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!

Back to basics. Open sights

I have been relying on optics too much!  I have been using the excuse of having old eyes to justify my departure from the basics of target and recreational shooting.  I have just reestablished my “love” for iron or open sights.

I have been trying to find a red-dot scope for my IO AK47-C rifle.  The problem is that to mount an optic, I have to mount it forward of the receiver!  Yes, over the barrel.  This just reeks havoc with the balance of the rifle.  It becomes very nose-heavy and uncomfortable to carry and shoot.  I know there are some options out there to bring the optics closer to your eyes, but none have been very appealing to me.  So I decided to use a novel approach to this problem.  Use the iron sights!

I have to wear bifocal glasses and using iron sights on many rifles are problematic.  Most American rifle designs have the rear sight closer to the eyes.  The AK-47 sight system has the rear sight a good distance forward.  This actually helps those with older eyes like mine! 

AK-47 Rifle

So, I quit messing around with trying to get a red-dot scope to work for me and forced myself to use the rifle as it was intended.  I took my rifle in the back yard and used a laser bore sighter to align the iron sights.  This will get me very close to my final adjustment of the sights.

When you are zeroing a battle rifle like the AK-47, you want it to be accurate over several distances.  When you zero it properly, the AK-47 with the rear sight set on “battle” setting will give good results on all ranges up to 300-meters.  I have researched the procedure to this and found the following:

1. Set the rear sight to the 100-meter setting.  Most AK’s have a graduated sight with 1-10 or 1-8.  Each number represents 100-meters.  (i.e. 5 is equal to 500-meters).
2. Set your target to 25-meters (82-feet).
3. Adjust your front sight so you are hitting the bull’s eye dead center
4. After you are hitting the bull’s eye at 25-meters, set your rear sight to the “battle setting”.  This is the lowest setting on the rear sight.  Mine says “P”. You should now be effective up to 300-meters without adjusting the rear sight.

The adjustment on the AK-47 is done on the front sight.  Windage and elevation can be made easily if you have the proper tool.  Tapco makes a front sight adjustment tool that will work for the AK-47 and the SKS.

AK-47 / SKS Sight Adjustment Tool 

I went to Shooters Express in Belmont, North Carolina.  They have an indoor range for rifles.  It is only 25-yards, but adequate for setting my iron sights.  I took 40-rounds of “good” ammo.  You can’t shoot anything with steel in the bullet.  So no cheap Wolf or Bear ammo.  I had a couple boxes of PMC 7.62x39 ammo.  I have had them for more than 10-years and thought it was time to use it.   I was very happy with the results.  Here is a sample:

 

 

Five shots at 25-yards.  Click for full target.

The white circle in the above picture is 1” in diameter.  Not bad for an old fart with bad eyes using iron sights!  I think I will use my AK with the sights it came with.  Red-dot scopes are a good thing, but they do add weight and if you have an AK, the position you will probably have to mount is is very inconvenient and throws off the balance of the weapon.  The feeling of satisfaction you get when shooting well with simple iron sights can’t be equaled with optics.  With optics, you expect to shoot well.

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!

100-Yard Shooting With Rifle And Shotgun.

(Click on any image to enlarge)

I had a great day of target shooting today! I went to the "Gastonia Shotgun, Rifle, and Pistol Range" to sight in a new red/green dot scope and to try long range shooting with the shotgun. I was pleasantly surprised.

I got a new scope for the AK47. I was looking for an inexpensive red dot scope. I simply can't afford $600 or so for an Aimpoint. I settled on the CenterPoint 1x34mm Quick Aim Sight. This scope is a 1X scope which means it does not magnify. My old eyes just don't like iron sights anymore but the red dot scopes work fine for me. The CenterPoint is a little on the heavy side at just over 13-ounces. This doesn't sound like much, but with my AK47, I have to mount it on the rail system just in front of the rear sight. This makes the rifle a little nose heavy, but at under $50 I can learn to live with it.

The first thing I needed to do was to adjust the scope to at least get the rounds hitting the paper. I didn't have a fancy laser bore sighter. Instead, I used a "primitive" method of rough sighting the scope. I set up the rifle on sandbags and aimed the iron sights at a spot 100-yards away. I then lightly mounted the scope and aligned the dot with the point down range. I removed the scope and confirmed the alignment. This worked well because I was just a few inches off when I fired the first shot!

I used 10-rounds to adjust the scope and then fired 5-rounds for effect. The target I was shooting at had a 12" grid printed on a 16" square paper target. I was firing at 100-yards and got all rounds on the paper. The final 5-rounds was pretty much dead on target! Check out the results:

I highlighted all 15-rounds. The yellow ones are the ones used for sighting in the scope. The blue ones are the final 5-rounds. I am very pleased with the rifle/scope setup. I fired from a bench at 100-yards using Winchester 7.62x39mm, 123-grain, FMJ bullets. This is the "white box" ammo.

I then moved on to the shotgun. I have an IAC Hawk 982 pump 12-gauge shotgun. The 982 has a 18-1/2" barrel that has an improved cylinder bore. As you have read before in my blog, I like shooting the Remington Slugger® Rifled Slugs. This a huge lead bullet with the rifling built in. This is great for smooth bore shotguns. It is like shooting a ~.72-caliber bullet at around 1500 feet per second. I shot them at 25-yards with great accuracy, but was unsure how they would perform at 100-yards. I was impressed at the performance of the heavy hitter. I fired 15-rounds at the same 16" square target using the excellent ghost ring sights of the Hawk 982. All but three hit the paper...AT 100 YARDS! This shotgun is just so versatile. The types of ammunition that is available to the 12-gauge shotgun can't be matched by any other firearm. Take a look at the target:

I highlighted the strikes in blue. As you can see it is not as accurate as a dedicated rifle, but for a tactical shotgun at 100-yards, it ain't bad!

I had a fantastic day at the range. It was miserable hot, but well worth it. I want to work on my .22 rifles at the range, but due to the heat, I probably will not return until October. I will have some articles on other topics until then. Thanks for reading!

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.

First Target Shooting With The IO AK47-C

(Click on any image to enlarge)

After just "fun" shooting in the woods with the IO AK47-C, it was time to do some target shooting to see how well I can shoot with the rifle. As indicated before, I am not the best target shooter. Many can do better. My target gives me a real world example of what the rifle can do in MY hands.

I installed the UTG rail system and added a vertical grip. I like the handling of a tactical rifle with a vertical grip. I also wanted to give the Tapco polymer magazine a good workout. I am still not convinced about the use of plastic in a rifle magazine.

I went to an Shooters Express. They have an indoor range that allows rifles. You can't use the surplus or "Wolf" ammo. They use steel jackets. You must use the more expensive ammo that you buy at places like Wally World. Basically, if a magnet sticks to it, you can't use it! I had some Winchester "White Box" ammo that was fine for this indoor range.

I modified my pistol target for an AK47 or SKS rifle. Basically, I got the ballistics data from Remington's "Shoot" program and used it to modify a target to let you sight it in at 25-yards and have the bullet be dead on at 50 and 100-yards. I mounted my target and sent it down range to the 25-yard mark. I then loaded 10-rounds in the magazine. Here are the results:

I am happy with the grouping. The gray dot just below the bull's eye is where the bullets should be striking to be dead on at 50 and 100-yards. On an AK47 and SKS rifle, all adjustments for windage and elevation are done on the front sight. The rear sight is adjustable for distance only. It takes a special tool to adjust the front sight. I didn't have one on this day, but I have one on order. I will return to adjust the sights on another day. Until then, this is sufficient. When I do a final adjustment, I will post the results.

Shooting The Hawk 982 Shotgun = FUN!

(Click on any image to enlarge)

I was concerned with the shooting performance when shooting a silouette target at 25-yards with my IAC Hawk 982 shotgun. The earlier post in the blog had all shots inside a respectable area, but the grouping was rather large. I felt that the shotgun was capable of better performance.

I think I was a little intimidated by the power in my first shooting session with the Remington 12-gauge rifled slugs. I fired five rounds from the standing position into a silhouette target at 25-yards. All five was in the desired locations, but the grouping was rather large.

I finally made it to the range again to see just how good the shotgun was. I wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible. I shot from a seated position while resting the shotgun on a sandbag. This will let me see just what my shotgun was capable of without many of my flaws. Here are the results:


I highlighted the holes in red. As you can see, my grouping has decreased significantly! The ghost ring/front post sight system gives you a very good sight picture and helps you concentrate on the front sight. My group is ~3-1/4", center-to-center. Not bad at 25-yards. I estimate that the ~.72-caliber 1-oz. slug is traveling around 1,500 fps (feet per second) and striking with 2,187 foot pounds of energy. This is just devastating.

I think the 12-gauge shotgun is the most versatile of all tactical weapons within 50-yards. The ammunition options are almost unlimited. You can shoot everything from regular bird shot to rifled slugs. The best two options are 00-buck for close in shots and rifled slugs out to 100-yards.

One advantage in these times when ammunition is difficult to find is 12-gauge stuff is readily available. The price is pretty good, too! I purchased a 15-round box of Remington 12-gauge lead rifled slugs for under $9.00. The way things are now with the shortage of ammunition you "buy it when you see it" because you don't know when things will return to normal. I usually buy a couple boxes of the rifled slugs when I stop by Wally World. Hard to beat the fun it gives you. See you at the range!

Shooting Session With The Taurus PT-22

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As mentioned earlier in this blog, I had sent my Taurus PT-22 out for repair. Taurus replaced the slide under the lifetime warranty at no charge. I finally made it to the range to make sure everything function properly. Everything works great!

I shot at several distances from 3-yards to 7-yards. This is what I feel is the effective range for this firearm. The Taurus PT-22 is not a target pistol. It is a compact, concealable, personal protection weapon. It that role it is more than adequate.

Some say that a semi-automatic pistol firing .22-caliber rimfire ammunition is not reliable. This is too much of a blanket statement to be true. I have found that up to 125-150 rounds, the Taurus PT-22 functions perfectly, but after this amount of shots, the gun gets sufficiently "dirty" and will have some failure-to-feed malfunctions. I have had the Taurus PT-22 for over a decade and this has been true from day one! I don't see this as a problem since I clean my guns often and usually after every firing session. I carry this pistol concealed from time-to-time when a larger pistol is not practical. If I ever have to use it for its intended purpose, I don't forsee shooting more than 18-round anyway!

I have a few targets to show you. I started at 3-yards and fired a 5-shot group. I then moved it to 5-yards and 7-yards. I ended with a 9-shot magazine dump quick fire (1/2-second per shot) at 3-yards. Here are the results. Note: For scale, the center "white" circle is 1-inch in diameter. Each ring out for the center is in 1-inch increments. So the center "white" circle is 1-inch, the next ring is 2-inches, etc.

3-Yards, 5-Shots


5-Yards, 5-shots

7-Yards, 5-Shots

9-Shot Magazine Dump
Quick Fire (1/2-second per shot)
3-Yards

I am very happy with the Taurus PT-22. I am not the best marksman. I am getting old, fat, and blind! That being said, the results show that the average shooter can expect 3-inch or less groups up to 7-yards. The quick fire magazine-dump at 3-yards really blew me away. I simply presented the weapon to the target and fired quickly. Yes, the .22-caliber cartridge is an underpowered round. But, most every handgun cartridge is! I think 9-rounds in a group that small will do the job.

As mentioned, I have had it for quite a while and have fired over 2000-rounds through it. It still looks and functions great thanks to proper care and the lifetime warranty. One final note about most .22-caliber handguns. They are usually finicky about the ammo you feed it. You will probably have to try several brands and loads before you find the right match. I found the best results with CCI Mini-Mag High-Velocity copper plated round nose bullets. Many purest will say to use hollow points, but with a .22-caliber long rifle shell, I feel penetration is more important than expansion. That's why I don't use hollow points in this caliber.

New Scope On My Savage Mk. II Bolt Action Rifle

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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!

Having fun making BIG holes!

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I have an IAC Hawk 982 pump shotgun and have shot some 00-buck and really liked the results, but beyond 25-yards, the pattern really spreads. I was looking for something that would go a little further downrange and be effective.

I was in the "mart" store and they had a great deal on some Remington 12-gauge rifled slugs. Now we're talking! A one-ounce 12-gauge bullet traveling 1560 FPS (feet per second) at the muzzle. A rifled slug is a huge, lead bullet with rifling built into the slug. This is best shot through a smooth bore shotgun. What you get is the equalivant to a rifle shooting a really big bullet with an effective range to around 75 to 100 yards. I have to try these!

I made arrangements with my shooting buddy, Warren, to meet me at the Springs Road Gun Club in Hickory, NC. They have an indoor range. You can't shoot high power rifles, but you can shoot just about any handgun, rimfire rifles, and SHOTGUNS! The maximum distance is 25-yards. Just right for my purposes.

I asked the range officer if it would be alright to shoot the slugs. He said, "Sure, just use the lane on the very end." I guess he wanted to be as far away from this shoulder howitzer as possible!

I went to lane one and mounted my target. I was using the full size silhouette target for this session. I taped it to the cardboard and ran it back to 25-yards. I loaded five shells and prepared for the worst. I fired five rounds and put my shotgun down. Man these babies kick! I noticed it was real quite. I looked up the range and everyone was looking my way. The shooter next to me said, "Man that makes me feel inadequate." His .40-caliber was the big dog just moments before. Now it sounded like a pop-gun.

I pressed the button to return the target. WOW! Those are some BIG holes! All five shots well within the lethal zone. You should have seen the eyes of the shooter next to me when he saw the size of the holes. The last time he saw a hold that big, he put a golf ball in it!

I really enjoy the versatility of my pump 12-gauge. There's a shotgun shell for just about any purpose. To see some of the exotic ammo available, click here! There is everything from armor piercing to tear gas shells.

Get out there and poke some holes! Let me know what you enjoy in target shooting. You can comment on any post.