BarryinIN

This will probably end up being a multi-part story. So... Part I: I seem to be on an airgun bent right now. With summer break coming up, my chances for range time drop to zero soon. In the past, I looked to matches on weekends to get my fix, but the match outlook is looking bleak this year. Hence the interest in things I can shoot in the backyard. Or even in the garage in winter. The archery daughter and I have been practicing archery in the backyard for three years now. Recently, I've been sneaking an airgun out there instead of a string stick. Hopefully that can continue. She has even shot a few through it. First came the Walther LGU rifle, which is a nice rifle. Perhaps nicer than I need. It has seen a lot of use already. It's downsides include being heavy, and it's not suitable or legal for some competitions. Both matter to my daughter. It will be years before she could hold it up to shoot, and if she could it wouldn't do her much good because they use .177 caliber in 4-H. And after a moving target system was destroyed by a "Magnum" air rifle a few years ago, they don't allow the big guns. They really want you to use their Daisy 853 rifles. So I got one. Because that's the kind of competitive parent I am. Or.. I bought one because the CMP has been selling them in rebuilt condition for $100 for years, and everyone says it's the best match rifle you can get without spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars. The fact it's the same gun 4-H uses only helped. Daisy has been making the 853 for 30 years or more. I bet they've sold millions of them. Most youth and ROTC clubs use them. There are variants like a 5-shot repeater and different stocks, but they are all close to the same. The CMP will happily sell you a refurbished one for $100 plus $15 shipping. They have new ones for $215. That's a bargain too, since every other source I know of wants $350 or more. Yes, I know, you can spend that same $100 at WalMart and get a Gamo that shoots 9,000 fps and has pictures of TV hunters on the box, but the 853 can actually make a group, and won't rattle your fillings out when doing it. I've seen and used these 853s at various places, and they take abuse and still shoot extremely well. At our first 4-H Shooting Sports shoot this year, we couldn't get into our borrowed range so had to change plans and shoot airguns back at the fairgrounds. These rifles had not seen a bit of care since before last year's fair. Not even a drop of oil. We broke them out and shot them for the next two hours. Due to time constraints, we left the same targets up all day. It didn't take long to see one ragged hole forming in each target. This was not the same few kids shooting over and over, but each kid getting five shots and getting back in line. Not bad grouping for being done by a bunch of shooters, some who had never shot anything before. We did have trouble. Human error kind of trouble, not gun trouble. Like many airguns, you need to cock the bolt before you pump it. Otherwise, it won't hold air. In the chaos of instructing four kids at once, watching a line of kids, and loading the rifles for the kids, one of us instructors would occasionally forget to run the bolt. Or not remember if we had ran the bolt. So we'd load it anyway and since I was down at the end I'd use it to take a quick shot offhand at a target off to the side. I shot maybe eight pellets this way, and when we were done I noticed all were in the black of the target. They are good rifles if I can take four different ones and stay in the black with a half effort offhand. I'm glad I got mine. It's been well worth the hundred bucks already. This is one item you can order from the CMP without being in a CMP-affiliated club or having other credentials. http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle_sales/air-rifles/sporter-air-rifles/ They are about halfway down this page. Print the order form and either email or fax it in. I mailed mine on a Monday and the rifle arrived the following Monday. Pretty fast service for a short-handed volunteer operation. Mine wasn't perfect but wasn't bad. It had one fair sized ding in the stock, and the receiver had quite a bit of "rebluing" via Sharpie marker, but it operates fine and everything feels tight where it should be. I haven't chronographed mine, but I would guess if it isn't on the mark to where it should be then it's close enough not to matter. It comes with the front and rear target sights, a packet of front sight inserts, a sling, two stock spacers, and a manual. The stock is short, so the spacers are mandatory for us big kids. The sling is the simple M-16 strap type, but instructions show how to make a cuff type shooting sling from it. The sight apertures are three different round, and one post, plus what is already in the front sight. These are single pump pneumatics. A second pump does nothing except release the first pump of air and replace it with another. We've found that accuracy is improved if, while pumping, you pause briefly once the pump lever is all the way out before closing it, rather than slamming it open amd closed. This seems to let a consistent amount of air in each time. The pumping effort isn't bad for an adult, but with the kids, we do the pumping. If they do it, often muzzles go all over the place . Especially with boys, who can't admit they can barely get it done. Here is my zeroing target. This was shot at the standard airgun 10 meters. The pellets were plain old Crosman. There are two groups there. The (first) high group, then another lower that is the better of the two. Not bad for $100. Part II will cover when I felt the need for an air pistol.

I'm afraid. Gander Mountain was a neat store when there was only one. Now that they are all over, eh, not so much.

Yes! Exactly. Those same two things are high in my list of things I despise. The first one you mentioned about having people shoot some monster gun, is one of many ways we are our own worst enemy.

11 days to go. Woo and hoo.

Nice. I hope it works with your loads and points where you want. Are there any others around that you've got to watch?

I had never shot a 452 Training Rifle until recently. I took a 4-H Shooting Sports instructor class, and that's one of the rifles they had. It was everyone's favorite. I almost cried when they broke out a bunch of bent up aluminum 3-piece rods to clean them with. I volunteered to do the CZ so it might get a little more care. Accuracy? There is a long story behind this, but I'll try to cut it short. Our club has a match that is supposed to be for plain old run of the mill .22s. Two classes- optics (6x max) and irons. The irons can't be target type, and no ring type front sight aperture can be used. Ten rounds offhand at 50 yards, then shoot ten rounds standing with a .22 pistol at 25 yards. The idea is you can show up with a standard Ruger 10/22 and a Ruger .22 pistol, or Marlin 60 and a Single Six and win the thing. We take the best four scores of six monthly matches, total them, and the highest wins for the year. A couple of the old boys have to win. Instead of bringing a rifle that meets the spirit of the rules, they have to push the limit. One brings an Anschutz 64 MPR, and the other brings an older Remington target rifle he got from the CMP. The Anschutz's "MPR" means multipurpose rifle, so it is stocked to do well at silhouette, BR-50, whatever. It is far from a 2013 Super Match, but it's far from a 10/22 also. The Remington target rifle might not be competitive in Smallbore now, but was in the 60s. This guy's answer to legality questions is "It's got a post type front sight insert". I don't recall the other guy's explanation, but it's equally weak. These guys finish first and second every year. Nobody comes close. Attendance has plummeted. Everybody wanted to try it, but after seeing what they were up against, the fun is gone and they are done. Surprisingly, there have been few complaints. At least, out loud. But everyone knows the deal. I've shot these matches twice in four years, so don't really have a horse in this race. The matches are held in the evening of the one day a week my wife works late, so I can't go. My buddy is about the same- he is usually working on match night. But this whole thing just burns our butts. We've tried several ways to get youth involved in the club but always get shot down. When this started, we thought it would be the way to get them in. They could take dad's or grandpa's lightest .22 and at least have a chance. Well, that ended when the dream team came. Besides, it's just poor form. This year, my wife doesn't work that evening. I can go. This is one reason I got the CZ. With the Mannlicher stock and a plastic rear peep sight, it doesn't exactly resemble a match rifle. However, it holds and hangs on target so well, it makes a great offhand rifle I also have a Ranger model 34 (made by Marlin for Sears in the 1930s) single shot that looks horrible. It has an old Weaver B6 scope. It actually shoots well. Do you see where I'm headed here? I want to take these two unlikely rifles and at least give the old boys a challenge. Here is where I get to the point: Answering the question of the CZ's accuracy. Part of my scheme is to use regular ammo- no match stuff. Maybe even bulk Walmart type stuff. So I've been tinkering with that, and haven't shot a huge variety of ammo through the CZ yet. And I now see I haven't kept a very good record. But here is what it did last time out, Thursday. At 50 yards with the peep sight: CCI Std Velocity: 15/16" CCI Std Velocity (different box): 1-1/4 (4 in 3/4") CCI Std Velocity (2nd type): 1-3/4" And an offhand group that was 3-1/4" for five, and 1-7/8" for four of those.

Interesting looking, but natural looking, too. The MKVs always looked a bit...I don't know...radical, I guess. But seeing the barrel on an earlier one shows it was mostly the back half of the gun.

Very nice. I'd take any of those, but I've never had any of them. Was there a MKIV Trooper? I thought when the MKVs came out, they made a fuss over it being so advanced they jumped from III to V, but I may be thinking something else It's interesting regardless. Do you any closer pics of it? The barrel details are kind of in the shadow of the Blackhawk next to it. Or I could look on a real computer instead of my little phone screen.

That might be a sight to see. I've been wanting to see Sinclair's shop for years. Since they are part of Brownell's now, it's probably similar. It would be an expensive stop, though.

I've never seen that combination. Never even thought of it. And free is nice.

Two month report. Still like it. The balance of this model is great for offhand. I've gone without a scope for fear of wrecking the handiness of it. I had one of the compact little peep sights Browning used to have on the original T-Bolt, and thought I'd put it on. I thought it matched it well. A little something I found, that might apply to other rifles: I was messing with the front sight for a while because it looked like it was leaning to the left. I stopped short of bending it with pliers, but tried loosening and tightening its set screw, sliding it in its base, and any other trick I could think of. The front sight base supports a hood over the sight with an opening over the sight itself to allow some light in. That hood is a tight fit, so I didn't take it off if I didn't need to during all this messing around. One day I was desperate enough to take that hood off, and just happened to snap the rifle up and take a sight picture. Hey, that looked OK. Sure enough, the sight looked straight with the hood off. I've left the hood off since then and haven't noticed it looking bent or leaning since. I guess the hood was bent or misshaped in some way, and made the sight itself look like the problem.

I was looking hard at an M&P recently. Knowing the Apex kit is so good might put me over. Funny, but I know several people with Apex'd M&Ps but don't think I've tried any of them. Times are better for M&P owners. I got one in .45 soon after they came out, and there wasn't much help out there for it.

Here is an update after about six weeks of use. I like it. This was a good purchase. It would have been good at the usual $550-575, but it was even better at $389. The deal is still on, BTW. I had a fixed 16X scope I had set aside for the .260 rifle project, so mounted it temporarily. I knew it would be too much magnification, especially for offhand. No, the rifle's hefty 9.5 lbs holds steady enough to use it. It looks like I need another scope because I now plan on leaving this one on there. This air rifle has proven useful enough I've since bought a CMP-refurbed Daisy Avanti 853 club target air rifle and a Crosman 2240 CO2 pistol.

I owned one for about a day. I am not sure I kept it 24 hours. I brought it home and shot it at 50 feet. Then at 25 feet. Then at maybe ten feet I was able to see the bullets were tumbling. In addition, the cylinder edge was peened from the firing pin already. Bye gun.

Looks nice. I'm kinda surprised it was allowed to be built or open up.

I just received word that Marine, ex-LEO, author, and trainer extroidanaire Pat Rogers has passed. Fair winds and following seas, Pat. Thanks for the lessons.

It's here. I took a set of rings that didn't fit, a scope I had no plans of using, put them all together and shot a few today. Conditions were "ideal" for airgunning- 22mph winds from right to left- so I couldn't pass that up. http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c240/ColtsR4Football/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsmqkotzke.jpg[/IMG] http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c240/ColtsR4Football/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpstrxuw3u9.jpg[/IMG] Why did I get an air rifle? The shortest answer I can give is: To do a lot of things I use a .22 for (practice, pest control, practice, working with new shooters, and practice). I have .22 rimfires, but I can find air gun pellets easier and stock up on more when I do. Another difference is I can shoot an air gun indoors. And while I have one suppressed .22 that I can shoot out back, it's a lot easier to use an air rifle. There are other reasons such as needing a good one as I get more involved with youth shooting sports, Field Target games sound fun, and others. Or a more specific question: Why did I not just get a $100 WalMart air rifle? Answer: Because I've been down the "starter" airgun route. I wasn't happy at all. I have one "adult air rifle" so its the only comparison I have. That one is an RWS 34 "starter air rifle", a typical break-barrel "magnum" air rifle (1000 fps in .177 claimed) which was at the low end of the quality and price scale for the big boy ones when I got it. I think mine was $150 used, several years ago. they start at around $275 for an equivelant wood stock model now. For a long time, the RWS 34 was the cheapest "adult air rifle" out there aside from the Gamo guns. The RWS and this new rifle? Night and day. Maybe they aren't in the same category, but I'm comparing them because I have them. The thing is, there is no comparison. The first thing I noticed when taking the Walther out of the (nice) box was the stock. It's only birch, but it's a nice piece of birch. It actually has some grain and figure. But what really made the difference was the shape. The RWS stock is quite frankly little more than a shaped stock blank. The Walther stock is very carefully shaped. It looks like every part was made to match the person holding it. It fits my shoulder, the length is right, the grip is closer to vertical than usual but feels perfect, the forend fills the hand yet has a flat enough bottom to rest on bags, the cheek piece is HIGH but a 42mm scope in high rings was right in front of my eye. http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c240/ColtsR4Football/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsj3twince.jpg[/IMG] I threw on an SWFA 16x scope http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-16x42-Tactical-Riflescope-P53715.aspx using rings that didn't really fit the grooves and got a decent enough zero using Crosman Premier wadcutter pellets. Lacking a bench in the backyard, I sat on a chair and rested it across the deck rail. At 25 yards, I shot a six-round group right at 1". Six rounds because I am sure I threw one, so I shot an extra. Those five are in 5/8" with four connected in a line. Happy. Happy. http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c240/ColtsR4Football/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpstww1idrq.jpg[/IMG] That's nice, but how does it shoot in bare hands? I have a knockdown bunny target that has a variable hole for the trigger plate. You shoot through the hole, hit the yellow trigger plate and it falls. Pull a string and he's back up. The opening for the stop plate is 1.5" with swing-around circles of 1" and .5" to make the opening smaller. I staked Mr Bunny down at about 10 yards and did some offhand practice With the full 1.5" opening I was dropping it easily after getting the hold height right. Swinging the 1" opening over, I eventually got there after a couple of scope adjustments for fine tuning. Using the half inch hole I didn't do quite as well, but made the vast majority of hits. I am quickly learning that an illuminated reticle may be in order to see those tiny hash marks against a lead-splattered plate. The trigger is incredible. I've been reading English airgun forums and tests because that's the obvious source for air gun info. They will lead you to think it's not much of a trigger, but where we are comparing triggers of Remington 700s and ARs, they are comparing $5000 Olympic air guns. It's a two stage, but the first stage might be considered simply a long slack period. It drops way back until you get a touch of a stop. Press a little more and snap, it's off. I'm not adjusting anything. Evidently, we get the "junk" trigger in the USA with a plastic trigger shoe so it will pass drop tests. Yeah, junk. Cocking is smooth. The measured cocking effort in pounds is greater than on my RWS. I had wondered how that would be, since the RWS isn't exactly easy, plus you are using the entire barrel to cock it instead of the shorter lever of the Walther. A few times wouldnt be bad, but this is the type of repetitive action my back does not appreciate. If I hadn't read the Walther had a heavier cocking effort, I never would have known. It's smooth and easy. No problem. I would have guessed it was no more than 2/3 the RWS weight rather than more. When I bought the RWS, the noise and clatter and twang shocked me. I had been reading Beeman catalogs since the mid 70s and "knew" these adult air guns were smooth and quiet. That thing was terrible, and so has been the few other spring air rifles I've seen around. Reviews say this Walther is quiet and almost vibration-free, with more of a dead thud. Eh, this is one place where it didn't quite live up, although it is way better than the RWS. Truthfully, I could hardly stand to shoot the RWS more than a few shots because it was simply annoying. I can deal with this one. You can tell you release a big spring, but it doesn't twang and bounce. The airgun world is full of tuning parts and tricks. These Walthers don't have much aftermarket support out there, but they only came out in 2014, so maybe goodies are coming. I might consider a gas spring conversion. Other than that, and that is not even likely, I wouldn't change anything about it. Oh, it has a lifetime warranty. Big Box stores have "something" for $100 and up. The RWS 34 will cost around $275. These Walthers are on sale in .22 for $389 right now at Airguns of Arizona. It's not even a question in my mind.

40th anniversary Stg77 (AUG) due out soon. Early style handle/scope, 20" barrel, etc. . Will be specially marked. http://www.pjs-steyraug.com/STG77.html

I've been looking. I liked the Walther LGU, an underlever cocking rifle. It appears to be designed for Field Target competition, which seems to fit in with general purpose use. I decided the LGU was way more than I needed to be spending on an air rifle, at $550-575 all over the web. Then I found one place that had them on special in my desired .22 caliber only for a surprising $389. I now have one on the way. Now when the kids are home this summer and I can't get to the range, I can fill the trees with pellets.

I will be there, reporting on behalf of Practically Shooting. Well... Media credentials have been requested, but they haven't begun sending them out yet. I'm mentioning this early in case anyone unable to attend wants anything in particular looked at or asked about. Start thinking of things and let me know. Also, if anyone wants to meet up, let me know. FYI- I plan on driving there and back each day, so by "meet up" I don't mean hanging in the hotel bar afterwards. Which is unfortunate, since that's when the real industry news is learned.

Steyr displayed such a critter at this year's IWA shot (sorta Europe's SHOT Show). I don't think I'd ever pay $2000 for a 7.62x39 anything, but then again, the idea of an AUG in a .30 cal is somewhat interesting.

If you look around our gun club, you'd think everyone was given a CZ .22 when they joined. The only two matches we hold are BR-50 (.22) and Smallbore Silhouette (.22). The CZs are popular among the silhouette guys and it must have spread from there. I've watched them shoot well for several years now, and have been yakking about getting one for at least a couple of years. I never could decide which heavy barreled model I wanted. But I ended up going another direction. I went short and handy instead of big and heavy. I guess I have enough HB .22 rifles. I got the FS- the full stock man likker model. Looks like this:

That one is a Berger 6.5mm/.264 140 grain BTHP Hybrid Target. Bc is .618 G1 or .317 G7. For comparison: The Sierra .30 cal 168 BTHP MatchKing is .462 G1 or .218 G7. The bullet I have been using in F-Class with my .308 is the Berger 185 BTHP LR "Juggernaut". It is about the highest BC bullet you can get a .308 to handle. The bc figures for it are .540 G1 or .283 G7. Those are some incredible numbers, but as you can see, a 6.5 bullet beats it easily. Plus, I hope to send that 6.5 bullet almost 300 fps faster.

In the dictionary next to "sleek":

Slowly but surely. No barrel yet. I do have some brass, some bullets, and a seating die is due to arrive romorrow. Brass is Lapua .260, and some Win .243 to open up using mandrels I ordered. Lapua is consistent, but supposedly heavy. The Winchester should be thinner and hold more powder. The only bullets I've ordered so far are some Berger 140 LR. I have most of a box of Hornady 140SP (I have a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser) that I will load to fireform brass to the improved chamber. I keep reading that the .260 to .260 AI fireforming process has a strange trait of making good groups. I'm not sure if I'm glad I read that. I will probably get the one barrel that won't, then I'll be too worried about reloading the formed cases I'll never get around to shooting them. The seating die coming tomorrow is a Wilson chamber type (benchrest type). With the .260 AI being a wildcat, I found dies from the regular companies cost as much as the Wilson's and often quite a bit more. So...why not? I need to order a barrel wrench. It can be done without one: some drill or welding rod dropped in the barrel nut's grooves, engaged by a regular twelve point wrench- size 1-1/16 I think. But I think I'll use the proper tool this time, partially because I'm also ordering a new barrel nut (thats longer to engage more threads). A new recoil lug is needed too, but I'm having some trouble deciding. I can get them in the usual oversize thickness of .250"... or thicker, like .300" up to .500". I don't know if a super thick one would actually help, but I can't see how it would hurt. The thing is, I don't know how much space I'll have under the nut. How much determines how thick I can go. This may have to wait until I have the barrel and all in hand to do some measure-izing. And a Savage barrel swap goes quick because everything is out there, and seldom needs a gunsmith. Yeah, quick. Patience is a virtue.