Went shootin on Sunday

D

Doc Hoy

New member
Folks,

I had a chance to get out and do some shooting on Sunday. The weather was not great for most of the morning. There was an off-and-on mist for the first hour and then cloudy for another hour. I set up in the pavilion to stay out of the weather. It improved as the day went by. The sun came out but it remained very windy. At this time of year, the trees don't do much to reduce the effect of the wind. The shots are of the general layout of the clearing I shoot in.

http://s617.photobucket.com/albums/tt259/Dochoy/?action=view&current=Loading.jpg
http://s617.photobucket.com/albums/tt259/Dochoy/?action=view&current=targetandpavilion.jpg
http://s617.photobucket.com/albums/tt259/Dochoy/?action=view&current=Target.jpg
http://s617.photobucket.com/albums/tt259/Dochoy/?action=view&current=tableandpavilion.jpg
 
Cool, that looks almost exactly like the clearing down by the pond we go camping in. Is your target frame PVC? If it is what kept the wind from blowing it over? Do you stake it down?
 
Nice job. Is that 25 yards? Looks like you have some clips holding a piece of plywood in place.

What powder charge did you use in the 1860? What about the ROA? Which did you enjoy shooting more?
 
Powder charge

Clembert,

The clips that hold the plywood in place are some things I got from Harbor Freight. The are like bungees with a ball on one end and a clip on the other end. I can change out the plywood pretty quickly.

I am using 30 grains in the ROA. Casting my own round balls. I was getting a consistent two inch group towards the end of the day. I don't use wads but I think I am going to start. At 30 grains, the rammer on the Ruger bottoms out before the ball is properly seated. (properly seated as defined by me who likes them so tight that the powder turns into concrete.....well maybe not that tight.)

It is the craziest thing! I bought the pistol used on Gunbroker.com. It is in great shape but the windage adjustment was wound all the way to the right. And, there seems to be a shim missing from the elevation adjustment because the adjustment screw is bottomed out and the sight still has a bit of movement on it. At 25 yards the pistol shoots high and I can't adjust it lower. I would tolerate that in an 1851 Navy but not in that Ruger. I am going to take it apart this week and add a tiny washer or something to permit me to get it lower.

I also shot 30 grains in the 1860. This is the pistol (Centaure) that Wayne just did his magic on. I like the pistol because of the grip size. I was focusing on the Ruger and therefore did not put but about two dozen rounds through the Centaure. This is not enough for me to tell whether or not it will be accurate. Mostly I like the way it looks and so it would not hurt my feelings for the thing to become a wall hanger.

I absolutely can not say which one I enjoyed the most. I was shooting the Ruger for business. (I wanted to get it sighted in). I was shooting the 1860 for pleasure. (No plinking but all offhand, both one and two hand hold). As you can see I was shooting from under the pavilion for most of the day and on my first shot from the Centaure, I forgot to put on my mickymouse ears. That was a mistake I did not make twice. My ears are still ringing.

Tnx,

Barry
 
PVC...Yup!

H.H.,

Yes, the target stand is PVC. I think a have every bit of about fifteen bucks worth of materials in it. (Two ten foot sections of pipe, ten fittings and some primer and glue.) It breaks down into two pieces so I can throw it on the pickup. I had it weighted down (after the photo was taken) with a block of wood that was in the pavilion. It blew over about sixteen times before I realized that it might be worth while for me to hold it down.


The wind took my Chrony for a ride as well. Unfortunately it blew over just as I pulled the trigger and the ball caught a corner of the Chrony. It did not seem to hurt the electronics and only put a small nick on the housing on the downrange end.
 
At 25 yards the pistol shoots high and I can't adjust it lower.
Click to expand...

This is common with many of the [older] Ruger OA's. Ruger does have a higher replacement front sight that they can supply or maybe even install for free. Others have described how they have fixed theirs using it, but I don't know the part number. Ruger is also good about supplying small parts that may be lost. Try calling them or Bowen Classic Arms also has replacement high front sight blanks that would need some gunsmithing to install.

http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/Parts_Front_Sights.htm
 
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Mine shot 4" high at 25 yards with the rear adjustable sight screwed all the way down. To fix the problem, I removed the rear sight blade and filed it down 1/32". Do this to the top of the blade and the bottom of the notch with a fine file. This is easier and cheaper to do than a front sight blade change and besides a new blade is only $2 if you want to go back. Changing out the front sight to one that is higher makes an already large sight look like your ROA has a huge schnoz.
 
Great Pics Doc love the Pavilion... and your choice of shootin' Irons boff of um...
That Centaure will shoot I'm sure of it ... ifin ol' SN767 shoots like it does yers will too 8O)
 
Three at once

Articap,

Thanks for the link. I am not yet ready to take off the front sight. I am going to try shimming the rear sight.

Clembert,

I think I have a good ways to go on the rear sight. The elevation adjust screw is bottomed out but I can push down on the rear sight and it moves easily 1/16 inch. I am going to put a nylon shim under the screw to get the sight to bottom out when the screw bottoms out. I'd put a steel washer in there but I am afraid of corrosion from contact between dis-similar metals.

Smokin Gun,

I really could not have set the place up better if I had designed it myself.
BTW, I am surprised I did not get a ribbing from you for not bringing any Remys along. Maybe this coming Sunday. There is a gun show I want to hit but I might have a chance to get out.
 
Naw, I have my Colt Days and ROA Days, Spiller&Burr Days,awaitin' a Rogers&Spencer Day... (but there's a loaded Rem around) :O)
 
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