Range Report - After the Spring Replacement

[Joshua M. Smith]

Hey folks,

We got some really nice weather today. Though still a bit on the cool side, it was in the mid 50s. It was raining off and on, but I couldn't wait any longer to shoot the Rommy again, especially when there was something I wanted to test!

50yds
Romanian Trainer M69, 4x 'scope
Remington Golden Bullet bulk pack


Here's what it looked like today between rain showers.

I started shooting at targets of opportunity and noticed my shots were hitting somewhat randomly. I took it in, cleaned it, and returned out to season the bore to the ammo before firing at the first target.

It was still raining sporadically - a sun followed by a sudden torrential downpour - and a lot of shooting was done with the clear lens covers closed. The picture wasn't as clear as with them up, but I still managed to shoot decent groups.


Notice that the fliers are pretty well gone. Not having to struggle with the trigger was awesome. This was shot while it was raining.

Firing this rifle was almost like firing a new gun that I was already familiar with.


Discounting the groups fired before cleaning, this was the worst flier I had when everything was "right."

For fun, I set up some targets which would react. I took the cap off of a pop bottle, blew up a 1/2 gallon water filled milk jug, and pretty much vaporized a smaller bottle filled with water. I suppose I'll do some expansion tests on this stuff.

I pounded some empty 7.62x54r cases into the side of a stump, and picked them off.


Here's one I nicked. It was still in the stump. Most fly to embed themselves in the backstop.

Then I wanted to see what the smallest size was I could hit.


I nailed this into the stump with the primer facing me.

This really surprised me - the bullet must either glanced off or disintegrated. I had an orange sticker on the bottom to assist with aiming, and it was gone, as is some of the lacquer. The rim is bent just a bit, and the primer was dented in slightly. I was surprised that no further damage was done. It's steel though, and I suppose it could have hit just right.



You know, I learned something today. While shooting is loads of fun, wading through a quagmire of mud and standing water while it's raining just to retrieve your target, isn't

I'm happy. The trigger could use some shortening, but I'll do that when I locate an extra sear - just in case.

Josh <><

[neophyte]

Joshua M. Smith: Sir; you have a shooter. Congratulations for a beautiful day and a good shoot.