Activity for a Not Quite Rainy Saturday Afternoon
 

I've been wanting to get out for a day of outdoor recreation for some time now .. other activities and stupid things like work keep getting in the way of having fun, but depite dire warning of additional bad weather, I and some friends braved the lack of storm, withstood some light drizzle, and had a grand time of it.

What did I do?

What do you think??

http://scribe.fork.org/cellar/swamp003.JPG

There were actually more armaments involved than are displayed on the table ... lessee ... there was also a .22 Hornet rifle, a .38 Special snub nose revolver, of course, my ever present Glock.

Mostly I was interested in trying out something new ... a Beretta Neos Inox Deluxe ("Neos" is Greek for "New", "Inox" means "Stainless Steel", and "Deluxe" means "Costs More." Actually there are features in the Deluxe Neos that don't come on the cheaper ones. I do not regret the extra $50).

http://scribe.fork.org/cellar/swamp011.JPG

http://scribe.fork.org/cellar/swamp010.JPG

http://scribe.fork.org/cellar/swamp004.JPG

It shoots like a dream.

http://scribe.fork.org/cellar/swamp007.JPG

For my next trick ...

I did try to do something cool, and once I work the kinks out of the process, this will be attempted again.

A quarter was taped to the target.

The quarter was hit.

Instead of nicely remaining upon the target where it had been taped, the force of the impact sent the quarter right through the backing board.

There are quite a few quarters in the backstop hill behind the targets.

I ran out of quarters.

In future, I will either start shooting dollar bills or will come up with some way of preventing the quarter from disappearing into the sandpile.

SWWWWWEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT !!!!! A new .22 pistol !!! Cheap shooting ahead !!!
Is the barrel removeable , so you can switch to a shorter one ???
Where is the lazer sight ????

Haven't put the laser sight on yet ... ;)

There is an integral sight rail and I do want to put something on there, probably a conventional target scope, but it shoots great off iron ... well, uh, polymer already. (three mags through it and I was blowing those quarters through the backstop.)

Very nice Wolf.

Is that the hat of a certain reclusive Christian gun toting man I see in the photo?

To the man in question: You are getting sloppy!

As for the quarter catching problem, I have an easy fix.

A few years ago just for fun I started stooting holes in some basic stuff like quarters. Then after the weekend was over, I'd drive hours and hours back into non-gun terrirtory for work.

I showed a few people how a 45 cal deforms the quarter and they were instantly obcessed with having one of their own. The list of people wanting one grew and when I was coming back to Pa I had several dollars worth of coins to shoot.

The originals were shot at a distance and I often missed the coin completely or hit it and it flew into the backstop dirt or in the field next to the target. I dont have time for all this non-sense. I need a system.

To minimize the risk of getting hurt myself while doing this somewhat childish activity, I came up with a process that worked out pretty well and was safe enough for me. That might not be the case for you but this was good enough for me.

First, you need some basic supplies. Duct tape, some bright red pasters, and a heavy blanket that has not value, and some tacks or nails.

Duct tape the coin to the target and put the red paster on the face of the coin. Drape the blanket behind the backstop and attach it on the top only, let the bottom hang free. Position the blanket behind the target you will be shooting.

Stand away from the target and shoot the red dots. At a short distance you'll be more likely to hit it. As you hit the tapped targets, they punch through the particle board backers and the blanket slows them down enough that they dont fly into orbit. They may or may not be in a consistent location relative to the backstop but if properly duct tapped, will be more visible on the ground or in the grass than just the quarter alone.

All the standard firearms rules also apply. Wear protective eyewear and hearing protection, dont shoot alone...you know, the basic rules for safe shooting.

Then give the coins to some non shooter and they'll think you're either really cool.......or really scary. :eek:

Looks like you had a good time. Tell the ghost man I said hello.

It's too bad the AWB expired, because criminals are just going to have to stop shooting when they run out of bullets in their low-cap mags.

The owner of the gunshop that I deal with just get the first "real" AR-15 in. It has the "real" flash hider and the exact same reciever as the military uses.

Very cool ......and a lot less hassle for everyone.

Hoo ray! I'll have to get a look at that.

I'm just waiting for the supply of "LEO ONLY" mags that are now legal to own to be sold out ... because I'm not buying anything that says that, just in case, you know?

Although frankly, if I can't kill it with 10 ...

Excellent advice on the coin trick. I'll give that a try. I happen to have access to a supply of blankets that are of low sentimental value ... they're kind of thin, but I can always hang a couple of them.

I'll let the gentleman who wasn't officially present at a venue containing firearms or firearms related activities or any firearms actually owned by any person or persons present know you said hello.

Damn Republicans. :stickpoke
Nice piece Wolf, you need a better backstop than pressboard. Something that will let the bullet pass through, but stop the quarter. Something like a BMW. ;)

I don't have the code to the vehicle gate ... but that's not a bad idea.

You got a spare Beamer in the backyard, by any chance?

That is the most beautiful .22 I've ever seen! How much? Was it obscenely outrageous, or merely expensive?

And what's the little wheel above the trigger? Pull tension adjuster?

yes, the little wheel adjusts the trigger.

I haven't played with it yet. Factory setting is "just right" at this point.

It also comes with two extra sets of front and rear sights, so you can adjust the configuration to your liking (red, white, and blue are the colors. It comes with red front, white outline rear. The rear sight is adjustable.

It's actually pretty cost effective. $350 for the one I bought, the "base" model runs around $300.

Oh, the grip on the Deluxe has rubber inserts (the gray swooshies) ... and you can get those in different colors too.

Here's the factory page.

I have the 6" barrel.

Mmmmmmm,...Stampede. :heartpump

I'm pretty clueless about such things, never having fired a gun. But you might swing by the back side of your favorite carpet store, and pick up a few dozen feet of scrap carpet. Hang several 'sheets' behind the target, with airgaps between. When it's all over, most of the coins should be on the ground underneath.

That's true and a good suggestion.

Stopping the bullets/coin is one part of the challenge, keeping it within a given area another, and finding it still another.

At the velocities normally associated with firearms projectiles, the bullet/coin often bounces around where one would not expect. At full velocity and energy they might bury into the ground. Having hit something like particle board first and slowing down slightly, they may just bounce.

The whole practice is better done on some controlled lab with gellatine but those of us geeky enough to want to do this dont normally have that type of access.

Actually, tacking the coin to the target board with staples around the edges worked for me. The coins either stayed in place or just fell to the ground in front of the board after being hit. Of course the velocity and type of bullet had a lot to do with it, I was using hand loaded .223 cal. FMJ's in my AR-15 with a 4x Colt scope at 25 yards to perforate these coins. They went right through the coins like hot butter!
Duct taping them to the target board probably would have worked good too.