Gone Shooting

I went shooting again yesterday morning. This time I took my Ruger Charger pistol. If you're unaware the Charger is basically their well-known .22LR 10/22 rifle with the stock removed, bipod and a shorter barrel. Mine is one of the old style, newer models have a pistol grip like an AR-15.

I bought this used in late 2014. Yes, I've owned it for nearly 18 months and just now got it to the range. That's how far behind I am.

When I bought this it had a cheap red dot sight attached but I wanted something with more accuracy potential. I had a nice fixed 4X Bushnell scope and some Leupold rings that weren't being used. A much more accurate set-up and didn't cost me an extra dime either.

I got to the range when they opened and spent most of the morning sighting in the pistol. At 50 yards it was completely off the paper (to the left) when I started but after many rounds I had it very close. I ran out of ammo before I could finish but it won't take much to complete the job next time. Reliability wasn't an issue at all.

Bulk Federal match (320 rd box) was the only ammunition that I used and the Ruger liked it very much. I had several 3-shot groups you could cover with you thumb nail. My best for the day was a single one hole group that measured 3/8 inch.

I also brought along my 627-3 from the last shooting session. Since I intend to carry this I wanted to run some more rounds thru it to double check reliability. Yesterday I only fired some "cheap" Remington full power 158gr loads and they're pretty stout from that 2.6 inch barrel. The guy one table over thought I was shooting .44 Magnums! Like the Ruger I did my shooting at the 50 yard line. With the short barrel and sight radius I wasn't expecting much although I managed to hit the target 75% of the time!

By then the morning was nearly through and the temperature was starting to rise. I called it a day, a good one.

Gone shooting - First time in a long time

It's been a long miserable winter but I think we are finally nearing the end! Yesterday, I went shooting for the first time this year. The only available range nearby is outdoors and since December every time I wanted to go there would be more rain or snow. I don't mind going shooting when it's cold but I hate when there's 2 inches of mud on the ground.

Finally, yesterday, it had dried out some so I packed a couple of guns and went shooting! It was still a little cool (low 50s) and windy but the weather was good enough for a morning of fun at the range. It was still a little muddy out so I kept the distance short (10 Yards) and brought a couple of guns appropriate to those ranges.

The first was a Ruger Vaquero chambered in .45ACP and the second an old 12 gauge Stevens 311 double barrel that someone shortened to near the legal limit (18 ¼ barrel and 31 inches overall). I traded both from my brother a while back and had to find out if either was a "Keeper." I didn't think the shotgun would be but I had to at least shoot it first to be sure.

Both guns functioned perfectly, no problems in that department. The Ruger however was shooting about 2 inches left for me. Also, because of the grip's shape and their smooth wood construction the Vaquero had a tendency to try rolling out of my hand under recoil. I did not like that at all.

The Stevens, with its shortened barrel and cut down stock, looks like it would be quite unpleasant to shoot. With normal defense loads I'm sure it would be but yesterday I brought a light load that tamed the old gun some. I used Remington reduced recoil LE rounds (RR12BK8-00). They consist of 2 ¾ shells loaded with 8 pellets of 00 (1 ounce) with a muzzle velocity of 1200fps. Supposedly it has 40% less recoil than standard 12 gauge buckshot. They did make shooting this sawed-off somewhat enjoyable. I put 25 rounds thru it yesterday and my shoulder isn't sore at all. These rounds are definitely great for practice and I'm sure people of smaller stature (or with physical impairments) would find them very beneficial. For home defense though I think I might want the hotter stuff.

I was the first on the line when they opened yesterday but I wasn't alone very long. Two younger guys with their ARs and Glocks were about ten minutes behind me. I must have looked like an illustration out of a history textbook with my old double barrel and single action revolver! I saw that one of the guy's Glock was highly modified and after he noticed me eyeing it he let me have a better look. It was a Glock 21 that was customized by Cold Bore Customs. Exploring their website it appears they have made a nice business for themselves reshaping polymer framed pistols. I must say they did a good job on this one I examined. I've owned two Glock 21 pistols over the years and the size and shape of the grip frame was my only complaint about them. This 21 actually felt good in my hand. IF I was ever going to own another full size Glock I would definitely consider having this company whittle it down for me.

All in all I had a great morning shooting. Maybe I'll make it a regular thing from now on!

Gone Shooting

I went shooting on some private property yesterday. The weather was perfect, dry and 70 degrees. I have several guns that I need to shoot for various reasons but have been putting it off for months now. Yesterday I took my two Ruger Mark II pistols. The Government target model I've had for a while. It is a wonderful target pistol, exceptionally accurate but will still shoot anything you feed it. The Standard model is a 50th Anniversary gun I inherited from my dad. It had never been shot and I needed to try it out. The Ruger MKII has to be one of the finest semi-auto .22 pistols ever made. I've never had a problem with one and yesterday was no different. Mark II pistols are still reasonably priced right now but it's a good bet their value will only be going up since they're not made like this anymore.

Gone Shooting - 22 day

The weather was nice so I went shooting again earlier today. This time I only took .22s. There was the Ruger Government model from last time. I wanted to put a few more rounds through it and I also needed to adjust the sights. I took another .22 too, my Budischowsky TP-70. Ammunition used today was Federal "AutoMatch" and cheap Winchester both with 40gr bullets. As usual targets were 5-inch Shoot-N-C brand.

The Ruger was first up. All firing was from 50ft using an improvised rest (the roof of my car and a rolled up towel). No surprises in the accuracy department as it performed just like it did on the last outing. It was shooting high but didn't take long to make it right. But mostly what I was interested in this time was reliability. Because of the weather I only got to fire 100 rounds through it last session and I wanted to continue the test. Today the Ruger effortlessly ate up everything offered it, another 200 rounds without malfunction. So far so good.

Next up was my Budischowsky TP-70. All shooting was done at 15ft using my strong hand only. The Budischowsky was a high end pocket pistol from the 1970s. It had many features not common to guns that size. Features like real sights, a separate extractor, slide stop and a decocker. They only made them a few years with the large majority in .25 Auto. The .22 version was only produced one year and they're a little tough to come by.

This pistol is basically a range toy. I only keep it for two reasons, because it's so cute and so cheap to feed. I would never rely on it for personal protection. First is the caliber, while this was a very innovative "mouse gun" 30+ years ago time has passed it by. Now you can get pocket guns almost identical in size and actually lighter in .32 or .380. The "micro" 9mm pistols aren't far behind. But even if I wanted to rely on a .22LR for self defense I still wouldn't use this gun, it's just too persnickety.

The magazines are one problem. It will hold seven rounds but you'll quickly find that to be the easiest way to get this pistol to malfunction. You better count them out when loading. Six rounds, no more, ever. Another issue is the double action trigger pull. IT IS AWFUL! Even at 5 yards you can see I was pulling shots to the right. Firing in single action you can actually make reasonable sized groups but it's not safe to carry it that way. But the Budischowsky's biggest problem is being a very finicky eater. I have never found ammunition that it would feed reliably 100% of the time. Until today. I put 150 rounds down range with the Federal brand without a hiccup. Next time I have it out I'll try the Federal again. If it repeats today's performance I guess I've finally found the ammo it likes. Yes this little pistol has plenty of problems, but it's so cute!

Had some fun today and didn't even have to go through a lot of expensive ammo to do it. As a bonus I might have finally found just the right formula for my problem child.

Gone Shooting - BAG gun day

Decided to go shooting yesterday despite predictions of rain. I just had to get out of the house and get away from it all. I needed some peace and quiet. I knew if I stayed home I would eventually end up back in front of the TV and angry or depressed, or both. I really couldn't take anymore 9/11 coverage.

It might seem strange to some that I decided to go shooting to get "peace and quiet" but it's not. Now days I most often go shooting on family owned farmland. It's a good drive from here and cost me twice as much to shoot compared to the local gun range 10 minutes from my house. But sometimes it's not about saving money. Shooting on this private property allows me freedoms that you will never have on a public range. Then there's the solitude which I needed probably more than to go shooting, at least yesterday.

I have a few guns that I've owed a while but haven't managed to shoot yet. I decided to take my Ruger Government target model .22. It was my BAG gun purchase last April and it has sat neglected in my safe since.

As predicted it did rain but during a few intermittent breaks from the showers I managed to put 100 rounds down range and get a good idea how this Ruger handles. All shooting was done at 50 feet using an improvised rest. Ammunition used was Federal "AutoMatch" .22 Long Rifle. Over the past few months I've bought several boxes of this from the local wallyworld in the 325 round bulk packs. I had yet to try it out and it was a good day for that too. The pistol and ammo performed flawlessly together and I actually had holes touching when I concentrated. The groups above were typical for the day firing with a leisurely (but not super slow) pace.

In spite of the rain I enjoyed myself yesterday and had some quality "alone time," which I probably needed much more than the shooting.

That day is here

National Buy A Gun Day is finally here and now I can proudly show the new addition to the wilsonarmory®. It's inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to shoot and a whole lot of fun, it's my "new" Ruger MKII Government Model .22! If you made a purchase this year let's hear from you, Jay G wants to hear from you too. For those of you that didn't have the money to participate, in this economy that's understandable. But if you forgot to make a purchase this year or you just couldn't be bothered please click

EDIT

A regular reader e-mailed to tell me that I should put a disclaimer on that link I posted. It seemed to him too cruel and perhaps he has a point. Let me also restate that said link was intended for those that willingly chose not to be a part of Buy A Gun Day this year, not anyone that wanted to but couldn't for whatever reason...

SO YOU WANT A DISCLAIMER - HERE IT ISHERE and think ahead to 2012.