Friends

The wife and I had dinner with friends last night. They are recent transplants from New England.

Conversation eventually turned to good places to go shooting. He had been to the range at NRA HQ so far.

We told them all about Elite Shooting Sports in Manassas VA. We also discussed Bull Run Shooting Center.

I love living in Virginia where they remember what freedom is like...

--Some couples go bowling.

Range time.

Went to the range yesterday. It was crowded as usual on weekends The four of us that went shared one lane. We ended up on a 25 yard lane. I took my Beretta Px4 .40 cal and my new Savage MarkII.

I dialed the Fixed 4x scope in and was getting groups I could cover with a dime. Zombies beware. Next time I go I will take it to the 100 yard range at ESS and finish dialing it in.

I added a bi-pod to the front of this rifle. It worked great except at one point the spring loaded lead mechanism bit my right thumb and I bled all over the place.

--Still, it was a good day.

Range report

I went to the range yesterday with my friend Tony. It was still seriously crowded. ESS has 42 lanes and had about an hour wait.

I think it's like the after Holidays run at gyms. Except it lasts longer.

We had some fun shooting .22 shorts!

--More later.

All .40s

Beretta Cx4

Went to the range last night and dusted off some guns that have not been fired in over a year.

I took .40 stuff for an easy shoot.

All my .40s are Berettas.

I took the following:

• 96D
• Px4
• Cx4

The Px4 and Cx4 take the same magazines. Very handy.

I was on the 50yard range and the Cx4 with an EOTech is a tack driver. The trigger on the thing need some work though. I have been shooting a lot of guns recently that have triggers smooth as butter.

--Very relaxing hour.

Evening Shoot

I am going to start a new routine this week. I am going to the range on Thursday evenings.

I have an annual membership at Elite Shooting Sports so there is no range fee.

I am going to be taking some guns this week that I have not been shooting much recently.

I will enjoy going by myself, taking my time, focusing on one or two firearms.

And one will always be a .22LR. I have several that need the dust knocked off.

--I will also be rocking the MP3 feature of my fancy muffs!

New Shooter Sunday

This weekend I took my dear friend Shea to the range for her first time!

I met her at my science fiction writers group and became fast friends. We went to Elite Shooting Sports in Manassas VA.

ESS has excellent facilities for shooters in wheel chairs so when Shea rolled in with her fancy motorized machine they were very welcoming. We had her registered, range card obtained, and the safety briefing done in no time.

I gave her the Four Rules speech in addition to the safety video. We bought targets, put on our eyes and ears and were off!

I brought a couple rifles and a couple handguns. She liked my Savage Mark II bolt action .22LR the best.

--It was big fun! Love you, Shea!!

Handicapped Shooters

This weekend I am taking yet another first time shooter to the range.

The difference is this friend is wheelchair bound. She is very excited about the adventure.

I will be taking her to Elite Shooting Sports range in Manassas VA. Their facility is specially designed to serve shooters in wheelchairs. Smooth rolling and extra-wide special lanes for shooters that need it.

I will give a range report next week!

--Should be fun!

Random Tuesday

Went shooting with a newbie. It was her second time and we shot rifles this time. We started with a basic Savage Mark II bolt action .22 with a scope.Then she shot my Colt AR15. She loved it. The recoil is light. After she figured out the sight pattern she did really well. She'll be back.

Dylan Roof is a Racist. That is what a racist looks like. The next time you hear someone called a racist because they disagree with the President, remind them what a real racist looks like. This guy also hated America. Photos of him stomping on the flag and even burning it say a lot. Please don't lump this asshole in with people other than white supremacists. I will point and laugh at the next person that calls him a typical Republican.This asshole is a perfect fit for the Death Penalty.

I still don't care about Deflategate.

I have a book signing for Still Falling, scheduled for noon on July 11th at Prospero's Books in Oldtown Manassas VA.

This mornings coffee is magnificent. You should be jealous.

It's only Tuesday. I have though it was Wednesday twice already this morning.

My wife and I are planning a trip to Kings Dominion. Without kids.

--Heading to work. Be safe out there.

Range Trip

On Saturday I went to the range with T-Bolt and got to fire his Springfield 1911 that he just finished tuning up.

He has been getting formal gunsmith training and based on that gun, it has paid off!

The sights and the trigger on that thing are excellent now.

The trigger is like butter.

The whole gun is super tight and smooth.

The target on the right was at 21 feet and I put 14 rounds into it.

--I was pleased.

3 Gun System

This weekend one of my buddies from college visited. He brought his 22 year old son with him.

Of course I took them to the range. He loved it.They both did.

This kids mom is a RABID anti-gun crazy person. Insane. She thinks the best reaction to bullying is to not fight back. ever.

She is going to be pissed when she finds out her son is now planning a 3 gun system of his own. A Glock 9mm, a Rem 870 and an AR15.

--It's a good start...

Range run duds

On Saturday when Tony and I went to the range all we took was .22LR.

I was intentionally shooting my oldest ammo. The Ammo had to be at least 25 years old. 

The Remington 597 has a pretty light firing pin. And out of the 150 rounds I shot from it about 10 of them were duds. They had very clear strike marks and I carefully set them aside.

I had also brought along my HR .22 revolver and as a test I loaded up all these duds in there. I ran the entire drum 3 full times. Eventually all the rounds fired but one. Some on the first lap, some on the second and none on the third.

Only one round failed to fire after four tries, including the rifle.

I'm thinking of getting another .22 revolver.

--It was a good day.

Range Weekend

It's a range weekend!

A crew of friends will be going and shooting .22 rifles.

I will be taking in my Ruger 10/22 with Integral Suppressor. I call her Squirrelsbane.

I will be cutting into my stockpile of ammo for this range run. .22LR is still very thin out there.

I am looking into getting the new BX-Trigger for her. I was hoping to handle one before I order one.

I also have a new bipod I am going to try.

--In all, still cheap shooting!

IPSC Event

I was invited this week to go to an International Practical Shooting Confederation event at the NRA headquarters range.

I cannot believe how much fun I had! It was my first time at one of these and I will offer my advice as a total noob that had no idea what I was doing.

The only advice I got going in was, "Check out some Youtubes!" and "Bring a good holster and a lot of magazines. Go slow."

We showed up an hour early. That way we could watch the guys in the group before us run the stages and figure out how the show was run.  They had four stages set up.

We got to do a lot. There was movement, shooting, reloading, different distances, hostages, moving targets. holster drawing, windows at various heights. There were different classes to compete within. Some people had the race guns and were very serious about their score and speed.

I didn't even care about my score.

My favorite stage had 16 targets I had to double tap. A minimum of 32 rounds. It had 4 windows at various heights, a long hallway and you had to carry a 5 gallon plastic bucket with you for the whole thing! The class I was in (unmodified firearm) only allowed max of 10 rounds in each mag. I had to reload 3 times. Some shooters had 7 round mags! The stage took me 59 seconds. I LOVED IT!

Near the end I got disqualified for gun specific rule I was not aware of. Guns with exposed hammers must have the safety on with HAMMER DOWN, first shot has to be double action straight from the holster. The range crew was really cool about it too. Took time to explain it without making me feel stupid or like an asshole. They new I was a first timer and were helping me out all along with tips.

I stood there thinking I have a good "what a dumbass" blog post!

I found the rule book online today.  Knowing all this, here are the lessons I learned:

• At the start tell the range staff it's your first time. They will help you.
• Read to rule book. (before you go!)
• I know, it's 75 pages, read it and don't be a dumbass.
• Take a good holster.
• Take a lot of mags. Saves time reloading them.
• Take mag holders. (I will have at least 4 next time)
• Take water. It's thirsty fun.
• Wear comfy clothes that allow easy draw without snags.
• Wear comfy shoes.
• Help reset the targets. Many hands make it go faster.
• Go slow. Be safe.
• Go with friends. It more fun than bowling!
• Listen. Be safe.
• Get there early so you can see how the stages are run.
• The 4 Rules still apply! 
• Read the rule book.

In all it was an excellent, highly recommended, event! I had a great time even though I was DQ'd!!

--I'm going back next month!

Christmas Crowds

My wife and I went to the Elite Shooting Sports range again this weekend with a couple friends. This trip was the very first time that we had to wait for a lane.

Granted, it was 1pm on a Saturday. That seems like it will me the most popular time of the week.

The place was crowded by the post Christmas people! People must have been very good this year and gotten new guns for Christmas!

--An annual range membership would be great present!

Range Day

The wife and I are going to the Range today.

Range trips are turning into social events at the ESS Range. The cafe there is serving BBQ!

Four ranges and Forty Two lanes of holiday cheer! I expect that the place will be crowded because a ton of people were very good this year and Santa delivered a record number of Glocks and AR15s.

The wife will be practicing her Ruger GP100. I will run a box through my daily carry Glock 17 and will also take one of my .22LR rifles for a bit of fixed 4x fun.

--Next weekend is the Nations Gun Show and I need AMMO!!

Monday Random Thoughts

Happy Monday all. I hope your coffee is as good as mine today!

I had a great weekend with friends.

It included a trip to the range. We took a wide variety of firearms for the guys to shoot. Calibers shot included: 9mm, .40, .45 and .44mag. We actually had more than one firearm of each kind. It was mostly handguns but I also took a couple pistol caliber carbines: Beretta CX4 and my Roni Glock 21 SSBR.

After the range trip we enjoyed good steaks, beers, bourbon, Archer episodes and a couple movies. We watched Expendables 2 and Sabotage. Good gun filled flicks!

I am really enjoying having a formal Bench work area to clean guns and reload mags. I now have a computer and a dock for my iPhone! Perfect for music or audio books while I am working.

Next up for range time I am going to sight in several rifles.

--Big fun. Love having the new range so close.

Great Weekend

Andie and my AR15 SBR

It was a really nice weekend.

I went to the range four times. Mostly because I was trying to work out the stove pipe problem with my SBR. I tried a weaker buffer spring and it was not that. An adjustment of the depth the buffer tube made it a bit better but not perfect. I am now starting to thing that it may be very picky about ammo. Frankly I am about ready to replace the entire upper.

It was great to have the range just 4 miles away. I was able to just swing in for a quick test.

I also went hunting on Saturday. Didn't see a thing. It was a nice morning in the woods.

I also set up my photography studio and took some photos with a friend and my firearms. Here is the first from this batch of photos. It was really fun. It makes me want to get better backdrops! I added the K-Bar for JayG!

--Need more coffee before this Monday begins...

AR-15 at the range

I took my Colt AR-15 to the range for the first time.

This rig is set up as light as possible. It has a 14 inch pencil barrel, light foregrip,  and a light adjustable stock.

The target here is a magazine at 25 yards with basic iron sights.

I love my new range. It is so close I have been more than once in the same day!

--My current favorite rifle! and Range!

I took

The Hot Brass Dance

Now that the new ESS Range is open I will be taking a lot more people shooting.

This weekend I went with the wife and three other friends. Tonight I am going again.

I need to remember to warn people about hot brass. The range rules video everyone has to watch at ESS to get a range card even mentions it.

This is very important, especially with new shooters, who may now have the muzzle or trigger discipline.

This isn't just about women either. I have seen many a man, self included, doing the dance as well.

Take a new shooter to the range with you soon.

--Be safe. Protect the goods!

Dirty Bird Targets

One of my Facebook friends showed me these new Dirty Bird Targets. Thanks Amanda!

I ordered 60 for starters.

I have been enjoying the popping targets for a long time. Now that the hits are color coded they are even better.

I will be using these on the 100 yard indoor range. Put my spotting scope on it with my new iPhone interface.

Easy as can be.

--Imaging the smile faces I will make!