I've decided on my winter range project,,,

A

aarondhgraham

New member
I've decided on my winter range project,,,
I'm going to verify the sights on every gun I have.

With the change in the clock settings,,,
I can't go after work any more,,,
So Saturday & Sunday is it.

What I am going to do is fire 50 slow rounds from every gun I own,,,
I'll be doing this at 50 yards for all of my rimfire rifles,,,
25 yards (maybe 15 yards) for my handguns,,,
And 100 yards for my centerfire rifles.

I have already purchased 100 large splatter targets,,,
I will use a rest of some type for all shots,,,
As well as the same sight picture.

The purpose is not to hit the bullseye,,,
But to determine exactly where the sights point to

I just want to see where they all hit on the target,,,
I want to see how tight the groups are,,,
And where the group center is.

I figure I can do 2-3 guns per day very easily,,,
I know I might not get any benefit from this exercise,,,
But it will give me a purpose for my range time beyond just trigger time.

Ammo will be my only variable,,,
I have enough of one brand of good rimfire for all of my .22's,,,
But for the centerfire handguns the available ammunition will be a very mixed lot.

Nothing earth-shattering about this project,,,
It's just something I've been tossing around in my head.

Any thoughts?

Aarond

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For some folks around here, your project may take them more than just the winter. Sounds like a useful exercise to me, though... something to do when you're not huntin'! me, I'd wait till after deer season. but now that you've brought the topic up, I do have quite a few rifles I haven't shot in several years that need attention...
 
I just need a purpose/project to motivate me,,,

I just need a purpose/project to motivate me,,,
Or I'll spend the entire winter in front of the Idiot Box.

This just seems like a worthwhile winter task,,,
I have a few guns that I have no idea where the sights point.

And it will satisfy my OCD tendencies. :o

Aarond

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Sounds like a great idea to me!

You get to reacquaint yourself with each gun, recall some of the good times with it, recall why and where you got it, and maybe most important, the people you were with then.

And you can make a little 3x5 index card for each gun, noting where it prints with the sight picture you used, what it needs (i.e. anything that needs attention or adjustment on that gun), and how it behaved.

Then you get to clean each one and put it away for next time.

Lots better than watching the TV. Sometimes I think I'm lucky to be deaf enough that watching TV is futile - better to read a book, the noise of turning pages doesn't drive my wife nuts like the TV turned up to the point of distortion.
 
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I love the idea. Hard to believe with how messy my living spaces remain (all the time) but I love the "neat and orderly" especially for things like this. Having the knowledge base that you hope/plan to achieve is something I always figured I would do when I had a place to shoot at home, where I live. I don't of course... it remains "the dream."

Suggestion?
When doing handguns, you'll likely be shooting from a rest I would guess or hope. When doing this, don't rest any part of the handgun anywhere on any rest -- hold it as you would hold the handgun any/every time, and simply rest your hands or arms on the rest you are using. I've seen it reported that testers have found POA/POI differences between a handgun locked in a machine rest and the same gun fired from human hands.
 
Hello BobCat45 and Sevens,,,

You get to reacquaint yourself with each gun, recall some of the good times with it, recall why and where you got it,
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I had in mind,,,
I have a few handgun and a rifle or three,,,
That didn't get any range time at all this summer.

It will be interesting to see which ones still make me smile,,,
And which ones only generate a "meh" from me.

When doing handguns, you'll likely be shooting from a rest I would guess or hope. When doing this, don't rest any part of the handgun anywhere on any rest -- hold it as you would hold the handgun any/every time, and simply rest your hands or arms on the rest you are using
Click to expand...
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I think that's a great idea,,,
I have a MTM rifle/pistol rest that would work just fine,,,
Or I have some large beanbags I made from Levi legs that should also work well.

Either one would allow me to rest my wrist/forearm securely enough,,,
I agree this will probably give me the best results,,,
Thanks for the suggestions my friends.

Aarond

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That is a tall task. Good luck. I would like to promise that I will shoot all of my guns, giving each their due round count. What I wind up doing is shooting the newest additions, or most recently updated guns.
 
Hello berettaprofessor,,,

If you're going to fire 50 slow rounds with each weapon, I hope for your sake you don't have a Mosin...or anything bigger.
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You make a good point my friend,,,
I had not thought of my large caliber rifle.

I only own three centerfire rifles,,,
  • H&R Handi-Rifle in .357 Magnum.
  • Hi-Point Carbine in 9mm.
  • K-98 8mm Mauser.

I'll probably only shoot 20 rounds from the Mauser,,,
For one reason the ammo I have cost over $1.00/round,,,
I only have 100 rounds for it so I'll reduce it's number to 20 shots.

The .357 H&R and the 9mm hi-Point won't be a problem,,,
I have plenty of ammo for those guns,,,
And their recoil isn't bad at all.

This post did remind me of when my Grandfather first gave me the rifle,,,
I pedaled my skinny self to the army surplus store,,,
I bought 100 rounds of milsurp for $10.00,,,
A huge sum back in the early 60's.

The next day I slung the rifle on my back and pedaled to the old county dump,,,
Skinny young boy on a bicycle with a BIG rifle was okay then,,,
I spent the entire day shooting rats with that monster,,,
I don't know the round count but it was over half,,,
My shoulder was killing me the next week.

That steel butt-plate was murder.

So thanks,,,
Good advice well taken.

Aarond

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Sounds like a plan.

How do you keep your records?

Just asking...anything that works for the person doing the testing is fine with me from just writing it down on a 3x5 card, to a range booklet, to a cross-referenced spreadsheet/database with pie charts on a super-duper tablet computer.
 
Records? We don't needs no steenkin' records!

Sounds like a plan.

How do you keep your records?
Click to expand...

Actually, beyond scribbling a few notes on the target,,,
I hadn't given that very much thought.

The targets have a few lines for standard information,,,
Date, firearm, ammunition, distance, etc.

I have a large flat-bed scanner at work,,,
I thought I would digitize jpeg images of each target

I did think I would sketch the sight picture I used,,,
But other than that, what would I need?

I'm open for suggestions.

Aarond

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It wouldn't be that hard to track in a spreadsheet or simple database.

Or don't keep records, and you'll have a winter range project for next year too.
 
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