New Glasses

 So I now have new glasses on order. My very dominant eye (right) has a big change and the beginning (very small) cataract. I dismounted and brought one of my red dots with me to the eye doctor. The new prescription will fix the double dot issue, but I'll still see a little tale on the dot. I can live with that.

I think I'll have to migrate away from red dot sights in the future. My vision issues seems to have less of an impact with an optic that has a heavy cross hair. In fact I just purchased an optic for my 6.5 Grendel AR build with a heavy plex reticle.

K31 Again

 Made it to the range again with the Swiss K31with a partial box of the best performing load from the la last trial. This time I checked all the screws, and tightened a couple. I fired four 3 shot groups  at 100 yards as follows: 1-3/4", 1", 1-1/4", 1" in that order. I suspect that the larger group sizes were due to the person pressing the trigger and not the ammunition I loaded. I'll repeat that test the next time at the range. It has a 2x-7x scope mounted in the scout configuration as the only modification.

I set the bullets deeper than the book said because the rifle's throat was short, measured using a comparator. The powder charge was also reduced. H4350 pushing Sierra 180gr SBT

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Last Sunday afternoon I spent a few hours at the Boss's church teaching an introduction to handguns. This included safety, types, hand fit, grip and trigger press. When I agreed to do this there were 3 women interested, but about 15 showed up. We'll be meeting again primarily to reinforce grip and trigger press. A couple of the women need extra help, and appeared to be afraid to even touch a gun. We'll also explore methods of carry, and a little bit about home defense.

Itchy Finger

 Over the years I've had multiple head hunters wanting me to interview for positions in the Tampa Florida area. Every time I told them I was not interested because I can't tolerate months of the summer heat and humidity. Here at home, for the last couple of weeks, we've been suffering with the same heat and humidity that I have been avoiding for years.

A few years back when weather was similar, I went to the range with a rifle stored in my air conditioned home. When I opened the case, the water in the air condensed on the rifle. It was as if it was raining.

So now my itchy trigger finger continues to itch. I may be able to scratch it later in the week when the temperature is predicted to be 10F cooler.

Swiss K31

 Took the Swiss K31 with the Hi-Lux LER scout scope to the range. I loaded 3 bullet weights as a first determination as to what weight I should do additional testing. I have 150, 165 and 180 grain bullets, I arbitrarily picked IMR 4350 for the 180, and 4064 for the other two. Three shot groups at 100 yards with the 150 and 180 grainers were about 1-1/2 inches. That was about as I expected. for an old military bolt action. The 165 grainers were quite a pleasant surprise, with a group of about 5/8 inch and 2 in the same hole.

I will repeat the test, but I expect similar results. If that happens it'll be the easiest and quickest load determination I have ever experienced.

Ishapore Continued

 So after a lot of looking I found and ordered a scout mount made to fit Enfield No1 MkIII which is the same as my Ishapore but with a different chambering. I thought this would be the solution to my scout scope mounting issue. But I was wrong. The new mount would not fit down between the ears because one side of the ears was not parallel. Using a rotary tool I ground away the inside of one side until the new mount would fit. Every thing is now good? Nope.

As it turns out a mounted scope is at an angle to the barrel. At just 25 feet there's barely enough cross hair adjustment to align with a laser bore sighter. The thickness of a business card on opposite sides of the mounting rings fixes that issue. This is only a temporary way to measure the angle that needs correcting. Back to the gunsmith it goes.

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On the bright side, the same company makes a scout mount for my Swiss K31. It's a very solid mount and fit very well. I mounted a Hi-Lux LER scope, and found the combination very satisfactory. I'll be working on hand loads now.

Not my Life

 I suppose I'm of the minority in that I dislike the holidays. I don't like being around a bunch of people which is expected for the next week or so. Don't get me wrong, I do like being with family and friends, but only in small quantities. This time of year I'm living the Bosses life, not the life I want.

A few weeks ago I loaded 4 experimental sets of ammo to try in the 44 special. I've yet to have the opportunity to test those loads for accuracy, velocity and felt recoil.

44 Speecial

Decades ago I acquired a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44Mag. By acquired I mean it was basically free. Since I had a 44Mag I used that as a reason to get a 44 Special. The big 44 went away because it was not at all comfortable in my hand. I have no problem with the cartridge or recoil, after all I have fun shooting a Ruger Super Redhawk in 454Casull.

The 44Mag went away but I still have a Charter Arms 5 shot 44Special. It's time I worked up a light recoiling load for that revolver using the 240JHP left over from the magnum. Any load approaching 44special capability is painful in that very light weight revolver.

 - - - - 12/8/24

When I got the "free" 44Mag it came with some bullets. Forgot there were some cast lead bullets in the mix. I'll start experimenting with different powders and charges behind the 240 and 215 grain LSWCs. 

Handgun at the Range

So yesterday I made it to the range for a couple of hours. Been shooting mostly handguns lately in an effort to regain marksmanship skills that have eroded the last few years. Fired a few rounds through my 2 hunting revolvers, 50 rounds of 357Mag, and about half that many 454Casull. I was after targets at 50 and 75 yards with some success, but not nearly to my satisfaction.

When shooting my 1911 or Hi-Power, I frequently practice strong hand and weak hand only. As one might expect I'm not as good using just one hand. Yesterday I didn't bring either full sized pistol, so as a whim I pulled my carry gun, a Kimber Ultra Carry in 45acp. I fired several magazines strong hand only at 25 yards. Marksmanship was typical, but I had 3 stoppages probably due to limp wrist. Need to work on that, and try the same with my other carry gun, a Sig 938.

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Even if you've been living under a rock, you know a guy missed his target at about 150 yards. Yes there was luck, or maybe a guarding angel, but the shooter wasn't very good. His head didn't seem to move enough for me to miss at twice that range, and I'm not that good.

I have cleanly taken deer with a single shot with a 357 revolver at 120 yards. Granted, I was going for center of chest, not a head.

40 30 and 9

 So I shot the remaining 40s I loaded using the jacketed loading chart, followed by a box of 1 grain reduced load. Saw a definite increase in consistency with the reduced load pushing the coated 180 grain bullet.

Last night when cleaning the FN I found an issue with the recoil guide rod assembly. The round loop on the end fractured into a heart shape. So were my original loads producing excessive recoil, a flaw in the material, or is the recoil from the 40 too much for that part?  Physically it appears to be the same as used in the 9mm version. Regardless I ordered a replacement and a spare. 

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My 30cal carbine is a lot of fun to shoot. Short, light weight and low recoil. So a few weeks ago I loaded a dozen and tried them. They worked just fine. So I reloaded 50 more for additional reliability testing. Of course that requires more shooting :). The only issue is that the long, almost straight walled cartridge is a bit tricky to resize. Regardless of the amount of lube used, the die tends to push some of the brass towards the base creating a small ridge. 

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For the first time ever I bought a used firearm that was not considered a relic. Back before there were such a variety of small 9mm pistols on the market, I bought a Kar PM9. That is the only striker fired pistol I have ever owned. I never shot the PM9 very well, so I was keeping my eye open for a similar sized single action. I'd shot both the Kimber and Sig versions better than the PM9. I was in a local shop for a different reason, and they just so happened to have a used Sig 938 for a couple hundred less that new. So I bought it. In my part of the world both tiny 9s are somewhat rare.

Inventory Increase

 A few years ago my hunting and shooting buddy passed away. He was my wife's brother-in-law.  We'd been friends for decades.  

A few weeks ago my niece asked us over to distribute some of his gun stuff. I brought 3 home for me and 1 for my youngest.

Single action 45 LC. This is a replica with color case hardened frame. The main spring was broken, and now replaced. I think it's functional, but I haven't tried it yet.

FN Hi-Power 40S&W. It has that weird SFS (?) system where pushing the hammer toward the slide activates the safety. For some reason the rear sight is way off to the right side. I suspect it has to do with damage to his hand. I don't have anything chambered in 40 so I installed a 9mm barrel and weaker recoil spring. Fired 2 9mm into the ground in the back yard and it seems to be fine. I'll take it with me next time to the range. Will be checking function with 9mm and 40, as well as the sights.

AR15. He bought components and built it himself many years ago. I was with him the first time it was fired, and it went full auto. I checked the trigger and it was never fixed. I'll fix the trigger, then decide what to do with it.  I'll either modify it to my liking (maybe 6.5 Grendel) or let it go to a friend.

S&W 38 target revolver. It's an older revolver that appears to be in excellent condition. I think my youngest will like it.

At the Range - finally

The Boss is doing a lot better. In a few days she'll be cleared to drive a car again, but not ride her horse. If I get caught up around the house a bit, I'll get a chance to ride again. Looks like I found a different riding partner.

Managed to get to the range and checked out the CETME one more time. It runs like a champ with South African MilSurp NATO ammo, but chokes big time with MagTech 7.62x51. I'll be checking out some other NATO designated ammo in the not too distant future. Still have about 600 rounds of the SA stuff on hand. Years ago I bought 2 cases of the stuff.

Took my grand daughters husband to the range with me. He wanted to try out his new carry pistol. He's ex-military and has a very different notion of pistol accuracy than I do. He shot a tight group at 7 yards and bragged. To me, good shooting is hitting a 4 inch target at 25 yards and beyond. I'm rather iffy at 50 yards these days.

Finally Scratched the Itch

 Recovery after hip replacement a month ago has finally gotten to the place where I can get around with a cane, though not very far. Before surgery I mounted a 1-6x scope on the AR and a red dot on the lever action 454. Today I drove to the eldest son's house for some trigger time. He did the walking for me to the target stand and manned the spotting scope. 

Zeroed the AR at 100 yards without any issue at all.

The lever gun was somewhat problematic. I need to run groups with the 300gr bullet and compare to the 240gr that I normally shoot in the revolver, and used today. The faster burning powder I load behind the 240gr may be somewhat erratic in the longer barrel, or it could be a twist rate issue. Just theory to be explored. 

It sure felt good to be out for the afternoon fixing my itchy trigger finger. Couldn't happen without his help. Much appreciated.

Some Gun Stuff

 Last week I made it to the range, even with my aching hip. Replacement surgery is 5 weeks away.

I fired 4 rounds each of 2 different case preparations through the Ishapore. Full resized and neck resized only, all else the same. There was no measurable difference in group sizes, but I was surprised by the 4 inch different in point of impact. Looks like I have a lot more work to do to determine a decent load for the old rifle. I may need to free float the barrel and/or have it rechambered.

The little Llama 380 MicroMax is now reliable with the 2 new magazines I purchased. I ran several full Mags through the little thing, over 2 trips, without any malfunctions at all. I now consider it good for carry, if I want.

I did ok with the old Ruger 357 at 50 yards. That is my deer hunting gun. But the other Ruger, 454 was a different story. Could use more range time. High recoiling revolvers are harder to shoot well.

The little red dot sight on the 454 lever action died. Changing the battery allowed 1 shot. Putting the old one back in also allowed 1 shot. So I'm taking the Sightron off the AR to put on the lever gun. A PA 1-6X is on the way for the AR, just like the one now installed on the Cetme. Hope the Sightron handles recoil better.

Expecting the civilian 30 carbine back from the gunsmith any day now with the forward mounted red dot. Then I'll have 3 long guns for sight adjustment.

She's Mad

 The Boss does not normally comment about politics or society in general.  I can recall 2 exceptions.

1 - When Obama was elected she asked that I maintain at least 1,000 rounds of ammunition for each of my battle rifles. She was concerned that the state of the economy and society might end in general violence. I was happy to comply, though her concern was a bit premature.

2 - Yesterday she was just plain mad about how Trump has been and is being treated. She's wondering when the general shooting war will begin between the liberty loving and the communists. 

And when they determine that I'm a criminal because of the guns I own, I'll ignore the law. The Boss is in full agreement with my attitude.

Constitutional Carry at Home

My home state now has constitutional carry, and like when carry licenses were initiated a lot of the mucky mucks of the police organizations are totally against it. (Not and never has been illegal to carry openly)  They're crying about 'blood in the streets'.  Blah . . Blah . . Blah.  Never happened then, doubt it will happen now. 

Makes me wonder if they're afraid that us citizens will make their job irrelevant. 

Gun Control ?

 So once again to "do something" we're expecting to have additional federal laws concerning ownership of guns. And as in the past these new laws will have absolutely no effect on the illegal use of firearms. But since the Dems and Rinos want a disarmed public that they can control, there will be more restrictions on the lawful.  All tyrannies start with a disarmed population.

Like the last "assault weapon" and magazine capacity laws, I will completely ignore the new federal laws. 

 . . . . . . 

In my state, the governor just signed a bill that makes it easier for school staff to be armed in schools. It's not mandatory, but left up to the individual school system. Both of my sons sons attend schools that have armed staff members, and there is not a sign asking visitors to be unarmed. In fact one school has a sign on the door warning would be bad guys what will happen if someone tries to harm the students.

Allow ? ?

I understand that the Ukranian parliament has voted to allow citizens to carry guns. It took an invasion! I carry a gun on my person practically every day, and I keep several 'evil' long guns in my house.  Citizens of the USA are better prepared to defend this country than probably every other country on this earth.

I think the 2A was intended as a last ditch defense from our own government, but there are other applications.

Handgunning Today

Llama 380 is a cute little almost 1911 that I like, when it functions. I'd like it a lot more if it didn't fail to feed at least twice with every magazine fired. I have 2 magazines and this happens with both. It appears as if the cartridge rim hangs on the extractor, and fails to get between the extractor and the bolt. I tried rounding the corner of the extractor, but so far that didn't help. Since I found a source for a new extractor, I'll work on the old one some more and maybe look at getting another recoil spring.

I think I settled on IMR 4227 as the powder for the Charter 44 special. I seem to be getting a full burn, unlike the others I've tried. I have some of that powder and don't use it for anything else.

Shot a few rounds through the Kimber UltraCarry, 2 handed, strong hand and weak hand only.  My weak hand sucked and some limp wristing caused a couple of misfeeds. Otherwise not too bad at 25 yards.

Brought the old Ruger Security Six, my deer hunting gun fitted with a red dot sight. After the first six rounds or so I settled down and was able to hit what I wanted at 50 yards. A bit rusty I think. The 4 inch clay birds turned to dust. I used to be able to do that with iron sites. Getting old eyes sucks. Next time I'll have some coated SWC loaded to try. I actually found some. I haven't shot non-jacketed bullets in years.

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Looks to me like the communists in DC are actually trying to create a civil war.

Some Thoughts

 All things considered the Boss is doing well after knee replacement surgery Monday. I predict that in a couple of months she'll be without pain, even back pain. Contrasting with her sister and brother in law. They never recovered back to normal due to not putting in the necessary work and being inactive.

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Contrary to what's reported by the corrupt media, there is plenty of evidence that the presidential election was rigged in several states. The 'deep state' and the Democrats managed to get rid of the hated Trump, and they did a damn good job of it. After all if you can't be bought, anti-socialism/communism and put this country first, then you're an evil person that must be attacked in every way possible.

Let's hope that the Dems don't screw this up for us all as bad as I think they will.

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As reported this morning the unemployment rate is 6.7%. Because of the way the data is collected, the actual unemployment is always a bit higher. In my life I've seen unemployment numbers this high and higher, with Dems setting policy, and without the China virus screwing up the economy. Now it's bound to get worse.

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For years now, those of us who believe in personal liberty, life without government interference, equal opportunity (not equal results) and putting our country at the top of the priority list have been treated as stupid or even evil. And for years we've politely tolerated being kicked around. Our elected officials, in general,  have either been bought or are without the spine to stand up to the left. Maybe, just maybe those on the right have had enough and realized this is a war.

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The DC riot is being blamed on Trump supporters. This 'mostly peaceful' demonstration probably consisted of a lot of angry citizens protesting the election results, with good reason. The violence may or may not have been by Trump supporters, regardless of what is being reported. The under reported bombs found by the RNC and DNC headquarters makes me wonder. Could the violence have been by members of ANTIFA?  That group that is the opposite of what their name says and intent on tearing down the very fabric of this once great nation.

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According to my Marine son, the DC riots are nothing to what may happen if the Dems pass a lot of their gun control wish list. I agree. Keep your powder dry.

Loading my Own

 I'm one of those weird people that actually enjoys loading my own ammo. Back around 1980 I purchased a RCBS single stage press and associated equipment to load 357 Mag ammo. Other than a 22lr rifle and 20ga for hunting, the 357 revolver was the only gun I owned. I justified the reloading gear based on saving money for ammo. I was wrong. I spent more time shooting instead. Decades late I'm still using the same gear.

I started as a small game hunter like my father, but guns became a hobby, and over the years I acquired several more. One of my favorite things is to find the right bullet, powder, velocity combination that is the most accurate in a particular weapon. Sitting at the loading bench is relaxing, whether building something new or assembling a tried and true combination.

The other day I said that I was good as far as ammo and components are concerned. While that is true, it bothers me that I only have 200 large pistol primers and can't find any more to go with the 500 45acp bullets.  That really shouldn't bother me sine I have 650 45acp cartridges loaded. When the inventory gets cut in half, I'll just have to shoot more 9mm, long guns and revolvers.