Plinking

[Ulu]

I did something very different this weekend: I went out target shooting, which is something I haven't done in nearly 40 years. I quit shooting and quit hunting both, about the time I moved to California in the mid 70's.

I shot my Mom's 1976 Mossberg 22LR 353T, which is an inexpensive 7-shot semi-auto gun, but considered a good one in its day. This one never had even 50 rounds through it in the 30+ years Mom owned it. She's 85 now, and we sorta had to take it away along with the car keys and the checkbook and any random meds. 

I didn't have a magazine for it (she hid it from the kids & never found it again) so I shot 160 rounds through it single shot & I now have a blister from working the cocking knob. It shoots very nice otherwise, and basically I shot it until it was too dirty for the breach to close without a push. I shot 54 rounds of 40 year old ammo with only one jamb and no hangfires. Then I shot bulk 22's til I ran out. It was very relaxing.

The scope is really cheap (K-mart branded Tasco about $20 anywhere) but was still well-sighted at 25, 50 & 100 yards. I was impressed with the accuracy.

That is until I shot my bud's custom built 223. I bagged the 100 yd target 5/5 on the first try with that gun, having never held one before. I'm a shaky old man with lousy eyesight. It was just a terrific rifle!

Anyhow, I mentioned this to the family and now all the grandkids want to go. I'm gonna have to get them some BB guns to start.

[Dave72dt]

My brother used to do some prairie dog hunting in the Dakotas a number of years ago. He had a .223 setup for long distance, really good scope and would go after the ones that were in the 400 to 500 yd range. He had a target set up on the farm one day at 400 yd. I got a chance to fire it once, first time I had my hands on it. 2 inches below center. He told me afterwards it shoots 2 inches low at 400 yds. Nice gun. Had a 22 LR Mossberg also like you describe, It was accurate enough we cut branches off brush with it.

[Todd B]

I also enjoy shooting and teaching my 10 year old city slicker granddaughter gun safety and how to hunt.  When she was around 4 years old she overheard me telling my wife I was going to go bunny hunting (I hate rabbits, they have ate several of my newly planted trees).  She was determined to go with and I killed one and told her to pick it up and I will take a picture of it for her parents.  To my surprise she grabbed by its rear legs and held it high.  Since then she has watched her dad kill 2 dear and got involved in gutting, skinning, packaging and cooking the venison.  Her parents think its great that she can experience guns that are handled properly and get a taste of country living.

 

Ulu, I would think you could find a clip for your gun online..

[Plymouthy Adams]

I truly like the .223 cartridge...some very good loads can be built if you have your own loading equipment thus providing some of the most consistent patterns with whatever gr bullet you chose..however this is not without a bit of guidance (best jumping in points) from the hand loaders guide and a bit of variance from that for you personal gun of choice.  Another great cartridge is the 22-250...an  awesome fast and accurate also.  Set you die to seat the bullet at the start of the barrel with no gap..

[greg g]

My father had a .222, I think it was a Remington with a good scope.  We used to use it for Woodchucks.  We always had the caveat that we wouldn't shoot at anything closer that 100 yards.  I remember some pretty outragious shots that we made with that set up.  He did his own reloads.  It got sold after he passed away.  Still have his .22, a couple of shot guns ,and a 1921 Winchester 94 30-30.  Did a little trap shooting withthe 12 guage about 10 years ago.  

[Plymouthy Adams]

Greg, could his rifle have been a .220 Swift cartridge...very nice and also not so common...shot a nice .223 Remmington 700 BDL that was my uncles..man what a varmint gun this is...I loaded a number of cartridges for his gun also..guess cuz now has that gun...not seen it for years

[greg g]

definitely .222, still have a box of empty brass from the reloading bench.  Think he used 50 grain bullets which were a bit slower ( but still over 3500 fps) than the other similar calibers ( 223, 22 250, 220)but had a flatter trajectory.

[Plymouthy Adams]

was hoping you had experienced the .220 swift..I personally have a .223 and 22-250  the 22-250 is a bit rough on brass splitting the necks after a couple reloads...resizing a nato round to comply with the dimension so the 22-250 is almost a must if you shoot often and reload..

[Dan Hiebert]

Ahh, plinking.  Haven't been able to do that for years, but now that we're in a gun-friendly State, and have plenty of room, both at home and in the woods, we'll be starting that surprisingly relaxing pastime up again.  Lots of good conversations can be had about the best rounds, I'd through down that they're like cars, in the eye of the beholder, and what Dear 'ol Dad imparted on us.  BUT, I always have to champion the plain ole .22 rimfire.  You can shoot for hours with a pocket full of ammo, doesn't cost much, they make virtually any kind of firearm for it, and once your proficient with the .22, you've got the basics down and can shoot anything else well. 

 

That's the best thing to do with the young'uns, Todd B, teach them well and let them decide.  They may choose not to use firearms or hunt, but they can call B.S. in conversations with anti-gun zealots. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

plain ole 22LR rim fire is in this neck of the woods...more scare than the big boy rounds..

[Ulu]

It's getting expensive here, and they limit your purchases per day.

 

I just paid $20 for 325 bulk 22LR Federal target loads.

 

....but a whopping $14 for 50 rounds of ELY match grade ammo!

 

That stuff is like gold now.

[Ulu]

Have any of you shot the .257 mag guns? I was wondering what that was like.

[greg g]

Hey Dan, when did you move to the Middle of Nowhere???  Holy Crap that's up there.  Are the natives friendly to folks from away?

 

Learned to shot on the Remington single shot .22  all my friends had semi auto or pump .22.  They couldn't hit the broadside of the barn with a full clip.  I learned to hit things the first time nearly everytime out to 75 paces.

[Don Coatney]

I was 11 or 12 when I got my first single shot 22. My parents would not let me have anything except 22 shorts and that is what I learned to shoot with. I foolishly would lay a live round on the ground, back off 20 paces, and shoot the live round just to hear the ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIINGGG just like in the cowboy and Indian movies.

[LAKOTA169]

Last September, I gave my grandson the Marlin 39A lever action .22 that I got for my 10th birthday. It was his 13th birthday (we share the same birthday). A couple of years ago, I gave him my Thompson Center .45 Hawken muzzle loader.

 

 

 

[Ulu]

I was 11 when dad came home from Vietnam. It was his 3rd war, and I think it was making an impression on him because the thing he did when he came home was teach me to shoot.

 

He bought me a Sherridan Blue Streak air rifle and a Crossman 1911 replica pellet gun and turned me loose on the desert outside of Phoenix. I shot the heck out of those, & I shot other people's guns, but I didn't get a real rifle of my own until I was over 21. It was a Marlin 22LR varmint gun.

 

BTW, I'm not sure what happened in Vietnam, but after that I remember Dad never went hunting again.

 

I did a little hunting in my younger days, but mainly I was just interested in target shooting and varmints.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Ulu

[wayfarer]

 

 

BTW, I'm not sure what happened in Vietnam, but after that I remember Dad never went hunting again.

 

 

IDK what your dad's part of the war was but after needing to kill fellow humans (even when they are trying to kill you) it adds a new dimension to hunting game when you get back to the 'world'........

 

On a different note, if anyone shoots 5.45x39 I have 300 rnds that need a home.

Edited July 9, 2015 by wayfarer

[Ulu]

Dad was a forward combat air controller in some quonset hut on the edge of the DMZ.

 

Among other things, he was vectoring those B-52 missions to Hanoi.

 

I don't think Dad ever had to shoot anybody, but they bombed many.

[deathbound]

My 11 y.o. son & 13 y.o. daughter have been shooting for a couple years now.....my daughter prefers the .22LR semi-auto and my son loves the M1 Carbine (both of which were my Dads), even though they've fired quite a few different firearms.

[Dan Hiebert]

Hey Dan, when did you move to the Middle of Nowhere???  Holy Crap that's up there.  Are the natives friendly to folks from away?

 

Learned to shot on the Remington single shot .22  all my friends had semi auto or pump .22.  They couldn't hit the broadside of the barn with a full clip.  I learned to hit things the first time nearly everytime out to 75 paces.

Come on now, we're not in the middle of nowhere - but I'm pretty sure we're at the edge of it.  Been here since May, still working on getting the "household goods" moved from Buffalo, two more weeks of air mattress and milk crate life.  BUT - our D24 is supposed to be delivered TODAY    !  I hauled the Terraplane over here myself, but we opted to have the Dodge transported to save some miles on the old pick-up.  Its a day's drive here from Buffalo, but its a really long day.  More on the transport stuff later.

 

Yep, locals are quite friendly and welcoming to those from "away".  They have an odd (to me, anyway) habit of openly staring at strangers, tho.  

[Ulu]

Hey, the staring is fine. If they start shooting, you're in trouble. Or in Kentucky.

 

(Or Fresno.     )