Another Range-Rat Know-It-All

[roysclockgun]

Today was a good day at the range. A very sincere young man asked me why his scope mounted SKS was shooting low at 25 yds. and high at 100 yds. He was mannerly and just had no clue. Taking pencil and paper, I drew a crude sketch, depicting the straight line of sight and the arched line of flight of the bullet. As I explained, I saw the light in his eyes come on. He, perhaps for the first time in his twenty something years, began to grasps some small facts, regarding ballistics.
I hope that I made his day, because he surely did make mine.
Steven A.

 

[DrMike]

I make it a practise to do my shooting mid-week when I have the range pretty much to myself. I try to situate myself away from the centre so that if someone does come, I won't need to speak much. However, when people see all the equipment I have and the rifles that I often have secured in the rack, it almost always precipitates a curious inquiry or two. As hunting season nears, I will see people show up to sling a few pieces of lead downrange. I suppose the most common situation I have observed arises from individuals who are intimidated by their rifle. They will have a large pattern and wander over to comment that their gun is "shot out."

In the course of about three years, I had at least one individual per year tell me that their rifle was "shot out," before asking if I would mind shooting it for them. Most of these rifles yield a 1 to 1.5 inch group with the factory ammunition they have with them. After witnessing this, they will mutter that they must be doing something wrong.

I had the identical conversation with a different individual in each of three succeeding years.

"Does your girlfriend or wife have a rifle?"

"Yes."

"What does she shoot?"

"A 7mm-08."

"Does she shoot it well?"

"Oh, yes. She gets a deer (or moose, or elk) each year."

"What does that tell you?"

The stunned look and silence is revealing.

 

[SJB358]

That is very smart of you to plant that seed Mike. I bet it gets them to thinking about smaller and easier to handle rifles! Scotty

 

[DrMike]

The shop made and sold a number of Lazzeronis over the past several years. I did a lot of load development for Warbirds and Firebirds. The rifles so chambered require some attention, as rapid fire and dirty chambers are just asking for trouble. I have witnessed throat erosion so severe as to destroy all accuracy (essentially destroying the rifle) in as little as 200 rounds. These fellows did not follow instruction and wanted to fire as fast as they could, refusing to keep the chambers clean. Few of those who bought these rifles were able to shoot them well. We sold one rifle three times within one month. I heard from a variety of people that they were going to "shoot elk at 1000 yards." I never witnessed one of these nimrods shooting with sufficient competence at 100 yards to believe that they would hit anything at 1000 yards.

 

[roysclockgun]

DrMike wrote : "I make it a practise to do my shooting mid-week when I have the range pretty much to myself."

My annual pass makes it possible for me to cruise into the range any week day, if only for an hour. Day passes are $5.00 so I generally see the day-pass guys unlimber and settle in for long sessions of shooting, in order to "get their money's worth".
They all are curious when wife, Storm, is along with me and their eyes get big, when we go down range and they look at her target. I have been amazed at how large their groups are. Some of these people shooting shotgun patterns with a rifle, are using very expensive equipment.
Here are just a few things that I have observed, in terms of poor range practice:
Shooting with the barrel on the front rest.
Sitting too high on the adjustable seats, so that only toes touch ground.
Having to pound open the bolt after each round. (I move away!)
Firing too rapidly, when testing for a good group.
Not having both arms resting solidly on the bench.
Using the second digit to squeeze the trigger.
Holding the buttstock down on the bicep.
Canting the rifle.
It all depends on the day and the shooter's attitude, whether I do any coaching, or not.
Some of the poor shots could get better, but many times they are not interested in listening. I think that it is a macho guy thing.
Steven A.

 

[jtoews80]

I can't say I've heard alot of wildly inaccurate thigns at the range locally in recent memory, at some of the shops in the city you hear various opinions.

Some insightful, some that really make me chuckle.

The Bonnyville range is really good, but has a relatively small membership. Most week days you'll be there alone, saturday is fairly steady all day and sunday there is a skeet shoot from 2-6 during the summer. We avoid the range during the winter for the most part. I may foolish enough to go and try a few today tho.

 

[super-7]

We also have a small range and membership the best part is I live only 3 miles from it, in the summer go nice and early and there is very seldom any one there. This last summer I had afriend looking at buying arifle so we took it down to the range and ther was afew guys around. We shot some groups and played around ringing the far gongs a bit. Then my brother in law brought out his 06' shot a few rounds and was ringing the far gong. when he was completed one guy walked up and wanted to know what he was shooting and his loads. So he replyed an 06' and 55gr imr 4350 with 165 gr bt's. Well the dude flew off the handle telling him he was loaded way to hot and that thing was dangerous, I said thats a mid level load and we are still fine tuning, he was livid, convinced we were going to blow ourselves up. Then I asked how much he handloaded the reply was never he only shot factory rounds because it was safer????? :?

 

[roysclockgun]

It was easy to begin my gunsports life with misinformation in the early 1950s. My next door neighbor, who I much admired for his WWII service, "rolling with Georgie Patton" and the 3rd Army, told me that bullets always rise, when the leave the muzzle, due to their high velocity and spin.
Looking back now, I realize why he may have gotten that idea from some inarticulate NCO in the Army. I don't remember when I read and understood ballistics, but it was some years later, that I learned that bullets do not simply rise when they leave the muzzle.

 

[Guest]

I witnessed a guy fire factory loaded 308 win cartridges trough his 30-06 rifle. BOOOOM ! The spent brass looked like some odd 45-70 case or something. Last fall another guy tried to feed 6,5 X 55 in his 308 win rifle. Cursing and jamming the bolt to lock it.
One guy told me that the recoil of the .375 HH is so severe, no normal person is able to shoot it. Another that the only thing that will put a moose down is a 300 win mag with max loads behind a Barnes bullet. He looked really angry and annoyed, so I didn`t dissagree, just nodded. :shock:

 

[nodak7mm]

Something I have noted over the recent yrs that ties in with this discusion...

Ever note how many whiz bang super dooper new magnums you see on the used racks? Hhhmmmmm...

Rod

 

[DrMike]

Rod,

I watched one 7.82 Warbird sell three times in less than two months. Anecdotal evidence supporting your observation. :shock: :lol:

 

[roysclockgun]

nodak7mm wrote : "Ever note how many whiz bang super dooper new magnums you see on the used racks? Hhhmmmmm... "

Not only magnums, but anything "new and improved" that is written about in the monthly gun rags.
When I had my clock shop in Maryland, along with clocks, I sold firearms. Mostly milsurp. But, I would also order anything legal and charge $20 over cost. This generated a lot of foot traffic. When the 450Marlin came out, two customers had to have a new rifle in that caliber. Both later asked me to put their 450Marlin rifles on consignment for them. Both sold, but the original buyers took a beating, in terms of what they had in them.
I believe that the 260Rem is a good cartridge, but today, is hard to find factory ammo in that caliber. When intro'd, the 260 was touted as a world beater for dang near everything! I ordered a fair number of 260Rem chambered rifles. When ammo became scarce, a number of them came back on consignment.
Unless one hand loads, the "new and improved" may soon become unserviceable and worthless!
Steven A.