Range Report: back to plinking

[Sir Henry]

Somehow I got out of the habit of plinking in the mornings. Maybe it was because I spent all my spare time working on the new shop. Maybe that’s how it started but I haven’t worked on it in months. Or maybe it was the -32F.

I loaded up the SGC with some bulk Federal HV and stepped out into the zero degree temps.

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This is one of my favorite Henrys and the one that gets shot the most.

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I shot offhand at the middle bullet trap hitting it the first nine times then missing it on the last.

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I should have hit the 12x12” trap every time at 35 yards.

[Hatchdog]

Well as Meat Loaf sang back in the 70’s ‘nine out of ten ain’t bad” (in zero degree temps)

[North Country Gal]

Good for you, Gene. I was stepping out for some backyard plinking, too, just last week when temps got above freezing. That's a fine looking Henry. My favorite is also a lever gun, my Marlin 39. Just something about lever guns that make them the ideal backyard plinker.

[daytime dave]

Glad you got to plink yesterday. Small world, I did too!

[Sir Henry]

Glad you got to plink yesterday. Small world, I did too!

I’m going to try to do it everyday again although we are expecting several inches of snow overnight. I may have to play on the tractor tomorrow morning.

I took the Mare’s Leg Charger out this afternoon. I like it mainly because I can load up several magazines at a time and shoot longer.

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I really have no reason not to shoot more. It’s not like I have a long way to go. The firearms are stored in a locked toolbox just inside the door.

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[Vaquero]

Nice to see you are back at it Gene, I took stepped out on the back deck this AM.
Half as many rounds as you, three from the hew rifle and two from an older Marlin of the same said caliber. 444
But one round nearly matches the weight of all those you sent down range. These were 325ish grains each.

RP

[Sir Henry]

Nice to see you are back at it Gene, I took stepped out on the back deck this AM.
Half as many rounds as you, three from the hew rifle and two from an older Marlin of the same said caliber. 444
But one round nearly matches the weight of all those you sent down range. These were 325ish grains each.

RP

You are right Randy. I make up for poor accuracy with volume.

[Vaquero]

Nice to see you are back at it Gene, I took stepped out on the back deck this AM.
Half as many rounds as you, three from the hew rifle and two from an older Marlin of the same said caliber. 444
But one round nearly matches the weight of all those you sent down range. These were 325ish grains each.

RP

You are right Randy. I make up for poor accuracy with volume.

I missed the gong once. so 4 for 5. at 50 yds.

RP

[BigAl52]

Is that because it was swingin so bad you just missed it with the swing Randy? Keep plinkin Gene lifes too short not to shoot. I shot clay targets yesterday with the 20ga and Im gonna shoot some more tomorrow.

[Vaquero]

Is that because it was swingin so bad you just missed it with the swing Randy? Keep plinkin Gene lifes too short not to shoot. I shot clay targets yesterday with the 20ga and Im gonna shoot some more tomorrow.

Nope, I just plain missed.
But, hey two in a row back to back does rock it quite well I might say.

RP

[Vaquero]

I did sling 3 more this morning before I left for work.

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RP

[Sir Henry]

Work! I’m not sure what that word means.

Today I started the day plinking. What should I shoot this chilly morning.

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How about this H&R breaktop. Yes I’m still in my pj’s. This is what life looks like when you’re single, live in the country and don’t know the meaning of the word work.

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I only shot the nine rounds before the cold and wind told me to quit.

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[brm4450]

Can’t wait for a warm up so me and my shooting partner can start plinking again!

[Hatchdog]

Can’t wait for a warm up so me and my shooting partner can start plinking again!

Me too. I do have a plan to hit the indoor range in Spokane one day next week. I have a new (used) Ruger Sp101 in 327 Fed Mag that I will be able to pickup tomorrow after the 10 day waiting period. Finally! Too cold and too much snow to go to my range up north.

[North Country Gal]

I found an early and rare 8 3/4" octagon barrel in 22 LR that is vintage correct for my 1969 vintage Contender. It's very collectible for us Contender collectors, but I still bought it to shoot, so I stepped out on the deck and fired a few Aguila Colibri 22 LR rounds thought it. The Colibri, even in this length of barrel are whisper quiet.



gametester co

[North Country Gal]

Makes a nice addition to my collection of correct vintage barrels for this particular Contender, though these are the longer 10" length, which has always been the standard length octagon Contender barrel.

221 Fireball
22 Hornet
45 Colt/410

[Sir Henry]

Makes a nice addition to my collection of correct vintage barrels for this particular Contender, though these are the longer 10" length, which has always been the standard length octagon Contender barrel.

221 Fireball
22 Hornet
45 Colt/410

I would really like the 45/410.

[North Country Gal]

These 45/410 Contender barrels have an interesting history. When TC first offered this barrel circa 1969, it did not set well with the BATF. The Feds weren't too thrilled about a 410 handgun, even though TC used a rifled barrel, not a smoothbore (the removable choke tube on the end is to reduce spin and improve patterns). Under pressure from the BATF, TC dropped the 45/410 option from their catalog until 1986, when TC and the BATF came to an agreement, allowing TC to reintroduce the 45/410. It then became one of their most popular barrels. Anyone shooting a Taurus Judge or other 45/410 handgun these days has TC to thanks. TC was the pioneer.

In the meantime, during the 70s and early 80s, TC introduced Hotshot barrels as a more legal alternative to 45/410 barrels. These were barrels in 357, 44mag and 45 Colt with screw on choke tubes, designed to take special TC Hotshot cartridges. Hot shot cartridges were super sized revolver shot cartridges with a full half ounce of shot, same as a 2 1/2" 410. Fully loaded Hotshot cartridges were a TC exclusive, but TC offered the shot tubes, too, so most folks just loaded their own. The Hotshot cartridges themselves are now collectible (but not Hotshot barrels. Hotshot barrels are very easy to find.)



Not surisingly, shooters in the 70s and early 80s took 45 Hotshot barrels and reamed the chambers to take 410, anyway.

There is a caveat to these 45/410 barrels, though. If your goal is max accuracy when shooting 45 Colt, that long bullet jump to the rifling in the 45/410 barrels is not accuracy friendly. Thus, serious 45 Colt shooters always look for 45 Colt, only, barrels, barrels not chambered for 410. The problem, though, as above, a lot of shooters reamed out these 45 Colt barrels to take 410 shells, so a buyer looking for 45 Colt only barrels has to be very careful. When I want to shoot 45 Colt, no problem. I do have a true 45 Colt, only, barrel, too.

Back in the day, I did use a 45/410 barrel for rabbits and squirrels at short range. Patterns are useable out to about 20 yards. Great early fall way to hunt squirrels.

[Vaquero]

I didn't make any noise this morning before I left the house.

NCG, I had one of the early Judges. I just never warmed up to it much.
Heck the friends ended up putting more rounds through it than I did.
I ended up sending it on down the road.

RP

[Sir Henry]

TC made the ATF make a lot of decisions. I think their rifle/pistol conversion was one of them.

I’m a half hour from sunset so I decided if I was going to shoot today I had to do it now. I loaded up five magazines and shot this SR22. In cold weather I like shooting magazine feeds because I can load them inside lessening my exposure to near zero temperatures.

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I didn’t even feel like taking the picture outside.

I had a good day because I hit the 16” gong at 35 yards more time than I missed. Sometimes with a pistol I never hit it.