i might like to get an AR for Target/Varmint work.
with the new 'bullet button' stuff going on here in the "golden" state, one can get an AR now, reasonably.
the AWB spells out clear characteristics that constitute being an "Assault Weapon" to be applied. most of the stone age legislators of the California state legislature, don't have the knowledge to know first hand what an "assault weapon" is; they react to THEIR emotions...NOT facts and statistics.
two of those characteristics are: no bayonet lug and no flash hider.
now, i ask you, how many folks out there use a bayonet? I'd dare say, not many at all. yet i was shocked and astonished to see a Mossberg shotgun on a display rack, for sale, in a Big 5 sporting goods store recently, with a bayonet "fixed"! the bayonet itself was an additional $100.00 if you wanted it.
it's also common to see SKS rifles with the permanently attached bayonets for sale here in sporting goods stores. yet it's illegal to have a bayonet lug on an AR?
i trained with an M1 garand in bayonet fighting and if given a choice of using it or an AR to bayonet fight with, I'd choose the M1.
flash hiders? i believe the average 'legislator' doesn't know what the function and intent of a flash hider is...
my personal opinion is that the paranoids in the state legislature need to come into the 21st century; THE AR IS HERE TO STAY...LIKE IT OR NOT.
they need to "get real". the AR is no more of a threat than any other firearm out there in the REAL world, NOT the la-la world of a California legislator...
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
i used to
make my own wooden arrows.
what a process that was: I'd cut a square billet and shave it round with a hand plane then sand and refine it by chucking it up in a drill motor and sanding it to correct O.D. and spine.
then i switched to cutting the square billet, and running it thru a dowel cutter i purchased, chuck it up in a drill motor and sand and finish to correct O.D. and spine.
that process was shortened dramatically by the purchase of the dowel cutter.
in the end, i made some really nice wooden arrows that performed quite well and were surprisingly durable.
i also used to purchase pre-cut arrow shafting, mostly clear grained cedar. probably the most popular wooden arrow shafting, ever, and make them into completed arrows. cedar is very easy to work, straighten, to finish and the smell is wonderful...unfortunately, it's not real durable; it will break easily. i would normally leave it an inch longer than i normally shoot aluminum or carbon arrows so that i can replace the point after it breaks off behind the point. it gave the arrow a 'second life'. (that's the most common place to break a cedar arrow; at the back of the head.)
i think my favorite were the 'medieval' arrows i made from kiln dried Douglas fir. they were rock hard, stiff as an iron rod and were wonderful in appearance after applying numerous coats of watco danish oil and applying 5.5" long bright red and yellow feathers in a straight, diagonal fletch.
i also used to purchase hardwood dowels from home depot or lowes and process them into some nice shafts but they were not as durable and they sometimes were almost impossible to straighten. they did make for good 'throw away' arrows for a days outing in the boonies for some serious stump shooting...more often than not, they'd literally, explode on impact, with a hard object.
they did not fly real fast as they were heavy, over 600 grains, and when shot from my 50 pound bows looked almost, lethargic, in flight. but when they hit...they hit HARD.
i made them 31" long as i used heavy points, along with the length, to weaken the spine.
those, and those like them, have long since disappeared; lost and broken never to be replicated. and the fact i switched to carbon arrows when the price of cedar shafting doubled didn't help the matter any.
well, i think that i will 'revive' the arrows once again.
I've decided to construct a "lathe" to make usable shafts. if it works out, I'll go back to making some of the woodies i used to, and make up some for my kid...show him what REAL arrows are...;^)
what a process that was: I'd cut a square billet and shave it round with a hand plane then sand and refine it by chucking it up in a drill motor and sanding it to correct O.D. and spine.
then i switched to cutting the square billet, and running it thru a dowel cutter i purchased, chuck it up in a drill motor and sand and finish to correct O.D. and spine.
that process was shortened dramatically by the purchase of the dowel cutter.
in the end, i made some really nice wooden arrows that performed quite well and were surprisingly durable.
i also used to purchase pre-cut arrow shafting, mostly clear grained cedar. probably the most popular wooden arrow shafting, ever, and make them into completed arrows. cedar is very easy to work, straighten, to finish and the smell is wonderful...unfortunately, it's not real durable; it will break easily. i would normally leave it an inch longer than i normally shoot aluminum or carbon arrows so that i can replace the point after it breaks off behind the point. it gave the arrow a 'second life'. (that's the most common place to break a cedar arrow; at the back of the head.)
i think my favorite were the 'medieval' arrows i made from kiln dried Douglas fir. they were rock hard, stiff as an iron rod and were wonderful in appearance after applying numerous coats of watco danish oil and applying 5.5" long bright red and yellow feathers in a straight, diagonal fletch.
i also used to purchase hardwood dowels from home depot or lowes and process them into some nice shafts but they were not as durable and they sometimes were almost impossible to straighten. they did make for good 'throw away' arrows for a days outing in the boonies for some serious stump shooting...more often than not, they'd literally, explode on impact, with a hard object.
they did not fly real fast as they were heavy, over 600 grains, and when shot from my 50 pound bows looked almost, lethargic, in flight. but when they hit...they hit HARD.
i made them 31" long as i used heavy points, along with the length, to weaken the spine.
those, and those like them, have long since disappeared; lost and broken never to be replicated. and the fact i switched to carbon arrows when the price of cedar shafting doubled didn't help the matter any.
well, i think that i will 'revive' the arrows once again.
I've decided to construct a "lathe" to make usable shafts. if it works out, I'll go back to making some of the woodies i used to, and make up some for my kid...show him what REAL arrows are...;^)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
i've made
some mods to my PCP .25; I'm satisfied.
i also found out it can be accurate beyond belief; i can put the pellet thru the same hole more than once, so i know its repeatable. i used the JSB brand exact king, match pellets to zero the scope i put on it and was hitting exactly where i wished within three rounds.
it's not that I'm such a great marksman, it's just the rifle is so well made (it's not designed for the rigors of combat, though and that needs to be kept in mind if you plan on doing any hunting with this particular model of rifle.) simple and easy to handle. the ONLY reason/pitfall in that department, in all fairness, though, is the fact the barrel is fully floated with an external shroud and it could be very easy to bend the barrel if you're not careful.
in finding 'zero' for a scope i always use a mechanical bench rest; whenever practical, i use a rest of some sort to shoot from. i find bi-pods very useful but yet somehow very impractical in ways.
they add weight and bulk to the business end of the rifle. this can be very disconcerting when try to maneuver the rifle thru brush or heavy foliage as it has a way of 'snagging'. they can also be noisy and awkward to operate.
that being said...i still have and use them according to the situation. if I'm going to a range where there's a good 'sit at' bench, the bi-pods work fine, if not...i improvise.
I've made up several heavy duty, canvas, 'tote' bags. i use them as bags to carry various articles of equipment on occasion, but when in need of a good solid rest, i simply fill it with the native soil to the desired firmness and use on a rest of some sort, like a big rock i can sit behind comfortably or a dead-fall tree. when done...i simply empty it, shake it, fold, and put back in my day-pack.
anyway...a hunter must be resourceful, thoughtful and careful to select and know how to utilize his gear in order to achieve success, don't you think?
i also found out it can be accurate beyond belief; i can put the pellet thru the same hole more than once, so i know its repeatable. i used the JSB brand exact king, match pellets to zero the scope i put on it and was hitting exactly where i wished within three rounds.
it's not that I'm such a great marksman, it's just the rifle is so well made (it's not designed for the rigors of combat, though and that needs to be kept in mind if you plan on doing any hunting with this particular model of rifle.) simple and easy to handle. the ONLY reason/pitfall in that department, in all fairness, though, is the fact the barrel is fully floated with an external shroud and it could be very easy to bend the barrel if you're not careful.
in finding 'zero' for a scope i always use a mechanical bench rest; whenever practical, i use a rest of some sort to shoot from. i find bi-pods very useful but yet somehow very impractical in ways.
they add weight and bulk to the business end of the rifle. this can be very disconcerting when try to maneuver the rifle thru brush or heavy foliage as it has a way of 'snagging'. they can also be noisy and awkward to operate.
that being said...i still have and use them according to the situation. if I'm going to a range where there's a good 'sit at' bench, the bi-pods work fine, if not...i improvise.
I've made up several heavy duty, canvas, 'tote' bags. i use them as bags to carry various articles of equipment on occasion, but when in need of a good solid rest, i simply fill it with the native soil to the desired firmness and use on a rest of some sort, like a big rock i can sit behind comfortably or a dead-fall tree. when done...i simply empty it, shake it, fold, and put back in my day-pack.
anyway...a hunter must be resourceful, thoughtful and careful to select and know how to utilize his gear in order to achieve success, don't you think?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
i finally got back
to shooting my bow on a regular basis.
I've had a 'lull' in shooting archery as of late as the weather has been so unbelievably hot i was drained of the desire to break out the ole recurve and shoot.
since the weather has broken and we're now having temps down around the 50's and 60's it's decent to go outside and shoot a bit.
i have two main 'go-to' bows now that I've aged enuff to have to shoot the lower poundages and i have that ole bug-a-boo visitor, arthritis in my hands and right shoulder. maybe a result of all the years of shooting heavier draw weight, poundage, bows.
the two main bows are a Bob Lee take-down recurve (i have two sets of limbs for it...one of 40 lbs the other at 51 lbs) the other is a Hoyt GameMaster with a set of 40 lb limbs on it.
some day, i may like to trade another recurve for a 45 lb set of limbs for the GameMaster or a set of 40-45 lb limbs for my Quinn Stallion (it now has 55 lb limbs on it) but...for the moment, that's on the back burner. time, along with other more important issues have to be settled.
I'm finding that, after all the years I've been shooting archery, that 40-60 lbs draw weight is plenty for almost ANY game animal on the north American continent. in my opinion, those that shoot over 65 lbs draw weight are wasting their time.
black widow bows, as i recall, did a study and determined that anything over 65 pounds draw weight had no measurable effect on performance UNLESS you could shoot a heavy enough arrow (in excess of 1000 grains as i recall) in other words, arrow technology in not up to bow technology.
there are more than one factors involving the taking of a game animal with an arrow. the most important one being a properly sharpened broadhead being precisely placed where it do the most damage; in the heart/lungs.
it's downright amazing what a razor sharp broadhead will do when placed into the heart and lungs of an animal. just read up on the dynamics of bleeding some time.
I've shot arrows thru animals and was amazed to see the arrow not even slow down until striking the earth on the other side of the animal.
a razor sharp broadhead is, indeed, a rather...sinister, for the lack of a better word, device, that DEMANDS respect because of it's intended purpose.
it doesn't take mega-poundage to shoot a razor sharp broadhead thru an animal.
I'm not really disappointed in shooting less poundage for the bigger part, i don't have to struggle to hold back the bow as much and accuracy increases with that factor. not only that...the enjoyment factor increases dramatically when I'm able to hit what I'm shooting at more often than not.
I've had a 'lull' in shooting archery as of late as the weather has been so unbelievably hot i was drained of the desire to break out the ole recurve and shoot.
since the weather has broken and we're now having temps down around the 50's and 60's it's decent to go outside and shoot a bit.
i have two main 'go-to' bows now that I've aged enuff to have to shoot the lower poundages and i have that ole bug-a-boo visitor, arthritis in my hands and right shoulder. maybe a result of all the years of shooting heavier draw weight, poundage, bows.
the two main bows are a Bob Lee take-down recurve (i have two sets of limbs for it...one of 40 lbs the other at 51 lbs) the other is a Hoyt GameMaster with a set of 40 lb limbs on it.
some day, i may like to trade another recurve for a 45 lb set of limbs for the GameMaster or a set of 40-45 lb limbs for my Quinn Stallion (it now has 55 lb limbs on it) but...for the moment, that's on the back burner. time, along with other more important issues have to be settled.
I'm finding that, after all the years I've been shooting archery, that 40-60 lbs draw weight is plenty for almost ANY game animal on the north American continent. in my opinion, those that shoot over 65 lbs draw weight are wasting their time.
black widow bows, as i recall, did a study and determined that anything over 65 pounds draw weight had no measurable effect on performance UNLESS you could shoot a heavy enough arrow (in excess of 1000 grains as i recall) in other words, arrow technology in not up to bow technology.
there are more than one factors involving the taking of a game animal with an arrow. the most important one being a properly sharpened broadhead being precisely placed where it do the most damage; in the heart/lungs.
it's downright amazing what a razor sharp broadhead will do when placed into the heart and lungs of an animal. just read up on the dynamics of bleeding some time.
I've shot arrows thru animals and was amazed to see the arrow not even slow down until striking the earth on the other side of the animal.
a razor sharp broadhead is, indeed, a rather...sinister, for the lack of a better word, device, that DEMANDS respect because of it's intended purpose.
it doesn't take mega-poundage to shoot a razor sharp broadhead thru an animal.
I'm not really disappointed in shooting less poundage for the bigger part, i don't have to struggle to hold back the bow as much and accuracy increases with that factor. not only that...the enjoyment factor increases dramatically when I'm able to hit what I'm shooting at more often than not.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
air guns, rifles mostly,
have become a pursuit for me now.
I'm now in the process of making a new front sight for an air rifle.
i, personally, prefer open sights for the taking of game for close in ranges (100-150 yards, generally) beyond there it's scope time. air rifles are 'close range' hunting tools for the biggest part; just like archery tackle.
oh, there are air rifles that're very capable of taking big game, but not at very long distances; those 'longer' distances are when i go to the centerfire rifles with scopes.
there's not much game in north America, that can't be taken within 100-150 yards with a 357 magnum carbine, as an example, most deer, coyote, fox, bobcat, mt. lion even smaller black bear. now i know there are many other calibers in that category that will take bigger game I'm just using the 357 as an example...you could also say the 30-30.
point in mind about open sights vs scoped rifles at those ranges: if you are able to see a target as large as a deer or coyote at, let's say, 70 yards, your rifle should be sighted in well enough for you to place the projectile where it will do it's job as intended, using just YOUR own eye(s) and open sights.
when harvesting an animal, all that's necessary to do so is to disrupt major organs and their function as quickly and as massively as possible; "pinpoint" accuracy is NOT a "must" all one must do is hit the heart, brain or lungs, with an adequate projectile, traveling at an adequate speed, to disrupt/destroy them. when you do that...it's instant "lites out".
now...if you're shooting at an "X" in a bulls-eye at a competition...or if you're shooting at a deer at 400 yards...that's a little different; then a scope is a "must".
it's all mostly, just personal preferences on the part of each shooter. but i recall my days on the range at Ft Ord, California with an M-1 Garand shooting at targets at up to 500 yards away with open sights...i could barely see them under optimum conditions. i could have used a scope then but the U.S. Army had something to say about that.
I'm now in the process of making a new front sight for an air rifle.
i, personally, prefer open sights for the taking of game for close in ranges (100-150 yards, generally) beyond there it's scope time. air rifles are 'close range' hunting tools for the biggest part; just like archery tackle.
oh, there are air rifles that're very capable of taking big game, but not at very long distances; those 'longer' distances are when i go to the centerfire rifles with scopes.
there's not much game in north America, that can't be taken within 100-150 yards with a 357 magnum carbine, as an example, most deer, coyote, fox, bobcat, mt. lion even smaller black bear. now i know there are many other calibers in that category that will take bigger game I'm just using the 357 as an example...you could also say the 30-30.
point in mind about open sights vs scoped rifles at those ranges: if you are able to see a target as large as a deer or coyote at, let's say, 70 yards, your rifle should be sighted in well enough for you to place the projectile where it will do it's job as intended, using just YOUR own eye(s) and open sights.
when harvesting an animal, all that's necessary to do so is to disrupt major organs and their function as quickly and as massively as possible; "pinpoint" accuracy is NOT a "must" all one must do is hit the heart, brain or lungs, with an adequate projectile, traveling at an adequate speed, to disrupt/destroy them. when you do that...it's instant "lites out".
now...if you're shooting at an "X" in a bulls-eye at a competition...or if you're shooting at a deer at 400 yards...that's a little different; then a scope is a "must".
it's all mostly, just personal preferences on the part of each shooter. but i recall my days on the range at Ft Ord, California with an M-1 Garand shooting at targets at up to 500 yards away with open sights...i could barely see them under optimum conditions. i could have used a scope then but the U.S. Army had something to say about that.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
i'm getting all sorts of
projects underway to modify some of my airguns and i had to change the front sight setting on my lever action carbine.
i have the laser lite system to 'bore sight' a firearm. when using it on the lever carbine, it was to the right of the sight alignment so i had to make a drift punch and gently change the location as the rear sight is elevation adjustable only (the traditional 'buck horn' sights of a lever action carbine from marlin.) it's now "right on the money". all i gotta do is take it out and fire it live to verify the sighting.
i am an advocate of open sights on any arm when it's designed to be used within 100-150 yards, such as the 38/357 lever action carbine, and has them as a standard feature. that's why i use open sights on my air rifles whenever they're equipped with them...air rifles are normally for within 100 yards; at least mine are, and i have up to .25 caliber air rifles.
don't get me wrong, i know, understand and agree that telescopic sighting devices are desirable and useful, too. i have them on most of my centerfire, LONG RANGE shooting rifles like my .308 Winchester, Savage 12fv and Rem 700, 22-250; ya gotta have 'em to see the target in order to hit it...
I'm also in the process of fitting muzzle brakes onto my springer, break barrels. also fun and challenging.
i tore apart the Cometa Indian, .177 air pistol as it was performing horribly. it wouldn't shoot a pellet more than 15 feet; i found the seal on the piston was deteriorated away to nothing...just pieces. now i have to locate one (a piston seal). they're made in Spain and not real popular here so not many dealers carry them.
well...it's back to the mill to finish the brake.
i have the laser lite system to 'bore sight' a firearm. when using it on the lever carbine, it was to the right of the sight alignment so i had to make a drift punch and gently change the location as the rear sight is elevation adjustable only (the traditional 'buck horn' sights of a lever action carbine from marlin.) it's now "right on the money". all i gotta do is take it out and fire it live to verify the sighting.
i am an advocate of open sights on any arm when it's designed to be used within 100-150 yards, such as the 38/357 lever action carbine, and has them as a standard feature. that's why i use open sights on my air rifles whenever they're equipped with them...air rifles are normally for within 100 yards; at least mine are, and i have up to .25 caliber air rifles.
don't get me wrong, i know, understand and agree that telescopic sighting devices are desirable and useful, too. i have them on most of my centerfire, LONG RANGE shooting rifles like my .308 Winchester, Savage 12fv and Rem 700, 22-250; ya gotta have 'em to see the target in order to hit it...
I'm also in the process of fitting muzzle brakes onto my springer, break barrels. also fun and challenging.
i tore apart the Cometa Indian, .177 air pistol as it was performing horribly. it wouldn't shoot a pellet more than 15 feet; i found the seal on the piston was deteriorated away to nothing...just pieces. now i have to locate one (a piston seal). they're made in Spain and not real popular here so not many dealers carry them.
well...it's back to the mill to finish the brake.
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