I was thinking about Frank James and his gun experiences yesterday. I like to shoot but I'm not really that serious about it. I like to shoot my .22 at tin cans. I like to shoot crows from time to time. I used to shoot Nutria's as they are a nasty non-native species.
But I'm just a casual plinker.
Anyway, Sunday a brother-in-law came out to do a little shooting with his son. His father bought a couple Olympic Arms AR-15's in anticipation of rioting in the streets after Y2K. They had never really had anything run through them.
He also brought along several pistols and a neat J.C. Higgins bolt action 12 gauge.
The two AR-15's were somewhat interesting to me.
I had only shot a Bushmaster AR-15 carbine in the past. It had a fairly short barrel and a telescoping stock. It has been some 30 years ago but I remember it as being light and loud.
The Olympic Arms AR-15s (don't know exact model) were solid and fairly heavy guns. They had bull barrels and very little recoil. You could hold steady on a target and blaze away.
One of them kept jamming on cheap ammo. Both of them had a very tight fit for the magazine. So tight you had to knock the magazine in with the palm of your hand.
After a little shooting there was a faint dusting of brass under the receiver where the cartridges fed in. I had a hard time hitting anything. I couldn't get my face and the stock aligned properly to line up the peep sight. This may be why I am a bad shot in general.
I also shot a colt commander in 9mm Luger. It seemed to shoot low and to the right. But perhaps I have one short arm. I kind of liked that one for a side arm.
Then I demonstrated my trusty old Mini-30. I aimed for the paint can I had failed to hit previously and on the first shot scattered gobs of clumpy old red paint everywhere. The third shot jammed as usual, so much for using it for "suppressive fire."
I kept thinking of Frank's reviews and trying to relate terms. It was fun but...
I sort of wanted to go fishing...
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I can't shoot the AR15's. They are too short and they don't feel right.
ReplyDeleteAnd it was kind of you not to mention that AR-15's are just plain butt ugly (sorta like compound bows).
ReplyDeleteAmerica, the land of free and easy access to guns. I remember those days in Canada too but they are a long time ago. We could buy a .22 rifle by mail order out of the Eatons catalogue, no question asked. Shotguns, deer rifles, anybody could buy them and carry them on a rack in the rear window of their pickup truck. Seems a long time ago now.
ReplyDeleteWoke up to a forty mile wind, tree bashing the chimney, don't feel like wrassling the antique wooden ladder.
ReplyDeleteSpringfield 12 gauge single shot, 2 3/4 chamber no. 4 shot heavy field load. Perfect implement to trim a four inch branch at a point twentyfour feet above the ground.
Muddy, I thought it was a bit awkward.
ReplyDeleteGorges, I'm not a huge fan. I'd like to shot an M-14
Ralph, I'm sure you are all a lot safer now. Nice how the big cities screw the rest of us. I'm sure it will be here in the next few years.
Collieguy, I have a funny story about something like that perhaps I will post it some time.
Buddeshepard: Thanks! It's nice someone thinks about the nonsense I write. One thing about farming and farms we don't have the problems others do in finding a safe place to shoot, do we?...
ReplyDeleteAll The Best,
Frank W. James
Frank, one thing about farming and farms is that the city folks that you know think of your farm as their own shooting range. (not pointing finger at brother-in-law, rather a number of other people who just assume rather than politely ask) I enjoy your gun reviews and it makes me look more critically at firearms. I hate to shoot with other people. I don't know a lot about guns and hate to be made to feel stupid. At the same time I find casual shooters to be a bit casual about where they point their guns and that makes me very nervous.
ReplyDelete