Category: The Gun Thing

Not just the guns, but all the stuff that goes with them

Making The Transition

The Gun Thing

I’ve been shooting 1911s in .45 ACP for pretty much all my adult life.

While there have been many forays into revolvers (Colt Pythons, various S&Ws etc.) it can truthfully be said that my bread, butter and jam has been the above gun.

Which is no longer mine, having been given to the Son&Heir for his birthday.  Along with every single round of .45 ACP out of Ye Olde Ammo Locquere.  (“FFS, Dad:  I’ll never have to buy ammo ever again.” )  Okay, I did find a small stash of another hundred or so rounds later (everybody here knows how that can happen), but the S&H is coming over tomorrow for dinner so I’ll give him those too.

Yep, not only did I make a clean break from the 1911, I also made it difficult to go back should I be tempted to do so.

Which is all very well, except that I have a serious shortage of 9mm, never having done much Europelleting in the past.  In fact, as I discovered when preparing for a range visit a couple days back, I did indeed have a couple hundred rounds of premium self-defense 9mm (don’t ask me why), but not a single box of standard 115gr. practice stuff.  So I had to buy a couple boxes at full retail price (!!!), which made it almost as expensive a proposition as .45 ACP.  Fortunately, I had a small cash windfall (as described yesterday), so I could buy that hundred rounds of practice ammo with only a small amount of chagrin.

Nevertheless, as I hadn’t shot the High Power in earnest for well over five years, I had to put in the practice considering that the BHP is now my everyday carry piece.

Aaargh.  I couldn’t shoot it for shit — I mean, compared to the results I’ve been getting from the 1911 in, well, forever — and I found the trigger not just different, but horribly different.  The 1911’s trigger had been seriously worked on, and fired over 30,000 times — use your imagination.  The High Power hasn’t been touched, other than the substitution of the original spur hammer for a bobbed one, as in the pic.

I’m not happy.

Bear in mind that the paper results were not that bad, considering, but nothing close to what I’m used to, and the “unpleasant” trigger made my first proper outing with the BHP no fun at all.  And I’m not familiar with coming away from a range session feeling bad about my shooting;  I’ve worked too hard and practiced too much to have to put up with this.

So I’m grappling with the thought that carry duties, which I’d planned on giving to the BHP exclusively, may be shared with the S&W 65 (my bedside piece).

Not that this would be a hardship, mind you:  I took the 65 to the range along with the BHP, and shot both .38 Spec+P and .357 Mag through it, with excellent results.

In fact, I had so much fun with the revolver that I might well use it as a carry piece instead of the High Power.  (I also have what may be described as an “adequate sufficiency” of both .38 and .357 ammo on hand, so no hardship there, and therefore would require no building up a supply from scratch as would be the case with 9mm Europellets.)

I wish I still had my 1911.

Boomershoot 2023 ULD / Hunter

Boomershoot

Reader (and previous winner) Topcat hasn’t let his disqualification from this year’s drawing get in his way, oh no. His email to me two days ago read:

Possible Boomershoot candidate

Best of both worlds?

I have to say that I like the look of the thing(s):

Essentially, it’s the same rifle — the Precision is a pound or so heavier because of the adjustable cheekpiece, and I think the larger magazine — which no doubt accounts for the extra C-note in the price thereof. Other than that: same barrel, same adjustable trigger, same bolt action; we may actually have a winner. (I can also do the same for the Hunter/Precision combo in .308 Win, depending on Reader preference: I myself have no favorites, but the .308 costs a couple hundred more than the 6.5 Creed.)

However: unless there’s somewhat greater interest in any rifle, this may be the Boomershoot 2025 drawing, because to date I think I’ve received but a few entries for the draw, totaling some $400 in ticket sales.

…worse still, I’ll have to hitch-hike up to Idaho, and nobody wants to see that.

So get onto it, folks, and send those entries in: $20 per ticket, up to five tickets per person. Zelle to kim-at-kimdutoitdotcom, or paper checks/money orders to the Sooper-Seekrit mailing address.

In drawings past, I’ve bought the rifle and scope ahead of time and waited for the ticket sales to catch up. Thanks to Bidenflation (LGB!!), that’s no longer an option. [200 ranty swear words deleted]

Thank you for your support.

(Aiming) Point Of Order

Boomershoot, Optics

In the Comments on the 2023 Boomershoot gear, Reader Beaner49 says:

“A scope with a BDC is a good choice rather than a simple crosshair.”

I will call mea culpa on myself on this one.

I am so accustomed to using a crosshair sight that I seldom look at any other kind;  but Beaner makes a very good point, and I may be selling the scope part of the ULD rifle short.  We’re talking about this:

  vs. this: 

I have to say that I’m in agreement — never let it be said that I’m so stuck in my ways that I can’t make a change (although by and large, it’s a safe assumption — except when this kind of reasoning comes into play).

So I think I’ll be going with the Meopta Optika6 3-18×50 Illuminated BDC 30mm FFP (first focal plane).

It costs a couple hundred more than my original choice, but Let’s Go Brandon.  Before anyone asks, the larger and pricier 56mm scope can be a POS to fit onto a rifle for not much more utility — but I’ll be ruled by the consensus of shooters more knowledgeable than I.  (Scary, this new Kim, innit?)

It’s That Time Again

Boomershoot

Yes, it’s time for all good men who seek a fine gun to step up and open their wallets:  I hereby announce the opening of the Boomershoot Rifle Boondoggle.

I tossed out PayPal earlier for their wokist, gun-hating reporting policies, so this year you will need to send either paper checks/money orders to the Sooper-Seekrit address, or through Zelle via my email addy (kim-at-kimdutoit-dot-com).  Sorry, but there it is;  I refused to be party to PayPal’s bullshit, and I hope you understand my position.

Tickets are $20 each, and you may buy up to five ($100 total) per person.  If you send more than $100, I will allocate you five tickets, and use the rest to defray my travel expenses from Texas to Orofino ID.

Now onto something much more important and interesting.

What kind of rifle do you, O My Readers, want the chance of winning:  a heavy-barreled long distance rifle (ULD) as in the past, or a premium hunting rifle, both topped with a quality scope?  If you plan on doing (say) competitive long-distance shooting or long-range hunting, then obviously you’d prefer to own something like last year’s rifle:

…whereas if you’re looking for a do-it-all premium hunting rifle that will do its job with confidence out to (say) 500 yards, there’s something like this one to consider:

Email (NOT in Comments) your preference (ULD vs. PHR) with “Rifle Choice” in the Subject line so I can do a proper tally and make the decision.  In the event of a tie, I’ll toss a coin or make an executive decision.

Here are my thoughts, to help you make up your mind.  Remember that the more money I get in, the better-quality rifle/scope you’ll get.

ULD:  I absolutely loved the Howa from last year.  The trigger was exceptional, the accuracy WAY better than I could shoot it, and my niggle with the cheekpiece adjustment, I was assured by the manufacturer, was a one-off issue.  Here’s the HCR APC:

That said, I’d also look at the Bergara B-14 and the Ruger American Hunter (again):

All three are superb rifles, and sub-MOA results are all but guaranteed.

ULD Caliber:  in your email to me, if you pick this rifle, tell me your preference between the 6.5 Creedmoor and the .308 Win.

Now for the new category.

Premium Hunting Rifle (PHR)

Everyone has their favorite hunting rifle brand and type, so I’m going to go outside the box on this one.  Firstly, as it’s a do-it-all rifle, I’m going with only one chambering:  .30-06 Springfield  (unless everyone shouts me down).  I want a cartridge that does the job (any job), AND is readily available at Bubba’s Bait & Ammo everywhere in the U.S.A.  And the choices, as you will see below, are not the typical ones…

Tikka T3x Hunter:

CZ 600 Alpha:

Mauser M18:


…yes, a Mauser for under a grand.  (They also come with some funky-ass camo stocks.  I make no guarantees…)

All three of the above would make any hunt a good one (as long as the hunter does his job).

Scope:

Whichever rifle is finally selected (ULD or PHR), I’m going with the Meopta Optika6 3-18x50mm FFP, because I honestly don’t think that you can get anything better without spending a boatload more money (Swarovski, Steiner, Kahles coff coff).

So there you have it.

ULD in either 6.5 Creed or .308 Win, OR PHR in .30-06, both topped with one of the best-value/quality scopes on the market.  I see no bad choices.

Email me with preferences, thoughts and/or abuse.  All input (except the last) will be welcome.  Please get going, as there may be availability issues and I don’t want to grapple with those.

Isn’t this fun?

Changing Times

The Gun Thing

I have mentioned in the past that I planned on giving Connie’s Browning High Power to Daughter for her birthday, for hereditary reasons.  Well, I broached the topic with Daughter, and was surprised when she showed no interest in the Browning at all.

“I have enough handguns.  I mean, I have as many as you do.”  (true)
“But it’s your Mom’s gun.”
“It’s like offering to give me her favorite hammer — it really doesn’t mean anything, but thank you for the offer.”

She’s completely unsentimental about the gun — although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Browning didn’t also trigger some unwelcome memories along the way, but I’m not going to explore that little issue.  She doesn’t want the High Power, and that’s that.

Which is fine by me.  I love the BHP, its Europellet chambering notwithstanding, so it’s not going to go anywhere.

I also listened to Hackathorn and Wilson discussing the 9mm cartridge, and Bill Wilson is of the considered opinion that in terms of tissue damage and even stopping power, the new breed of 124gr 9mm hollowpoints are as effective as the lighter 185gr .45 ACP cartridges — which are exactly what I’m carrying in the 1911 because of recoil (pain) issues with the heavier 230gr.

So the plan has changed.  Son&Heir will indeed be getting my old Springfield 1911 .45 ACP for his birthday, and…

…I’m going to be carrying the High Power 9mm in its place:

…loaded with these: 

You may all pick yourselves up off the floor, now.

And yes, I’m aware that these may be the End Times.