Shot a cowboy match at Pawnee Station outside of Ft. Collins yesterday and, for the 3rd straight month, finished 7th overall (52 shooters) and winning my division. Gotta gotta gotta get faster faster faster! I was shooting a new set of pistols at this match, and I'm very happy their their performance. The .357 Blackhawks were modified by Jason Robinson, "Slick McClade," a world champion shooter and a fine gunsmith. Specifically, I went to 4-inch octagonal barrels and brass front sights. The little bot of extra weight from the octagonal barrels helps me hang the gun on target as I run it, as well as looking cool as all get-out. Secondly, the brass froth sight is quick to pick up. Very pleased with the guns!
Am not so pleased with my performance as "posse marshal," that is, the leader of my squad. We had 18 shooters and only 3 of us qualified to run the timer. We also had a couple of shooters with far too many squibs, ammo with no powder. While it's unlikely a gun will blow up if you fire a round behind a bullet lodged in the barrel, especially at cowboy velocities, it still can happen. One shooter especially had repeated squibs. He had no other ammo, and in this case, neither did I. I showed up at the match with stems and seeds, a mix of old reloads and some factory stuff What extra I had I gave to my Sweetie, one of the other certified Range Officer IIs. The short story is that I let the 2 guys finish the match. In one case I shepherded the shooter through the last stages. In retrospect, I should have drawn a hard line in the sand and will do so in the future. If more than one round is a squib, the risk to those of us running the timer is not worth allowing the shooter to continue. If you want to read the whole thread on the Single Action Shooting Society forums, including my mea culpa, it is here.
In gear notes, I'm ordering one of these Battlelink Minimalist AR stocks for the project Ar take-down rifle. Lighter is gooder, at least for this project. I'm also thinking of overhauling my Ruger LC9 9mm. Galloway Performance is doing a bunco of interesting work on the mini-9mms, and I'm interested in seeing how the work improve the performance of a gun I already like.
BTW, I trashed the heck out of my left foot at the match. I have no idea what I did, except that today I'm hobbling around today like a sad and pathetic old man. Suxs...
I enjoyed the discussion regarding winter carry in the podcast last week.. one other glove system that i use is the fingerless gray whool knit gloves under an outter shell mitten.. good trigger contro while keeping your hands warm!
ReplyDeleteAccording to the internet, the Battlelink Minimalist stock weighs under 4oz (not sure exact weight), a Magpul MOE weighs about 8oz.
ReplyDeleteI made my ultralight AR out of a Plum Crazy plastic lower. I wanted a free float barrel, so that added a bit to my upper. The LWSF upper weighs 66oz, the lower 26oz.
Need to weigh the take-down rifle. The aluminum forend is heavy, but it is used to screw the barrel onto the receiver. Is the ATI polymer lower heavier thant he Plum Crazy, I wonder?
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ReplyDeleteHey Cool Spam Man. How 'bout I hold you down while someone kicks your head through the uprights!
ReplyDeleteThough I'm intrigued by that 45mm pistol.