Had my pessimistic fit earlier, here comes some snark.

This is from another site, and I have noticed it in a couple of other places. I get a kick out of it though. No holding back, make sure you have put your coffee cup down and swallowed that last little bit. Enjoy.

After some years now of reading internet bulletin boards, I think I’ve got the pros and cons of possible SHTF rifle choices figured out. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the following is my analysis based upon the wisdom of numerous gun board gurus (you know them, they’re always the first ones to tell you a particular model gun is “junk” and enlighten you as to why they have made the only logical purchases)…

The AR 15:

Great, awesome, unbelievable rifle(when it works). Can hit a fly in the butt at 300 yards (when it works). If one is ever attacked by a pack of feral poodles post-SHTF, this is the perfect defensive rifle (unless it jams, in which case you’re poodle food). The upside is that one can hang more plastic aftermarket doo-dads on it than a Christmas tree, which may effectively frighten away bad guys when the gun jams. Also, by simply changing the upper, one can convert it into a Ruger 10/22.

The MINI-14:

Could be a good rifle, but it’s not black.

The SKS:

Best obsolete rifle ever made (even if it isn’t black, but you can buy a black aftermarket stock that looks kinda like an AR). If you need to lay in a big mud puddle and shoot at bad guys, this is the rifle to have. It will shoot as well as ever (maybe even better) when full of mud and the ten round mag makes puddle shooting a breeze since unlike hi-cap mags, you can hold the rifle upright in prone (mud puddle) position. Major drawback is that everyone knows that in a post-SHTF situation one must immediately fire thousands of rounds, a task for which a fixed ten round magazine is ill equipped, which is why they invented the AK. You can buy aftermarket hi-cap mags, but they often jam, creating the illusion that one is shooting an AR when combined with a nifty aftermarket stock. Other major drawback is that the 7.62 x 39 round is not .223 or .308.

The AK-47:

The AK-47 solved the difficult problem of firing thousands of rounds at approaching bad guys by allowing you to deftly change 30 round mags taped back to back, or for the truly ambitious, drum type magazines may be found. Unfortunately, buying an AK-47 is difficult, as they only come in full auto configurations. The good news is that a number of semi-automatic variants are available, allowing you to simulate an actual AK-47 by pulling the trigger really, really fast. Like the SKS, AK variants function best when filled with mud, but actually filling them is difficult as the hi-cap magazine makes lying in a mud puddle while shooting much more difficult. Fortunately, tactical experts from a mysterious facility known only to us as “the hood” have developed the “homeboy” method of handling an AK variant which promises to alleviate the hi-cap magazine vs mud puddle problem. One drawback of the AK variant is that (like the SKS) it’s not black, however, aftermarket vendors have corrected this tactical faux pas on the part of Soviet designers by offering black furniture for those “in the know”. Like the SKS, the AK variant also suffers from the troubling problem that the 7.62 x 39 round is not .223 or .308. However, recognizing this problem, Russian designers have created a similar cartridge to the .223 known as the 5.45 x 39.5. The problem of the 7.62 x 39 not being a .308 has not been addressed, as Russian poodles are apparently no larger than American poodles. Nevertheless, the quest to make smaller and smaller projectiles for combat weapons continues and rumors of a newer and better innovation known as the “pellet gun” have recently surfaced. We await an AR upper to accommodate this promising new caliber.

The Mosin-Nagant:

This unpronounceable rifle has a long history of military service. Napoleon reportedly had one. The unusually long 91/30 barrel combined with bayonet insures that it should be especially useful should a SHTF scenario involve the “redcoats” coming. The major drawback of this rifle is that it is a bolt action, which could make firing the prerequisite thousands of rounds at approaching bad guys difficult. However, if the Mosin owner and the bad guys are patient, one should be able to sling enough lead downrange by the time they are older than their rifle currently is. Like other eastern block rifles, the Mosin also is not black. This may be a possible reason why the Soviets lost the cold war. However, like the SKS and AK, western vendors have corrected this problem by offering an aftermarket stock in black. Unfortunately, none are available with a pistol grip. If Napoleon’s Mosin had a pistol grip, he may have very well conquered the world, but that’s another discussion. Other “carbine” type Mosins are also available, which would be the perfect compliment if one’s SHTF plan includes charging at bad guys on horseback while wearing a fur hat, swinging a curved saber and swilling a bottle of vodka.

Read the rest here, He goes on to combat pistols too.

Clear skys, quiet out, D.C. is sleeping.

Over at Western Rifle Shooters Association is a post that leaves me chilled.
At the same time though, new music for me to enjoy(new to me anyway) and I have been an admirer of Mark Knopfler for years.

Been doing some of that recently.

One thing that I did get to do over Christmas at my dads was stretch out the PSL.
One fine rifle. I had a tinge of doubt on the accuracy seeing how the receiver is of stamped steel similar to the AK. We took her and the SKS up in the hills to a mine reclamation for some range time. Very impressed. My Dad and my cousin were too. Of course my dad wasn't at all impressed with the SKS. LOL He likes something that can reach out (IE the PSL) and the SKS was a toy to him. He nick named it the Pea shooter on the way down.

Still, shooting across from one ridge line to the other, the PSL did VERY well. My cousin ranged it at 372 yards. The target was a Large block of soft sandstone with a dark surface about 12" across. After 10 rounds, there was a lighter surface remaining. The Steel core rounds are pretty impressive. I took a couple of Pics but with my camera all you can see is a ridge with some rocks on it.
Luckily for me, the scope mount is proprietary to the Rifle. Both my dad and cousin really liked the set up of the scope with its built in Range finder. Its a bit busy when you first look through it, but once you get the hang of it, becomes quite intuitive. It is calibrated in Meters but that turns into a simple conversion in your head. Bullet drop is already calculated in for a 150gr bullet so dialing in is fast. If it were mounted with Rings, They would have done everything they could to talk me out of it.

All in all, was a good Christmas this year. No major drama, other than the .GOV being what it is. Got to get some quality time with my dad whom I don't see nearly often enough. Managed to completely hurt myself on some damned fine Hill Folk Cooking(more than enough to feed a platoon for three days, and it kept coming) including some homegrown Ham, not that stuff you get in the store. Can't wait to get back there again.(hopefully to stay soon)

No range day. :-(

Not really that sad about it. Hunting season is open and being a Sunday, Clear skies, and cool, every shotgunner out there is going to be at the range setting up. I would be lucky to get a lane.

So what do I do?

I tear apart a Russian scope and replace the illuminator for the reticule. The PSOP scope that comes with the PSL was originally illuminated with Tritium vials. Unfortunately these degrade over time(that whole half-life thing with radioactive materials) and no longer light up enough to light the reticule. I was checking out another site where a guy was trying to replace them and saw how the layout on the scope was. I felt confident enough to give it a go but decided to NOT use Tritium. Several reasons for this, 1) Hard to come by 20) Expensive. Instead I went to Radio shack, picked up 2 LED's for $1.50 (part #276-026 if you want to emulate this mod.) I had everything else in stock. I drilled a 1/8" hole into the cover of the tritium vials after removing them. I then epoxied in the LED and led the wires out of the housing. Before reassembly I tested the reticule by closing up the house and turning off all the lights. ITS BRIGHT! I can actually use this during daylight hours and it offers enough lighting offset to compensate for dark backgrounds. Its really intended for low lighting such as you get at sunset or sunrise: it is not for night work. Typically though if I were to use this for hunting, those are the hours that I will be more inclined to see my quarry.
I will make arrangements to go to the range to verify my zero again but it seems like everything reassembled dead on. The reticule isn't part of the elevation/windage prism so I think that it will still be on target. The biggest thing was making sure it was still horizontal to the rifle.
I was going to post pictures of the Mod but my camera really sucks for closeup detail pictures. Everything is so blurry that a picture in this case is only worth one word; Crap.

Kind of itchy to get to the range now. LOL I am such a gungeek.

day at home.

Boss is in court today trying to get some nasty people out of one of his apartments. (and by nasty I mean NASTY, bedbug nasty kind of people. Ick!) So we are 'taking the day off'. HA! Like Diogenes ever just sits around.(well sometimes but pretty frikin rare)
Started off the day by putting new shoes on the beastie. Now have a parking brake again. Kinda let that one slide while I was messing with the axles and what not. Was really starting to weigh on my mind though.

So I ended up doing some sitting in front of the PC and messing with VLC and my clips from the range. Using slow motion I was able to diagnose an issue that I wasn't aware of while shooting the 'Dragunov'. A flinch. Nothing to be ashamed of, I know. It is something that I want to correct though. Now I think this one is because I am adjusting to having 1) A scope and 2) that funky eye relief cover on the scope. I have read that others have had issues adjusting to this style of scope and while watching in the slow motion you can see me flinch right as the eye cover hits my face. Its not like this piece can do any harm but getting anything right in the eye socket will make people flinch. I may have to video myself more if only to record my shooting so that I can fix little issues like this. Another tool to use to better myself. (guess I am gonna have to get over being camera shy eh?) It was interesting to note how little the rifle actually rises in recoil though. Much faster recoveries are possible with recoil that manageable. Way cool.

Range trip.

Went again today to the range to finish what I started yesterday. LOL When I get there I realize that my camera is still attached to the PC from uploading Pix. So no pictures for you today.

I did get the final Sight in done on the 'Dragunov' and am quite pleased with the results of that. I won't say I was hitting any clover leafs at 100yds but I did shoot out the center of the target with only 10 rounds. That pretty much means that I am going to hit what I am shooting at. So long as the calibration of the scope is spot on, I would be comfortable going longer ranges with this rifle. Unfortunately I haven't any long range courses nearby available to me to use. Laters I will but till then I know that if I need it this rifle will do the job.

I also took the Marlin 60 with me to set the scope on that one. If you have never shot a .22 semi-auto rifle, You should. These things are fun to shoot, cheap to feed, and did I mention fun? The scope I put on it came from my Air rifle that I have that I never use that much. Its great for running off vermin in the neighborhood but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it. Its a damned fine gun for squirrel but slow follow up as its a break barrel model. The .22 in comparison seems closer to full auto in follow up. As fast as you pull the trigger is as fast as the rounds leave the barrel. I sighted in at 25yds for the .22 and in one magazine had shot the center out of the target completely. I was able to stick my thumb through the hole left behind. Way more fun than I should have been allowed to have on a Thursday morning by myself. LOL Squirrels be warned, I's packin heat!

One thing I do on a daily basis is listen to talk radio. On the way to the range I was listening to Glenn Beck and on the way home Limbaugh.
The level of fascism continues to grow it seems. The last couple of weeks I have been laying off the talk radio as I was starting to get more than a little depressed at the shape of things. The stuff they were talking about is stuff that while it Doesn't concern me directly the implications down the road scare the living hell out of me. I don't want to fight in a war but the way things are looking that seems the only way that we are going to get out of this mess. Bill Whittle of 3XE had the idea, instead of bailing out all of the companies and enacting more legislation why not as a nation pay each of the members of the DC group $1 million to Just Resign. No questions, or pursuit of legal issues: Just go away. Then we hold our own elections for new faces. Nice pipe dream but I don't ever see it happening. The fact that we could get a fresh start for less than a billion dollars would be nice but we are too deep into it now. They started this mess and the whole party has to play the tune until its finished. I only hope we are still around to witness the resurrection of America.

Range report (partially RTWT)

Early morning call to get to the range before everybody and their dog showed up. First time out with the 'Dragunov' and I was feeling my oats this morning. New rifles always make me a bit giddy at first. That initial break in where you and the rifle get to know each other in ways that can't be explained in words. LOL

Well at 9 A.M. I didn't get a whole lot of shooting done. Fact of the matter is that I didn't get much shooting done before 10:30. The sun was climbing over the berm and we couldn't see our targets AT ALL until it had gained some altitude. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay much past 11 A.M. since I had promised my kid that I would watch Granbehbie while she went to school today.

Still I did get in some good shoot time. I started on the 100yd line and realized in about 5 rounds that I needed to move things to the 50 to get on paper. The scope was that far off. I didn't want to blow alot of rounds down range without a spotter. Cease fire and move my dope to the 50 yd range.


Here is where I used the Iron sights to get on paper to align the scope and at least get close.


Here are the first 10 rounds with the scope. You can see where I was walking the impact down from where it was hitting about 5" high and left. I ended up getting it in the 9 ring then moved to the 100 yard line.

Here is what I came up with there. I am not going to say much about it as at first I am not even sure I was on paper. I didn't get to dial it in all the way here as I ran out of time and had to pack it up. I will return soon and get this beastie dialed in the way I like. Having seen the grouping at 50 I KNOW I can make this rifle dance to my tune out to some Seriously long distances.


Now I don't normally post stupid (IMO) videos of myself but I had a request for a video of me shooting. I don't normally do video and don't even have a video editor on my PC so its rough. For those that don't know. I am VERY camera shy. I don't have that vanity in my life so any video of me is going to be quite short and you may not even see that much of me at all.



Political Front.

Not much that I want to cover here though I do want to show my motivating force against the forces of Socialism and those that would like to see the United States to become the Communist Republic of America.

I can't think of a better reason to fight for the Constitution and what this country is SUPPOSED to be.

Rifle report. Romanian PSL-54C

This is not a C&R rifle like the other that I have or have had. This rifle has been called incorrectly a Dragunov which was a Russian rifle based upon the SVT-40 from WWII. This Rifle is based upon the Kalashnikov rifle using the same round as the SVT, Mosin-Nagant, and the Dragunov. Some state that this is a sniper rifle. Not so, this is more of a designated marksmen rifle by U.S. Military standards. More accurate than the Main Battle Rifles (the AK) and harder hitting out to further distances but not really sniper quality. Still for what it is, this should be a fine competition rifle or a long range hunter.

Ballistically speaking this round is something of a cross between the .308 and the .30-06. Good long range, hard hitting and rather adaptable by varying loads and bullet weight. This particular rifle is very happy with a lighter bullet. The heavier bullets that I was shooting in the Mosin tend to tear apart the action due to excessive recoil in the gas tube. Luckily the rounds it does like are readily available and fairly inexpensive. I can pick up a case of 880 rounds for about $150. Try that with the AR platform.

First perceptions from when I picked it up.

HEAVY. even with the light barrel this thing weighs in at 10 pounds unloaded.
SIMPLE. Being based upon the AK platform, the operations of this rifle are simple. The Safety is the standard setup, takedown can be done without any tools, parts fit together 'just tight enough'.
NICE. Somehow the layout seems better thought out than that of the AK-47's that I have handled in the past. Maybe its the fact that this one is not a refurb but a new receiver. I don't have enough AK experience to say one way or the other, this is just a feeling I get from it.


I really like the layout for the Scope. This is a Romanian version of the Russian SVD scope. Here is what the Reticle looks like.Click to embiggen and read my notes. It looks busy but once you know the layout rapid range finding should be a breeze. The scope itself is calibrated to the military loads for this rifle and dialing is very easy once range is known.

Here is the 'kit' it comes with.
There is quite a bit of stuff here. (and no, the ammo is what I already had.) Everything functions the way it should and none of this is of 'issued' surplus. Everything is tight and clean (well once I cleaned all of the cosmoline off of it. lol) Even the leather on the armsbag had to be oiled and worked in since it has never been used.

RANGE TRIP! Will post more on that when I return tomorrow.

Will someone PLEASE keep me away from the gunshops!?!?

Long story but here is how it started. I had made a comment to someone that if I could find one of these I would happily sell off my rifles.

Well I took my landlord to the range yesterday for his first lesson in handguns. (He did rather well but that's a different story) and the place we went had one. New in the box with all of the toys and gadgets that go with them. And for about $100 less than I have been finding them for on the net. Well after much self torture last night and feeble willful resistance today I broke down and went to the store and put money down on it today.

SOOO!!!!!!! without further Ado.

This,,,, is for sale. I have a scope and mount for her and I can supply a shot record for her for those that want to see the accuracy of her. She is no slouch for certain even if she is nearly 70 years old. I have done Trigger work on her and bedded the stock and that tightened up the grouping a lot. So With all of that I am asking $200 for her. If you are local I can make arrangements. If you are out of state I will have to figure something out. I have an FFL I can go through for that but I would figure the cost of going through that would raise the price far higher than she is worth.

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)

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)

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.

What does Diogenes do when he has a day off?

I took today off work so that I could get my attitude in check. Its been a rather chaotic week and I Really needed an attitude adjustment.
I really took advantage of it and I even turned off the talk radio for the day. I spent most of the day doing what you are supposed to do when you take it off.


NOTHING.

I surfed the net a couple of times intentionally avoiding certain sites (the same way I avoided the talk radio) I did visit a couple of sites that cater to Military surplus firearms. Nothing major.

Eventually I broke out the firearms and went through fry fire exercises. I realized that the 91/59 had developed a little bit of a burr so I went in and polished that up a bit. Much nicer. The Breech lugs on the Mosin are its worst part. I was watching some Youtube videos the other night and noticed more than a few people struggling with the bolt on theirs. I hadn't had a problem with that and I don't want it to start. Mine has been smooth enough that I can operate the bolt without coming up off the cheekweld. I know that jams are sometimes caused by cartridges jamming in the breech but I can see a burr on the lugs doing the same thing.

SO, with nothing pressing to do and just noodling about I managed to put some polish on the drawings for my house. I was able to lay out the truss system for the roof and adjust the materials list accordingly.

And yes, my attitude has definitely improved today. I was able to spend a couple of hours with my daughter without the grandbaby distracting me(I am such a sucker for baby smiles and giggles.) so all in all a pretty daggum good day.

Saturday Range trip.

Not posting any pics with this post since they were all destroyed by the torrential downpour that brought the trip to an abrupt end. I did take every fire arm I owned though and managed to get in some good shooting up to that point.

The new .40cal did well. It's a cheapy Hi-point but I am not a gun snob so that doesn't bother me. Its shoots. I can hold it in the black at 25 yards on a 12" target and it doesn't jam (I have found that this one does NOT like the squared off rounds like Hydrashok's or Winchester BEB. If the round has a rounded bullet this gun will feed reliably all day long) For the personal protection rounds I am using the Winchester SXZ-P and for range time, any Winchester White box other than the BEB rounds.

After reading Hermits post on the SKS the other day I felt compelled to take the Russians out for a run too. Not much shooting as I am trying to be frugal with the Ammo at this point. I put 40 rounds through the SKS and 14 through the 91/59. The Mosin will really get up and beat on you with that steel buttplate so 14 rounds pretty much did me in at that point. I know when to quit and my shoulder said so on the 14th round. LOL

I really like the 7.6254R round. Great performance at a reasonable cost. My only wish is for a larger range to really see what this rifle is capable of. I would like to get involved in a CMP match at least once (more for the perks of getting a real M-1 or M-14 through the CMP program.) I haven't really been able to open up at that 100 yard line and the longer ranges in the area are getting rather hard to get to or even get in with "knowing someone". Ah well. Maybe when I make my move I can go out to one of the abandoned strip mines and set up a little bit of range that way. Will see.

cheapy shopping trip.

Had a pleasant surprise today while out shopping at one of my favorite stores. Army/navy stores are a far and few item in this neck of the woods. Probably because the nearest base is about a 100 miles away. The one nearest me has been all but wiped clean of any gear for sale(enough that they jacked the price on Ammo cans up $5 to $15!!! WTF?) I found some surplus Israeli ammo pouches that looked like they may hold the SKS ammo while on stripper clips. These were the canvas style in desert sand and not in bad shape and the price was pretty reasonable at $5 each. I went ahead and picked one up since it didn't look like anyone else was making a move on them and figured if it didn't work for my needs I would make it work elsewhere.(no return policy at this shop.)

Surprise! It worked perfectly and holds 10 clips full of ammo. Will be back to get another this weekend.

I found that the bandoleers for 7.62 NATO work for the 7.62X54r ammo on stripper clips just fine. each pocket holds 10 rounds same as the NATO ammo and each bandoleer holds 60 rounds. I can buy these for a buck apiece at the store I buy ammo at. They unfortunately do not have the stripper clips for the Mosey so I have to go online for those. The Russian ammo pouches for the Mosey only hold 15 rounds per pocket in clips or one box of 20 rounds per pocket. Seems that the bandoleer will be the fall back of choice with the pouches holding boxed for reloading clips.

Update: Spent an eveing practicing loading the 91/59 with the stripper clips. Now have a method that works quite well using nothing more than the original Tool for checking the firing pin depth. FYI: place the stripperclip , place the tool as far back on the rounds as you can and push. Like butter dripping off a hot biscuit those rounds are in the magazine. Kind of a pain having to have something else in the mix to ease it up but we all know its much easier to load using the clips than singly.

The New Addition.

Here is the 91/59 that I picked up when I replaced the M-44 a couple of weeks ago. She was quite a bit more beat up and dirty than showing here. After my last range trip I dissassembled her and completetly stripped the stock. I found this hiding under all of the cosmoline stains. I did use some peroxide to bleach the heavier stains out of the wood.


Today the stripper clips and ammo pouches showed up. Not sure about the stripper clips. They seem fine but are really tricky when loading the rifle. I believe that they are aftermarket so that may have something to do with it. As for the pouches, I am cutting a block of wood to several sections that will approximate the size of the clips. The leather on these pouches has shrank some. I will soak the leather in water and saddlesoap mixture then place the wood inside and allow them to dry some. That should bring them back to functional service(with the proper treatmensts of course).

One thing I really like about Milsurp stuff is its ruggedness. The pouches are of high quality saddle leather not some cheaper nylon garbage like we see in todays gear. Nylon is durable and light, hence why the troops are using it. There is just something about leather and wood and brass that says "I am made for the long haul, not just the show today" to me.
Maybe its the craftsman in me.

No thoughts on todays political scene(that I am willing to share openly) Too disgusted with things as they are and the Media is only adding fuel to the fire for me.

Belated range report.

Long story short (to start) I love the Guys at the gunshop I frequent. Better customer service couldn't be had.

I ended up returning the M-44 today after work. When at the range I was unable to get that rifle to hold any form of a group. Double and triple checked to make sure that the sights weren't loose, put it in a bench rest for 5 rounds to verify that it wasn't bad form on my part, every single problem solving trick that Myself and a couple of other guys could come up with.
When I came home I went ahead and made a lead casting of the bore to at least get some idea of where we were sitting before I condemned this rifle. Using a micrometer there was less than .001" difference between lands and grooves. Not being one to stop there I took a round from stock and removed the bullet and forced it through the barrel to inspect the rifling directly on a round.

There weren't any.

I took my findings to the shop today and other than refilling out the paperwork they exchanged it for me. We sat around scratching our heads over this one since 'by sight' the barrel looks pristine. The Micrometers don't lie though. That was one worn out rifle. We took an 1891/59 that was on the shelf and made a casting of its bore and compared the two. HUGE difference! .005" more than the casting I had made from the M-44.(I brought home that particular rifle too. Will take it out this weekend.)

I am just glad that I didn't have to pay the "caveat emptor" tax today.
To Mike and Don. Kudos. You have a customer for as long as I live in the area.

Lesson learned, Visuals are not always the truth. Micrometers don't lie and your eyes might.

Not hiding from the world LOL been rather busy

It has been a rather hectic couple of weeks for me hence no posts. I noticed that Hermit has been rather busy lately with all of his VERY informative videos (Kudos Hermit. There are those of us out here that appreciate information in any form)

I have little to comment on current events as they lay right now in time. I am seeing parallels to the Carter years though on an escalated scale and it makes me wonder what really is going on behind the scenes. Not that there is one wit that I can do to change things so little matter to me in the grand scheme of things. I continue to further my skill set and stock pile what I can get my paws on while/when available.
I am perturbed by reports of what is going on in Iran though not as some would consider it. I see a force of people that are waking up to "enough is enough" and making attempts to do something about it. What disturbs me is how the American people are responding to it.(or lack thereof as the case may be) I do not believe that we should have any say in the way that they deal with this situation as it is THEIRS to deal with, not ours. On the same note though, I see the American public shocked by the fact that a people of another nation would brave the police to vocalize their opinions. It really shows how spineless a good majority of the American populace has become.
Sadly this is the state of the nation except in isolated pockets throughout our lands.


On a different note though I have added a piece to my little arsenal today.
Meet the new addition.

There were three at the gunstore and I picked each one over with a fine tooth comb before I chose this one. I will be taking her to the range tomorrow along with the SKS for my Fathers Day treat.(like I really needed another excuse to get to the range. lol) And Yes I am prepared for an entirely sore shoulder from this one. Comparing the 7.62X39 to the 7.62X54 by nmber is like saying a .22 is similar to a .223. NOT! Seeing the two rounds side by side is like David and Goliath on the field.
I will be posting some pics from my trip tomorrow (it will be late as I am going to visit my Sister afterwards. I know that I don't post much personal stuff but for those that care Her husband was diagnosed with lung cancer and a bone tumor in his temple recently. If you would put them in your prayers it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.)

Marksmanship

The Hermit has a post on a book that I haven't read since 1990 when I was on float to Kuwait. Excellent read for those that did and those that didn't/haven't served.

One of the points in the book talks about time on the rifle range. This is a key point to being a Marine. They don't fail you for not shooting expert but they strongly encourage it. The one thing that was noted then (in the book) and was noted in 88 while I was in BootCamp was that the southerners and the 'hillbillies' were more often than not(by a large margin) the ones that took expert.
Why? I think its more that we are more comfortable around firearms than most. We grew up with them and for many of us our first big gift was a firearm of some sort. My first 'gun' was a daisy BB gun and it only grew from there.

Even today I keep either a pump pellet gun or break barrel pellet gun around. They are my 'trainers' for helping teach the basics to new shooters and they reinforce proper habits on veteran shooters. Some may prefer the .22 for this but not me. The pellet 'hangs' in the barrel longer on an air rifle and forces you to hold position steadier for your follow up.

For those that would like a refresher on the basics HERE are some links to an old Army training film. They cover the basics of position, site picture, windage and elevation adjustments, proper shooting technique, calling your shot, and Proper sling usage. (I go back and forth on the sling but tend to use a 'hasty sling' since it does help, especially in the higher powered rifles.) One other advantage of using air rifles for training is in locations. Most cities will frown upon firearms usage in the city limits. With an air rifle you can set up a decent backstop and shoot out to 25 yards and not get looked at funny(well not by the police anyway). 25 yards is fine for getting the basics down and learning to get 'zeroed'. The real training comes in play at the 300 and 500 lines but if you don't learn enough at the 25 you are wasting time and ammo on the others.

An excellent Air rifle for Plinking and Critter control is this one. You can sometimes find them at Wallie world for the same price. Dual caliber .177 and .22 so practice can be cheap and still have the ability to use this on critter control. I use the .177 for target practice as the bullet travel is comparable to a regular rifle and the .177 is dirt cheap. The .22 is powerful enough to take larger game in hunting if you use the right pellets. I haven't personally tried it but one person claims to have killed beaver with this pellet. Pictures say a lot and his are no exception. Cheap practice is still good practice so long as you practice the right things. THE BASICS. This is a great way to stay on top of good shooting and with the right purchases you can get some High quality shooting in for under $200. (side note: For those, Like me, that prefer Iron sights; there is a peep sight for this rifle available that is similar to that on an M1)

One thing I found 'funny' today about that post is that I was looking at a new (well new to me) Long range rifle today. I have been bouncing around on some and keep looking at some of the Communist bloc rifles. (only because of budget not desire) I am looking at this and this. Now I am partial to Semi-automatic and always have been. Both rifles use the same ammo and it is comparable to the .30-06 in range and power(and has the benefit of being available AND relatively cheap) All of this is going to have to wait till I am working again but I can plan now.

Disclaimer. I do not have any affiliation with any of the links posted other than knowing quality products on a budget. I do heartily reccomend them through experiance though.