Month: September 2021

Three Old Farts Walk Into The Range…

Gun/Ammo Tests, The Gun Thing

So I took myself off to the range yesterday, accompanied by these two other old guys:


Here’s the final five-round string for the Mauser, at 100 yards, bench rest (elbows, not sandbag), shooting Sellier & Bellot 195-gr FMJ:

I’d noted in earlier targets that the gun was shooting high, hence the low hold.  However:  while I could sort of make out the front sight, the back V sight (tiny, as all Mauser shooters know) was simply an amorphous blur, and I had absolutely no idea whether I had the sight picture properly aligned, or not.  Here’s a rough idea of what I’m talking about:


…only the rear V was even more blurred than that, making it impossible to get a clear and consistent sight picture.

It’s not the rifle;  it’s me;  although I am a little concerned that it’s shooting so high, it might just be that I was shooting with sight pictures #2 or #5.

I need to get my eyes fixed, pronto.

Anyway, on to the (post-’64) Winchester 94.  This time, I set the target at 50 yards, and figuring that it would shoot high, I held the same point of aim.  These were all fired offhand (standing, unsupported), because I doubt very much whether I’ll ever benchrest it.  Ammo was Winchester Super-X 170gr SP:

Unlike for the Mauser, I fired no “warm-up” shots, just loaded some rounds into the tube and let fly:  I know how to shoot a lever rifle.

Just not this one.  The first five shots were all over the place because I discovered that there’s absolutely no take-up in the trigger:  once the hammer is cocked, apply about 3lbs of pressure, and off she goes.  So I took my time with the last two (#6 and #7) and was amply rewarded.

For some reason, the little “buckhorn” rear- and brass bead front sights were a lot easier to line up properly, compared to the Mauser’s V/conical setup.  Also, the Winchester’s sight radius (distance between back- and front sights) is 17″, compared to the Mauser’s 20″, which means that when I’m focusing on the front sight, the lever gun’s rear sight is a lot more in focus than that of the K98.

I should also admit that twenty rounds of 8x57mm took quote a toll on my shoulder, whereas the .30-30 was an absolute breeze by comparison.  Next time I shoot the Mauser, I’ll use either a shoulder pad or a removable rubber pad to help my ancient shoulder handle the recoil.

What fun.

Note:  Ammo for both rifles came from J&G Sales.  I paid a small premium for the S&B for two reasons:  I hate shooting corrosive ammo, and I trust the Czech ammo to be consistent (as it has been for me in the past).  Likewise, I bought the Winchester ammo because the thought of shooting Winchester ammo through a Winchester rifle gave me a warm & fuzzy feeling.

Quote Of The Day

QOTD

From Insty, writing in the NYPost:

“Generally speaking, a nation where the civilian leadership fears its citizens and has lost the nation’s confidence, and where the senior military leadership has lost the confidence of those down the chain of command, is a nation in trouble.”

In our case right now, I’d say “specifically speaking”, because that’s where we are.

News Roundup

Bad News

All the usual crap that passes for news, with irrelevant commentary.  Oh, and boobs at the end.


…we keep giving them goats to eat, but the Afghans just repurpose them.


…as Canada’s leading girlyman continues to campaign with his core constituency.


…of which about $16.70 would actually reach its intended target.  Pull the other one, Greaseman.


…as they work on becoming even more unelectable than they already are.


…right.  I guess Boots was all out of foam earplugs.


…only 17?  Must have taken the poll in Manhattan or UC Berkeley.


…and when the mass hangings begin, we’ll be called the bad guys.


…shoot at cops, get acquitted.  Noted.

Scottish police are fined £100,000 for failing woman, 25,
who died after waiting THREE DAYS for help in wreckage of
her crashed car alongside her dead boyfriend – despite
accident being reported to officers
…see, if she’d just Twitted “Some nigger bastard and his Paki rent boy crashed into my car“, the rozzers would have been there in seconds.


…what’s it called when stuff keeps getting more expensive while purchasing power decreases… wait, it’s on the tip of my tongue… something about Weimar…

Time for INSIGNIFICA:
         
…actually, the last one has a link just for the entertainment value.

And now, as promised, some real news:

And finally, our  Slut Of The Week:

Read the story to see why.

Parallel Universe

Travels

If you publish a list of The World’s Greatest Cities, you need to ensure that your #1 pick doesn’t cause howls of incredulous laughter, coupled with snorts of irritation and open-jawed astonishment.  Here’s Time Out’s list:

When did they take this survey — in 1965?  Certainly, it was pre-WuFlu, except:

Good grief.

If you’re going to make a list of places to visit, try this one instead.  It’s pretty much as full of shit as the first one, though.