Well, just percolated, mostly, what with the hot temperatures and the power outage. But I also went to the indoor firing range at the NRA's national headquarters a couple of times. A great place; friendly, helpful staff, 14 lanes (I think), a decent stock of the most popular ammo.
I went Monday morning and tried out my two Uberti replicas: the Schofield top-break revolver in .44 Russian, and the 1860 Army conversion revolver in .38 spl. As is the case with the originals, the sights on these pistols are extremely "minimalist"; however, the barrel lengths (6 inches on the top-break, and 5 1/2 inches on the conversion model) are sufficient to make both weapons terrific "point and shoot" guns. The top-break was marvelously accurate, and the roar of those .44 Russian cowboy loads was pleasing to the ears (even covered up, as they were, with firing range mufflers). The conversion gun was also accurate, and naturally had less kick than the larger caliber top-break; however, the cylinder tended to stick. I'm pretty sure I had some bad ammo, though, as I noticed that some of the bullets didn't load smoothly (a little too "fat"), and it looked like the primer end of some of the bullets weren't sitting flush with the cylinder. Fortunately, this only happened a few times, and with the right-sized bullets, the gun worked perfectly.
Yesterday I took my Ruger SR40 in for a first-time tryout. Very sweet! The magazines hold 15 rounds, which is exceptionally convenient for practice. No jams, no stove-piping, just extremely reliable action every time. The slide is very heavy, and takes some muscling, but this, no doubt, helped control the recoil, making for a smooth shooting experience. Afterwards, the pistol proved to be very easy to disassemble for cleaning.
I also took my old reliable Ruger Police Service Six in for a workout. It's a .38 spl, a real stainless steel beauty, that works, and looks, as well as it did when I bought it over 20 years ago.
Shooting is, among other things, a great stress reliever. I highly recommend it.
Update: For those who may be unfamiliar with the Uberti replicas, here's the Russian top-break, and here's the 1860 Army conversion.
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Isn't shooting a great way to relax? "Be one with the gun", as it were.
ReplyDeleteI need to hit the range; I haven't done so in way too long. I had my Colt .45 (the 1991 design) rebuilt, and it's really accurate, and easy to shoot.
Oh you city folk & your indoor ranges! Last evening I had to get my little Ruger bearcat out to shoot at an armadillo in the yard.
ReplyDeleteI need to get back out to the range myself. My S&W model 5906 SS needs some exercise, but it's too damn hot right now. We don't have an indoor range close by.
ReplyDeleteMarica: They kinda frown on outdoor shooting here in Fairfax, I imagine because we're so close to Washington, they're afraid we might hit a politician - you know, by accident.
ReplyDeleteShooting a gun is something I have never done. I contacted local gun clubs but didn't receive "come on in and join us messages" from them. Here in Canada, guns are regarded as evil, rather than a tool or your friend.
ReplyDeleteRobert, too bad you're so far away, you'd be more than welcome to come here & blast away with any of my small arsenal.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the gun clubs there didn't invite you to come by, and touch off a few with'em. Down here our attitude is "the more, the merrier"!
...they're afraid we might hit a politician...
ReplyDeleteThat's odd, around here if someone shoots a varmint, people say "Good job!"
If only their pelts were valuable...
ReplyDelete"They kinda frown on outdoor shooting here in Fairfax."
ReplyDeleteThat's sad, from a historical perspective.
My idea of target practice doesn't require guns or bullets, Senor Paco, but trust me: it's every bit as satisfying.
ReplyDeleteGregory: Oh, I believe you, I believe you!
ReplyDelete