.22 Carbine Video

From Oleg.  A bunch of stuff I've been saying for years, but with somebody much better looking than me in front of the camera.

Muscle Memory

Winter can be a bitch.  The temptation to stay on the couch covered in furry space heaters can really put a damper on your skills.  Muscles have memory, and like most memories, sometimes they're about as effective as a sieve.

Yesterday was the first solid "Spring is... well... mostly here.  It is Wisconsin dude" day of the year, with record setting high temperatures well into the 70s.  This of course led to the motivation to put on silly looking biking clothes and break out the XC bike.  The one with the clipless pedals.

For those of you not up on your bicycle lingo, "clipless" pedals are the sort that, despite the name, have a mechanism that a cleat on your shoe clips into (the term "clipless" comes from the older style that have straps that your foot slides into, and those straps have been known as "toe-clips" for decades.  The new mechanical ones give you the same advantages (your foot's locked into the pedal) without the toe-clips, so they're "clipless.")

This winter MandaFern and I started up gym memberships at a local gym, and due to Uncle Sam's insistence, throughout the winter, we did many miles on the treadmill.  I never once swapped out the knobby on the back of my bike and put it up on the trainer, meaning I never strapped on my biking shoes and clipped in to my pedals since some point in October.

Clipless pedals have a certain amount of "float" built in to them (about 7 degrees the way I have mine set up) that you can pivot your foot left or right before they release.  This keeps your ankle from getting jacked up and stiff without constantly releasing your cleat and letting your foot come off the pedal.  Yesterday, I must have only gotten the front of my cleat in the pedal, and suddenly felt that I was lacking in this float after about a block.  Right as I started to really hammer on my pedals.  No float = very early release, which leads to my ankle bouncing off the pedal.  Much to my surprise, I don't have a giant purple bruise (sure feels like it though) but it is rather stiff.

Earlier in the day, Cro and I hit up the range (benefits of having your "weekend" in the middle of the week) and spent a good amount of time working on rifle marksmanship.  I had the Anshutz, and Cro was rocking his CZ-452, and we were mainly working on prone and sitting at 100 yards (yes, .22lr open sight, bolt action rifles at 100. It's a challenge, and a fun one.)  

Shooting prone and bike riding suffer the same issue in Wisconsin during the winter, nobody wants to do it.  Proning out in the snow on the frozen ground sucks.  Thankfully bulk 22 is cheap, and my Anshutz works "good enough" with Federal bulk packs (apparently at 100 yards it yields 4-5" groups for the crappy ones.)  It probably took the better part of 100 rounds to actually warm the muscles back up to remembering what they need to do to make a sling loop work right.  By the end I was back to cursing my heartbeat for messing with my sight picture, but there were quite a few called flyers leading up to that (not to mention how small a 600 yard reduced target looks through peeps at 100...)

Thankfully, I'm not planning on racing or going to Camp Perry this year, so I'm not behind the curve.  I'm heading to Afghanistan towards the end of the year, so I've been working on other skills this winter.  Prioritizing is pretty important too.

(To end on a good note, it was a beautiful day, and the route back from the range goes right past the cheese factory... so the grill came out, and the burgers had slices of the freshest Co-jack melted to perfection on top. Those were served up with some of the great offerings from New Glarus to wash them down.)

Snowy Carbine Day

Nothing warms you up like a hot barrel and 40lbs of unnecessary gear and armor.  My wallet said I needed to use the M&P15-22 today though.

 

That is the awesome benefit of having a sub-caliber training analogue of your primary weapon systems.  I didn't have a whole lot of .223 laying around, and I can't afford to go out and get a couple hundred rounds to burn off.  Thankfully I have a few bricks of .22lr handy, and the little Smith & Wesson rifle is set up darn close to my go-to full-size rifle.  Still got valuable training, and didn't have to spend a lot of money.

Cro, on the other hand, has stockpiled it for years, and he's breaking in a new BCM rifle.

My feet are still cold.

Brrrrrrrr...

Back from some cold-weather carbine practice... I'm gonna edit some photos while I warm up.  Check back in a bit.

Tuesday Morning Range Trip

Gonna head out in a half hour or so to do some longer range plinking (or at least as much as 100 yards can be considered "long range"...)  Cro's got a new toy to show off, so hopefully some photos today or tomorrow, depending on when I can edit them.

How Many Rounds Do You Carry?

And why that many?

A couple weeks ago MandaFern took her CCW course (provided free through Wisconsin Carry, Inc.) and I tagged along, both for morale support, and because (generally) any training is good training and I treasure gathering viewpoints and training techniques from any source I can.

At a few points throughout the course, the instructor (an avid 1911 fan) voiced his negative feelings towards people carrying wonder-nines with super-high capacity magazines.  One of my typical carry guns is my M&P9, fully stoked with 17 rounds in the mag, and a spare 17 round magazine on my support side.  Amanda knows this and nudged me a little when he mentioned it the first time.

I grabbed my pen from my pocket and scribbled down on her notes "'Coyotes' travel in packs" semi jokingly.  While this is a valid point, my other standard carry piece as of late has been my Smith & Wesson 442 J-frame revolver.  Typically with a speed strip of five rounds in my watch-pocket of my jeans and a speed-loader in my coat pocket.  That loadout has less rounds total than one magazine in my M&P.

Do I feel undergunned carrying that few rounds?  No, not really.  Despite my coyote comment, we live in a small enough town that large gangs of thugs are not really a threat.  .38spc+P is a proven round, and the most likely threat I'll ever face around here is an overzealous convenience store robber or the like.  I don't ever see myself being sucked into a running gunfight through downtown Stevens Point.

So why carry 34 rounds of 9mm when I carry the M&P?  Why not save some strain on my belt and leave the spare at home?  I should be able to deal with any likely threat with 17 rounds, right?

Simple.  The biggest Achilles's Heal of any semi-auto weapon system is the magazine.  Add to that the fact that just about any malfunction drill on a semi-auto pistol involves stripping the magazine out to relieve pressure on the action.  If something goes south inside my gun, it's much easier to grab that spare mag, where I know it is, than look all over for the half a mag I tossed in the dirt while fixing my gun.  And since I'm going to carry that second magazine, I may as well fill it up to capacity.

Cold Weather Shooting

From Haley Strategic



Being an Operator who regularly operates in pretty cold weather (hey, it's in my Army job title... 12N-Heavy Equipment Operator) I'd say he makes some pretty good points. It's all about the right mindset, and good techniques. Buscuits and gravy make a fantastic pre-cold weather ops breakfast.

Also, the Nissan Thermos Backpacking Bottle tends to keep coffee drinkably warm for upwards of 6-8 hours in my experience, and it's leakproof. I just need to find a Molle pouch it fits in...

AotPR

Magpul Dynamic's newest DVD set is available from DSG Arms.  (Blue-ray coming soon.)

Costa Ludus goes live

As of Noon Eastern time, Chris Costa's new training company's site went live- Costa Ludus

A few months back Costa/Magpul announced he was following Travis Haley in leaving Magpul starting his own training company.

One of Those Days...

When your SO catches you entirely off guard, and makes you all sorts of proud.

I worked overnight Thursday, and eventually stumbled out of bed and read a text from her "So I see Shelley says the M&P22 is good to go, so I think it might be a really good gun for me to get for my first one... it really makes sense being able to go from that to a bigger caliber one."

Awesome.  Plus, it's a gun I've been wanting to get my hands on for a while as well.

Later I got an email letting me know Wisconsin Carry, Inc. is getting their first round of Free Training Courses for WI CCL underway, and there's one nearby next weekend.  The day's wide open for her, so she jumped on that fast.  I'll be going along with (she'll be more comfortable with me being there, and even though I've got my permit, training is training.)  In her own words, "I doubt I will ever carry, whether is it open or concealed, but I will go through a course and get my license. I want to learn the right way stay safe, just in case."

Later on in the evening she was talking about being at a liquor store a few weeks back, and a shady individual walked in.  Apparently I'm rubbing off on her, as she noted him right away, and cautiously put herself in a position for a quick egress in case things went ploin-shaped, while taking a good mental picture of the guy.  Thankfully for all involved, the guy just turned out to be your typical asocial drunk that looks like he's about to hold up the joint no matter where he is.  He got his stuff and left without issue.  She said that the best part of it was that she never was scared, just aware (she even used the phrase "situational awareness!")

It's just amazing to watch what was once a shy and timid girl bloom into a self-reliant and empowered woman in the year or so that I've known her.  I think she's definitely worth hanging on to.

No More Custom Guns for Sniper Comp

Snipers from around the world will soon shoot against each other at Fort Benning, Ga., but this year they’ll have to leave their fine-tuned rifles and high-powered optics at home. For the first time in the eleven-year history of the U.S. Army International Sniper Competition, all competitors will use the same sniper rifle and optics of equal power.

The new rules are designed to “level the playing field, so it isn’t so much an equipment race,” said Capt. Daniel Wilcox, who overseas Army Sniper School at Benning as commander of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment.

 (H/T KitUp)

Personally, I think it's a good idea, or at least worth trying for a year.

If It Ain't Rainin'...

Went to the range after work yesterday, just in time for a monsoon.  I had checked the radar before hand, and it looked like a quick storm that would be over before I even made the 20+ minute drive, but instead it lingered over the area just as I got there.  Thankfully I found a paperback buried in the car and decided to wait it out.  After an hour or so it had died down to a dribble and I grabbed the pistols I'd brought and the steel target and a "raincoat."

At least two things were learned.  First, said "raincoat" was not, in fact, waterproof.  Just a little water resistant.  Thankfully it was warm out, so hypothermia wasn't an issue.

The other, and more important thing, is that M&P9 magazines are dang slick when you're hands are wet.  I'm rather proud that I only fumbled one reload because of this, but one's enough to have me wondering if only carrying one reload is good enough.

I never would have noticed this had I simply given up and went home.  Now, I don't usually go out of my way to shoot in the rain, actually I kind of hate it.  If I hadn't gotten the little Salute Products target I wouldn't have yesterday either (as it is, I still didn't get to pattern the 20ga for buck yet.  Cardboard and rain don't mix well.)  However, once in a while it's good to get out and shoot in that crap, and find out how your stuff works.  I know Cane & Derby will be getting an order from me soon as well after yesterday, and I'm going to do some thinking on the magazine issue.

On a positive note, the little P-64 went through a full box of Brown Bear FMJ without a single hickup.  It's snappy, as expected, and the Wolff springs can't get here soon enough.  I fired one shot double-action, and my hand was so tense from that, the next shot broke almost instantly (nearly felt like it practically bump-fired...) that needs to be fixed.  Also, Brown Bear still smells like crap.

MD - Art of the Precision Rifle

Full trailer has been released.




Looks pretty good.

I love the shot of the bullet trace at about the 20 second mark too... quite sweet.

Not sure on price, but it's a 5 disc set.  If you're doing any precision long range shooting it's probably going to be well worth thinking about.

Shift Gears

Travis Haley hasn't slacked off since parting with Magpul Dynamics.  He's got some good exercises up on his site's blog, including the "Shift Gears Drill" below.



The target is a free download here.  It looks pretty simple and .22lr friendly to boot.  I'll probably give it a try next time I'm at the range.

Those Knobbly Bits On Top

Apparently Caleb upset some people with his post yesterday about a "point-shooting" video.  I tend to agree with him, since I like to hit what I'm shooting at, be it a steel plate or a guy charging at me with a knife.  Can you hit stuff without sights?  Of course you can.  A couple summers ago when I was shooting a decent amount of trap I actually used a gun with the bead removed more than a few times and would still get 20+ out of 25 clays (we found some scouts actually would worry too much about sight picture and not following the bird, so removed the bead on one of the guns and taught them to "cover the bird" with the muzzle. For some scouts it worked, and their hits went up.)  However I hit closer to 25 with the bead in place, and I sure can shoot a pistol a lot better with sights than without.  Those little knobbly bits are on the slide for a reason.

For me, the key is good form with a good press-out, and your muscle memory will bring the sights in-line with your intended target almost as fast as just pressing-out and hoping.  Of course this means that you actually need to practice... a lot.  And that doesn't sell class seats like "Learn to Shoot Fast and Accurate NOW!!" tends to.

Also, having a newer shooter taking pot shots into rock at 10 feet with no eye-pro tells me what sort of instructors they are, and that is the kind I don't want to be around.

Range Time

The 10/22 has apparently been claimed...

Although she could use a stock with a slightly higher comb than the factory one (any suggestions would be appreciated.  Also a sling-ready one would be nice.)  Fern has a small face and the TechSights are a little tall for her.

On the upside, she says she likes the iron sights better than the red-dot for general plinking.  I like the red-dot for first time shooters, as it's simple, but if they show more interest, then I'd rather they master irons before getting much into optics.  This'll work great with Fern, her archery background has her more interested in bullseye-style target shooting more than tactical stuff, so it suits her fine.

I fully stripped down the little Ruger before the range session as well, and noted the new finish they're using seems a bit thick on the inside of the receiver, and was actually chipping off inside.  I think this may have been part of the reliability issues I've been having with this gun.  I scrapped off as much as I could inside, and am contemplating just polishing out as much as I can in the not so distant future.  Yesterday it only had two failure-to-eject type malfs, much better than past sessions.

Fern also caught her first piece of shrapnel when I had her shoot the SigPro at the steel target... tiny bit of bullet jacket came back and smacked her in the forehead.  Thankfully it only left the tiniest of cuts, and didn't even bleed.  She immediately took her finger off the trigger and kept it pointed in a safe direction, even though the slide was locked open (last round) but decided that was enough 9mm for the day.  Eye pro is important when shooting steel!

Quiet Around Here...

Decided to catch up on some reading and go for a bike ride today, and will be heading to the range momentarily (the girl's been dropping hints that she wants to go again... hooray!)  Hopefully I'll be back in earnest tomorrow.

Front Sight!

It having been a while since I did any precision iron sight work, I kept having to yell at my self (in my head) to focus on the front sight.  I think it's a sign I need to get the old 10/22 with the Tech-SIGHTS cleaned up and back out for some quality fundamentals time.

Red-dots are sweet, but it just goes to show that skills do suffer when ignored.

Little Magnetic Dudes

We all know that dry fire practice is a good thing.  One of the things you need for effective practice is an aiming point.  Not content with a thumbtack or something stuck in the wall (and sure the landlord wouldn't be a fan either,) I pulled out a pack of magnetic paper I picked up a while back and a black Sharpie, and stuck these guys one the front of my oven.

I've got a good 15 foot or so lane from the living room area carpet.  Not bad for a small apartment, and I can switch them over to the fridge door if I want to stand up and work on handguns.  Of course you can draw whatever shapes you like, and the sheets are 8"x11" and work with ink jet printers, so your target options are quite limitless.

As with all dry fire practice, safety is paramount.  Ensure your firearm is unloaded, and that all ammunition is triple locked in a box in the other side of the building, if not in another building a county away (common sense people...) and do your best to ensure you're directing your gun in as safe a direction as possible (in my building I'm going through a large appliance, utility room, and towards the next apt.'s oven... not the best, but as good as I'm going to get in my building.)

Down the road, it would be nice to add a LaserLyte training laser to the mix. In the mean time, it should help me get back in decent target form.  Cro's been mentioning hitting up some service rifle competitions when he gets back, and I just happen to have an A2 style AR rifle...

New Shooter vs. Mosquitoes!

So, as mentioned, I finally was able to get Fern out to the range.  Up until today, the biggest thing she'd ever shot was a paintball gun (although she does have an archery background.)

A couple weeks ago we spent some quality time in her kitchen covering the basics.  She quickly picked up on the big four, and after a bit was very comfortable dry firing the little Walther P22.  Since then I'd quiz her on the Mr. Cooper's rules and get her used to handling various types of firearms whenever she was over at my place.

Today I felt a strong need to get out to the range and sling some lead, so after she finished work for the day, we headed out.

Unfortunately I forgot the range is surrounded by swamp on all four sides.


We got to the range, set up the new steel target, and did some more dry firing with the little Walther, swatting mosquitoes the whole time.  After a bit I racked one into the chamber, and we got things properly started.  Before too long, the steel was ringing more often than not.

(Left-eye dominance... not blinking)

I really need to find a better .22lr pistol option though, the sites on the Walther won't hold a zero in a mild breeze.

After a bit she was willing to give a rifle a try, so I brought out the M&P15-22, and Fern went 20 for 25.

Before too long we decided the mosquitoes won, and headed into town for some Benedryl and dinner, but in her own words;

The pain from the 27 mosquito bites is slowly fading away and will most likely be replaced by the realization that the "mythical" range is no longer a myth but a very real, very addictive place. Oh, and the smell of burnt gunpowder is good.

On the upside, the supply of DEET has been restocked in the Mayhemobile, and hopefully we won't get out there so late in the day and there'll still be enough of a breeze to keep the skeeters from swarming.