Tag: range time

January 14, 2026 – One For the Road

January 14, 2026 /

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. The original plan in mid-December was to go to the Portland Boat Show with an eye toward trying to find a boat for my birthday. But, due to things changing with our real estate transaction, things are pretty tight financially right now. As much as I would like to go to the boat show, I didn’t think that made a lot of sense for the cost and use of time.

My wife said, what do you want to do instead? I thought about it and I said, I want to go to the range one more time. I had already squirreled away one more range trip’s worth of ammunition for a December visit that I never got to. My annual renewal is due already and I am in the 30 day grace period. So, I am planning on not renewing my membership due to the distance of my potential new home and my current range.

Looking at the activity calendar, I almost panicked. Nearly half of the range was booked for events. Usually that is bad news for the guy that wants to pull up and get a space. I almost cancelled but then I remembered that almost nobody shoots at the shotgun range and we were arriving after the scheduled 4H practice. One of the things on my agenda was to shoot 410 bore out of the new 20 gauge chamber adapter. And, I had a box of targets that I had stacked up to move. If we shoot them all, I wont have to worry about moving them.

I probably should do an after action report now that I have shot all the chamber adapters I talked about in the early Fall time. But, I can say that they do make things go bang. I had zero failures when I pulled the trigger. Whether you can hit anything is another question. From an accuracy standpoint, they all resulted in less than ideal results. Thinking about things, probably a lot of it is that a shotgun is a poor rifle, due to the sights. I tried to use Kentucky windage as my aiming method and was semi successful.

First, we went to the shotgun range. My son is a much better shooter than I am due to his significant more time behind the trigger doing trap for years. He was the first to hit a target albeit it took us probably twenty attempts in order to do it. We found that you really had to jump the target or you had no chance.

My ‘expert’ analysis is that a chamber adapter has no choke on it. For that reason it is considered a ‘cylinder bore’ or no choke whatsoever. This means that the only real shot pattern is what the wad is providing. The closer the shot, the more likely of a hit because once the shot leaves the wad, it is going to spread out tremendously.

Another thing that makes a difference is that in trap, my son was shooting 1 1/8 oz of #8 shot. In this 410 shell, there is only 1/2 oz of #8. This means that there is less than half of the shot then he is used to. A poor pattern with half as much shot means that chances of target breakage is significantly reduced.

Despite all of that, we had fun. I had 50 rounds if 410 and half was 2 1/2″ shells and the other were 3″ shells. We both shot about half of each. I missed every single shot until the very last two. He hit three of them toward the end. Like I said, he is typically an 80% shooter with 12 gauge whereas I am more like a 40-50% shooter. My analysis of the situation is that if you really ‘needed’ a 410 like this, it might cost much more than it was worth to get that rabbit or quail. When you only have one shot, it is low odds that this will be it.

I suspect that if this were a proper 410 shotgun, things would be different. I don’t know if we would have been in the 80% success range but I bet we would have hit more than 10%. Regardless, I enjoyed the time, there was very little recoil so if you could afford to shoot all day, you could do it without bruising. It definitely got me thinking that maybe I should add a 410 to the fleet.

After we got done at the shotgun range, most of the open bays were open. I find that later in the day it is always easier to get a space regardless of the day. People want to be home and winding down at 4pm rather than dealing with the elements. We switched over to shooting pistol rounds rather than shotgun shells and we lucked out that the bay we were in had lights. I didn’t even know that they had them other than one bay.

Wrapping up the day, we chatted in the truck on the way home about his carburetor problems and tools that he was looking to buy. It was the father/son time that I never really experienced. Maybe I was too busy to take notice or maybe we are both changing. But, despite the fact that it was kind of a risky, make-shift plan it turned out perfectly.

End Your Programming Routine: I shed a silent tear as we drove away. I guess that if there was a way to go out, this should be the way. It’s not like I couldn’t become a member again if for some reason we move back but time also has a way of moving on. It is just going to cost double to start over again. Maybe even bigger, we have turned the corner on something my son and I have never had, an admirable relationship rather than an hierarchical one. That is worth the price.

September 18, 2025 – Really… Is It Worth It?

September 18, 2025 /

This is the post that derailed the train. I had penciled this in to come out in mid-July. I moved it to late July and then late August and then I gave up. These were all range trips scheduled that got superseded by something more important. While it is not critical for me to go to the range and certainly not for the purposes of taking pictures and gathering information to write here about it, it has been rather frustrating to plan on doing something and to get overridden by someone else’s poor planning agenda.

I am leaving that all behind now. What are we looking at? It is effectively a 20 gauge shotgun firing 9mm ammunition. This is accomplished by the device in the middle called a barrel adapter. The basic idea is that the adapter fits into the shotgun chamber and that has it’s own chamber for some smaller caliber.

Barrel adapters are not new but they are unique. There are several boutique manufacturers that seem to machining operations at their core. The biggest knock is that they are expensive and made to order. It tends to be $200 per adapter. That is actually double what I paid for the shotgun and so I have held off for a long time. It wasn’t until I discovered this four pack of adapters for a little over $200 that I made the decision to buy.

I have one break action shotgun. It happens to be a single barrel but these things do work in doubles. In theory, you could have one barrel loaded with shot and one barrel loaded with a pistol caliber. Assuming the premise of all of this is good, that is a pretty compelling amount of versatility for situations like small game hunting.

The devil is in the details here. Barrel adapters come in different lengths and you can even get them rifled and unrifled. It would be much better to have a rifled adapter from an accuracy and repeatability standpoint. Mine are 8″ long and rifled. I think it is ideal for the situation, not too long but yet some of the benefits of a longer barrel, kind of like shooting a long pistol. Considering that the chamber is included in the overall length, it effectively makes it a 7-7 1/2″ barrel.

The big thing to consider is that barrel adapters are an ad-hoc situation. I found it helpful to have a prying tool to remove the spent casing. The shotgun shell ejector/extractor will not reach the smaller diameter pistol casing. I imagine that a finger nail would work but you also risk putting you fingers into sharp, hot metal.

Just for benchmark purposes, I shot 115gr 9mm at about a 10 yard target. I found it to shoot about 6″ higher than the aiming point. There are of course many variables that could change all of that. Would a different brand perform differently? What about 124gr or 147gr bullets instead of 115gr? Given that kind of discrepancy, it seems like a 50 yard shot might be closer to dead on. That is good news from a hunting standpoint but this is a shotgun and lacks rifle sights which would make a big difference in accuracy as well.

This kit came with adapters for 9mm, 357 magnum, 45acp and 45 colt. Most shooters know that 45 colt is the same diameter as the 410 bore shotgun, so in this case the chamber is actually 3″ to accommodate for the shot shell. Believe it or not, I do not own a 9mm pistol and so the rest of the calibers I will be interested in comparing velocity data between effectively a 7″ pistol (the adapter) and a regular handgun. That is future work to do.

The first thing a new firearm gets from me is a function test. Does it actually work? I know that this is not a firearm but essentially it is. In fact it is a non-branded use and so function testing is definitely more important. I am happy to report that everything worked like it was supposed to. I am now going to go on the process of testing all the calibers an permutations for future range trips.

This shotgun is part of a set that is no longer made. I originally purchased it to haul around in a survival kit. It is a youth model and I was originally going to start my kids on it but I had several very unpleasant recoil experiences that I would not let them use it as it was too light. That being said, I kind of wish that I did not own it. It was so inexpensive that it really is effectively worthless. Hence the desire to seek more utility from the setup.

End Your Programming Routine: Let me bottom line it. I would not go out and purchase a break-open shotgun to then buy adapters for versatility. I still have a lot of testing to do but I don’t see the accuracy with the sights and the difficulty to reload as better than a 9mm handgun. It will also never replace my 870 as a shotgun. But, since I already own it I might as well have some fun and try something different.

May 29, 2025 – Doing My Duty

May 29, 2025 /

We have probably had more than the average number of exchange students. Since I have been married, we have hosted four. When I was a kid, we had two. I guess that I cannot technically count those two but I can add those to the numbers that I have been exposed to. With the exception of one, the rest have been very positive experiences.

My very first exchange student was Japanese and he was a year or two older than me. This was a short term exchange which I think that it lasted three weeks. One of the things having a short term exchange does is kind of move you to bring out your best. That means travelling to see the local sights, festivals and all the things that you wouldn’t normally try to do in a condensed time frame.

I distinctly remember going to visit my grandfather. He was going to be in the local parade with his 1957 convertible Ford Thunderbird. We didn’t visit that often and we rarely went to the local lamb festival. I think that we went twice in my lifetime, both of them as a child. But, we happened to have our exchange student with us when we went.

As I said above, we didn’t visit often maybe once or twice a year was pretty typical. His house happened to be adjacent to the main North/South rail line. Consequently, my most favorite thing to do when we visited was to put pennies on the rail for when the train came by. Most of them flew off somewhere never to be found again but usually we would get a couple smashed flat.

My grandfather knew how to show a good time. Our exchange student got to drive his Thunderbird in the pasture for ten minutes. Then he broke out his 22 revolver. We all got to shoot a couple of shots but none of us got to shoot much. That was my first time shooting a handgun. My father did not own any, nobody did as far as I remember. Come to find out that those were all violations of the hosting rules.

I knew better, so that when we went to the informational meeting for our year long student (2019), I asked. No risky behavior is permitted and shooting is considered risky behavior. That was the year that I got involved in trap shooting, so that was going to be off the table.

In my experience, that general rule of no risky behavior is pretty par for the course with most exchange programs. Ironically, it is not the case with Rotary. They allow culturally acceptable alcohol use and shooting as examples. Many of the students end up going back to their country and going back to school with this year not counted whatsoever in their education pathway. My experience with Rotary is that they don’t even really get involved when the student is failing classes.

We have had a very busy spring. Myself, I didn’t even get to the range for the first time this year until late April. It is not like I didn’t want to go but I was hyper-focused on my hiking earlier so I deprioritized potential range time. But, we are staring down the barrel of my exchange student’s departure within less than thirty days. So, I wanted to take him while there was still time.

One thing that is quintessential American is recreational shooting. Many countries have some sort of mechanism to own firearms. In most cases, owners need to fulfill very stringent requirements such a by permit only. Firearms need to be stored at a range or hunting club that you belong to and to be used at said facility. To top that off, many have a quota for the numbers that can be in your possession.

At least there is a way but lets say that you were a target shooter, it is not likely then that could both target shoot and hunt. The freedom to have 22LR for target shooting and a 22LR for small game hunting and a 22LR handgun for shooting cans in three different settings is almost impossible. Hence, I have not been exposed to an exchange student that comes themselves from a ‘gun culture’. Even if I did, I would still probably take them to the range just so that they see the differences.

We had a fun couple of hours. I had made some repairs to a revolver from my last trip. I wanted to see how I did and I am happy to report that the repairs were solid. I also took a rifle to get just plink away at ground spinning targets just for fun. There were a lot of smiles and a lot of videos that got made that day. One thing that I didn’t want to do was punish with a lot of recoil.

End Your Programming Routine: I guess that I am getting older. I enjoy going out and shooting but it is almost more fun to introduce someone to something new. Since I can shoot almost any time, I just sat back on a chair and watched as he and my son shot and reloaded and shot and reloaded. Don’t get me wrong, doing stuff repetitively can get a little boring. This is why I have introduced the chronographs and testing that I do. But when I get a chance to watch someone have some fun, maybe for the only time in their lives, that is priceless.

February 29, 2024 – It Has Been a Long Time Since I Have Been To the Range…

February 29, 2024 /

Happy leap day everyone. It may be that I am getting older and lazier but I haven’t been to the range since November. My renewal date is around the first of the year and I haven’t hardly even thought about going. It kind of makes me wonder if I should keep up my membership if I am not going to use it.

Another possible reason is that since I have setup my basement, pellet trap I use it multiple times a week. So, I feel less of the need to go to the range because I am always shooting without going anywhere. Recently I upgraded the scope on an air rifle so I am going to talk about the process today.

My son has a Crossman 760. It is a straight tube (non-rifled), multi-pump, bb/pellet combo. It is one of those classic bb guns. I can remember my cousin’s had the same one in the 1980s. My son’s looks exactly the same but today’s model has a sleeker, more updated design. It has a 3/8 rail for a scope addition.

When I purchased my first air-rifle, it also came with a very in-expensive 4×15 scope. It truly is better than nothing but for not much money you can do much better. But, the better part of my motivation was to put a scope on my son’s rifle. I figured I would upgrade the scope on my rifle and move the old scope to the 760.

Since the 760 is not rifled, it is not likely to be the most accurate of the bunch. By my reasoning, a significant scope upgrade would only marginally be of value on that rifle. The sights aren’t that great either and my groups are more like 2 inch groups with the 760. Additionally, I am noticing my eyesight is starting to degrade rapidly. Even this scope would help.

I took the old scope off and sighted the new scope on my rifle. It is shooting pretty good and I think the $40 investment was worth the cost and effort. I put the old scope on the 760 and the picture above represents how things went. Despite the fact that things were pretty dialed in my first shot was six inches to the left. As I kept working at it, I kept walking right and up. The final three shots above the center is where I left it.

Keep in mind that changing the number of pumps or the projectile will also change how things work. In my case eight (out of ten) pumps with a BB (5gr, one of the lightest projectiles) at ten yards will likely yield lower impact for heavier projectiles or less pumps. Given the same conditions, farther distance will likely have some drop as well. I think it is about perfect.

One other thing about inexpensive scopes is the adjustments are kind of poor. It is marked as on click per 1/4″ at 100 yards. So, at ten yards 1/4″ is supposed to be 10 clicks. But when it makes no clicks, you are not totally sure what the adjustment actually is. They also tend to act erratically sometimes by having different results the next day because something finally sprang into place. Some people actually tap on their scopes after adjustment to try and help them set in place.

End Your Programming Routine: I am happy to report that things were still in place the next day and I think this is an improvement over open sights. I do have a picture here somewhere with some previous testing I did but I couldn’t find it. And there is a real improvement in my rifle with the new scope on it. Win-win, I say.

September 14, 2023 – Never Expected That

September 14, 2023 /

In all the excitement, I guess I forgot to take some pictures. Nevertheless, it is the words that are most important. Recently, I went to the rifle range to see how I liked my new trigger. It has been almost a year since I installed it and the day after installation burning desire has dissipated but still I wanted to know how I liked it. Plus, it is time to get ready for hunting season.

Maybe it is a luxury or maybe I am just not practicing enough but I have been shooting the same lot of ammunition since I bought the rifle. That is thirty rounds since 2012. There are a lot of variables at play but removing one by having consistent ammunition is one controllable one.

Last year I think I took five shots to verify zero and that was it. Then I cleaned things up and put the rifle away. Not only did I want to try out my new trigger but I also wanted to see how much variability a different brand of ammo had on my group. What would happen if I had to borrow some ammo in the field?

First shot, not on paper. Huh, this was the same ammo that zeroed perfectly last year. And the problem is, if not on paper, then where is it? I tried aiming at the edge of the paper and low and behold, I was 12 inches to the left. I checked my scope to see if it was loose and it wasn’t. Everything seemed to be in order. Twelve clicks on the scope and I was shooting one inch groups again.

The nearest I can figure is that banging pins out to change the trigger changed some sort of alignment with the rifle. I did a little research into the subject and saw other people reporting similar issues. It also seemed like most internet warriors kind of poo-pooed the idea that this should matter (just like I thought). That being said, I saw other comments that such things like new slings might change the barrel harmonics enough to make a difference.

After I got things back to where they should be, I tried the new brand of ammunition. and my zero pretty much stayed true at 100 yards. I know that at farther distances there will be some difference because I measured the velocity at about 200 fps between the two brands. But, unfortunately, my range only goes out to 200 yards. That is as far as I can realistically check.

I didn’t hang a target at 200 yards but there are 6 inch steel plates at that distance. That seems realistic enough to me for hunting purposes. I hit six out of six and I called it good. I was pretty happy about how things ended. I don’t think that there is going to be a shot beyond fifty yards anyway considering how flat things are and how many trees there are.

End Your Programming Routine: So, the lesson is always check your rifle before hunting season. The next lesson is always check your rifle after you change something. It really doesn’t matter why things had changed, just that they have. A firearm that doesn’t hit where you are aiming does no good at all. In fact, it might even be downright dangerous.

November 10, 2022 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

November 10, 2022 /

Admittedly, it has been three weeks since I went to the range and got this data. On that day, the temperature was 87 degrees. It was the farewell to summer for sure because we are finally back to normal, Oregon weather. For the uninitiated, temperature is important when gathering range data because this is about measuring results of a chemical reaction.

The warmer the outdoor temperature, the more likely the reaction happens faster. This ultimately translates to velocity. This is what leads to the rabbit hole of reloading. It is possible to develop cold and warm weather loads. For today, I am going to ignore the fact that it was warm but I will keep the data point for some other day. I do have to say, my measurements were higher than I expected by quite a bit.

This is using a 158 grain jacketed hollow point by Speer and Alliant Power Pistol powder. The grid shows velocity by powder charge.

7.7gr7.9gr8.1gr8.3gr8.5gr
114241436143514591432
214201419143014371515
314071407142214641458
413661460144014551531
513751385142814911472
613671395140614741424
714191420145714281430
813541368139114481437
913461365142714591474
1013881473146814291493
Mean13871414143114551467
3 Sigma2633201834
Energy675701719743755

Now, that is some tight data. Everything did what it was supposed to do. I base that opinion on the standard deviation numbers. Surprisingly, published velocity is is only 1078 fps. My variations from this recipe include a Winchester Small Pistol Magnum primer instead of CCI 500. I also used a standard Speer jacketed hollow point instead of a Speer Gold Dot hollow point. This was also measured from a rifle with a 16″ barrel, not 10″. So, these are some variables that could possibly make a difference.

It could also be me or my equipment. I was organizing data over the last weekend and I noted in my reloading book that my electronic balance was reading 20% more than the mechanical balance. It is very possible that these are overcharged. I really need a third source to check my equipment. Nevertheless, I am much more pleased with this combination over the last one.

I will summarize last month’s findings here: same bullet, same primer, Universal powder. The published velocity for that load was 1100 fps. I used the same rifle. I would say that this one underperformed.

5.8gr5.9gr6.0gr6.2gr6.3gr
Mean9499329259431055

Before we declare a winner, velocity is not the end all measurement. There is also accuracy. The truth is, I haven’t even bothered to test this yet. My rifle is not sighted in and I haven’t even tried at this point. But, where I go from here is that I repeat this test on the rifle range and try to shoot groups. I can ignore velocity because I have enough data to tell me that the change is very small between starting and ending. This is the process of developing a custom load for your firearm.

What I can say from this experiment is that I have some ‘low velocity’ bullets that are not supposed to exceed 875 fps and it looks like the Power Pistol powder is not a good choice for that bullet. But, Universal probably is. The low velocity bullets are softer and exceeding the recommended velocity will cause the lead to accumulate inside the barrel.

Don’t forget that measuring velocity from a pistol should be quite a bit less than a rifle. So, it is possible to have loads that are too fast in a rifle but fine in a handgun. Aren’t you glad you just buy ammunition and live in bliss?

End Your Programming Routine: In this time of ammunition shortage which is even worse for reloading components, I have heard some advice. We probably won’t get our choice of what we want, so we just need to work with what is available. I have no hesitation substituting primer brands or bullets as long as you heed the fundamentals.

September 15, 2022 – ‘Taticool’ Thursday

September 15, 2022 /

I finally made it to the range last weekend. It has been a long time, too long. I decided that I was going to measure some of my reloads now that I have a chronograph. The truth is, I have withheld doing any further reloading due to lack of data. I didn’t think that it made any sense to keep plowing through and loading blindly. I did get some really valuable information that I will share that next week as I have a lot of data to crunch.

Today is just going to be a grab bag of random range anecdotes. I was shooting a batch of .357 Magnum loads that I made at different powder levels through my Rossi 92 rifle. I thought that I would also bring a box of .38 specials to compare. Since I have started reloading, my inventory strategy has been to reload range ammunition and replace what I have shot with higher performance ammunition, like personal defense loads.

I also try to shoot the oldest stuff first. Realistically, I only have a few boxes of factory loaded range ammunition left (in 38 special). This was one of the boxes I had. You will notice that it is stamped from the store I purchased from.

This tells me that I bought this around 2011. If you remember the first Obama ammunition scare in 2010, things were starting to get back to normal in 2011. The store was marking ammunition to cut down on resale markups. For a while and before e-commerce really was working well, people would buy ammunition at stores and then re-sell it at gun shows and other want ad type venues. Today, people are just going to pay inflated prices online or break cases.

It was a lovely day at the range, aren’t they all? It was supposed to be 98 degrees that day but the whole world around us was on fire. That meant that there was smoke in the air and the temperatures were not nearly as hot as they were forecasted because the smoke blocks the sun like clouds do. This was the moon when I got home.

Friday night we had red flag warnings, forced evacuations and local road closures. By Sunday we had our first measurable rainfall. A sure sign that the seasons are changing. This wasn’t before the fire season made it’s presence felt.

That transition usually means that the rifle range is super busy. People are getting ready for hunting season. On this day, the range was hosting it’s ‘sight-in days’. A public fundraiser where people can get help sighting in their rifles. I haven’t ever done this, but if it like any other Saturday it would be hopping busy. I decided to go late in the afternoon, usually the slowest time of the day. I was actually surprised to see that the entire range was a ghost town. I got to pick my bay of choice. That was nice.

Finally, they say that shooting sports are for everyone. You don’t have to tell her twice.

I was picking up my targets to get ready to leave and there was a doe standing on top of the berm that I had been shooting at. She was directly above my target but I had left my phone on the bench. So, by the time I went back to get it, she moved over to the left. I was trying to get a picture that included the deer and the target in it.

End Your Programming Routine: Summer time is a great time to go to the range. It is not always fun holding onto cold steel or having your shoes caked with mud. Not to mention as the light quickly dwindles, the practical hours at the range are cut down. Maybe this will be the year that I spend time gathering data instead of focusing on hitting the target. In which case, I can pretty much setup anywhere on the range.

March 25, 2021- ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

March 25, 2021 /

I have shotgun shells on the brain. Getting ready for the upcoming Trap season, I and some of the coaches were trying to get our strategy together to keep the team supplied with enough ammunition to do the five weeks of competition.

The first order was ‘you have to supply your own’. Even with me having some and buying a little, I cant find it reliably and in adequate quantity. The second idea was to try and buy reloading components. I wrote about that last week. When we were getting the club ready, we found we had a whole bunch of reloading components, but not everything. So I went down that rabbit hole of looking up loads that would work for the components we have and what that would cost. Finally, I have been working on a bulk buy of shotgun shells for the team and managing all of the moving parts that go along with that.

My contact that I have been working with said that he provided another local team with a pallet of shells. That is over 100 cases, in which there are 10 boxes per case and 25 rounds per box. That is over 25,000 shotgun shells. He was pretty sure that he could get us what we needed. I found some random picture of pallets of shotgun shells for perspective.

Needless to say, I am in the midst of negotiating a deal between the supplier and our teams’ board of directors. I still have on my long term goals to learn how to reload. I have a line on some powder, so I have all of the components I think I need for personal use.

You would be surprised at the dizzying array of component combinations for shotgun reloading. Not every primer, wad nor even hull combination allegedly can be mixed and matched. The thing about reloading is that chamber pressure is king (think safety), then accuracy. However, it seems that there is discrepancy between the flexibility of the plastic material in the wad and ambient temperature. Flexibility drives sealing and sealing drive pressure. Some hulls are tapered, some are not, so not every wad fits into every hull (properly).

All the component combinations have little known impact on the shot pattern. Every shotgun will perform slightly differently with every combination. For reloading, it is literally a matter of trying the different combinations until something works. As you can imagine, this can get expensive and time consuming.

I suppose I can talk about this some more some other time. Especially when I get more knowledge on the subject. My last item about shotguns is that I am planning on going to the range this weekend. I have a red dot sight that I want to get sighted in at 50 yards for slugs and then I want to test buckshot. I want to see the difference between what a field barrel will do and what a self defense length barrel will do. I may even try different chokes. I can’t get too fancy because I am only bringing 30 slugs (that was $100) but I would like to see the impact of different setups.

The point being that I want to be able to ensure the sight is somewhat accurate in case I ever needed a self defense tool. Just like shot pattern, every brand and weight, etc will perform differently with sight accuracy. What is dead on in one scenario may be six inches down and left in another. Looking forward to that.

October 8, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

October 8, 2020 /

“Shoot or don’t shoot”. No, I am not talking tactics, I am talking the price and availability of ammunition at the moment.

These magazines have been loaded since March. It was my plan to do this next range trip before all the pandemic hullabaloo, before the six month remodeling project and before ammunition disappeared and the price skyrocketed. In fact, I bought the Sig Sauer ammunition pictured in March.

I have been periodically checking local stores for inventory of ammunition. There are shotgun shells, most typical hunting calibers and 17HMR rimfire ammunition available. What is not available is any handgun ammunition except some really weird ones like 50AE and no rifle ammunition that fits semi-automatics and no 22 rimfire.

On a whim, I checked an online source for 5.56×45 and a case (of 1000) was available at $724. That is $0.72/round and that in a bulk price. For the individual packages, it is running from $0.80-1.00/ round. The last time I bought any I paid $0.33/round. So, I guess on the one hand it is available just maybe it is not at the price I want to pay.

My grand plan was to rely on reloading as my ammunition source. During the last run (2012-2015) primers were impossible to find. Good news for me is that I have plenty of primers but not bullets. I do have some powder but it definitely depends on what I am reloading. I think I could reload 30-06 for the rest of my life but I have almost no powder for .223 Remington.

What I really am weighing here is should I shoot some of the ammunition I have given it’s scarcity and my scarcity of money? Don’t get me wrong, I am not empty in either case but it is preparedness mindset. Well, I have decided that I am going to and here are my reasons.

One – I have owned this rifle since 2015 and only fired it once. This was kind of an impulse purchase. To tell you the truth, I was convinced that the Hillary Clinton was going to win the presidential election and that I would lose the opportunity to make this kind of purchase in the future. It turns out that I can get caught up in ‘tin foil hat-ness’ too.

Two – it has an optic on it that has never been sighted in. Having a tool that isn’t calibrated or has unknown accuracy is not reliable or useful for the intended purpose. I thought that it might be useful to start my son out hunting on because of the low recoil and adjustability. It turns out, he can shoot my old rifle that I started on just fine and it is sighted in well. Nevertheless, I want to have some confidence that I can hit where I am aiming.

Three – Despite the fact that I have only shot this rifle once, I have made some modifications and changes. At this point, I do not know if it is functional or reliable as a result. This is the biggest reason that I want to take it out now. Swapping out parts can have some pretty negative consequences. It is best to find out before you really want to use it.

I do feel like I have some compelling reasons to shoot up some of my hard to acquire at this time ammunition. Throughout all of the shortages, it seems like shotgun ammunition has always been consistently available. Probably a good time to focus on trap, skeet and sporting clays (as well as hunting).

September 17, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

September 17, 2020 /

Today, I wanted to show an example target and how to use it. The target in the picture below has one inch squares. It is meant to zero in your rifle at 100 yards.

So, that means that if you are at fifty yards, your adjustments need to double or if you are at 200 yards, your adjustments need to be halved. What in the heck am I talking about?

Many scopes have an adjustment that says 1 click = 1/4″ at 100 yards. So, if you are off one inch at fifty yards, the adjustment needs to be eight clicks because the error (or adjustment) projects at a multiple of your distance. You see, if you were and inch off and the target was one hundred yards, then the adjustment would match the scope’s metering. But, because the scenario is one half of the expected distance then the correction needs to double the stated value.

OK, what if your scope is in Mils or Radians. Well, mils are 1/1000 of a radian and a radian equals pi (or 3.14). To ignore all of the complicated math, one mil adjustment at 100 yards equals 3.6 inches. So, at 200 yards that would be 7.2 inches. That means, adjust your scope according to the proper instructions to get a good sight in. The math can be figured out, but I think it would be too much for this post. For mils, multiply by 1000. For instance, what if you were shooting in meters?

When sighting in your rifle, you need to consider other factors like parallax and bullet drop. For reference, I am ignoring those factors today. But for super high level vocabulary purposes, I will address the definitions. Parallax is the distance of the scope above the barrel. Bullet drop is is how fast the bullet drops in relation to distance.

That means when you sight in your rifle, the parallax means that your scope is pointed slightly down. When your scope intercepts the bullet’s point of travel, then it is sighted in for that distance. Drop is a function of where your scope is sighted in.

I am willing to go through the math in the future, but I think that for now (I hope) that I got the gist across.