Range Day Pics

[Gus1759]

I'm in citrus county, Fl no place I know of to go shoot. Belong to range in Lakeland Fl 200.00 a year.suppose to be building an indoor range in th Villages but not sure when they expect to open

[smokeless joe]

I'm in citrus county, Fl no place I know of to go shoot. Belong to range in Lakeland Fl 200.00 a year.suppose to be building an indoor range in th Villages but not sure when they expect to open

Yeah I'm more sw Florida area. I go to Babcock/Cecil Webb wildlife refuge. They have a couple indoor ranges much closer to me but they cost as much for one day as it is for the whole year at Babcock. Plus I don't mind the drive. When I just go shooting pistols it makes for a nice bike ride.

[LHB]

I'm not sure that either of my grandfathers ever saw an aluminum or a brass cleaning rod.   All I ever remember seeing at their houses sixty years ago were one piece steel rifle rods, and wooden shotgun rods.

[linux_author]

we have at least five ranges within 10 miles or so, but only one outdoor range... the closest range to me is indoor, and is the cheapest - works out to about $3 per visit (based on 1- to 2X a week), unlimited time... another range is very nice, good folks, and you get a punch card for 10 free visits w/gun purchase... the 3rd closest is most expensive $15/hr, and staffed by a55hats who play butt-sniffing

i would love to have mr. smokeless j's range available locally!

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[Ruger]

LHB - Yeah, I didn't mean that aluminum or brass cleaning rods were available everywhere or afordable by everyone, it is just the idea that you shouldn't use any old thing trying to do the right thing.  My Grandfather showed me early on how to clean his Winchester using a brass beaded chain, pulling the brushes and patches thru from the breach end.  He didn't have a brass rod either, but still understood that good maintenance and care were never out of reach or necessity. 

Man, I can feel everyone's pain having to spend money beyond the ammo and time to enjoy our toys.  I have really lost touch with such costs.  It was ~$200 to build by range backstop.  That was a number of years ago.  It hasn't cost me a thing since.  I just have lost touch with range prices since my son has moved back to Ohio from Virginia a couple of years ago, where I always paid the range price for two slots and the short hour we spent at his local range (which wasn't that local!).  Bad enough when one spends $0.20 to $1 per bang, but to have to add range fees . . . . . (Like my buddies that play golf; they complain about green fees all the time; I tell them to come to my place to smack their balls around for free, but they don't appreciate the offer!  )

[linux_author]

hey folks, hope everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day... i took some time out this morning to take my new dog to the range...



yep, we all know Charter Arms doesn't make the most polished gems, but i wanted a companion piece for my Belgian-made High Power, so i took a Pitball for a walk:



worked pretty well with 100 rounds of Winchester FMJ and 50 rounds of FMJ reloads... no problems with extraction (finger-press pushes), and the action is a lot smoother than i expected...

all in all, a good day and now i'm ready for the weekend

willie
on the rainy Gulf of Mexico

[ray]

willie like your pit bull

[linux_author]

tks, mr. ray - i like it too... dunno why, but i seem to prefer the snubbies vs 4- 6-inch barrel target wheelguns (although i like my SP101 .22)

maybe because, like NAAs, you can fit more in a dresser drawer?

:-)

this one shoots pretty accurately for my needs... the recoil is on a par w/a .38spc target load and the action - for a Charter - is smoother than i expected - although not as smooth as my Charter .38spl - go figure

i'm just fascinated by the extractor though... there is no way the extractor is user-serviceable - definitely a trip back to the mothership if there's ever a problem:



willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[smokeless joe]

The two 9mm revolvers I owned (both Rugers) used moon clips to hold the cartridge, does that pit bull use them or load directly?

[ikoiko]

Looks like direct load.

https://charterfirearms.com/products/79920-9-mm-pitbull-rimless-revolver

[smokeless joe]

Nice. Now why can't Ruger do that 

[linux_author]

as you experienced folks know, Smith made one (only 10,000 made though):

http://www.vintagepistols.com/range_report_S&W_547.html

the Pitbull in 9mm is the only one on the market now AFAIK...

willie
on the 'no moon clip' Gulf of Mexico

[Canoeal]

I never understood the need to put semi-auto rounds in revolvers...Aren't there enough good revolver rounds? 38=p is about the same as a 9mm; 357 tops them both. A 44 special certainly is more than  equivalent to a 45. and even the mighty 10mm is ou classed by the 44 and 41 magnums...I get semi-autos and the use in a semi-auto pistol for the extra capacity but you lose that advantage in a revolver...

Please educate me.

BTW, I am a fan of Carter Arms, so no disrespect from me on the manufacturer.

[linux_author]

'Why?' - that is a good question!

1. because you can
2. because it's different
3. because there's another semi-auto of same caliber in rotation
4. because the ammo is cheaper when spread across two platforms

of course, one might ask the same thing about a 327 Federal revolver (which shoots 5 different types of ammunition) or a .357 auto or a .22 mag auto pistol/rifle, etc.

if i had my own outdoor range i'd have an entire collection of various calibers and weapons - just because! it's fun!

willie
on the 'plinking away every day' on the Gulf of Mexico

[Bj]

To me it would be so that not so many different calibers of ammo are needed.

[Canoeal]

To me it would be so that not so many different calibers of ammo are needed.

You may be right. I however am a revolver guy, so no advantage that way. I do like the thought of the 327 Fm and 32 H+R in the same gun. Not sure I would go back as far as the 32 S+W...

[Canoeal]

On that note; can you fire 380s out of the 9mm Pitbull?

[linux_author]

On that note; can you fire 380s out of the 9mm Pitbull?

different case type, different base and rim diameter (obviously .380ACP is a tad smaller); the .380 won't headspace properly and seats too low in the chambers (e.g. no ignition and no extraction)

loading 9mm into the pitbull's cylinder, one must slightly cant the cartridge outwards then slide it in - snug but secure and proper fit

extraction is buttery smooth with only a slight finger press required (i think this was part of the redesign from a 6-round cylinder to 5 rounds; i used 115gr FMJ reloads comprised of a half dozen or more brands, such as S&B, Perfecta, Winchester, CCI, Remington, Federal, GECO, Speer, and Fiocchi with no problems; the only problem with a single light strike was from a selection of 10-year-old Winchester FMJ white box from Wally World - possibly a lower-seated primer)

hth,

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[linux_author]

There was some nostalgia at the range today. My neighbor, Bob, and I both took some 9mm ammo out for a little exercise. He had his S&W semi-auto, I had my Pitbull, along with a pistol I hadn't used in nearly 21 years:



I still have an old target from the last time it was at the range. Almost five months after I retired, I went with a buddy (a fellow CWO3) to a range south of Quantico. It was run by Filipino ex-Army rangers who offered machine gun practice for $10/hr with the stipulation you had to buy the ammo there (smart buggers). So the last time I use my Belgian-made FN Hi-Power was Sept. 23, 1997. It got a lot of use at Quantico's rec-fire range those days, which was about a mile from the first home I owned.  I also used to fish on Quantico's Lunga Reservoir, right around the bend from the FBI Academy.

My old friend ran just fine. Truly a shame that FN discontinued production last year. I thought it was an expensive item when I bought it ($580 if I recall). It's still in great shape and I think I'll take it out a bit more often.

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[smokeless joe]

Nice shooting willie. Hoping to make it to the range myself tomorrow.

[ray]

nice willie iwent out yesterday no picks just plinking ihave a 9 dont shoot much but like it it is also 22 mostly shoot 22 

[linux_author]

.22 is a lot of fun... i have CB shorts, Colibri longs, 'quiet' CCI (710fps), standard velocity, high velocity, 'Swamp People' high velocity, Velocitors, and Stingers

the nice thing is that you can get practice in on the cheap!

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[linux_author]

hey folks...

Another fun day at the range yesterday. I swapped out the old-school smooth wood grips for some big rubbers. I think it helped - either that or I'm finally getting used to double-action on this small revolver:



willie
on the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico

[linux_author]

hey folks...

enjoying the first bit of cooler weather down here (high of 85F today)... and I'm really enjoying my new Ruger 10/22 stainless takedown... I started off with the stock configuration, got the Williams optic iron sights sighted in, but found the Ruger scope base plate included w/the rifle obscured the sights. A 50-year-old Weaver D4 I had in a closet disintegrated when I tried to use it on the rifle (poor thing's plastic and adjustment pieces just crumbled - kinda sad as it was my first scope)



So, i put in a 'see-thru' picatinny base and got a cheap Simmons 3-9X scope for plinking. The base and scope match the silver of the aluminum receiver and stainless barrel.

I did ditch the included Simmons rings and used a set of inexpensive Weaver rings (#49055, Quad-Lock, 1", Medium).

Sighting in the scope was easy; the Simmons doesn't require tools, you can use a penny to tighten the scope down, and the iron sights can be used when the scope is off the rails. It's just bright enough for this half-blind old codger, with fair-to-middling eye relief.

I removed the scope this weekend when I swapped the Ruger TD stock for the Magpul X22 Backpacker (awesome stock and it came with three 10-round rotary mags and free shipping!). With fingers crossed, I re-attached the scope in the same rail position, then went to the range this morning and ran the first 10 rounds using CCI standard velocity (1070fps, 40-grain LRN) through a clear rotary mag.

I made sure to first cycle the bolt several times before loading the magazine. After a couple deep breaths, here are the results:



I know it's no great feat at 25 yards, especially for an old dude leaning on his range bag and bent over with his alpha sierra sierra hanging out.

But I'm pretty happy, and much more so knowing that the barrel maintained accuracy and that the scope retained zero. This is stinkin' cheap fun!

willie
on the cooling Gulf of Mexico

[billmeek]

Willie,

I'd be very happy with that shooting/grouping out of a takedown.  I'm no marksman, but that's about what I'm (currently) getting out of my Savage bolt action at the same distance.  The picture below is a ten shot group.  It's still not back to where I expect it for NRL22, but it's pretty close.

 

[Honky Tonk Man]

Good shooting Willie.  What color magpul stock did you get? 

[linux_author]

tks, Mr. Meek and Mr. HT... got the black stock (same as the Ruger factory stock)... i like the X22 as it came with two butt stock covers - the default is higher than the other and offers a better hold and sight picture for me... of course, the great things about the stock are the grip, that the barrel and forearm clip together, that you can store three 10-round rotary mags in the butt, and that the grip has a locking water-resistant storage plug on the bottom (penknife, matches, batteries, etc. can be stored)... if there's a downside it's that Magpul wants an arm and a leg for push-button sling adapters (i think Grovtec makes a cheaper set)

having fun with this 10/22... wish i had one years ago, but i guess better late than never...

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[billmeek]

From  Amazon:

UTG Heavy Duty Push Button QD Sling Swivel, 1.38" Loop

[smokeless joe]

I'd be happy with either of those targets willie and bill. I've packed for the range tomorrow but I did that a week ago and decided not to go. I'm feeling a bit more motivated this go round. Wanna try and get in and out early and with any luck I'll be supporting 45 at his rally tomorrow night.

[linux_author]

From  Amazon:

UTG Heavy Duty Push Button QD Sling Swivel, 1.38" Loop

tks for the linky - however, the stock also needs the QD cups! i think i found paired cup/swivel that may work:

https://www.amazon.com/GrovTec-GTSW295-Heavy-Button-Swivel/dp/B004Y7DW0U

alternatively, since a sling isn't that important to me at the moment, i may just use one of these:

https://blackhawk.com/products/long-gun-accessories/long-gun-accessories/sling-mounts/single-point-sling-adapter

(it would fit around the grip)

i just wish Magpul had at least included the cups in the stock, but i guess there are 1/4" and 1/2" QD swivels?

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[smokeless joe]

Here's my range day pick for the day

[Bigbird48]

go wash them dirty hands cant wait till I can go shoot again

[linux_author]

Here's my range day pick for the day

that's the ticket! gettin' out to shred some paper! good for you!

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

[Uncle_Lee]

That is the look of fun..

[smokeless joe]

That is the look of fun..

It was a good day. Took my Ithaca Arms 22 as well. Hadn't shot it in over 40 years.