I finally got out to the range today. It was a bit windy the last few days here, and I wanted to test my .223 handloads at 300 meters, so I put it off until this morning. Absolutely perfect morning to go shooting. I didn’t have sight settings for 300m, so I stapled up a bunch of sight-in targets and picked the target in the middle. After the first five rounds it was obvious that I was hitting VERY low, so I dialed in a few minutes of elevation, and like a moron I picked a HIGHER target for the second go-around. Five more shots, but I couldn’t see the impact points through my 45x not-so-great quality spotting scope, so I hopped in the truck (I had the 500m range ALL TO MYSELF!) and drove down.
Good news: A beautiful 2″ (4-shot) group! (Best group of the day, as a matter of fact.)
Bad news: Right through the top crossbrace of the target frame. My range charges $1 per hole in the target frame. I know it was a 2″ group because the frame is made of 2×2’s. I figure the fifth shot went just a bit high.
So now I know my sight settings for 300, 385, and 500 meters with that load, (75 grain Hornady BTHP) and it shoots about 1.5-2MOA at 300 meters which is, realistically, about as well as I can see at that range through a 10X scope.
I also took out my freshly restocked 1943-era M1 Garand and my .50 caliber ammo can full of Korean surplus ammo in clips on bandoleers. After a bit of sight tweaking, I was able to consistently drop the steel pig silhouettes with that combo, shooting off sandbags. Iron sights!
After a hundred and fifty rounds of .223 and probably ten or twelve clips or so of .30-06 (it’s so much fun, who’s counting?), it was starting to warm up and get windy, so I shifted down to the Law Enforcement range for a little pistol practice. The new S&W 60-14 I picked up on Saturday is a SHOOTER! This is the first revolver I’ve ever been able to shoot halfway decently double-action. At seven yards I was able to keep all five 125 grain Federal .38 Nyclads in the chest just as fast as I could pull the trigger. I even practiced double-taps and was able to get the two rounds with 2-3″ of each other. I’m quite impressed with this little revolver. The hi-viz fiberoptic front sight is definitely a plus. It’s VERY easy to pick up and makes follow-up shots much faster.
What a great day at the range. I’ve got to do this more often.
Edited to add:
I forgot to mention, I tested out my two free MWG Co. magazines, a 10-rounder and a 5-rounder. Each held the advertised capacity and no more. Each was a bit of a tight fit in the mag well, but I’d imagine they’ll wear in. Each fed properly.
Except the last round. Both mags. Repeatedly. The last round out would jam. I don’t know if the problem is with the follower or what, but I’d be interested to know if anyone else has had this problem with theirs.