Well, Duh.......

Everyone knows thugs prefer weapons over three feet long with a top-loading packet clip system.



Jackass.

Shoot, Then Shoot Some More

Competed in an across the course high power rifle match today. Eighty-eight rounds of .30-06 through an M1 Garand set up with National Match parts and glass bedding. Nice day for shooting, with not much wind and a clear sky, although wearing the leather shooting jacket while sweat pours down into your eyes isn't fun. We're fortunate enough to have actual pits for our targets, so everyone takes turns being a "pit pig" raising, lowering, and marking targets.

.223 makes a nice sharp snapping noise when it goes over your head, and a pretty good thump when it impacts the loose dirt in the berm.

Our target holders are vintage, having been salvaged from an army post where they'd been scrapped as obsolete. If I recall correctly, they're around one hundred years old. Several of the members put a lot of time into restoring them to working order. The rest of the rifle pit is only two years old, but is probably one of the nicest in the Midwest. Lots of work left to make it look pretty, but the foundations are all there.

The match ran from 0800 to 1330, with shooting from 200 & 300 yards. Then a short break for lunch, and on to my match, the NRA Combat Pistol Event.

We've just started outdoor pistol matches on the new range this summer, although it's been operating about four years. Today was a minor landmark, with eight shooters present, including a young woman who had never fired a handgun before.

Shooting for the Combat Event takes place at 7, 25, and 50 yards. I'm finding a lot of people who've attended will shoot their pistol at less than 25 yards, and haven't even considered trying to shoot out to 50 yards with them. Even a 25 yards, the scores begin to drop rapidly.

The collection of arms today was pretty eclectic. We had a Glock, Walther, Makarov, Beretta, Kimber, Taurus, and some others I didn't get a close look at. It's interesting to watch handling proficiency as the owners operate under pressure. What's effortless when you're casually shooting turns difficult with stress in place. I'm hoping it will motivate some of these shooters to practice more. I believe a lot of shooters become complacent about their skills over time, because they shoot the same way repeatedly.

It's easy to think you're good when you're never challenged.

Argh!

Found out last night that the CMP is out of field grade greek return M1 Garands, less than two weeks after I mailed in my order. I have a bad feeling about this.

Wisconsin Rifle Match

Returned from rifle matches taking place in Prairie Du Chien this weekend. The local club put on CMP matches for M1 Garand, M1903 Springfield, and Vintage Rifle match. Suprising myself, I placed 2nd in all three events,


and received a bronze pin for my score of 269 with the M1 Garand.


The weather cooperated for the most part, and the club members there were friendly and helpful. There was an interesting display at noon with various members giving live fire demonstrations of a BAR, Sten, Thompson submachine gun, and muzzle-loading cannon.


I'm looking forward to returning to their next CMP match.