I started in the pistol bays, test firing the BHP with new sear, trying some different ammo in a .38 Super and just enjoying a couple of other guns.
Next, I went to the 25 yard range (50 was full) to zero a new scope on a Rem. .22 bolt action rifle. This is a Rem. Model 582, tube magazine, beautiful wood for a factory stock. But it's been nothing but trouble since it came with Dave's stuff. First, the trigger mechanism was frozen up from decades of lack of use. So I put that aright through painstaking work, as the trigger assy. was never designed to be repaired, only replaced. Next I figured it was ready for the range with open sights. Wrong, the sights are mismatched so it prints on the target way low with no adjustment left. It came with a centerfire scope on it, with 1 inch rings that mount on the typical .22 receiver top dovetail. That scope is a 1970's Bushnell 3-7x. But the power adjustment ring is frozen solid. So I decided to get a rimfire replacement scope. I found one I liked on ebay, a used one about the same vintage as the rifle. I forgot about it and missed the auction. It sold on one bid at the starting price, $15. Anyway, I couldn't find anything else that I liked so on a whim I bought a new Chinese Tasco rimfire scope for $9.00. I thought, "how bad can it be for $9?" Well, bad. It took me a long time to get it mounted, something with the dovetail design seeming to be easy. The aluminum claws on the rings just didn't want to hold. I finally got it to stay on the rifle, but I thought, "Be easy with it; the scope might fall off." When I got to the range, I was 12 rounds into the zero process when it fell off. So back it goes. I've got another 1 inch centerfire scope I might try on it. The steel claws on the 1 in. rings don't have any problems holding tight. In the meantime, that 1960's Remington front sight is too tall. I think it came from the factory that way, but I can see that there is a dovetail in the top of the barrel at the muzzle for a sight that would drift in.
Made with the Monte Carlo style stock, the rifle was obviously intended to be scoped. It's rather uncomfortable trying to use the iron sights due to the stock design.
But that isn't the funny story. Three men came down to my end of the rifle line. They were fellow congregants in a local church and one was the pastor. One of these guys was obviously a gun guy. The pastor was at sea with gun handling. The third man was older and having problems. He had a Rossi lever action rifle in .357 Magnum. He sat down at the bench and commenced loading the cartridges through the gate into the tube. In a little while, he was having problems. I saw him with a pocket knife, trying to free up a cartridge that was stuck in the lifter. About this time, a cease fire was being called. One of the RSO's was walking the line, checking chamber flags. He asked about the .357 rifle. The owner said he was having trouble with it; the RSO asked if he had the right ammo for it. The owner said, "Yes, it's a .357 Magnum." The RSO then said, "Well, you've got .357 Sig ammo."
Something else not funny happened to one of the guys in this group. I witnessed what I think was an unintentional discharge, but it's one of those deals where afterward you're not sure what you saw. The pastor in this group had what I believe was a Rem. Mod. 721 in .308 Win. He was having trouble with hard bolt closure using factory ammo. He was already having trouble getting on paper; he seemed not to know what to do with the scope adjustments. Guy no. 2, the knowledgeable one, was helping him intermittently.
I was firing my M1 Rifle in .30-06. I'd fire off 16 rounds, then leave the bench and let the barrel cool down. There are chairs and benches to sit on behind the line, so sometimes I sit there and observe. Which at this time I was doing, but not with any great attention being paid. The pastor was struggling with the bolt on his rifle. I was sitting there idly watching when the gun went off. I thought, "Did that really just happen?" He had the rifle butt against his upper belly, trying to close the bolt, and it went off. I think he had his finger on the trigger when he got the bolt closed. In any event, he hadn't been aiming to fire, and he confirmed what happened by ejecting a fired case. Oops. I wasn't watching closely enough to see what the muzzle elevation was when the gun discharged, but I'm guessing it wasn't aimed properly at the berm because the butt was placed lower than his shoulder.
At the range where I'm a member, we're getting into the hunter sight-in season. All the many people who handle a rifle once a year come out. The conflict is, you're having to be extra vigilant as to safety at a time when there are the most people around.
Next, I went to the 25 yard range (50 was full) to zero a new scope on a Rem. .22 bolt action rifle. This is a Rem. Model 582, tube magazine, beautiful wood for a factory stock. But it's been nothing but trouble since it came with Dave's stuff. First, the trigger mechanism was frozen up from decades of lack of use. So I put that aright through painstaking work, as the trigger assy. was never designed to be repaired, only replaced. Next I figured it was ready for the range with open sights. Wrong, the sights are mismatched so it prints on the target way low with no adjustment left. It came with a centerfire scope on it, with 1 inch rings that mount on the typical .22 receiver top dovetail. That scope is a 1970's Bushnell 3-7x. But the power adjustment ring is frozen solid. So I decided to get a rimfire replacement scope. I found one I liked on ebay, a used one about the same vintage as the rifle. I forgot about it and missed the auction. It sold on one bid at the starting price, $15. Anyway, I couldn't find anything else that I liked so on a whim I bought a new Chinese Tasco rimfire scope for $9.00. I thought, "how bad can it be for $9?" Well, bad. It took me a long time to get it mounted, something with the dovetail design seeming to be easy. The aluminum claws on the rings just didn't want to hold. I finally got it to stay on the rifle, but I thought, "Be easy with it; the scope might fall off." When I got to the range, I was 12 rounds into the zero process when it fell off. So back it goes. I've got another 1 inch centerfire scope I might try on it. The steel claws on the 1 in. rings don't have any problems holding tight. In the meantime, that 1960's Remington front sight is too tall. I think it came from the factory that way, but I can see that there is a dovetail in the top of the barrel at the muzzle for a sight that would drift in.
Made with the Monte Carlo style stock, the rifle was obviously intended to be scoped. It's rather uncomfortable trying to use the iron sights due to the stock design.
But that isn't the funny story. Three men came down to my end of the rifle line. They were fellow congregants in a local church and one was the pastor. One of these guys was obviously a gun guy. The pastor was at sea with gun handling. The third man was older and having problems. He had a Rossi lever action rifle in .357 Magnum. He sat down at the bench and commenced loading the cartridges through the gate into the tube. In a little while, he was having problems. I saw him with a pocket knife, trying to free up a cartridge that was stuck in the lifter. About this time, a cease fire was being called. One of the RSO's was walking the line, checking chamber flags. He asked about the .357 rifle. The owner said he was having trouble with it; the RSO asked if he had the right ammo for it. The owner said, "Yes, it's a .357 Magnum." The RSO then said, "Well, you've got .357 Sig ammo."
Something else not funny happened to one of the guys in this group. I witnessed what I think was an unintentional discharge, but it's one of those deals where afterward you're not sure what you saw. The pastor in this group had what I believe was a Rem. Mod. 721 in .308 Win. He was having trouble with hard bolt closure using factory ammo. He was already having trouble getting on paper; he seemed not to know what to do with the scope adjustments. Guy no. 2, the knowledgeable one, was helping him intermittently.
I was firing my M1 Rifle in .30-06. I'd fire off 16 rounds, then leave the bench and let the barrel cool down. There are chairs and benches to sit on behind the line, so sometimes I sit there and observe. Which at this time I was doing, but not with any great attention being paid. The pastor was struggling with the bolt on his rifle. I was sitting there idly watching when the gun went off. I thought, "Did that really just happen?" He had the rifle butt against his upper belly, trying to close the bolt, and it went off. I think he had his finger on the trigger when he got the bolt closed. In any event, he hadn't been aiming to fire, and he confirmed what happened by ejecting a fired case. Oops. I wasn't watching closely enough to see what the muzzle elevation was when the gun discharged, but I'm guessing it wasn't aimed properly at the berm because the butt was placed lower than his shoulder.
At the range where I'm a member, we're getting into the hunter sight-in season. All the many people who handle a rifle once a year come out. The conflict is, you're having to be extra vigilant as to safety at a time when there are the most people around.
