It's been a while since I've been target shooting. Almost 6 mos.
I've been doing a lot of tactical and defensive hand-gun stuff of late, but, have really missed the bench-rest gang and atmosphere. So I loaded up some shooters and headed up the road for a sit in and a shoot.

The weather was nice and cool- a little too foggy for me and my eyes but, eh, what ya gonna do. The crowd was really thin, it was Monday, and I got set up and settled in for some fun with little or no wind.

Started off with Ugly Betty, my M-59 7.62x39....it's been ages since she's been out and was still on target right out of the box. Clanging a steel pig at 200y was a 7/10 ordeal....not too shabby for a 50 year old battle rifle in as issued condition and a dark, pitted bore. It's a great shooter and I love it.

I had a range supplied PVC pipe target frame at 100y with an 8" Shoot-n-C on it so I could try some reduced loads in my 10.5" SBH. They let me on the hi-power line with same due to the long tube.
I consider it an honor to sit in with the big boys and all those beautiful BR shooters, hunting rifles and more.
I managed to forget my pistol rest, and, had to make do with my home-made rifle rest.
It's made of foam rubber, duct tape, it's fat, ugly and I hide it under a towel for a reason. But, it was free, it's light and it works so...

Anywho, I pulled out a box of 200gr X-treme CPFP over 5.2gr of 700x I'd been using for combat focus shooting in my Alaskan. Super mild stuff and I wondered how it would fly out of the longer tube'd SBH. It was sighted in for 200y at the time of my last shoot back in January so it was a lil high. Meh, I'm on the paper so back out to 200y for the small steel piggy we go.
I'm painting it in a corner pretty good, tagged the post it was on, really squinting in the flat light and through open sights. I can't seem to hit it.

So I try again with some firmer loads. 240gr Nos JHP over 21.5gr of H110. Pretty much the same thing.
I'm holding as well as I can and should have clanged the thing by now.
So I try again at 100y with the 200gr load, I'm off the paper. Then I shattered the frame and pieces are flying everywhere. Couple of guys clapped. I just hung my head.
Aaaand there goes my $4.00 frame deposit.

I kinda sat there for a second wondering what happened. How bad did I jerk that one?
Then I saw some smoke trickling up from the front of the bench.

The towel I had covering the rest was smoldering.

Seems during recoil things moved, then the towel started flapping and the net result was a nice big blast hole in my range towel. The rifle rest was unaffected. Pretty funny really. At least everyone watching thought it was.

I'm thinking the big Ruger didnt like that 200gr recipe, and, the recipe didn't like shooting through my towel either.
I don't like being humiliated, but, what ya gonna do.

So I grabbed both my pistols and headed over to the pistol range to kill some swingers and get some redemption. Felt good too wrapping up some chains at 35y and 50y with full house stuff outta that Alaskan. There's nothing that thing can't cure.

$4.00 for a blasted target frame later, lesson learned. Don't be a cheapo and I'm renting a rest next time (if) I forget mine.

Hope ya'll is doing well and get a little chuckle at my expense.

Good effort Stoves....been there, done that, only it was the leg of my jeans and a 30.30 TC Contender shooting creedmore...the cuff was flapping with the muzzle blast and I didn't take any notice of it...sure 'nough....blasted a hole clean through the cuff.

Cheers, Vince

Wow- .30-30 is a robust round. Big boom!

Did the same thing with another SBH revolver 'cept the cylinder gap got me in the leg... AAH!

Oh yeh, the sheild. Forgot. Oops!

I'll never do that again. Burning jeans and leg hair stinks.

BTW- just sent our forum member 'deer sniper' an e-mail regarding scoping my SBH.

That should help get me back on the black. If I can see again I might even entertain tracking some bacon then...if I can find some copper/bronze bullets. So. Calif won't allow hunting w/ lead in most places anymore. Plus they are trying to pass a law requiring registering to buy HG ammo, and, no more bullets through the mail. The bill just passed and is on the floor for voting.

Jeez...this place is something else....

hey stovepipe keep us posted on how the vote on that bill turns out.. hope it's voted down for ya

Copy that- will do, should hear more in a few days. If it passes, it's going to mean background checks and training for suppliers, their employees, buyers registering with the State to simply buy a box of ammo and more.

The ammo also can't be within reach of customers. And- customers can only handle the ammo while under supervision of the retailer.

Some retailers are already on the fence about going out of business due to ammo shortages and insane regs here in Ca.
Like they need anymore strife.

And people wonder why this state is in trouble. How much government do it citzens needs...meanhwile, bad guys are all over this knowing the public will be even less able to defend itself, and, they don't get guns or ammo through normal legal channels anyways so....

Looks like the joke really is on me living out here...

Fingers crossed.

-kevin.

Wow things are really bad out in Calli. The state is broke, gun control, ammo control,selling public land. I don't know how you put up with all of it. I hope it's not contagious.

Well- unless stupid is contageous, I would not worry too much.

This state is a bastion of liberal dim-witt's all rallying together for some clueless cause. Like having to be fingerprinted and registered for buying more than one box of HG ammo.

Meh- I remain defiant.
After the whooping we've takin' with suppliers I'm stoking up on bullets before the slamming closed of more doors.
And- after the last whooping I took at the hi-power range with mixed brass practice loads I sperated, cleaned, tumbled and trimmed everything and got two finished boxes of same lot/kind brass within a half of a thou' in lentgh. (The rest go into the combat/practice reduced-load baggie)
And "Boomer" is getting scoped soon too.
And my new .44mag Factory Crimp die came too.
And I stumbled onto 3 diff. kinds of powders last weekend.
And 2000 LP primers just shipped too!

Next outing I'm showing up with match grade hand-rolled loads, a real rest and some new glass over the tube. My eyes are done for long range pistol stuff and now I need a 'crutch'.

Things will be different and I'm getting my target frame deposit back next outing. I'm looking forward to some *CLANG!* time.
Love the sound of them 240gr's burning in....

Stay tuned.........

Aaaand- my 200 new Remington cases just shipped!!! ....(been waitin' on them, freakin' backorders) ...gonna have me some real nice hand-rolled's here soon.

Life is good.

Stoves wrote:

Life is good. :cool:

Ahhhhh....ya gotta be happy with that Stove old mate.

Cheers, Vince

Hope things turn out Good for you .In MA, our Obama imitator gov is trying to push a bill that would other laws look minor .

Vinny old bean!- gonna borrow Pop's trickler and really get serious about a nice couple of boxes of matched ammo... one atta time, easy does it.

Whittling- I've been hearing some rumblings from a bud out there and wow, what gives? Best of luck to ya on that pending legislature.

Aaaand- ordered a Bushnell 2-6 x 32 Trophy scope for Boomer on Saturday.

Then gonna send it and the gun in to our custom resident rifle maker for mounting.

I'm so bloddy excited about being able to see stuff again at the end of that long tube I can hardly stand it. That 100y gong is gonna get it now. And the 200y pig better get some kevlar undies.
And no more broken target frames!

Keep ya's posted and some pics to follow when it's done.

Way to go Stoves....I understand fully the problems with eyes that reach 45+ years old...was the reason I gave up pistol shooting...couldn't see the sights anymore.

Time to get back into it mate and start enjoying our sport again mate.

Cheers, Vince

Thanks Vince, very much.

I'm a more than a little excited about seeing things in a whole new light, then, shooting them.