I’ve been busy at the range.

I had the urge to lighten my ammo boxes.  The best way to do it is to shoot some targets!  Over the past few weeks I did just that.  Here are some of the results.

I have been having a lot of fun with my new Ruger 10/22.  I converted it to a “Ruger Taptical 22” using the Tapco 10/22 Intrafuse stock and a few other goodies.  This has transformed it into a great little shooter.  I will do a review on it in the near future.  Until then, here are a few targets.

Ruger Taptical 22 – 25-Yards – 4x Scope

(Click for full size target)

I was using a 2x-6x variable scope.  I bought it many years ago for my SKS, but, never used it.  It is a compact scope and looks good on the Ruger.  The black circle is 1-inch in diameter.  This is just about a 1/2-inch group.  This is the final group after adjusting the scope.  Wow, I am very happy with that.

Ruger Taptical 22 – 10-Yards – 2x Scope

(Click for full size target)

Next, I set the target at 10-yards and used the steel lip version of the Butler Creek 25-round magazines.  I was shooting semi-rapid fire.  I fired just under a second per round.  A good substitute for a red-dot scope is a low power scope.  I set the variable scope to 2x.  You don’t have the low light capabilities of a red-dot, but, it is just about as quick to acquire the target.  With a few exceptions, the 25-rounds made a one hole group.  I love this rifle!

I had some 9mm ammo screaming to fly so I brought out the Taurus 92SS pistol.  This is a sweet shooting handgun.  I had a Beretta 92F several years ago, but, I like the Taurus better.  One reason is the Taurus has the safety on the frame, not the slide.  It just feels more natural there.

 Taurus 92SS – 7-Yards – 5-Shot group

(Click for full size target)

The Taurus 92SS is a double-action pistol.  The first pull of the trigger is heavy and subsequent trigger pulls are single action.  The first shot on this target landed low-left.  This is typical for me with a double action trigger.  The rest are in the 9 and 10 ring.  By the way…If you need a magazine for your Taurus 92, buy the Mec-Gar magazines.  They are the best!

Finally, I had to shoot my IO AK47-C rifle.  I decided to use the iron sights and went to Shooters Express to adjust the front sight.

IO AK47-C – 25-Yards – Iron sights

(Click for full size target)

I recently shot the AK with iron sights at 100-yards with fantastic results.  More on that later.  The IO AK keeps impressing me.

I hope you enjoyed sharing my target shooting activities.  I have several projects in the works and will document them later.  Until then…Lock and load!

Beretta U22 Neos shooting session

I went out Saturday with my “newest, new” Beretta U22 Neos.  I call it that because it is the second new one I have had.  As written in previous posts, I purchased the U22 and had a small problem right out of the box.  The rear sight would not adjust.  I hesitated sending it back to Davidson’s because it shot so darn well!  I wondered if the replacement would shot like the first.

Beretta U22 Neos .22LR Target Pistol

I don’t think it’s luck.  I think Beretta has made a near perfect .22-target pistol.  The second one shoots just as good as the first.  I have owned and do own .22LR semi-automatic pistols.  I have read many reviews of such and there is always one reoccurring theme.  They can be picky about the ammo you feed it!.  I used to own a Ruger Mark II pistol.  I loved the gun and kick myself for selling it.  It was very accurate, but, you had to feed it a particular brand and type of ammo to get consistent feeding.  Even so, there was an occasional hiccup.  The same can be said about the Taurus PT22 I have.  If I try to feed it anything other than CCI Mini-mags, it will not feed well.

The Beretta U22 Neos breaks the mold!  I have fed it several types of ammo.  I have fired over 500-rounds through two different pistols without even one malfunction!  Beretta has got it right.

My older eyes don’t get along with iron sights.  I usually try to add a red-dot scope to the firearm if possible.  But, I wanted to give the U22’s iron sights a try.  I did much better than I thought I would!  Here is an example:

Five rounds from a Beretta U22 using iron sites at 7-yards.

Not bad!  The U22 has a Weaver-type rail system so why not add a red-dot scope?

I added my cheap red-dot scope I have used on other guns.  It’s is no where near the quality of a EOtech or AimPoint, but, it serves my purposes.  Here are the results using the red-dot scope:

Three rounds from a Beretta U22 using a red-dot at 15-yards.

WOW!  I doubled the distance and reduced the pattern by half. 

I just love my new Beretta U22 Neos.  It is fun and inexpensive to shoot.  I can see that if you used a 4-power scope, you could make decent shots at 50-yards and beyond.  I will be on the lookout for such a scope. 

If you are in the market for a .22LR target pistol, consider the U22.  It sells for around $250.  I would highly recommend getting it through Gallery of Guns.  They can ship it to your local FFL dealer and you will have the “lifetime replacement guarantee”.

The Beretta U22 Neos. Affordable fun!

Well I went out and did it.  I bought a new gun!  With the expense of ammunition, I needed something affordable to shoot.  I was looking for a .22LR target pistol.  I had narrowed it down to either the Ruger 22/45 MKIII or the Beretta U22 Neos.

Many years ago, I owned a Ruger MKII with the bull barrel.  This was the steel frame model.  This pistol was a joy to shoot.  It was very accurate.  The grip was angled like the old Luger pistol.  This is viewed by many to be the perfect angle for natural aiming.  The workmanship on the Ruger was top-notch.  But I was looking for something a little different.

Ruger MKII With Bull Barrel

I have had a Beretta pistol before; the 92F.  It was one of the finest pistols I have ever owned.  I was very impressed with the craftsmanship of the gun.  Beretta also makes a .22LR plinker.  The U22 Neos.

Beretta U22 Neos

The Neos is Greek for “new”.  And by looking at the gun, new is a good description.  It looks like something out of a Star Wars movie.  Just because it has the Beretta name on it doesn’t mean it is a good pistol, so I did some research on it.  I didn’t find anything negative about the Neos.  Just the opposite.  Everything I found points to a well made and fun to shoot pistol.

The Ruger 22/45 and the Beretta U22 Neos both have polymer frames.  Both are about the same weight.  Both reliable and made well.  So what made me choose the Beretta?  Two things made me gravitate towards the Beretta Neos.  First, it has the same grip angle as the more expensive Ruger steel frame pistol.  Second, the Beretta is by far easier to field strip and maintain.  If you ever owned a Ruger 22 semi-automatic pistol, you know that it can be a bear to take down and reassemble.  I know a story of someone who sold the Ruger pistol cheap because he couldn’t reassemble it! 

Ruger 22/45 MK III Pistol

The Beretta U22 Neos is a breeze to take down and reassemble.  It is a much simpler and modern design.  The Ruger 22 has been around for quite a while and has changed very little.  Unlike the Ruger, the Neos is a striker fire design.  This cuts way down on complexity of design.

Beretta U22 Neos Striker Fire System

Both pistols were selling for the $250 level and both are very well made high-value pistols.  The two things that sealed the deal for the Beretta was the ease of field stripping and the styling.  You just gotta love the looks of it!

When my new pistol arrived I noticed that the fit, finish, and quality was as I expected from Beretta.  It was just fantastic.  The feel of the action was solid.  The angle and contour of the grip fits naturally in my hand.  This makes makes aiming effortless.  There was one problem that I have found, though.  The Neos has an adjustable rear sight, but the windage adjustment screw will not budge!  Beretta supplied an adjustment tool that has a flat head screwdriver for adjusting the sight.  I used enough pressure to break the tool trying to adjust the sight.  I have emailed Beretta to see how to get this fixed.  I am sure they will correct the problem.

As you can see in the pictures in this article, the Beretta U22 Neos has a Weaver-type rail attached to the barrel.  This is important as I have mentioned in previous postings that my “old” eyes don’t like iron sights.  I added the red/green dot scope that I used on my Marlin rifle.  I just love it!  As you can see by the target, it allows me to shoot very accurate…Even with old eyes!

10-Rounds at 7-yards using CCI Mini-Mags

The target above shows a 10-shot group at 7-yards.  The white circle is 1-inch in diameter.  I am not the best marksman around.  I am very impressed with the performance of the Beretta Neos.  I shot at 25-yards and got most of the rounds in the 4-inch black circle.  I will work on that!

On the two days of shooting the Beretta U22 Neos, I fires about 300-rounds.  I used three types of ammo.  CCI Mini-Mag round nose 40GR copper coated bullets, Winchester Super Speed round nose 40GR copper coated bullets, and Federal 36-grain hollow point copper coated bullets in the bulk pack.  It fed all three types of bullets without even one malfunction.  Out of the box, the Beretta was 100%.  As usual, the CCI Mini-Mags shot best, but not by much!  Even the cheaper Federal ammo performed well with the Beretta.  The reliability may in part be due to the Beretta magazines.  These are fantastic and among the best I have ever seen for a handgun.  The spring and follower are extra smooth in operation and the finish of the magazine body is superb.  Good job, Beretta!

Now that I have the scope zeroed in, I can take it in the woods and plink!  I love shooting the steel reactive targets with a .22 pistol or rifle.  The red/green dot scope will make target acquisition fast and accurate.  And being a pistol shooting the .22LR round, I can shoot all day and not break the bank!

It has been a long time since I owned a .22 target pistol.  I look forward to shooting thousands of rounds through it.  Hey, trigger time is trigger time!  I love shooting .22’s as much as the bigger rounds.  And with the cost savings, I can participate as often as I like.

Note:  All images except the target have been borrowed from the internet.

Shooting the Marlin model 60 rifle

The oldest rifle I own is the Marlin model 60.  This is an inexpensive .22LR semi-automatic rifle.  It holds 18-rounds in the tubular magazine.  I don’t know exactly, but I think I have owned this rifle more than 20-years. 

I added a red/green dot sight to it.  As I mentioned before, my old eyes don’t like iron sights.  I found a cheap Walther 1x30 red/green dot scope that will either mount to a Weaver/Picatinny rail or the grooved receivers on many .22 rifles.  All you have to do is reverse the built in mount.  This sight is non-magnified and is great for quick and accurate target acquisition.

The Walther 1x30 red/green dot scope works great on my Marlin 60 .22 rifle.  It has Picatinny rails on it to attach a laser or light.  There is a dot size and color selector.  I think the dot is about a 5-MOA size dot.  At 25-yards, the dot covers about two-thirds of a 4-inch circle. 

The Marlin model 60 is just a fantastic little tack driver.  The wood stock is cut for an adult length of pull and had a nice cheek weld.  The iron sites are “ok”, but you start to see its true potential when you add a scope.  The barrel has what is called “micro-groves”.  This has 16 smaller grooves that is marketed to be more accurate.  I can attest to that fact! 

Yesterday, I tried three different brands of ammo.  The Federal 36-grain hollow point in the bulk pack.  You know…The cheap stuff at the mart store.  The Winchester Super Speed round nose.  This is 40-grain copper plated ammo that is traveling at around 1300 FPS.  The last is the CCI Mini-mag which is 40-grain round nose, copper plated ammo. 

I was not surprised by the cheap Federal bulk pack ammo.  It is fun to shoot, but not very accurate.  I was shooting about 4-inch groups at 25-yards.  I guess you get what you pay for.

A big surprise was the Winchester Super Speed ammo.  The ammo fed 100% but wasn’t as accurate as I expected.  It shot about 2-1/2-inch groups at 25-yards.

The CCI Mini-mag ammo really shinned…Again!  This ammo is the most consistent .22 LR ammo I have every used.  I get the same results from a box I buy today as one from last year.  It cycles 100% and gives consistent accuracy performance.

In the image above, the white circle is 1-inch in diameter.  What you see is a 1/2” group using a 5-MOA green dot non-magnified scope on the Marlin model 60 .22 LR rifle at 25-yards from a seated position.  Click on the image to see the full target.

The Marlin 60 rifle has always been very accurate.  More accurate than anything I have.  When using good ammunition like the CCI Mini-mags, you can drive tacks!

I Found A Public Rifle Range.

(Click on any image to enlarge)

I was returning from Shooters Express and saw a sign. "Gastonia Shotgun, Rifle, and Pistol Range". This range is behind Rankin Lake in Gastonia, North Carolina. I knew there was a skeet and trap range, but not a rifle range.

I followed the signs to the "Gastonia Police Departments' Firearms and Training Facility". The pistol range is not open to the public, but the 100-yard rifle range is! Each Saturday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, you can use the range.

I spoke to the range officer and he said you must use lead core rifle ammunition. No steel core ammo like the "Wolf" ammo. I didn't quite understand that because you were shooting into an earthen berm, but, rules are rules. Here are the directions. I am including GPS coordinates for those with GPS devices:

Take US Highway 321 towards Gastonia. Just north of I-85, turn onto Tulip Drive (N35.290230, W81.188070). Go less than a mile and turn right onto Weetabix Parkway (N35.287971, W81.200974). Turn left up a dirt road (N35.292529, W81.203680). You will arrive at the rifle range (N35.294430, W81.205740).

Here is a quote from the Gastonia Police Department web site:

Gastonia Police Departments' Firearms and Training Facility is open to the public when not utilized for police training. It is normally open to the public on Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. The range allows shooting rifles only, not pistols. The cost is $5 per hour for Gastonia citizens and $8 per hour for others. Customers bring their own guns and ammunition. Targets are provided. For more information call the shooting range at 704.866.6734.

I will go there in a couple weeks about try it out. It's good to find such a facility close to home.

New Scope On My Savage Mk. II Bolt Action Rifle

(Click on any image to enlarge)

I have a Savage Mark II .22-LR bolt action rifle. I wanted to add a scope to it, but didn't want to break the bank. Why put a $200 scope on a $150 rifle?

I found a company in Hong Kong that sells directly to consumers. They have a few scopes and some mounts. The scope has the "Bushnell" labeling, but I think it is a knock-off. No matter, because the price is right. I paid $43 for this scope including shipping! I needed a set of rings to mount to the dovetailed receiver. Luckily, the same company had them for $4. Click on the links to see them.

I followed standard mounting procedures for the scope and focused the eyepiece. I took the rifle outside to do an "old-fashioned" bore sighting of the scope. I removed the bolt and viewed down the bore and lined-up on a point about 100-yards away. I then adjusted the scope to point to the same spot. This will get me close.

I took my newly scoped rifle to the indoor range at the Springs Road Gun Club. I mounted one of the "Pokin' Holes" scope targets and ran it back 25-yards to the back wall. I loaded up my favorite .22-LR round, CCI Mini-mag High Velocity copper-coated 40-grain round nose bullets and fired five rounds. I was only about 4-inches off. Not a bad bore sighting! After a few adjustments I got the zero dialed in. Now I will fire a 10-shot group and see how the new scope setup works.



I was very happy with the results. The first shot was the "flier" left of center. I saw it through the scope and said a few, not so nice words. I settled down and fired the remaining nine rounds. Disregarding the first "flier", the grouping measured 5/8-inch, center-to-center. I'm sure a more accurate shooter could have cut that in half!

This new scope really looks great on my Savage rifle. The initial results are better than expected. Remember, I only have about $50 in the scope and rings! I look forward to many plinking and target shooting sessions. Next, I will take the rifle outside and try ranges up to 100-yards. Look for future reports!