Took Ranch Hand to the range for the second time.
I took the Ranch Hand, cal. .45 Colt, to the range for the second time. It now has over 250 rounds through it. I had two boxes of factory rounds (50/box), and a hundred rounds of reloads with me. The factory loads were Ultramax, and Precision. I was lucky to have the range to myself for over an hour, so I was able to stand twenty feet from the target. The recoil is mild (no noticeable muzzle rise). There is some rearward recoil, which I felt when holding the butt near the lower rib cage, so I held the gun out a few inches from the body, which made the lever cocking more challenging. I thought the point shooting would be easier than it was. I consider myself to be a pretty good shot in general, but normally use sights. With the Ranch Hand it is fun to shoot, no doubt about it! However, the point shooting is a new experience for me, and it is going to take considerable practice for me to become proficient with the Ranch Hand even at 20 feet. The Ultramax factory ammo gave me 3 misfires. The foregoing being said, I will have fun on my goal to become proficient in point shooting the Ranch Hand. While cleaning this handgun, I noticed about 20 tiny cresant shaped dings in the top of the wood stock where ejected cases bounced off. They add character to the looks of the gun. Empty cases were easy to find, as most landed not more that two feet away. I could not find one case, and later located it in my jacket pocket. Watching some of the old Steve McQueen TV episoces, I noticed he hits his adversaries with the Mare's Leg more often than he shoots them. I can see why, since it is suitable for as a good club. The Ranch Hand is fun, and I love it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had to have a gunsmith work mine over to put the finishing touches to it that Rossi neglected to do to get it to function. At the price of the gun, it was worth it to me to pay a little extra for the gunsmith. Besides, I had this on order for 15 months.
