Rifle E-Postal match for May: "Cricket"

SailorCurt at Captain of a Crew of One, this month's host for the e-Postal rifle (and handgun) match "Cricket" has his post up, and he's done a great job of coming up with a challenging match. It's based on a dart game called "cricket", but he's changed it a bit for those of us throwing slightly higher powered darts, so to speak!

Here's a mirror of his entire post:

Rifle E-Postal match for May: "Cricket" posted by Sailorcurt at 10:36 AM

I have the great privilege of hosting Mr. Completely's E-postal rifle match for this month.

The target can be downloaded in PDF format HERE (right click the link and select "Save As" to save the file to your computer). Click here if you need the free pdf reader.


This will be familiar to anyone who has played the game of Cricket on a dart board.

This is a simplified version of the same game. If you have never played the game it may seem a little complicated but It really boils down to this:

The objective is to score three "hits" on each of the following:

15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, Bullseye

Any hit on any of the listed numbers counts, you do not have to hit three in succession and you do not have to hit the numbers in order...as we say in billiards: slop shots count.

Now the complicated part:

The outer alternating red and green ring is the "double" ring and counts as two hits for that number.

The inner alternating red and green ring is the "triple" ring and counts as three hits for that number.

A hit in the white portion of the wedge, whether inside or outside the triple ring, counts as a single hit on the number associated with that wedge.

The black center portion of the Bullseye is the "double bull" and counts as two hits on the Bullseye.

The red portion of the Bullseye is the "single bull" and counts as one hit on the Bullseye.

A shot that breaks a line will be scored as a hit.

The shooter is allowed 30 shots per target.

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You can enter as many different weapons as you want and you can shoot the target as many times with each weapon as you like, but please only submit the highest scoring target for each weapon you enter.

Capability to fire two calibers from one weapon (i.e. .357 Mag and .38 Special) does not qualify it for two entries; it is still the same weapon, please only enter it once. (clarification: different shooters can enter using the same weapon. One shooter cannot enter the same weapon more than once)

If you want to enter something unique (black powder, airgun, etc) feel free to send it in, if three or more entries are recieved of that type of weapon, I'll create a class for them. Take a couple of friends with you to the range and have them enter with your unique weapon to ensure its status as a class of its own.

Class 1: Rifles with unmagnified sights and optics.

Distance 50 Yards

Any position including bench rest. No vises or clamps allowed.

Class 2: Rifles with MAGNIFIED optics

Distance 100 Yards

Any position including bench rest. No vises or clamps allowed.

Class 3: Handgun with unmagnified sights and optics

Distance 10 yards

Any Position including bench rest. No vises or clamps allowed.

I will add more classes if there are enough entries to do so.

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Determining the winner:

Please send your completed targets to sailorcurt AT cox DOT net. If you have no way to scan or digitally photograph the targets, just email me with your results...i.e. how many shots to complete the task (if you completed it) and how many single, double and triple hits on each number.

Whoever completes the task (three hits on each number) in the least number of shots is the winner.

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Tie Breaker

It is important that those who do not send an image but only report their results identify the number of singles, doubles and triples on each number for use in the tie breaker.

In case of a tie, the shooter who had the highest scoring single shot is the winner. (In other words, Both shooters complete the task in 18 shots, one hit a triple 20, the other hit a triple 18, the shooter who hit the triple 2o is the winner). If still tied, the second highest scoring single shot, if still tied, the third highest single shot etc. For the purposes of this scoring method, any triple beats a double bull. The double bull beats any other double.

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TIPS:

A spotting scope is virtually required for this contest. You have to be able to keep track of your hits on each number to know when to move on to the next. Many ranges have spotting scopes to rent. At 50 yards, a decent pair of binoculars will work.

Having your sights properly zeroed is critical. Luckily for me, the 1 MOA adjustable sights on my M1 give me some pretty fine tuning at 50 yards.

Start out shooting for the bull. Since slop counts, if you miss the bull completely you may hit another number that you can count so it's not a completely wasted shot.

Make sure you know the relative position of the number you are shooting for on the target, you will not be able to read the numbers without magnified optics (unless you've got MUCH better eyesight than me). The minimum number of shots to complete this task is 8 (Triples of each number, a double bull and a single bull). If you hit only singles of everything with no misses, it would take 21 shots to complete. This should not be too difficult to complete in 30 shots.

I shot this once just to see how difficult it is. I shot it at 50 yards with my M1 Garand with iron sights. It took me 26 shots and I got hung up on 17...I hit 5 triple 2s and a single 2 before finally hitting a single and then double 17. I was afraid of overcompensating so I mentally resisted adjusting my point of aim which resulted in about a 3/4" group around the triple 2.

I'll shoot it at least one more time before the month is out to try to better my score.

Have fun and good luck. Feedback on this contest would be appreciated...too hard, too easy, was it fun, was it challenging etc.

And remember: "Aim small, miss small"

e-Postal Handgun Match "Speed Kills!"

This month's e-Postal handgun match "Speed Kills!" is a real challenge. The object is to Shoot each of the five targets on the target page three times for a total of fifteen shots for score, then add as many bonus points as you can, based on how long it takes you to shoot all fifteen shots.

This will require a shot timer or a stop watch, and someone to help you with the timing. If you don't have a timer, or access to one, you can still enter and will be scored separately from the shooters adding bonus points. More on that below.

This "Speed Kills!" e-Postal match has four classes. Depending on the number of entries, sub-classes may also be recognized.

TARGET: The same target is used in all classes. It is five separate targets all printed on a single 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.

The target can be downloaded from here:

"Speed Kills!" Target

It is an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.

CLASS ONE: Rim fire. Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, any sight.

CLASS TWO: Center fire. Any centerfire (non-revolver) handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, any sight.

CLASS THREE: Revolver. Any revolver with no more than a 12" barrel, any sight.

CLASS FOUR: "Fast Times". Any handgun with no more than a 12" barrel, any sight. All class four entries must have ALL fifteen shots touching, or inside the outer 4 ring or better. Scoring for this class is entirely on total time for the three shot strings of five shots per string.

No paint ball guns or shotguns!

DISTANCE - All Classes: 25 feet, or Ten yards, which ever is available at your range.

START POSITION: Start at a "Low Ready" position, or as close to it as you can manage. Basically that means standing, holding the gun in front of you with the muzzle pointed down at approximately a 30 to 45 degree angle. If you have a shooting bench or table in front of you, rest the muzzle on the bench.

SHOOTING POSITION: Standing, un-supported, off-hand, one or two hands on gun permitted.

PROCEDURE: When given the signal to commence firing by your timer, raise the gun and fire five shots, one at each bull. You should shoot as quickly as you can comfortably and safely shoot. If your range limits you to one shot a second, as some do, try for that.

I want to stress that this is not a "Take all the time you want" event. We are looking for accuracy combined with a reasonably brisk rate of fire.

Keep safety in mind at all times, and do NOT try to shoot faster than you can shoot with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

You cannot deliberately shoot at the same bull twice in the string of five shots. If you have a flyer wander over into another target, make up for it in the next shot string if you can.

Record your time for the five shots. Re-load, if needed, and shoot your second string of five shots in the same way. Record your time for your second string of five shots. Repeat once more, for your last five shots, and record your time.

You should now have three shots into each of the five targets on the master target sheet, and you should have written down the times for each shot string.

SCORING: Touching the black counts as a hit. Each small target has a perfect score of 30 points, times 5 small targets, for a score of 150. Only three shots can be counted in each small target, even if you hit it more than three times.

To calculate bonus points:

1. Add together the three shot string times.
2. Drop the digits to the right of the decimal point to make it an integer.
3. Subtract the time from 40 to get your bonus points.

For example:

1st. string time: 7.54 seconds
2nd. string time: 6.11 seconds
3rd. string time: 4.77 seconds

Total string time: 18.41

Drop the fractional part to get 18 seconds.

Subtract 18 from 40 to get 22 bonus points.

Add the bonus points to the score from the targets to get your total score.

Ties will be decided based on the fastest total time.

If you are unable to arrange for timing of your shots, mark your target as "Untimed".

You can shoot the match more than once if you don't like your score and want to try again. We want to see just how well you can do!

Mark your individual scores for each small target, total target score, individual shot string times, total time, total bonus points, total score, and the name you want to use when listed in the results on the target with a legible felt pen, along with the class and type of gun used. Don't write your name on the target, only the name you want to appear in the results, as your target may get posted on Mr. Completely.

STRATEGY: Accuracy first, without wasting too much time between shots!

ALTERNATE ENTRIES: If for whatever reason you cannot shoot the match in the manner described, shoot it anyway and send in your entry, but be sure to tell me what you did so I can include that info in the results.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES: You can enter more than once, in fact, it is encouraged. Shoot everything you own, and everything you can borrow! Take a buddy to the range, get him entered, then borrow his gun and enter that! The only restriction is that you can only enter once for any given gun, in any individual Class. You can enter class four with a gun that you have also entered in one of the other classes.

Different calibers in the same gun count as one gun. For example, .38SPL and .357MAG are considered as one, as would be .44SPL and .44MAG. Different guns of the same caliber and barrel length can be entered. A .22 conversion on a .45 frame counts as a second gun, so you can take off the conversion and shoot the .45 too.

PRIZES: Nope, it's just for the fun of it and the bragging rights!

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY: Take a digital photo of, (or scan) your targets, and email the picture, along with:

1. Your score for each small target.*
2. Your total target score.*
3. Individual shot string times.
4. Total time.
5. Bonus points*
6. Total score including bonus points.*
7. The name(s) you want used when we post the results
8. Gun description - Brand, model, semi-auto, revolver, caliber, barrel length, and type of sights.
9. Class: Class One, Class Two, Class Three, or Class Four.
10. Anything interesting or unique about your entry that other shooters might enjoy hearing about.

Note: Items marked with * not needed for Class Four.

Email it all to b l o g (at) w h i d b e y (dot) c o m

Please put "Speed Kills Entry" in the email title so it goes into the correct mailbox!

If you can't scan or send target pictures, send everything else to me in an email, and we'll arrange for either fax or snail mail for the targets.

If you have a blog or a website, you can post the target pictures on your site, then email me the rest of the information (items 1 through 9 above) excluding the pictures.

Be sure to include the URL for your website pictures.

This works well, saves some email bandwidth, and helps to publicise the matches.

The rules are subject to revision as needed, should the need arise.

All entries must be received by Midnight on Monday, May 29th, and results will be posted within seven days, or less.

If you have any questions, leave the question in the comments to this post, or send me an email, or both.

be safe, and have fun!!

Driving Too Fast?

An indication that you are driving too fast........

Hat tip to Uncawho for the picture!

Boomershoot

If all had gone according to plan, KeeWee and I would be roaring down the highway in our opulent land yacht headed to Idaho for the Boomershoot Long Range Rifle & Exploding Targets Festival.

Since I'm sitting here at the keyboard, I guess it's pretty obvious we didn't make it. It was not for lack of trying, however, but like most plans that never get completed, the same usual factors, time and money, played a big part in the decision not to go.

I had the loan of a Remington 40-X rifle in 6mm. Remington, but it needed a different scope for the longer range shooting. I bought a new scope for it, but I ran out of time, and it is yet to be mounted and zero'ed. I have the portable shooting bench project underway, but not completed.

Although I've fired a round or two through a rifle in years past, I am more or less a novice when it comes to long distance bench rest rifle shooting, and I had hoped to get in at least a couple of range sessions to bet clued in, at least a little bit, before showing up at Boomershoot.

In short, I'm just not ready for an event like Boomershoot, and for that reason, I decided to not make the trek to Idaho, at least this year.

I've got lots of time, however, to get my act together for next year, and that's the plan......

Win a SIG P220R Carry .45

How'd you like to win a SIG P220R? If you go HERE you can enter the contest for a drawing to give away a brand new SIG.

Here's what SIG has to say about the new P220R Carry:

P220R Carry Two-Tone SAOT his 8+1 capacity pistol features a crisp 5-pound SAO trigger that breaks like glass and an ambidextrous thumb safety. The combination of SAO trigger, cold hammer forged barrel and near perfect lock-up offers shooters outstanding accuracy that sets the P220 Carry apart from other 45s. The P220 Carry Two-Tone SAO slide is machined from stainless steel bar stock and finished in a Natural Stainless finish. The lightweight alloy frame is hard-coat anodized and outfitted with a Picatinny rail for tactical versatility. The P220 Carry Two-Tone SAO comes with either contrast or SIGLITE® night sights. NOTE: This pistol is scheduled to ship in April 2006.

Hat tip to Say Uncle who got it from No Quarters, etc.........

Reno Gunblogger Rendezvous

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I've got lots of hot news on the Reno Gunblogger Rendezvous. I've been working with the nice folks at the Circus Circus hammering out the details, and although there is still a lot to be done, including signing the contract to secure the facilities we need, we've made lots of progress, and things are going smoothly.

First off, the location will be at the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Reno.

Second, the dates will be Friday evening, October 6th., Saturday, October 7th., and checking out on Sunday the 8th. These dates are locked in, so get them marked on your calendar right now, before you forget! We moved the dates up a few weeks, both to allow for better weather for those driving, and to get the best set of facilities for our needs.

We will have a BYOB/BYOM (bring your own munchies) hospitality room Friday night to get together and plan our activities for Saturday. The hospitality room has a great view of the Reno skyline.

Saturday night will be a sit-down dinner with several menu choices. We will also have a short after dinner talk by a speaker yet to be determined, and introduction of the bloggers in attendance.

After dinner the plan is to have the hospitality room also available for our use.

There will be some special room pricing available for the attendees.

Wireless internet will be free, and available in all the guest rooms, and most likely in the hospitality rooms too, so live event blogging will be possible.

Anyone whose cell phone rings while the speaker is speaking will be shot on the spot and their body thrown off the roof. (Not really, but I think you get the point......)

As I get more info, I'll keep you all posted.

Chris Bliss Juggling Video

If you've never seen the Chris Bliss juggling video, you should go have a look.

Yes, I know that another juggler has done a similar routine to the same music and made some statements that Chris Bliss isn't very good and only uses three balls, since the other juggler uses five.

I'm no juggler, and don't know a whole lot about it, but to my uneducated eye Chris is a whole lot more entertaining, even if the other routine is technically more difficult.

After all, juggling is all about entertainment, and it's not an Olympic sport with style points and points for technical merit.

If you are entertained, then it was a good routine!

Here's two links to the Chris Bliss juggling finale.

Chris Bliss #1

Chris Bliss #2

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ferrari Testa Rossa

1959/60 Ferrari Testa Rossa

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Six two barrel Weber Carbs

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When I got out of college, 1967, my first job as an "injunear" was at the "Really Big Airplane Company", in Everett, Washington.

I was basically broke, and I living in the basement of my folk's house. I was driving an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder that I had resurrected from a sad example that was nearly ready to expire. As the saying goes, I had "neither a pot to piss in, nor a window to throw it out of."

I was sitting at my desk at RBAC one day when a fellow from another engineering group dropped by.

"I hear you're interested in sports cars." he said, "I've got one in my basement you'd probably like to see, although it's all taken apart."

My first thought was "Great, another guy with a Mustang who thinks it's a sports car."

"What have you got?"

"Ferrari Testa Rossa."

I may have snorted coffee up my nose.......

"It was built in 1959 and raced by Phil Hill in the 1960 season, so they call it a 1959/60. "

Holy Cow!

That Friday after work I headed down to his place in North Seattle, where he was actually renting the basement of a large old house, with enough space for parking the Ferrari.

After this particular Ferrari had been raced in Europe for a few years, it was sold to a sports car racer in the Seattle area, where it was also raced for several more years.

A valve seat had come loose in the head, requiring some major head work to get it fixed. The owner decided it was a good time for a complete restoration, and completely dismantled the engine, carefully bagging and labeling each part as it came apart. The paint was removed from the hand made aluminum body to prepare it for refinishing.

There were two fuel tanks with it, a 45 and a 55 gallon, and they sat behind the driver under the headrest. There were perhaps a dozen wire wheels with tires, extra brake pads, and boxes and boxes of spare parts.

There were only seven of these ever made, and only three of this particular body style. Of the three, one was totally destroyed in a race, leaving only the two cars, and the other one was in Harrah's auto museum. Of the two, only one had the plexiglass hood scoop over the six two barrel Weber carburetors, so it's very likely that the pictures are of the exact car I was looking at in a basement in North Seattle. If this picture was taken before or after it was restored, it's hard to tell, but I suspect it's the "After" picture.

"I'm thinking about selling this off, as I could use the money." He casually remarked.

"I'll tell you what." I replied, "I'll give you everything I own for it. My Alfa, my Bultaco Campera, my Suzuki, guitars, camera gear, right down to socks and shorts, if you want!"

"OK", he said, "I offered it to another guy for cash a couple of weeks ago, and if I don't hear from him by tomorrow morning, it's yours!"

Unfortunately, the guy called the next morning and bought the Ferrari for cash. He made one phone call, raised the price substantially, and resold it with out even picking it up.

He could have cared less about the car, it was just another quick business deal to make a few thousand dollars with a couple of phone calls. How sad..........

I guess everyone misses out on a deal of a lifetime once in their life, and this was mine.

What have YOU missed out on, or passed up, that you've been kicking yourself ever since?

e-Postal Match "Killiards" Results

RIM FIRE PISTOL RESULTS

Name --- O/H - B/R - Score - Caliber - Gun Type - Sight

1. Mr. Completely 27 30 57 .22 High Standard Red Dot
2. Ryan 21 30 51 .22 SIG Trailside Red Dot
   
3. jimmyb 20 30 50 .22 Ruger Mk.II Red Dot
4. Not A Real Marksman 11 22 33 .22 Ruger Mk.II Iron
5. NateG 19 12 31 .22 Springfield 1911 w/.22 Conv. Iron
6. s-tay 16 15 31 .22 Ruger Mk.II Red Dot
7. Firehand 13 15 28 .22 Ruger 22/45 Iron
8. BarbW 16 11 27 .22 S&W 622 Iron
9. Sunshine 14 13 27 .22 Ruger Mk.II Red Dot
10. KeeWee 13 12 25 .22 Beretta Neos Red Dot
11. Carnaby 7 15 22 .22 Beretta Cougar Iron
12. Mrs. NateG 10 8 18 .22 Springfield 1911 w/.22 Conv. Iron

CENTER FIRE PISTOL RESULTS

Name --- O/H - B/R - Score - Caliber - Gun Type - Sight

1. Not A Real Marksman 13 19 32 9mm. Taurus PT99 Iron
2. Carnaby 16 15 31 .45 Springfield TRP Iron
3. BrianL 9 0 9 .45 Kimber Pro Carry II Iron

REVOLVER RESULTS
Name --- O/H - B/R - Score - Caliber - Gun Type - Sight

1. NateG 15 17 32 .38 S&W 686 Iron
2. Mrs. NateG 11 11 22 .38 S&W 686 Iron
   

AIR PISTOL RESULTS

Name --- O/H - B/R - Score - Caliber - Gun Type - Sight

1. Mr. Completely 14 16 30 .177 Westlake Red dot
   

AIR RIFLE RESULTS

Name --- O/H - B/R - Score - Caliber - Gun Type - Sight

1. Ryan 22 30 52 .22 AirForce Talon SS PCP 6x24x40 Scope
2. Mr. Completely 16 20 36 .177 Crossman 66 Iron

MISC. RESULTS - Just For The Fun Of It!

Name --- O/H - B/R - Score - Caliber - Gun Type - Sight

1. BrianL 14 24 38 .22 Ruger 10/22 Iron (Rifle/Rapid/Slow)
2. BrianL 12 0 12 .223 AR-15 Holosight (single Target)

OVERALL SCORES

Name --- O/H - B/R - Score - Caliber - Gun Type - Sight - Class

1. Mr. Completely 27 30 57 .22 High Standard Red Dot Rimfire
2. Ryan 22 30 52 .22 AirForce Talon SS PCP 6x24x40 Scope Air Rifle
3. Ryan 21 30 51 .22 SIG Trailside Red Dot
4. jimmyb 20 30 50 .22 Ruger Mk. II Red Dot Rimfire
5. BrianL 14 24 38 .22 Ruger 10/22 Iron Rifle/Rapid/Slow
6. Mr. Completely 16 20 36 .177 Crossman 66 Iron Air Rifle
7. Not A Real Marksman 11 22 33 .22 Ruger Mk. II Iron Rimfire
8. Not A Real Marksman 13 19 32 9mm. Taurus PT99 Iron Centerfire
9. NateG 15 17 32 .38 S&W 686 Iron Revolver
10. NateG 19 12 31 .22 Springfield 1911 w/ .22 Conv. Iron Rimfire
11. s-tay 16 15 31 .22 Ruger Mk. II Red Dot Rimfire
12. Carnaby 16 15 31 .45 Springfield TRP Iron Centerfire
13. Mr. Completely 14 16 30 .177 Westlake Iron Air Pistol
14. Firehand 13 15 28 .22 Ruger 22/45 Iron Rimfire
15. BarbW 16 11 27 .22 S&W 622 Iron Rimfire
16. Sunshine 14 13 27 .22 Ruger Mk. II Red Dot Rimfire
17. KeeWee 13 12 25 .22 Beretta Neos Red Dot Rimfire
18. Carnaby 7 15 22 .22 Beretta Cougar Iron Rimfire
19. Mrs. NateG 11 11 22 .38 S&W 686 Iron Revolver
20. Mrs. NateG 10 8 18 .22 Springfield 1911 w/ .22 Conv. Iron Rimfire
21. BrianL 12 0 12 .223 AR-15 Holosight Rifle single target
22. BrianL 9 0 9 .45 Kimber Pro Carry II Iron Single Target

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Another e-Postal match draws to a close, and this target was one of the most fun so far, in my opinion. there were some very close scores, and some of them had to be decided by the "Un-supported" score.

Thanks to all who participated, and the announcement for the next e-Postal matches, both for rifles and handguns, will be announced shortly.

Olympic Handgun Events

I got a comment by John Stimson about a statement made in a previous post on High Standard pistols, where I repeated the often quoted statement that High Standard was the only American made pistol to win a gold medal in the Olympics. John, by the way, has put together a very good reference website on High Standard.

Here's his comment:

High Standard was not the only US manufactured pistol to win a gold medal in the Olympics. Smith & Wesson and Colt pistols won Olympic Gold medals thirty to forty years earlier.

John Stimson
www.histandard.info


Quoting from High Standard's website:

In 1960, Colonel William McMillan won the Gold Medal in the Olympic Rapid Fire competition using a High Standard pistol. This is the only Gold Medal won using an American-made firearm in this event!

So there you have it! High Standard is the only American made pistol to win a gold medal in the Olympic rapid fire event.

Colt and Smith & Wesson must have won some gold in one of the other events. Does anyone have any more info on that?

One thing leads to another, and I ended up on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's website, where I found the following descriptions of the Olympic handgun events:

Olympic Pistol Events -- Pistol shooters can choose from five Olympic events, three for men and two for women.

AIR PISTOL

With separate events for men and women, air pistol shooting joined the Olympic program in 1988. Competitors use .177 caliber pistols to fire lead pellets at targets 10 meters away. The bullseye has a .45 inch 10-ring.

The Guns: World-class air pistols (e.g., Feinwerkbau, Walther, Steyr and Morini) are air or gas-powered guns that sell for roughly $1100. Trigger weight can be no lighter than 500 grams; the width of the grip and length of the barrel are also limited.

Course of Fire: Men take 60 shots in one hour and 45 minutes, while women have one hour and 15 minutes for 40 shots.

Perfect Match Score: For men, 600 is perfect and 585 is world-class. For women, 400 is perfect and 385 is world-class.

Finals: The top eight competitors advance to a 10-shot final round, with 75 seconds allotted for each shot. The final is scored in tenths of a point and added to the match score to determine medalists. A perfect final score is 109.

Perfect Aggregate (Match + Final) Score: 709 for men, 509 for women.

Last U.S. Olympic Medal: Erich Buljung won the men's silver in Seoul in 1988. U.S. Women have not won a medal in this event.

RAPID FIRE PISTOL

Rapid-fire pistol has been an Olympic event since the first modern Games in 1896. Shot with a .22 caliber pistol from 25 meters, men have eight, six, or four seconds to fire once at each of five adjacent targets. As an added difficulty, pistols must be held downward at a 45-degree angle until a green light flashes on. The 10-ring on this target is four inches wide.

The Guns: Rapid-fire pistols shoot .22 caliber short cartridges (ammunition) from a five-shot magazine. Ported barrels reduce recoil, and the gun's grip completely envelopes the shooter's hand for additional stability. World-class rapid-fire guns like the Walther O.P. and FAS 603 retail for approximately $1200.

Course of Fire: Two five-shot series in eight seconds, two series in six seconds and two series in four seconds comprise a half course, fired in one day. The following day, the same course is repeated.

Perfect Match Score: 600 is a perfect score, with 592 being world-class. Finals: After 60 shots, the top eight shooters fire a final consisting of two five shot series at four seconds. The final is scored in tenths of a point and added to the match score to determine medal winners. A perfect final score is 109.

Perfect Aggregate (Match + Final) Score: 709 points.

Last U.S. Olympic Medal: Bill McMillan won the gold at the 1960 Games in Rome.

SPORT PISTOL

Sport pistol has been a women's Olympic event since 1984. Athletes use .22 caliber standard pistols to shoot precision and rapid-fire competition from a distance of 25 meters. The precision target has a two inch 10-ring, while the rapid-fire target has a four-inch center.

The Guns: Sport pistols shoot .22 caliber ammunition from a five-shot magazine without the advantage of ported baffles or wraparound grips, as in rapid-fire. World-class guns for this event, like the Walther GSP, Hammerli, Fas. or Paroini, cost $800-$1400.

Course of Fire: The 60-shot match is divided into 30 shots precision and 30 shots rapid-fire. The precision, or slow-fire stage, is fired in six series of five shots, and competitors have six minutes per series. In the 30-shot rapid-fire stage, competitors shoot strings of five shots. Three seconds are allotted for each shot, followed by seven seconds of rest.

Perfect Match Score: 600 is a perfect score, with 585 being world-class.

Finals: The top eight competitors advance to a final, which consists of 10 shots fired one a time in a time limit of 75 seconds. Targets are scored in 10ths after each shot and added to the match score to determine medalists. A perfect final score is 109. Perfect Aggregate (Match + Final) Score: 709 points.

Last U.S. Olympic Medal: Ruby Fox won the silver at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

FREE PISTOL

Free pistol, a precision men's event, has been part of the Olympics since 1896. Competitors shoot .22 caliber pistols from 50 meters at bullseye targets with an approximate two-inch center.

The Guns: A free pistol is easily identified by its grip, which completely envelopes and stabilizes the shooter's hand. Regulations require only that it fires .22 caliber long cartridges and has metallic sights. The gun's barrel is longer than that of other pistols, providing greater accuracy at this longer shooting distance. World-class free pistols like the Walther and Hammerli typically cost $1000-$1200.

Course of Fire: Competitors fire 60 shots in two hours.

Perfect match Score: 600 is a perfect score, and 565 is world-class.

Finals: The top eight competitors advance to a 10-shot final round, with 75 seconds allotted for each shot. The final is scored in tenths of a point and added to the match score to determine winners. A perfect final score is 109.

Perfect Aggregate (Match + Final) Score: 709 points.

Last U.S. Olympic Medal: Franklin Green won the silver at the 1964 Games in Tokyo.

FOR ALL EVENTS

Clothing, Equipment, Accessories: Pistol shooters compete without the benefit of special clothing, gloves or boots. Most athletes wear flat-soled shoes for increased stability, but footwear must not extend above the shooter's ankle.

Competitors frequently wear blinders over their "non-shooting" eye to prevent squinting. Spotting scopes allow athletes to view their targets in 25- and 50-meter competition. In all events, special caps designed to limit the athlete's field of vision are common; ear and eye protection are a given.

I'm not expecting a phone call from the U.S. Olympic Team any time soon...........

e-Postal Match "Killiards" Stuff

I've just about got all of the scores tabulated, but to make extra sure everyone's entries got in OK, here's a list of the folks who have entered so far.

• jimmyb
• BrianL
• Ben
• NateG
• Mrs. NateG
• BarbW
• Not A Real Marksman
• Ryan
• Firehand
• KeeWee
• s-tay
• Sunshine

There's a couple of you out there who have entered most of the matches, or had said you were planning to enter this one, but I haven't heard from you.

If you sent in an entry for the Killiards e-Postal match and your name is NOT on this list, email me right away so I can get you included.

Thanks!!

CraigCat Catamaran

KenS sent me the link to these's folks website, and if I ever win the lottery (you gotta buy a ticket??) one of these is going to be a high on my list purchases.

The CraigCat, from CraigCat Catamaran Corp., runs up to 35 horsepower, and they are really stable, according to their website and the videos. In one video a 210 pound guy is bouncing up and down standing on one of the pontoons, and the cat is barely rocking. It looks like you could even use it as a mini bass boat!

For more info and to have a look at their action videos, check out their website.

It looks like a lot of fun!!

Rimfire Roundup Stuff

I am happy to announce that Rimfire Roundup has now been given "Official" Carnival status, sort of, as the submission page for the Rimfire Roundup is now listed along with all of the other carnivals at Conservative Cat.com.

This provides an on line form for sending in your Roundup submissions. There is a link over on the right sidebar, up near the top, that takes you directly to the Carnival Submission page.

For those of you that have been emailing the submissions directly to me, that works fine too, and you can keep doing so. Feel free to send in your submissions with whichever way you are most comfortable.

The deadline is shown as 10pm. EST on Tuesdays, but as long as I have it by Wednesday morning early I will still have time to get the Roundup together on time.

To email your submissions directly, send them to

b l o g (at) w h i d b e y (dot) c o m

and be sure to put "Rimfire Roundup" in the title so it gets sorted into the correct mailbox.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, is the deadline for this week's Roundup, so send 'em on in!

Thanks!

Swingin' and Dingin'

It's been a busy weekend, with lots of launching of small lead projectiles at steel targets, many of which weren't alway cooperative!

Keewee and I are just back from the CWSA Hanging Steel Rimpfire match in Coupeville, WA., and a few other short excursions. The weather was absolutely beautiful, blue sky, shirt sleeve temperatures, the kind of day that makes you want to drag out the BBQ, after a trip to the range, of course!

The usual suspects were present, including "Evil Al", Rainey, LouG, KeeWee, "Terrible Tom", Dean, TomH, and the rest of the locals. We also had a few shooters down from the Custer club, including Megan, who is going to be a real force to contend with if she keeps improving. Good eyesight, good reflexes, good cordination, etc. "Kids ...... Humbug!!!"

Anyhow, the basic rules are simple, 3 shot strings of six shots, from four distances, at four different sizes of steel plates hanging from metal rods. You have to get each shot string off in six seconds or less, and your score is the total number of plates you manage to hit. In short, 72 shots at 72 plates in 72 seconds or less. Sounds easy, right? Not quite!

As soon as you hit one of the plates, the others start swinging around and dancing back and forth. If you wait for them to settle down, the six seconds expires, so you have to sometimes hit them on the move!

Click the first picture for a larger view and you'll see what I mean. Plate #3 has just been hit, but look at what plate #5 is doing! I said it wasn't easy!

Dean shooting, with LouG running the timer.

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"Evil Al" shooting, KeeWee keeping score, Rainey on deck.
LouG's arm holding the clipboard and timer.

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LouG's turn at the shooting station with "Evil Al" running the timer and Rainey keeping score.

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TomH at the line with Al timing, Rainey scoring, and LouG supervising!

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TomH cranks up the "Focus Factor" and blasts away!

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KeeWee shows the plates who's boss, with Al timing and Rainey scoring.

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When the final scores were tallied, in the iron sight class "Terrible Tom" had run away and hid over second place. Tom wasn't even in the same time time zone as I was! I managed a second place, but Tom could have quit half way through the match and nearly still won the class!

The optical sight class was another story, as I managed to avenge my solid thumping by Tom at the last match, and managed to squeak by with just enough plates to put Tom into second place!

WOO HOO, INDEED!

I can guarantee you that it was a moment to savor. We both had a few mechanical problems, but it was still very close. What fun!

Megan was fifth, if I remember correctly, and KeeWee was somewhere around tenth, or thereabouts.

After the match, KeeWee and I headed North to Oak Harbor for a quick run through Wally World, then to Home Depot to cruise through the garden center.

KeeWee is a rabid gardener, and if you've check out her second blog, KeeWee's Garden, you can follow the results.

My philosophy is more along the lines of whatever comes up is exactly what was supposed to come up, regardless of what it might be. I figure the "Big Guy" is in charge of what grows out of the ground, and if He wants it to be a dandylion, who am I to argue, right? Seldom does anything good ever come from arguing with the guy in charge!

After departing the garden center (soaker hoses were on sale), we stopped for dinner, then back to Castle Completely, where I promptly took a nap, with visions of steel plates dancing in my dreams.

What a country...........

Laserlyte Bore Sighter - Followup

Here's a short follow-up on the Laserlyte bore sighter I mentioned in a previous post.

I was putting the Barska red dot sight onto my Hi Point 9mm. carbine, and figured this would be a good test for it. I mounted the sight, then adjusted the end of the bore sighter for a snug fit into the 9mm. barrel. I pushed it into the muzzle until the taper fit snugly into the muzzle, centering the boresighter in the barrel. I turned on the laser and the red dot sight, and aimed it at the wall at the end of the hallway. By luck, both red dots just happened to coincide. I bet that'll never happen again!

I turned of the sight and the laser, and put the boresighter back into the range box. When I test fired the Hi Point at the range at roughly the same distance, I was within two clicks of dead on, both in windage and elevation.

I was impressed. You need one of these, especially while they are on sale.........

Looks like a busy weekend!

Now that I'm branching out a bit from just pin shooting and hanging plates, I've got lots of matches every weekend to choose from.

Hanging plates, falling plates, challenging plates, big plates, little plates, and all kinds of steel things to shoot at. It's kinda like being a kid in a candy store, I want to shoot 'em all!

Saturday I'll either be in Oak Harbor, WA. for their new format Steel II match, or up in Custer, WA. for my first try at head-to-head falling plates.

Sunday KeeWee and I'll be at Coupeville, WA. at the CWSA range for a hanging plates match.

Needless to say, blogging will be a bit on the light side!

e-Postal "Head Shot" Entries - Pt. 2

I managed to sneak in a quick trip to the range so I could shoot a couple of e-Postal "Head Shot" targets with larger caliber rifles.

The top target was shot with my Hi Point 9mm. carbine and inexpensive Bi-Mart ammunition. Distance was 15 yards, shooting from an improvised rest, using one of those $17.00 Barska red dot sights. The one ragged hole is 16 rounds fired.

9mm. Hi Point Carbine with Barska Red Dot Sight.

Next I got out a Winchester Model 70 with stock iron sights, chambered in 30-06. The match scenario calls for as many shots as you feel comfortable with, and it doesn't take a whole lot of 30-06 to make you feel you've got your money's worth, if you know what I mean.

The scenario is based on having to make an accurate head shot at close range with dire consequences if you miss. I figure I could have stopped after the first shot, since the most of the bad guy's head would be more or less gone, but just to be sure, I gave him 4 more rounds. Can't be too careful, I suppose. The center hole is actually 4 rounds.

Winchester Model 70 30-06 with iron sights

Adding to the scenario, I put another target out at 25 yards, and put one more round in the black. Then I put another target out at 50 yards, and put another in the black. At 50 yards I just about couldn't see the black of the target.

If that wasn't enough to stop this particular bad guy, I suspect the next option would have to be something nuclear!

As for those of you saying "Big Deal! I could do better than that with my eyes closed", I would only add that you are probably right, but we'll never know unless you shoot some targets and send them in!

e-Postal "Head Shot" Entries

I just got back from the rimfire range where I shot a couple of targets for the e-Postal match "Head Shot". Although a .22 rifle isn't the best home protection weapon you could want, in years past when the threat level was low, I kept my Winchester Model 62-A pump close at hand, just in case.

This target was shot with the Winchester 62-A at roughly 9 yards, using the stock factory iron sights.

With a .22 you don't have too much stopping power, so you have to hit the bad guy lots of times and do it accurately and quickly if you want to convince him to change his plans. The tubular magazine holds 13 rounds, so that's what I loaded up and started with.

Since I hadn't shot the 62-A in some time, I couldn't remember what distance it was sighted in for, so I took one "sighter" shot, and it was close enough. I topped up the magazine, and pumped all thirteen rounds into the target as fast as I could sight and shoot, without using any support.

I didn't have the timer on, but it was approximately one shot a second, or maybe a little faster. Final score was 130/130, with 11 of the 13 in the X ring.

Even though this is a rifle e-Postal match, I decided to try shooting it with my High Standard .22 pistol with a red dot sight, just for the fun of it. To make the task close to the scenario established in the rules, no warm-up or sight-in shots were fired. I loaded a 10 shot magazine, started the shot timer, and fired all 10 as fast as I could get the shots off.

The last three shots weren't as close as the first seven as a hot casing had managed to find it's way inside of my glasses and was burning my cheek! For some reason cheap Federal ammo does that to me, and no other brand. Strange!

Final score for the ten shots turned out to be 85/100 with 5 in the x ring, total elapsed time 3.3 seconds. Great fun!

You've still got time to get out to the range and get your entries in, since it closes Monday night.

I'm going to try to get to the range later this afternoon and shoot some larger caliber rifles....

e-Postal Match Reminders

The currently running handgun, rifle, air pistol, and air rifle e-Postal matches, "Killiards" and "Head Shot" close this coming Monday night, so this is the last weekend to get out to the range and get your entries shot.

If you already tried it, and weren't happy with your score on the "Killiards" targets, you are allowed to re-shoot it if you like.

Have fun, Be Safe!

Laserlyte Bore Sighter

Laserlyte Laser Bore Sighter

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Waiting for the UPS truck to arrive is like waiting for Christmas! You just can't wait until it gets here. The big brown UPS truck pulled into the driveway of Completely Castle yesterday, and "Oh Boy!", there was a box from Natchez Shooter's Supply.

Quickly opening the box with my trusty Swiss army knife, and spilling plastic peanuts all over in the excitement, I removed a new red dot sight and a new Laserlyte laser bore sighter from the box. More about the sight in a later post.

The laser bore sighter is an ingenious combination of a laser pointer and a valve seat grinding pilot from an automotive machine shop. The end closest to the light source is tapered to fit into the muzzle, and the "pointy end" has a plastic expanding piece that can be adjusted to accurately fit into the bore. There are four different ends to allow the bore sighter to be used on anything from a .22 up to a .50 caliber barrel.

The Laserlyte also comes with a light-reflective target so you can see the red spot in bright daylight, and a handy little nylon/velcro carrying case to keep all the pices together.

Once you have inserted the bore sighter into the barrel, you rotate a cylindrical switch to turn the laser light on. Adjusting the sight is easy. Point the red light from the boresighter at a wall at the distance you want to sight in for, and adjust your sights to be on the red dot. That should at least get you close enough to do the final sighting in at the range.

Keep in mind that the bullet's path is not a straight line, as is the light from the bore sighter. At closer distances this isn't an issue, but as you move back it will be.

It makes a good learning device for demonstrating the effect of the sight being not on the centerline of the barrel, as you can adjust your sight for ten yards, for example, and then point it at something twenty yards away, and see exactly how much difference it makes. It can also be handy to carry along, as it gives you a quick way to make sure your sight hasn't moved on you since you last sighted it in.

Natchez has these on sale right now for $29.95, and that's quite a bargain, considering I've seen them advertised for over fifty bucks.

I think this is going to turn out to be a handy gizmo to carry in your range box. If you give them a call at Natchez and order one, tell them Mr. Completely sent you. They'll have no idea what you are talking about, but what the heck!

At the very least, you should get your hands on one of their shooting supplies catalog. I'd put it on the "Must Have" list of catalogs, along side of Brownell's and Midway.

Rimfire roundup #9

Here we go with the 9th. edition of rimfire roundup for your perusing pleasure! Not too many entries this roundup, but what is lacking in quantity is made up for in quality.

Let's get started!

Joe at Play One On TV bought a Ruger MkII for Apri l15th. Buy A Gun Day, and in this case, he was actually buying back one he used to own. It's been set up with several major improvements, and if you are considering tricking up your Mk. II, you should go have a look!

A nicely customized Ruger MkII

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Chris Byrne, The Anarchangel, has Some Notes on the Walther P-22, including some hints on re-assembly that you might just find handy.

If you own one, or if you are considering getting one of these beauties, you should read through his post.

After reading what Chris has to say, you should drop by Blognomicon for even more info on the Walther P22.

Depending on where you live, you may be well advised to NOT set up your Walther P22 as pictured!

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When it comes to classic beauties, Kim at The Other Side of Kim certainly has an eye for picking them! In this case, it's the Colt Diamondback chambered .22LR.

Who wouldn't love to have one of these!

Colt Diamondback Revolver in .22 Long Rifle

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If you are considering a rifle for a less than full sized shooter, and are looking to step up a bit from a basic bolt action trainer to something a little more advanced, Fug at Fugger Nutter has a suggestion for you, the lever action Henry youth model .22 rifle.

Here's his review on the Henry Youth Model lever action rifle.

Henry youth model .22 rifle

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Like I said, it's a short roundup, but some very nice guns! If you have recently done a post on your blog about something or other rimfire related and would like to see it mentioned in a future Rimfire Roundup, please email me the link, and be sure to mention Rimfire Roundup in the title.

In the Winter, when things are a bit slower, I have the time to cruise the gun blogs looking for rimfire posts, but once the matches get going and I'm shooting in one or two matches every weekend I just don't have the time, so I am counting on you sending them in.

Thanks to all who sent in submissions, now get out there and go shooting!

Thinking your way into trouble, Bunky?

Got this email from KenS:

Is thinking ruining your life? You might be a problem thinker!

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone - "to relax," I told myself - but I knew it wasn't true.

Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time. I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself. I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

Things weren't going so great at home either. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker. One day the boss called me in. He said, "Skippy, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave me a lot to think about.

I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, "I've been thinking..." "I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!" "But Honey, surely it's not that serious." "It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking we won't have any money!" "That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and she began to cry.

I'd had enough. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche, with NPR on the radio. I roared into the parking lot and ran up to the big glass doors... they didn't open. The library was closed.

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night. As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinker's Anonymous poster. Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker.

I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting. I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home.

Life just seemed... easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking.

Regards,

........KenS

Rising Bullets

(Click for Larger View)

There is an often repeated bit of folklore regarding the path taken by a bullet after leaving the barrel. I've heard people insist that bullets actually rise when they leave the barrel. Others say that it just isn't so. In reality, they are both partially correct.

If you are shooting at something that's at approximately the same height as the sight, the bullet DOES actually rise, but that's because it's being shot uphill!

Since the sight is above the barrel, it's line of sight ( a straight line) starts out above the barrel, and if the centerline of the barrel is absolutely parallel to the line of sight, the bullet's path will never cross the line of sight. As the bullet travels away from the muzzle, gravity pulls it down in an arc, farther and farther below the line of sight, until it finally hits the ground.

To compensate for this, when you sight in, or "zero" your sight, you actually have the barrel aimed slightly uphill, or the sight pointed slightly downhill, depending how you look at it. That results in a spot out in front of the gun where the sight line and the bullet's path cross. That's the left vertical line in the above drawing.

Anything closer, and you have to aim slightly above where you want the bullet to hit. Anything farther away, you have to aim BELOW the intended point of impact to hit the target. As you get farther out, the bullet drops back across the sight line, as at the right vertical line above. At that point you have a second zero, the line of sight and the bullet's point of impact coincide.

When you get even farther to the right, you then have to go back to aiming ABOVE the intended point of impact.

Granted, there are a lot of other factors involved. The closer the center of the sight is to the centerline of the barrel, the less pronounced is this effect. Shooting either uphill or downhill skews the curve of the bullet's path, but the effect is the same. In some cases compensation can be built into the optics, but even so, the the basic principles still apply.

So as you can see, the bullet does often rise coming out of the barrel, but that's just because you are shooting it uphill!

THE FOTTLE

I went to the Patent Office trying to register some of my inventions.

I went to the main desk to sign in and the lady at the desk had a form that had to be filled out.

She wrote down my personal info and then asked me what I had invented.

I said, "A folding bottle."

She said, "Okay, what do you call it?"

"A Fottle."

"What else do you have?"

"A folding carton."

"What do you call it?"

"A Farton."

She sniggered and said, "Those are silly names for products and one of them sounds kind of crude."

I was so upset by her comment that I grabbed the form and left the office without even telling her about my folding bucket.

Thanks to Mary for this one!

Taurus PT92 Econo Race Gun Project

Taurus PT92 Econo Race Gun

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I thought you all'd be interested in an update on the Taurus PT92 9mm. econo race gun project, since I haven't mentioned it lately.

First, why did I pick a Taurus PT-92? Probably the strongest point in favor of the Beretta designed Taurus is it's ability to shoot reliably and chamber just about anything you throw at it. As best I recall, I've never had a stovepipe, failure to feed, or failure to extract as long as I've owned it. Another consideration was the ready availability and low prices for used PT-92's.

The Beretta version originally had a problem with the slide developing cracks after several thousand rounds. When Taurus was licensed to build the PT-92, they slightly reduced the barrel diameter, and slightly increased the thickness of the slide. Apparently this solved the problem, although I've heard it suggested that Italian steel was a somewhat lower quality than the Brazilian steel, and that was the reason for the cracking.

The magazine release is on the lower left rear corner of the grip on the early PT-92's, and it's not very convenient to get to in a hurry, but since this is being built primarily as a bowling pin gun, speedy mag changes aren't a big issue. The later PT-92's moved the release to a more standardized location on the trigger guard.

The hard plastic grip panels leave a bit to be desired, but the Hogue rubber grip sleeve with finger grooves made a huge improvement.

I converted the Taurus from DA/SA to single action only, and it was a really simple conversion, once I figured it out. All I had to do was machine a little part out of Delrin, remove the right grip panel, drop in the part, and put the panel back on.

While I had it apart I removed the trigger return spring and replaced it with a lighter one, since it no longer needed to be so strong. I also did a little fiddling with the sear spring, but the full trigger job will come later.

Designing and machining the parts for the sight mount took a little time and figuring, but it was fairly straight-forward. The barrel isn't exactly parallel with the bottom of the slide, so it took a little trial and error to get the top surface of the mount parallel with the barrel centerline. I've almost got it, but I may need to take another .010 or so off the front. I've got a bore-sighter on the way to make that a little easier to figure out how much to take off.

The compensator is one I picked up on ebay for about fifteen bucks. It was a little bit too small, so I had to machine about .005 off the forward 1/2 inch of the barrel to get a good fit. I've shot about thirty rounds through it so far, and it hasn't come off or loosened up, so I guess it's OK!

The next phases of development are to work on tightening it up a bit to improve accuracy, getting the trigger pull down into the sub 2lb. range, and then finally determining what ammo it likes best.

Then comes the fun part, lots of shooting!

I'll keep you posted.......

Tuesday Frog Bloggin'

I remember some folks back when I was in college that looked kinda this way, but that was back in the sixties.

By now they've probably croaked.


(Aw, come on, give me a break, I'm doing the best I can!)

Boy, you guys are a tough crowd.............

Carnival of Cordite is up!!

The Carnival of Cordite is up!

WOO HOO!

Rimfire Roundup Reminder

Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Tuesday, is the deadline for submissions to the Rimfire Roundup. There weren't enough posts for a full roundup last week, so I'm carrying them over to this week's edition.

The posts don't have to be just gun reviews, they can be anything related to rimfire sports shooting. The post doesn't even have to be exclusively rimfire, provided rimfire is a part of it.

Rimfire shooting, particularly .22 caliber, is especially well suited to getting new shooters started out, or improving your current skills, since it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to shoot a lot of rounds in practice.

For those bloggers who once in a while have trouble coming up with something to blog about, how about a rimfire post?

Write it up and send it in!

Extreme Sports

Two Wisconsinites walk into a pet shop near Rhinelander . They head to the bird section and Sven says to Ole, "Dat's dem."

The owner comes over and asks if he can help them.

"Yah sure, ve'll take four of dem dere little budgies in dat cage up dere." says Sven.

The owner puts the budgies in a paper bag. Ole and Sven pay for the birds, leave the shop and get into Sven's pick-up and drive to the top of some big cliffs near Lake Winnebago.

At the cliffs, Sven looks down at the 1000 foot drop and says, "Dis looks like a grand place." He takes two birds out of the bag, puts them on his shoulders and jumps off the cliff. Ole watches as Sven falls all the way to the bottom, killing himself dead.

Looking down at the remains of his best pal, Ole shakes his head and says: "By yumpin' yiminy, dis budgie jumping is too dangerous for me."


VAIT!!! Dere's MORE!

Moments later Knute arrives up at the cliffs. He's been to the pet shop too, and walks up to the edge of the cliff carrying another paper bag in one hand and a shotgun in the other. "Hey, Ole, Vatch dis." Knute says.

He takes a parrot from the bag and throws himself over the edge of the cliff. Ole watches as half way down, Knute takes the gun and shoots the parrot. Knute continues to plummet down and down until he hits the bottom and breaks every bone in his body.

Ole shakes his head and says, "And I'm never trying dat parrotshooting either."


BUT VAIT!!! Dere's MORE, you betcha!!

Ole is just getting over the shock of losing two friends when Lars appears. He'! s also been to the pet shop and is carrying a paper bag, out of which he pulls a chicken. Lars grasps the chicken by the legs, holds it over his head, and hurls himself off the cliff and disappears down and down until he hits a rock and breaks his spine.

Once more Ole shakes his head. "First der was Sven with his budgie jumping, den Knute parrotshooting ... and now Lars, hengliding .."


All threats should be directed to KenS......

Happy Easter !

Happy Easter

To All!


Now turn off your dang computer
and take the rest of the day off......

BARSKA Red Dot Sight

BARSKA 25mm. Red Dot Sight

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For those of us with lousy eyesight, the red dot sights have been a major blessing. Yes, they DO take a little getting used to, but once you get it working for you, you'll love it!

That being said, what red dot is right for you? Like everything, everyone has their own opinion, but here's some basics. The smaller the diameter, the harder it is to find the dot in a hurry, particularly on a handgun. The larger the diameter, the easier it is to find the dot, but it is more likely to be off as you move closer or farther away from the target, since the center of the sight is farther above the centerline of the barrel. The bigger the dot, the easier it is to see, but since it covers more of the target, it's harder to be as accurate. The thicker the "frame" around the viewing area, the more it interferes with target visibility.

For my first red dot sight review, I'm going to start with one that everyone can afford, the 25mm. BARSKA. I have a couple of them, and at the moment they are available from Sportsmans Guide for around 17 bucks, including mounting rings, battery, allen wrench, and a screw-on sun shade. A lot of stuff for the money.

The 25mm. BARSKA uses separate mount rings, rather than having the clamping portion of the mount built in to the body of the sight. The ability to change to a higher set of mount rings may come in handy in some situations, or a set of .22 mount rings would allow you to mount it onto a .22 rifle.

The BARSKA uses the most common red dot battery, the 3V. lithium 2032, found just about everywhere. Eleven different brightness settings cover a wide range of lighting conditions. The dot size is 5MOA. I like a little smaller dot, but a lot of shooters like the 5MOA dot. I guess it's mostly a matter of personal preference.

I've tried the BARSKA on several guns, but for me at least, the diameter is too small for a handgun, unless, of course, you are really good at bringing the gun up in exactly the same place every time. Otherwise, it can be hard sometimes to find the dot.

In my opinion, the BARSKA is a perfect match for relatively short range carbines, like the Hi Point, or perhaps on a shotgun. Having the sight on a rifle greatly reduces the problem of finding the dot when you bring it up. I think it's diameter is too small for a handgun if you are planning to acquire target and get a shot off qiuckly.

The quality seems to be fine, with no obvious roughness or poor fit. Windage and elevation adjust as you would expect. Adjusting one does seem to move the other a little bit, but that seems to be a common trait among red dot sights, regardless of price range.

I'd say the BARSKA 25mm. red dot sight is a well made sight, and with nearly an unbelievable price for what you get. Sportsmans Guide has always been great to deal with.

At the very least, it's a good starter red dot sight if you've never tried one before, and for seventeen bucks you can't go too far wrong!

Who's Buyin' What on BAG Day

Since Aaron's site is down, and since the master list of BAG day purchases is normally posted there, Cowboy Blob has put together a list of who's buying what for BAG day. Below is a mirror of his post, but there may be others added after I posted this list, so you should go check Cowboy Blog's list for the latest updates.

Here's his post and list:

BAG Day is Aaron's baby, but his site is down after getting hacked by ragtards...so without his master list of participants, I went down my Blogroll and recorded the patriotic acquisitions of my BAG Day heroes:

Ninth Stage: His and Hers P22s.

Because I Say So: EBR.

Carnaby Fudge: A gun-coat and a trigger job?

Fugger Nutter: Kel-Tec P-3AT

Mostly Cajun: Ross M-10 .303 British

Desert Cat: Hers: Bersa Thunder .380 and His: ????

Les Jones: Lee-Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine

Mr Completely: High Standard .22 pistol

A Twofer at The Ten Ring: a Nambu and a Coach Gun.

Toys in the Attic: Yugo SKS and Miroku .38 Oops! No! It's a SIG-229!

The Smallest Minority: Winchester 94 in .45 LC

Wasted Electrons: Kel-Tec carbine

Xavier Thoughts: Heck, he buys a gun every other week. This week, it's a Colt Diamondback.

Thanks, CB, for putting the list together......

Mexican Products Boycott

On May 1st, supporters of illegal immigration are planning a May 1st. boycott of all American owned companies and American produced products.

They're calling it "Nothing Gringo". (May Day, how appropriate, although April 1st. would be even more appropriate!)

From this CNN News Article: Mexican unions, political and community groups, newspaper columnists and even some Mexican government offices have joined the call in recent days.
Roberto Vigil of the California-based immigrants rights group Hermandad Mexicana said his group has asked some of Mexico's largest labor unions to back the protest. Elias Bermudez, president of the Phoenix-based Immigrants Without Borders, is actively promoting the boycott in interviews with Mexican radio and television stations.

Pablo Gonzalez, spokesman for one of Mexico's largest labor unions, the Federation of Revolutionary Workers and Farmers, said his organization will support a boycott against "at least four of the most important U.S. firms, among them Wal-Mart," Mexico's largest retailer.
Two other major labor groups -- the telephone workers' and auto workers' unions -- also are expected to join, Vigil said. Even parts of the Mexican government have signed onto the protest. "We are not going to be buying any products from the United States on May 1," said Lolita Parkinson, national coordinator for the National Board of State Offices on Attention for Migrants, which represents state government-run migrant aid offices.

In response, a group called Nothing Wetback, is planning to turn the tables and promote a one day boycott of all Mexican products, also on May 1st.

Nothing Wetback is asking all supporters to boycott all merchandise manufactured or assembled in Mexico. The Mexican government needs to condemn the actions of illegal immigrants and help the U.S. to secure the borders. Absent this, Nothing Wetback will continue to support a complete boycott of all Mexican exports and urge our government to impose sanctions on Mexico.

Thanks to Azreel at FreeSpiritMind.com for the story.

Marc's BAG Day Purchase

A Matched Pair of Walther P22's!

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Marc at Ninth Stage has posted a picture of his BAG (April 15th. Buy a Gun Day) purchase, and he did it right proper, I'd say!

Not only did he buy a Walther/S&W P22 for himself, he also bought one for Mrs. Ninth Stage too!

Now if we can get him to do a full evaluation and a range report for us!

100,000 Visitors! W O W ! ! !

When I started blogging just under a year ago, I had no idea I would ever get this many visitors!

A BIG THANKS to all of you who wander through here from time to time. Glad you enjoy it enough to return every so often.

THANKS!

BAG (Buy a Gun) Day Purchase

High Standard Supermatic Citation ML-106 of Hamden Manufacture. 7" fluted barrel, and a Tasco ProPoint Red Dot sight.

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April 15th. is BAG (Buy a Gun) day, and we all have to do our civic duty and go out and buy a gun. I fudged a little and ended up buying my BAG day gun a couple of weeks ago.

One thing I learned a long time ago is that when a good deal shows up, jump on it right then. Good deals are usually driven by someone who wants to get some money out of something right now, and are willing to drop the price to get it sold today! That was the case on this one.

I got talking to a fellow at a hanging plate match who mentioned that he had just bought a new Smith & Wesson model 41, and had a High Standard to get rid of. He also mentioned that he had it in his car.

"Let's go have a look." I replied, and we went to his car. It was a High Standard Supermatic Citation ML-106 with a 7" fluted High Standard barrel. Both the barrel and gun were built in Hamden, which are considered to be the better ones, compared to the Hartford manufactured ones. Blueing wasn't perfect, but still nice condition. The barrel had been drilled for a scope mount, which reduced the value somewhat, but I was interested in it to shoot, rather than just as a collector's gun. The three magazines are all "after-market" and after-market mags are always an iffy proposition on the High Standards. Even the factory mags are picky until you get them tuned just right.

I asked him what he was asking for it, and he quoted a reasonable price, but a bit more than I wanted to spend. I declined, and thanked him for showing it to me. I suggested that if he advertised it around, he would probably eventually get the price he was asking, but it might take some time.

Then he said the magic words, "If you are interested in it, I'll let you have it for $xxx." I nearly tore the pocket off my pants getting my wallet out!

"That does, of course, include the case, doesn't it?" I added, as I was counting out the bills for him.

"Sure"

"Cool"

I won't spoil your day by telling you the final price, but it was well under $500.00!

That's a deal on one of these sweet shooters!

Happy BAG day!