Range Report: 10/22 tactical

[Sir Henry]

I shot my 10/22 tactical with a folding stock, flash suppressor and Aimpoint a few minutes ago. I try to shoot several times everyday. Right now a pellet would get blown around too much.

There is a rimfire spinner between the two smaller trees right behind some dried flower stems. The front spinners are too close and are for pellets.

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[North Country Gal]

For sure, wind is a big deal with pellets. Our backyard is surrounded by forest, except for an opening to the north leading to the lake. As a result, a north wind shuts down any serious accuracy shooting. On the other hand, I can still shoot decent groups with a south or west wind.

Having a range mostly surrounded by trees is not all wine and roses, though. In the summer, shadows during various times of the day make using iron sights almost impossible, so most of our shooting is with scopes.

Strong north wind today after some snow last night. Any shooting today will be indoors.

[BrokenolMarine]

Having practiced for competition for years, most of the ranges I shot on were out in the open, baking the shooters in the sun for just that reason. No shadows. Even the practice range I built at home on the VA farm, no shade. With the heat here in Oklahoma, and no longer competing, I have laid out the new range in a grove of trees. Windbreak, from that constant breeze, and shade. It's usually significantly cooler in the grove. With 100 yards, I should be able to set up to shoot at various distances in a way that will put some light on the target frames.

The Range in VA... from Fifty Yards with the Barricades for PPC up... They were sturdy and stable in the ground, but lifted out for storage and mowing the grass; or to set up the Glock Shooting Sports Federation Practices or other training. Nice to be able to walk out the back door and be on your own 60 yard range.

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I designed plates to practice the Glock Falling Plate Match, that didn't fall... you mount them on rebar and they ring and move but you never reset them. Worked great. When you aren't practicing plate matches, you can move the rebar, and spread them all over the berm. Painting them different colors, I used them to teach reaction drills in CCW classes. Call out a color, the students SHOT only that color. Behind the vegetation there, is a 12' berm about twenty feet thick from clearing the lot for the house.

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My range layout in Oklahoma, waiting to be built... we are getting there. About 95 yards, the pond is behind it, and the berm will be built in front of the pond berm. I'll have about 200 yards to reach the range here in Oklahoma.. Whew... long trip just to shoot.

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[North Country Gal]

I do understand about the heat when you're shooting out in the sun. Sometimes shade is a plus. Right now, though, I'd rather have some of that sun.

[Sir Henry]

I will be in sunshine when the sun is out and don’t expect high temperatures. I have discovered that a firearm In sunshine regardless of the temperature often will develop a wandering zero.

[BrokenolMarine]

I will be in sunshine when the sun is out and don’t expect high temperatures. I have discovered that a firearm In sunshine regardless of the temperature often will develop a wandering zero.

If you blacken the sights, your zero will remain constant. You can use a carbide sight blacker, or just buy spray on in a can. The sights become DEAD flat black and don't reflect the sun, which is what changes the zero, as it changes your perception of the front sight height. I used a cheapo blacker for a while, then bought a rebuilt miner's lamp. When I stopped competing, I sold that. Recently I ordered a new sight blacker that works great, but the spray stuff works okay.

Back in the old days, it looked like there were rows of burning cannon balls on the ready lines of the Marine Corps ranges. Smudge Pots. Blackened the sights on the rifles before each firing line.

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In the pic above you can see the RAY-VIN sight blacker to the right of the two guns on the bench. The front and rear sights on both handguns have been smoked, and they are dead black. After shooting, a quick cleaning and pass with a toothbrush returns them to perfect. Won't harm night sights or inserts, as long as you don't let the FLAME touch the plastic inserts. LOL. (Ray-Vin retired, but you can get the SuperSmoker at the link below... )


https://watersrifleman.com/supersmokersightsmoker/

[Hatchdog]

That’s a nice looking smoker, I like the fact everything needed is contained in the unit itself. About a billion years ago when I shot handgun silhouette I used a sight blacker that had the smoker, water bottle and carbide (maybe?) all separate. To use it I had to drop a few rocks of carbide in, add a few drops of water and then it would ignite. I like the look of the unit you linked to much better. But I guess that’s technology moving forward a billion years.

[BrokenolMarine]

I started with that little messy film canister sized one. At first, I carried a small bottle of water to activate the carbide, then, like 80% of the firing line, I'd just drop in a carbide rock and spit in the smoker. (Yeah, I know, yuk.). I also kept an old stainless steel cleaning brush and needle nose pliers so I could pull off ONE bristle and use it to clear the jet to get a good flame.

The came the miner's lamp. Huge leap.

Then the rayvin.