I went out to the range to sight in three rifles and my Ruger Super Blackhawk. I took two loads for the pistol, Skeeter's Load, and my .44 magnum load of 19.0 grains of 2400 and the Lee 240 grain wheelweight bullet.
I got two of the rifles sighted in and between posting targets, bantered with the rangemaster, a guy named Ron, who I've bantered with for several years. I took out my Savage .30-06 and after posting a target, Ron came by to look over my shoulder. He hunkered down behind my spotting scope as I put the first round in the chamber. "Where do you think this one is going?"
"If the scope is still on from last year, it'll hit real close to the bull." I squeezed the trigger, felt the recoil, and everything felt just right.
"Yeah," I replied. "All I wanted to do was check the scope."
Then, I got out the big .44 revolver and started sighting it in for Skeeter's Load. I had to drop the rear sight down as far as it would go, but after three cylinders I got it shooting to the bull at 25 yards.
Then, with nothing particular to shoot at, I looked downrange and saw a big ole clod of dirt on the berm, 100 yards away. I loaded a cylinder of magnums, took a good aim and let one fly. Darned if that dirt clod didn't explode. I was simply amazed. About that time, Ron wandered by. "What are you shooting at?"
"Dirt clods on the berm."
"Really!" says he.
I looked downrange and saw something white up on the berm. "Ron, look through the scope at that white thing, about 10 feet up. What is that?"
He squinted behind the scope. "Looks like a styrofoam cup. Why?"
"Keep looking," I replied. I thumb cocked that big revolver, took a good sight picture and caressed the trigger. BOOM, and the cup jumped once and slid down the berm.
I turned to Ron as he stood up from the scope. He looked at me and blinked. "You are having a really good day today, aren't you.?"
The sun shines on every dog's butt occasionally.
3 comments:
The next time you are out there with that pistol, try a 300-yard gong if they have one.
Down in AZ this past spring (Usery Mountain range), I rang a 300 yarder several times with my .44, and that is GOOD feeling. The gun and the round are up to it, it's all about hold-over and breath control.
I've had days like that.
This year, though, they've often been the other kind.
I let myself get rusty last winter and a month of sickness starting in mid-June and going through early July didn't help either.
Proved I can still shoot offhand at100 yards the other day though. I shot some water-filled milk jugs at that range with a scoped Ruger VT in .308 and did well.
I'm enjoying your stuff about your big ol' hoss pistol. It is indeed a heavy piece, needing a broad belt to support the burden. In recent years, I've gotten too lazy to carry such, but if one has a horse or ATV to haul shooter and gun, it's much easier.
Long range handgunning is one of my favorite activities. My best work has been with with a medium-stout .45 Colt load, or that very same Skeeter/Elmer formula in .44 Specials. I believe either one will handily dispatch any deer in our end of the country, without undue storm and fury. For game hunting, I limit myself to 50 yards or under with a non-scoped handgun (the only kind I own.) For rocks, clods, and milk jugs 'way on out there, the magnum loads with an extra few hundred fps sure flatten out the trajectory, don't they?
JPG
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