Warm shootin' in a hot Central Oregon

[earlmck]

Some of us fellers (and a couple of ladies) shoot neat old guns the fourth weekend of the month in these parts. This was the first shoot this year that didn't get some part of it cancelled because of snow/rain dousing down the firing line. Might have been a leetle on the warm side but that beats the heck out of getting drenched.

Our June shoot we call the "Billy Dixon" because we stretch past our normal 1000 yard buffalo to take on the big guy at 1200 yards.

1200YardBuffalo.jpg

As a side match we have "Renegade Will" set up to the side of the buffalo and if you have got at least one hit on the 1200 yard buffalo you get to take 3 shots at the renegade. This year Dan won the Long Range part of the shoot with 20/28 shots

DanShoots1200.jpg

but Brownie took the "Billy Dixon" with 2 hits on the renegade. Dan used a Sharps in 45/100 while Brownie did his damage with his trusty 44 Stevens rebored by JES from 32/20 to 38/55.

On Sunday we shoot the fun stuff -- 22 rimfire, quarter bore, and pistol caliber lever. Here's a shot during the pistol cal event with Dan shooting a Marlin 22 (which doesn't count for "pistol cal" but he wanted to play with it) while Skip and Brownie spot for him.

PistolCalLvr.jpg

I won the pistol cal with my 38/40 m92 with a score of 16/20. That was just because Dan was messin' with that 22, as he seldom misses in this event.

win38409652.jpg

Next month we plan to add a "mini-Quigley" to our Friday shoot and shoot the Pistol Cal Levers at those steel buffs from 200 to 600 yards. I'm going to have to come up with a taller sight if the old 38/40 is to stretch to 600 yards. Or maybe just hotter loads?

[octagon]

Congrats and nice shooting!

[Grizz]

that looks like a fantastic load of fun, thanks for posting this

[Sixgun]

Earl,
Get a light for 38 caliber handgun bullet mould that's more streamlined...I used a mould for the 40-90 Winchester which was 200 grains with a rifle bullet nose for my 38-40....get it gas checked and load her up with a fast burning powder that's safe for your '92....you will at be amazed at what it will do way out there to 1200 meters-----006

[Bill in Oregon]

You're making me homesick, Earl, but thank you for posting.

[gamekeeper]

that looks like a fantastic load of fun, thanks for posting this

I couldn't agree more...

[Grizz]

that looks like a fantastic load of fun, thanks for posting this

I couldn't agree more...

Yeah, i haven't found any open range like that around here, and the steel bison are apparently extinct. . .

[JOG]

I cant think of a better way to spend a day!

[2ndovc]

Looks like fun for sure!

jb

[Scott Tschirhart]

Thanks for sharing! Makes me want to get out the Sharps.

[piller]

Looks fon. Watch out for those Hobbits trying to throw a ring away. I heard they had been spotted in Oregon.

[Catshooter]

That looks to be a helluva lot of fun.

How hot was it?


Cat

[marlinman93]

Looks like a ton of fun Earl! Nothing puts a smile on your face like the sound of bullets hitting distant dingers!

[earlmck]

This range sits at the 4000 ft. elevation range so runs a little cooler than the forecast temps for the nearby towns (Bend, Prineville). So we were just hitting upper 90's when the weatherman was calling for low-to-mid 100's in the towns. And we are done with match shooting by early afternoon, nicely before "heat of the day" which runs around 5 p.m. or so. After the match there is always some messin' around by folks shooting whatever they brung to play with -- when you have clangers hung from 50 yards on out to 1200 yards it makes for a place with wide opportunities for messin' with firearms or all sorts.

Then when "heat of the day" hits we are pretty surely done with shootin' and can really really enjoy happy hour. Or happy coupla' hours.

Plenty of room on the firing line if some of you fellers happen to be in the area on that fourth weekend, though you'd need to let me know you were coming so I could get you a gate code to get in the range. On the Friday we shoot military bolt (Nagents, Krags, Springfields, Mausers), military single-shot (mostly trapdoor Springfields), and big lever (mostly 45/70's, 38/55's though occasional 30/30's and we'd let you use a 25/35 if you wanted. Then Saturday is the day for the buffalo guns on out to 1000 yards or occasionally 1200 yards. Sunday for vintage or lever 22's, quarter-bore (mostly 25/20 of either single-shot or Win persuasion) and pistol-caliber levers. 20 bucks gets you into any or all matches.

This is all iron sights and cast bullets (except for military bolt where most folks use jacketed bullets). A period-correct scope on a buffalo gun would be OK, too.

[Catshooter]

What an excellent club/program! What a ball that could be Earl. Too bad I live in South Dakota.


Cat

[piller]

Sounds fun. Too far for me to make it, but I would like to.

[Bill in Oregon]

I miss that range, Earl, as well as your most excellent company.

[earlmck]

I miss that range, Earl, as well as your most excellent company.

Well come on back Bill, we could really use another local shooter. As we sit today with one of the niftiest ranges around we have only 4 locals who shoot the buffalo rifles and three more who only shoot the Friday stuff, while 3 of us locals shoot Sunday and we are all also buffalo shooters. For the matches we have several folks who come from Washington (our best shooters), one fellow who comes over from the Valley, and sometimes a couple from Idaho. So we have a most enjoyable sized small group even when everybody shows up (which never happens).