avoid the sidelong glances... in this case, a little less than 3 inches. Not that hot, but considering a new (to me) gun, basic iron sights, old ammo that needed a good cleaning, rain, and concern over being able to clap with my shoulder blades after the first shot, I'll give it a fair rating. I expect improvement with fresh ammo and a decent day, and some more time behind the trigger. Then I can move back a bit (my home range is 300 yards... across the boxwood nursery, over the hayfield and past the garden) and really start playing with it.
Alas, classes start again all too soon, so shooting will be limited over the Christmas break... soon I'll be back to stream hydraulics instead of ballistics, relegated to merely plotting the summer's lead-and-powder based activities.
Merry Christmas!
Alas, classes start again all too soon, so shooting will be limited over the Christmas break... soon I'll be back to stream hydraulics instead of ballistics, relegated to merely plotting the summer's lead-and-powder based activities.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Where are we going?
Howdy! What this blog is... and isn't. Old Trails are those places that we love to revisit time and time again, whether physically or just while daydreaming. They are the paths of our lives; they are how we got to where we are now. New trails are exciting, and I look forward to them, but old trails are where I go for solace; to get my life sorted out, so set priorities, and think about the things that I enjoy in life. Most of my old trails are in the Southern Appalachians, and I get to walk these quite a bit. Others are in Alaska or on the deep blue; those I only visit in my mind, at least for the time being. All of them are worth going back to occasionally. I enjoy the outdoors in most any form; I did my undergraduate work in biology so I could spend my days outside, and it paid for itself many times over. Now I've moved into a slightly different area of study, but it allows me to start putting everything around me together in a (sometimes) coherent pattern. You won't see it mentioned too often my writings here: this blog is devoted to the things that I enjoy when I go to my happy place. What are these? Shooting, mainly blackpowder but hey, I believe in diversity: my flintlock and my M4gery get along together just fine! Hunting... not fanatical, but I do like a deer in the freezer. Fishing - I love fishing in almost any form, from dry flies to otter trawls... Camping, usually incidental to some other activity. Reading, though right now it is mainly confined to textbooks and journal articles... but I still remember what it was like to read for pure enjoyment too! All sorts of other stuff too, but we'll just wait and see what shows up.
What this blog isn't:
Political... both major parties can take a North-South walk on an East-West bridge as far as I'm concerned. I vote for my own self interests, hope for the best, and plan for the worst.
A fountain of wisdom... all advice given herein is worth exactly the cost of admission, no warranty either express or implied, and no guarantees. Read at your own risk.
It probably won't be a lot of other things either... very little coal ever makes the transition to diamond, and I suspect that this blog while stay in a rather loosely consolidated carboniferous state, totally lacking in luster or clarity.
I'm currently a full time student working on my PhD, so blogging will be sporadic, erratic, and chaotic. Pretty much a reflection of my life at this point... but at least I'm seldom bored!
More as events warrant...
LG
What this blog isn't:
Political... both major parties can take a North-South walk on an East-West bridge as far as I'm concerned. I vote for my own self interests, hope for the best, and plan for the worst.
A fountain of wisdom... all advice given herein is worth exactly the cost of admission, no warranty either express or implied, and no guarantees. Read at your own risk.
It probably won't be a lot of other things either... very little coal ever makes the transition to diamond, and I suspect that this blog while stay in a rather loosely consolidated carboniferous state, totally lacking in luster or clarity.
I'm currently a full time student working on my PhD, so blogging will be sporadic, erratic, and chaotic. Pretty much a reflection of my life at this point... but at least I'm seldom bored!
More as events warrant...
LG
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