Range trip report.

Back from the range and all the boomsticks are cleaned and restacked. I did something a little different today and took the Beeman R-1 with me to verify it was still zeroed in: it was and even at 50 yards it gives a pretty solid wack to the paper. Fun to shoot and cheap to feed. Always a good combination.

Mosin Nagant 91/59 (Trisha): Went to verify that the scope was holding zero and only shot 10 rounds through her. When I arrived at the range I shot 2 rounds through the scope. I was on paper but not at all happy with the results. I am thinking that I need to reconsider my design for the scope mount. (or get a more expensive scope which is NOT in the cards right now.) SO the next 8 shots were over iron sights. I guess I am just an intuitive shooter. When using Iron I hold a better group than I ever do with a scope. Thats not to say that I can shoot clover patterns but I figure that an 4" group at 100 yards with Iron, beats a 6" group at 100 yards with a scope. I went ahead and pulled the scope mount off while at the range. I won't need it for any hunting that I intend to do around here: maybe if I make it out west or to Texas, lol.

1954 SKS (Gloria): What can I say about Gloria? She is that girl next door that is always there ready to go when you need her. The new firing pin spring did the trick and it seemed she was faster on the recovery than normal. Not one light strike and she cycled through 100 rounds like it was just another day in the park. At 100 yards she is holding that 4" pattern to the point that after about 50 rounds there was this ragged hole in the target that you could see light through. I shifted over to the back up and did the same thing there. Old but reliable. To bad her range is limited to 300 yards. After that the rounds about fall out of the sky. Still using iron sights for her and I have NO INTENTIONS of changing that set up since it works so damned well.

Newbie gun. Phoenix HP22A Compact handgun. Shooting .22LR: Now this little Saturday night special impressed the hell out of me. 25 yard range, cycled about 100 rounds through her and every single round was in the black Rapid fire with this little gun is about as much fun as you can have with your pants on. Again cheap to feed and reliable. This is gonna be the 'fun gun' since 100 rounds of .22LR is running about $7 a box right now. Not much to look at but fits pretty nicely in the hand(even my big hands though the pinky is kinda waving in the wind)well balanced and the sights just fall on the target when pointing down range. This is the way I like my handguns to be. Glocks just don't do what this little gun did right out of the box. The only other guns that Have felt like this are the M&P.40, Colt 1911A1, and pretty much every HighPoint that I have shot. (the exception to the HP's was the .380 and I would imagine that it just wasn't set up right since it is based on the 9mm frame.)


All in all a good day. I do so like shooting the SKS though. Very manageable recoil, reliable when properly maintained, Rugged as hell and VERY cheap to feed in comparison to some of the 'popular' guns that show up at the range.

Feeling the Itch

It has been 3 weeks since I was last at the range.

I am REALLY feeling the itch. I have been trying to be good since it cost's so much for the trip out there and the cost of the ammo. I guess I have been pretty good but man with the new parts in the rifles, a new mouse gun that I want to try out, I really want to go shoot holes in stuff. I still need to double check my work on the scope I mounted on the Mosey. Since then the trigger spring came in (talk about a smooth trigger now woof!), and the hammer spring came in for the SKS so I shouldn't have anymore lite strikes.(been thinking that I need to stop puttering with the trigger assembly and just enjoy the rifle for what it is. Cheap Milsurp and reliable.)

I think I may have to bite the bullet and just go this weekend. Probably on sunday as they are calling for rain on Saturday. Will see. (then again rain has never stopped me if they won't close the range for it. lol)

Something a little different to post today.

Been light posting lately since things are starting to gear up for the winter months around here. Winter in Cincinnati is a strange breed. Sometimes things actually look like winter but for only a week at a time. Those that talk about global warming probably grew up here. LOL The only bad winter I can really remember was in '76 and I remember the snow drift that buried the front of my Dad's house. Other than that we tend to get hammered once or twice and the rest of the time its either trying to make up its mind or leaning towards summer.

I picked up a Chevy Tahoe for a parts car to repair my truck this past weekend. That has been taking up a lot of my time. I didn't 'Need' the repairs that I have been doing but 'parts is parts' right? So I took the powered seats out of the beast and installed them along with the center console in my truck. I am in the process right now of swapping the doors out. Mine are rather beat up and the hinge pins are worn out. I did purchase the new pins but the new doors actually have power windows that I have rigged to a bank of switches in the center console. I finished the Passenger door today before it started getting dark. Tomorrow is more of the same for me since we aren't working on any houses tomorrow.

The biggest reason I wanted the Tahoe is for the Differentials. The Guy I purchased the truck from swapped out the rear Axle and didn't match it to the front one. Because of that I have not been able to engage the 4X4 aspect of the truck. With winter coming up I really want that functional. Trucks aren't the greatest handling beasts in snow or slush and having all 4 tires under power can only help. As it stands though, this little truck impresses the shit out of me at least once a week. When I brought the Tahoe home the little V6 in her just purred away all the way to the drop sight. This engine has over 200 thousand miles on her and she still runs like a champ.

I only spent $500 for the original truck. The Tahoe was Free for the taking and other than my own time in the work I probably have only dropped $200 in parts since March. I am getting about 22MPG average. Why would I want to drop this truck for a new car with outrageous insurance premiums and about the same performance factor. I am recycling at its most root core and the Liberals that would whine about a hulk of a truck can kiss my country butt on this note. I like my truck.

On the Family side, the Granbehbie is learning to sing. LOL Loudly, off key, and unintelligibly, but she is really getting into it. She hasn't mastered the walk thing yet but she is getting there.
That was the good news, Bad news is my brother-in-law has new tumors in his femur now. They took him off the harder Chemo this week and are trying a lighter chemo more frequently. They are also trying Localized radiation for the newer tumors. All of this was discovered on Tuesday so time will tell how all of this pans out. If you are so inclined please put in a prayer for him and my Sister.
\

Couldn't say it better myself.

Side note. I am quite busy right now salvaging a truck from bits and pieces. Managed to grab onto a similar vehicle so that I can try to get another 60 or 70 thousand miles out of my redneck work truck. Rag on GM all you want they managed to get it right every once in awhile. My Little S10 is one of them. It towed a dead in the water SUV across town to the tune of 18 miles up and down hills. I didn't exceed 30mph but I also know the limits of my control while towing that kind of weight. The 2.8 is a great little V6 that in this case, has nearly 200,000 miles on it and just keeps going and going and going.

The next few weekends will be replacing the rear axle with the correct ratio one(the original owner changed it out for a higher ratio axle and that screws me up for the 4X4 part) swapping doors (ones bashed in and the other is falling apart) among many other little (mostly cosmetic) repairs. She has been a great little truck to me and I figure its time to return the favor some. (a bit more than basic maintenance)

Sunday Update: Mosin Nagant and range trip

Well I had mentioned that I was thinking of making a mount for the scope. Here is the result of that cobbling. I had the Picatinny rail and some rather unobvious parts. Add together an inkling of Machining knowledge and a good pair of digital calipers and you end up with this mess. lol



I really wish I had a better camera. I would like to get some close ups of the action with the bolt open and how the whole set up lines up on the Receiver.

SO,,, How did I do you ask? Considering I do not have a work shop nor a good work bench(I mounted a vise on my desk LOL)I think I did quite well. I took it to the range today to sight it in and from 100yards I did have to makes some adjustments. I had to bring the scope up about 15 clicks(1/4MOA per click) and right 4 clicks to get on paper after that it was pretty straight forward.

fact of the matter is I am still not a scope guy. It was nice to see some really tight groups out of a 70 year old Military Rifle but I think that I will go back to iron sites. Hunting here in the hills of Ohio(which I wouldn't be able to use this rifle for) and in Kentucky I probably wouldn't be making any shots over 100 yards anyway. If I were to go shoot at Camp Perry I would be using Iron any way so,,,,

Still it was a fun project and I learned some things in the process.

Silver tipped Bulgarian ammo is Corrosive and hella accurate in comparison to the Russian stuff I had been shooting.(kinda figured the corrosive part but you can Really SMELL the difference on this stuff. almost burns you nose when the wind is in your face)

The Muzzle brake on the SKS rocks. I know that the SKS doesn't have much recoil to begin with but this made the little rifle much more responsive. Without a recorded comparison I am going off of my experiences but it seemed to me that I was able to acquire my targets faster since there was less muzzle climb (like near zero!) It looks a bit funny on the end of the barrel but I think that I can get used to it. Heck its not like I actually look at it while I am shooting and I am sure that the deer or zombies will really care if I am shooting them with or without a funny looking rifle. lol

Update: I pulled the whole assembly apart and cleaned and painted the machined parts flat black. I will be taking it back to the range for further testing. Was quite impressed at how well it all stayed tight even with over thirty rounds through her in sighting in.(I really needed a spotter for the initial sight in) All in all not too bad of a job for a 'sporterized' rifle (IMHO)

GUNSHOW!!!!! WOOT!

Made a trip to a gunshow today in Dayton instead of a range trip. Good stuff to be had for all and the ammo prices there are much easier to swallow than the ones that happen here in Cincy. (to the tune of 25% higher here on common stuff)

Managed to find some honest to God Mosin Nagant Stripper clips and should have cleaned the guy out. I wasn't for certain as they look very similar to the aftermarket clips though the difference in loading is rather extreme. Found some stuff for the SKS too. Don't want my Russian friends getting jealous of each other. LOL

So the Mosin received a scope mount, stripper clips, and 40 rounds of silver tip Hungarian milsurp(want to try it out since I have a source on the cheap). The SKS received 500 rounds of HP by Wolf(not the best but it shoots fine out of this rifle) and a Muzzle brake. Would like to get more stripper clips for the SKS but people are starting to realize that its easier to use the clips than the magazines. Because of this the sellers are starting to jack up the price on them. Law of Supply and Demand in action. Gotta love capitalism. :-D

Not really happy with the way the scope mount sits but at the price the guy was selling, well, hard to pass on. It will work for a red dot just fine if I go that route but I will need to pick up long relief scope if I decide to go that route. The P/U mounts are near impossible to find anymore. I don't like the Tapco mounts at all so those are out. Who knows: I may just manufacture something of my own.(and yes I am checking it out lol)


Back to the real world. Who's completely convinced that the stuffed shirt sporting "President of the United States" is an avowed Socialist bastard? I know that I am and that the disease of communism is starting to really infect a majority of congress and the senate.
Things do not bode well in our country at that rate.

Guess thats why I went and bought more ammo.

Taking the weekend off from

trying to counter the evils being perpetrated on our country. Having seen such an obviously inept judge sworn in to SCOTUS, I feel more than a little defeated today. We aren't represented by the elected anymore other than a handful that understand the concepts of 'representation'. Most understand 'servitude' quite well though not in the sense that they are 'servants'. Most seem to think that we are here to provide a power base for their careers and further trepidations on us are completely within the 'rules of engagement' that they follow.

SO,,,

I am taking the weekend from the interwebs of politics; surfing online comics, playing with rifles and pistols and basically IGNORING THE GOVERNMENT!

My recoil pad FINALLY came in today(been a week and half since I ordered it. Not Marks fault, I chose to send it USPS, Silly me.) With the pad I also ordered a spare Sight leaf that I modified for an aperture sight.(I am keeping the original along with any other parts that I am changing out for "IF" I sell later down the road.) Looks like I will be making a range trip after all this week since now I need to make sure that everything is lined up correctly. I don't like having any weapon unsighted even if its not my 'goto weapon'. Who knows when it may be the goto weapon or backup gun in a pinch.

On a side note I spent most of this afternoon reading The Box 'o Truth Learned much and unlearned more. For all the world I have been taught that the .40 was a better round than the 9mm yet his tests seem to indicate that they are fairly equal. Sometimes better in one case, sometimes worse in others. The .45 is still the consistent winner hands down in Handguns with the 7.62X25 coming up as one hell of a follow up. Still like he says,"a pistol is a pistol and a rifle is a rifle" Guess there is a reason I prefer the rifles over handguns. Still not a bad idea to have one and be good with it since its hard to 'carry' a rifle in today's world. Fact of the matter is there isn't any consistent 'show stopper' and its not the rounds or the gun that make the difference. A guy with a .22 and 20 round magazine can out shoot a guy with a .45 and 7 rounds if he knows how to hit his targets. Still I would rather have a .45 or .40 when it comes down to anything where I would need a gun (other than combat then I am going with any round that starts with 7 or .3 depending on metric or English measurements. Semi-auto preferred thank you)

On a personal note: Granbehbie is starting to stand on her own, occasionally lets on that she is starting to talk, and still has a fascination for chasing cats around the yard.(she is getting quite fast too, the cats are so in trouble when she starts walking/running. LOL)

Sunday Musings part: dunno

One thing that I really like about being a "jack of all trades,," (besides being self-sufficient) is being able to adapt an object and personalize it. Making something from scratch or modifying something for better performance (or just ease of use for your particular needs) is very self satisfying to me.

I have been looking at a bolt modification to the Mosin-Nagant over the last few weeks as I have been thinking about putting a scope on that rifle. (I freely admit my eyes aren't what they were in the 80's and early 90's) Unfortunately there has been a serious run on those at the website I buy most of my parts through. I hadn't liked the way the ATI modification looked. I wanted something as close the the original intent of this rifle.

SO, Looking at the modification that was done using a TIG welder I figured I could probably do the same thing with a MIG: just a little more grinding needed to polish out the product. After much internal deliberation I bit the bullet and broke out the cutting disk and hacked apart a perfectly good Mosey Bolt.(I can hear the Howls from some collectors now) I had a piece of solid stock steel in my 'bin' that measured .315" where the original measured .311"(wonder if there is a reason for that since the rounds are also .311")

Here is the end result of that and fitting pieces for the welding that is coming(my apoplogies for such a crap pic. My Flash decided it wanted the day off so I had to use a set up flashlights to illuminate the 'scene')

Trip out to the MIG and an hour worth of regrinding and some minor polishing up(more to come when I get a flap wheel for my Dremel) and THIS is the end result. (also notice that my Flash came back from whatever vaca it had gone on. I really need a new camera)

end result. Clearance for a scope mount, but more importantly easier cycling of the bolt while maintaining position with the cheekweld. Even if I don't go with a scope in the future I LIKE this modification. My neighbor asked if it 'devalued' the rifle and I had to think about that one for a minute. I don't think so. Maybe to a collector but these rifles tend to be pretty common and really cheap in comparison to a U.S. made rifle. I "re-valued" it to me though and I think that is more important than worrying about the monetary value. If this were a collectors item I wouldn't have even considered it.(and very probably wouldn't own it right now. Money is too tight to be owning collectibles. I buy tools I can use.)

P.S. I am not a C&R holder, I have thought about it but I tend to like modifying my guns so I just go through the usual channels.