Range Day

I went to a shoot this past Sunday. DelMarVa Sporting Clays was the range, south of Cambridge on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Gas was only $2.75 over there.

MDShooters was the forum that sponsored the event. (no, we DON'T shoot doctors. The MD stands for Maryland, not the other kind.)

Malfoy was there with his brand new M4 type AR. I talked about him before. Frozen, another buddy, was there too. Shooting his commie guns. Lots of commie guns. A guy with nothing but commie guns won a battlepack of .308 NATO. Lucky stiff!

Weather was gorgeous. Clear, if a bit breezy. Just the right temperature. Must have been 100 folks there. A few machine guns. Including a Ma Deuce .50 caliber machine gun. And it made quick work of a target on the 200 yard line with it's mere 200 rounds of $4 a round ammo.

Overheard quote of the day: "The Brady Campaign thinks that semi-automatic firearms are dangerous. To make them happy we'll fire automatic firearms now." Whereupon that Browning designed M2 machine gun was put through it's paces.

Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!Pom!

Git Sum!

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What did I learn?

I learned never to assume the sights haven't changed since last time you used the rifle. And I shot well if I adjusted the sights properly and DIDN'T MONKEY AROUND WITH THEM. Sheesh. You'd think I'd learn.

Here is me adjusting up and left with my M1A:

They shots originally started below the paper. 10 clicks off.

And here is after I get the sights to my liking:




When I shot that one I grabbed the binocs immediately. I wasn't sure if that was a hole, but I refrained from shooting any more until I could check. Glad I did. Nice to have a perfect target.

Those are 100 yard targets, using surplus Lithuanian 7.62x51 Lithuanian ammo, out of the Fulton Armory M1A. New thing this trip is the rounded spring guide vis the GI stamped steel version. I'll have to start from the beginning with the zeroing when I install the tritium fore sight this winter. But I am all this experience will make that go faster. First thing is, get the binoculars out and see how the first 3 hit before shooting a whole magazine. You can zero with the first 20 easy. Don't waste it.

I learned that shooting prone all slinged up is as stead as shooting sitting at a bench all slinged up. Or even more so.

I learned I SUCK at shooting standing up. It generally all hits paper at least. Here is another target. I had to adjust windage to the left to get on black for prone. So there is a group walkin in from the right. The shots all over the paper are from standing. There's some .22 in there, too. The wind was pretty strong and shifted a lot so I didn't shoot .22 much

I learned I need to find a sitting position with better bone on bone support for shooting.

I learned I load rifle magazines with the left hand.

I learned tactical elbow and knee pads might not just be for mall ninjas trying to look tacticool.

I learned that metallic clink I hear with every shot in the gun's workings can't be heard by anyone else. Or me when I watch someone else fire it.


I learned not to bother shooting 100 yards with a .45 pistol. Not with my pistol skill. I think I am a better rifleman than pistolero. Not a dead-eye by any means, but once I adjust the sights to hit the big black circle, most get into the big black circle. Note, nothing in the X ring...


I learned it is tiring to shoot 200 rounds of .308.

A big purpose of the day was to test magazine function. I brought mags I had left loaded for months to see if that would compress the spring enough to make them unreliable. The only problem was some failure to feeds when buddy Frozen played with it. But that's the first time he has ever use a rifle with magazine you have to 'roll' into place, and the mag wasn't seated firmly enough and worked loose.

At free shoots like this I should bring clays to scatter on the berm to be reactive targets. Get some immediate feedback that way.

But great fun was had by all. Including me. And I still have 140 rounds of .308 'practice ammo' left for another, future trip.