OT: Well, at the current rate, I'm about done with shooting

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:02 pm

Not some big emotional thing, but at at the current rate of price increases I'm about done with shooting.
Went the local gun shop today, the only local one that stocks supplies, and bought:

.......1000 Win WLP primers @ 33.99
......1 # of IMR SR 4756..... @ 28.99
1 pkg of 5 sticks bullet lube @ 15.99
...........................subtotal... $78.97
........+ 8% tax................... 4.61
............................total....... $85.29

The law of common sense says no way can I afford this. I only work part time on call and it took me 2 months to put together a couple hundred bucks pocket money. In less than 10 minutes I shot almost half that.

So, what now I wonder?

Just mulling things over, I have no idea what's going to happen.

Joe

PaperPatch · Post by **PaperPatch** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:19 pm

Heading that way myself.....and have recently embraced the rimfires. Shooting skills are the same, and far less costly to keep honed.

Stay with it.

jhrosier · Post by **jhrosier** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:24 pm

Joe,

You are not alone in that thought.

I see a lot more shooters with .22s these days.

You can't do much to stretch the primers but a 150 gr cast .30 caliber bullet will do what needs doing, and save some powder too.

Just hang in there and keep your eye peeled for a chance to pick up a few bucks for shootin' money.
Something will turn up.

Jack

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:26 pm

I've got some rim fires, but never liked them. My current Ruger Super Single-Six is the most inaccurate revolver I own. I'm working on it, but if it don't cooperate it may go down the road.
Mater of fact I'm considering sending a lot of shooting stuff down the road. But like I said, I'm not sure what's going to happen yet.

Joe

O.S.O.K. · Post by **O.S.O.K.** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:30 pm

Joe, .22LR is the answer. That is if you really like shooting.

Try 40 grain loads in your Single Six. Mine them just fine.

On the other hand, you may want to sell one of your centerfires and get a Govt. model Mk II or III. These are very reasonably priced and very accurate.

Just a thought.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:40 pm

O.S.O.K.

I got a perfectly good 1955 vintage Ruger Standard .22 Auto. A H&R Sportsman, an OM Ruger Super Single-Six, and a Win 9422. Not gonna buy any more .22s since I don't get any enjoyment from shooting them.

I've got some 30-30s loaded with cast bullets and several different powders and charges and more lead bullets coming. So I"m working on that avenue.

Joe

jhrosier · Post by **jhrosier** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:55 pm

Joe,
I have a bunch of Single-Sixes, and as much as I like them, I will admit that some of them shoot a lot better than others. No reason that I can see either.
I have been consolidating my collection for the last couple of years and getting rid of a number of seldom used guns and replacing them with fewer but better quality ones.
I've paid a bit more than I was comfortable with for some of them but am quite pleased with the improvement in accuracy in every case.
Like many of us, I've had to come to terms with the fact that even with glasses, I just don't see the sights as well as I did forty years ago. i picked up a Ruger Single-Six Hunter and mounted a Burris Fastfire II red dot sight on it. The darn thing will hit anything that i can see. I had to quit shooting at 25 yards because it was just too boring. The other fellows werre shooting at clay birds and I was picking off the remaining pieces.

Another sale and subsequent purchase left me with a beautiful CZ 452 FS .22 bolt action rifle.
I have been trying various available and relatively inexpensive .22 ammo in it and found the bulk pack Federal auto match will shoot about 1/2" groups at fifty yards and the Federal Champion ammo shoots about .40" when I do my part. The fellows with the "tacticool" rifles take notice when I shoot the busted parts of their clay birds at 100 yards.

I still enjoy shooting the centerfire guns, usually with cast bullets these days, but the good old .22 can still provide a lot of enjoyment for less than the price of centerfire primers.

Jack

Rimfire McNutjob · Post by **Rimfire McNutjob** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:07 pm

I think you did good on the primers. They cost more online at most places and you avoid the hazmat charge.

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:14 pm

These are the "GOOD OLD DAYS" and prices will never be better.
Heck, I know a couple of guys that think nothing of spending $200 for a day chasing a little white ball around and trying to get it to go down a gopher hole !

$78 aint bad for 1,000 rounds of .45 Colt and you will have lots of lube left over. That`s not enough powder though. Hope you have more!!

Your Cast at home bullets I consider free if you get lead like I do.

Have fun!

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:22 pm

Deleted.

deerwhacker444 · Post by **deerwhacker444** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:31 pm

O.S.O.K. wrote:Joe, .22LR is the answer. That is if you really like shooting.

Well O.S.O.K.,...22LR isn't the only answer.

Here's a cost effective alternative.

And yet another alternative.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:08 pm

Joe,
I'm with 'ya on the .22 thing. I never could get satisfied shooting a .22. I just need to feel that "thump".

Yep, cast bullets and fast burning powder is about as cheap as we all can get. Its mostly what I do.

Give up shooting while I'm still breathing? Never gonna happen---In my view, there's always a way to scrounge up a few bucks for supplies---like selling a few .22 guns

-----------Sixgun

O.S.O.K. · Post by **O.S.O.K.** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:14 pm

Mmmkay.

I think that .22's are just as rewarding to shoot as centerfires. I shoot .22's all of the time - not just because its more economical, but because they allow you to focus on your shooting - that is everything but recoil control.

Joe, if you have the .22 firearms, then give them a chance. Take em out again and shoot em and don't think of them as a second best option.

The other thing to consider is to trade out for some black powder cap and ball revolvers. Maybe sell that Single Six if it isn't accurate and get a nice 1851 replica.

These are less expensive to shoot because they take so dang long to load!

But they are a hoot. I enjoy those too.

A pound of black powder and a can of caps can last for many range sessions.

Just trying to help a fellow gunny out Joe.

LeverBob · Post by **LeverBob** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:24 pm

Naaah...you won't quit Joe...you were born to the work just like the rest of us.

LB

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:37 pm

Dollars are worth less now, by a factor of about 6 to 10, from when I was a kid, but if you correct for that, ammo and components aren't all that different. In 1975 I was lucky to find a brick of .22 LR Wildcat for $9.99, and until recently could get the equivalent for $13.88 - now it's about $18.00.

In "those days" I was alot more 'frugal' with my shooting and 'toy' budget, then there were the 'glory days' of no-kids-yet, and good income, and cheap surplus .30-06, .308, and .223 ammo (and guns). Now we're just back to the more 'frugal' conditions, so don't despair.

I agree with practicing more with rimfire. I remember folks saying to get a rimfire 'equivalent' to your main carry and hunting guns, and it sounded good, but it seemed a waste to buy a gun just for that. Maybe these days it's a good idea once more.

I've been trading and organizing to get back to guns mostly chambered in just a few cartridges, and that at least helps the ammo situation some.

shooter · Post by **shooter** » Mon May 17, 2010 10:15 pm

I shoot a lot of .22's. Always have. I shoot them to practice perfect technique, but mainly because it's very economical. I also reload everything else I shoot except for the SKS, and cast all my own bullets. It's something I've come to enjoy doing, almost as much as the shooting itself, but I do it mainly so I can afford to shoot. I guess if you really want to shoot, you just have to do what you've got to do to keep shooting. I usually crank out about 50 rounds a few nights a week of various calibers. My range sessions are usually spontaneous, so I have a little of everything laying around. It takes me about half an hour to an hour to crank out those rounds on a single stage press, depending on what I'm loading for.

If I had to buy commercial bullets, or factory ammo to be able to shoot, I wouldn't get much of it done.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Mon May 17, 2010 10:51 pm

Chuck 100 yd wrote:These are the "GOOD OLD DAYS" and prices will never be better.
Heck, I know a couple of guys that think nothing of spending $200 for a day chasing a little white ball around and trying to get it to go down a gopher hole !

$78 aint bad for 1,000 rounds of .45 Colt and you will have lots of lube left over. That`s not enough powder though. Hope you have more!!

Your Cast at home bullets I consider free if you get lead like I do.

Have fun!

NONSENSE! That's like telling my grand parents the great depression was the good old days. The only people who believe that are those with huge quantities of disposable income. Like those silly golfers you mentioned.

I did not buy 1000 rounds of .45 Colt. I bought a pound of powder, a thousand primers, and some bullet lube. No way in heck does that come out to 1000 rounds of .45 Colt.

No free source of lead around here. I'm not set up to cast anyway. Gotta pay for my bullets.
...............................................

I shoot .22s occasionally. I just do not enjoy them as much as center fires. Never have, not even before I shot my first center fire. I find them boring. They have their place, no doubt about that, but they are not for everybody.

..............................................

Going to bed now. Castle and Beckett screwed up and didn't go to the Hamptons together. Very depressing. Perhaps tomorrow will be better. I doubt it.

Joe

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Mon May 17, 2010 11:19 pm

Joe 7 grs of unique per round would certainly make 1000 rounds of 45 colt or 44 specials.....but I digress...
Take your 22 to a 22 sillouette shoot, you'll change your mind about whether or not the 22's are fun...

El Chivo · Post by **El Chivo** » Tue May 18, 2010 2:42 am

I may get there, the last primers I bought were $21.00 for 500. I'm still shooting silhouette because I have a lot of bullets in stock, and it's still a cheap date. But range fees, bullets, primers, all add up if you shoot all the time.

I enjoy shooting my airgun almost as much as rimfire or centerfire. And it's about all I can hunt with anymore.

BenT · Post by **BenT** » Tue May 18, 2010 6:38 am

Joe , my buddy and I discussed this at length this spring. We decided our cheapest round to shoot was the 32 H&R mag. A pound of powder goes a long way ,plus I cast my own bullets. So it's going to be mostly 32's and 22's this summer. Any shooting puts a smile on my face.

But that isn't the same as shooting a 45 colt. The only way to make it more affordable is to cast your own bullets. I don't see shooting supplies getting any cheaper. Sorry you have to pay to play in any sport , it's just a matter of how much.

FWiedner · Post by **FWiedner** » Tue May 18, 2010 6:51 am

Work more.

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Tue May 18, 2010 7:15 am

our gun club buys in bulk....so we get a break on some stuff...
theres alway seems to be an alternate for components...
I started buying noblesport shotgun primers...$22/1000 instead of $33/1000
good thing I stocked up a long time ago!

jdad · Post by **jdad** » Tue May 18, 2010 7:42 am

I kind of saw this coming about 4-5 years ago. I made the move into rimfires and really haven't looked back. I still have 3 centerfire rifles and 2 handguns, but the rest are the lowly 22. If I didn't shoot silhouette I would only have 1 CF rifle.

Match grade 22 ammo is about $50 per brick, for good stuff. The really good stuff, Eley Tenex, is almost $18 per box of 50. Good plinking ammo, not Remington stuff, runs .04-.06 per shot.

..........Remember 5-6 years ago when a case of Wolf 7.62x39 was only $65. Today it's 3x that.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Tue May 18, 2010 8:23 am

Jdad have you tried any of the Aquila Rifle Match stuff? My lowall shoots that stuff very well. Got 10 chickens and 9 pigs at Alliance Ne a couple weeks ago in 25 mph xwinds and drizzle, using the stuff, and have fired an 8 inch group at 270 yds with it.

Post by **Hobie** » Tue May 18, 2010 8:30 am

The biggest shoots locally seem to be the .22 LR shoots. I'm not a member but am trying to get the local club to do a steel shoot because it interests the missus.

I hear such complaints every day I work at the gun shop. $33 for a 1000 primers is a darn good price around here. The boss man is paying about $30-32 a thousand, wholesale. Still, it is much easier for me to afford to shoot now than in 1973.

We need to keep the eye on the prize and get you moved back to AZ. I think your stress level will drop and you'll be much, much happier. Don't know what I can do to get you there though...

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Tue May 18, 2010 8:40 am

Hobie look up Ray Shafers sillouette targets. He makes the official NRA 22 sized sillywets on swingers. 85$ for the four critters. Tons of fun if you have a place to set them up.
http://www.raystargets.rgpservices.com/swingers.html

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 18, 2010 8:41 am

Don McDowell wrote:Joe 7 grs of unique per round would certainly make 1000 rounds of 45 colt or 44 specials.....but I digress...
Take your 22 to a 22 sillouette shoot, you'll change your mind about whether or not the 22's are fun...

Don,

I've yet to hear of a silhouette match in this area. But I've been short on money so I haven't really been looking. As I said to El Chivo below, it's not really the components, it's just the whole thing here. This is a totally different world than where you are and I was. Far more costly, especially if one doesn't own his own land.

......................
El Chivo,

Yep, that's the problem. You see back in AZ I had no range fees. I had free use of many diverse desert, mountain, forest, or other types of shooting areas. All it cost is gas. Now besides the gas it costs a fortune in range fees.
Components and shooting equipment isn't really THE problem, it's just the final straw so to speak. When you don't have lots of spending money, it's very hard to stretch it.
Air guns, no I don't think so.
..........................

Ben,

I decided some decades ago I just don't enjoy the small bore cartridges. As I said about the .22s they are boring to me. So I won't be buying anything smaller than a 38 spcl. I have gobs of that loaded along with some bunches of .357 so I can shoot those too. I'm just a big bore shooter. What can I say?

FWiedner,

Working on it. With all the health problems I've had the last couple years it's slow getting back to the grind stone.

.......................
RIHMFIRE,

Don't belong to a gun club. The closest one to me costs $150.00 per year. Haven't had the money. Those farther away vary in price but then you have to factor in the gas money.
I do not have a great amount of disposable income.
..........................
jdad,

So did I, but with little disposable income I couldn't do anything about it.
...........................

Hobie,
You got it brother. That's what my wife and I are really working on. But it seems our thinking is stuck inside the box and we can get out. I asked her a couple days ago: "what are we missing?" We just can't come up with any way to do this. It all requires money. We have not given up but it's getting harder to exist here every day.
Thanks for thinking about us.

OK, I'm done now.

Joe

madman4570 · Post by **madman4570** » Tue May 18, 2010 9:02 am

Joe,
Friend, listen to me-------At this point in your life(money very tight)do not give up shooting but make some changes what/how/where? you shoot.
I know,you like that big "blast/boom when you pull the trigger(who dont) but dont make a rash move and sell off the stuff you will regret later.If you love that .45colt stuff(load up your 1000rds )just be more conservative how many/when/ you shoot that stuff but dont just quit.

Now,my feeling if I want to be frugal and save shooting cost heck with the ,22LR (still goes bang)
A "Very Good High Velocity" quality air rifle will fill that void even better.
Less noise/for me its even more accurate/defintely more fun.
Sell that .22 pistol if it dont shoot how you want,spend the buck and get somthing like a RWS Model 36
If you have say 50ft with a good backstop or a trap setup you are (good to go) No Noise(puff)
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/zoome ... del_id=401

I have three friends that I have turned on to this now they get together "about every weekend" and shoot about 200rds a clip each. Cost-----------$2
Dont take these guns lightly Joe.
You get shot in the head with one using a prometheus pellet(your dead) Killed a lot of chucks with mine.
Walnut stock w/cheekpeice/2 stage adjustable trigger/excellent sights/top shelf stuff
I like the spinner targets as of late
My favorite Joe,(if I only had you with me for the weekend shooting Frogs on the small pond) you would be addicted for life.
at a penny a shot(with the good stuff---Meisterkugeln Heavy .53g 8.2gr) If you really want to shoot its the way to fly.------------.22s mine let em sit in the safe

I catch the pellets on sale at $60 for FIVE THOUSAND

My gun is over 10years old (tens of thousands of rounds through it)and it shoots as good as the day I bought it.

O.S.O.K. · Post by **O.S.O.K.** » Tue May 18, 2010 9:18 am

Obviously this isn't really about the cost of shooting. Its about you not being a happy camper at all. You hate living in Illinois, you hate the high cost of living, the jobs available aren't paying enough, etc.

Joe, what you need to do is find work where you want to move. You can do this on the internet.

Have a plan to move and then find the work. You may have to travel ahead of your wife... I've done that many times. Not fun but it has to be done at times.

I hate to ever suggest this but if you have a gun collection, and need the cash to make the move - sell some of them off. They can be replaced. If you can't afford to shoot them then what's the point anyway? Especially if things are progressively getting worse.

I sold some of mine while I was unemployed - to pay the bills. Its not fun, but I wanted to pay the bills, so up they went on the auction board.

Plan, find the job, move.

Complaining about your situation here isn't going to make anything better. We can console you, make suggestions, etc., but that won't change anything either.

Do what you need to do to make the change and be happy. Act.

If being in Arizona makes you happy then by all means go for it!

If you would like suggestions on doing these things, then fire away - we would all be happy to help you in your efforts.

2X22 · Post by **2X22** » Tue May 18, 2010 9:32 am

I guess I never thought about 'range fees'. I've always been able to shoot on my farm or just run up the road to the local gravel pit where many others shoot. How much are range fees? And how are you charged?

Thanks

2x22

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 18, 2010 9:39 am

2X22 wrote:I guess I never thought about 'range fees'. I've always been able to shoot on my farm or just run up the road to the local gravel pit where many others shoot. How much are range fees? And how are you charged?

Thanks

2x22

The local indoor ranges charge $8.00 and $9.00 per hour for the hand gun ranges, and the one that has an indoor 50 yd rifle range charges $10.50 per 1/2 hour.
The nearest outdoor 100 yard range is 45+ miles away and charges $15.00 per day. But he's only open noon to 6:00. Not much of a day.

It costs lots of money here to be a shooter.

Joe

Modoc ED · Post by **Modoc ED** » Tue May 18, 2010 9:44 am

That was a reasonable (good matter of fact) price for 1000 primers Joe.

Take that Single Six that doesn't shoot well for you down to the gun store and trade it off for primers and powder.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 18, 2010 10:34 am

Modoc ED wrote:That was a reasonable (good matter of fact) price for 1000 primers Joe.

Take that Single Six that doesn't shoot well for you down to the gun store and trade it off for primers and powder.

Ed,
That's a very tempting idea. I just may do that.

Joe

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Tue May 18, 2010 10:43 am

J Miller wrote:
Modoc ED wrote:That was a reasonable (good matter of fact) price for 1000 primers Joe.

Take that Single Six that doesn't shoot well for you down to the gun store and trade it off for primers and powder.
Ed,
That's a very tempting idea. I just may do that.

Joe

That would be a way to get a fair back stock of primers....

But, consider your Topic for a minute and ponder on this...

Don't you think that that is INTENTIONAL on the part of the Goob?

Who needs to ban guns when you can manipulate the markets to the point that people quit?

Mike D. · Post by **Mike D.** » Tue May 18, 2010 10:44 am

I long ago stopped shooting "just because". Now, with the component situation being what it is, I shoot far less often and mostly only when hunting. The cost of Barnes TSXs is very high, but that's all we can use, so I'm stuck. I know where my guns shoot, and target shooting is off the table for now. 1000 primers will last me many years at the rate I'm going. I have around 3500 WLR and CCI 200s, enough for life, I reckon.

El Chivo · Post by **El Chivo** » Tue May 18, 2010 12:02 pm

I belong to the indoor range near me (I can go on the way to work) and it's $100 per year for renewal. I go once a week and it's well worth it. I can shoot .22 and pistol caliber.

I also belong to the silhouette club, which is $60 per year. However if we go to practice, it's an additional $7.00 per day. Matches are $9.00 each. If I go to the public range (in the same complex) it's $12.00 per day, $14.00 on weekends. There is a half-price Thursday.

There's another range a little further out, and it's $12.00 per day and they also have memberships for $120.00.

So that's the upshot on the fees in the LA area...

Hey Joe, the last time I fired my airgun, I knocked a squirrel off the cliffside when he stopped to taunt me. Very satisfying.

Nath · Post by **Nath** » Tue May 18, 2010 12:03 pm

Stinks don't it Joe, you could double that bill over here!

Nath.

ceb · Post by **ceb** » Tue May 18, 2010 12:24 pm

Living in Illinois too, I feel your pain. However, it seems we are worlds apart, just with a change of a couple of hundred miles. The range I belong to cost me 25 bucks a year! Has 25yd pistol range and berms at 50, 100 and 200yds. I live in a rural area, and can literally shoot out my back door if I want and I do. Most of my deer stands are just a short walk from the house. Work is still slim though, I was laid off a year ago this past Febuary, and still have no real prospects. Jobs down here are mostly only paying in the 9 dollar range. Hard to adapt when I was making over 20. Still the roots go deep, lots of things I don't like here, but been here all my life.

Like several others here, I too enjoy my .22s. I shoot them a fair bit, and always find something to challenge me. But I shoot my 1911s, 357 and 44mags, my Mk1 2A Enfield in 7.62, my No4 Mk1/2 in .303, my 30WCF and so on, just maybe not as much. If you ever hanker to drive 'bout 4hr south, look me up, I'll buy the coffee and furnish the .22s.

KCSO · Post by **KCSO** » Tue May 18, 2010 12:38 pm

I cast my own bullets and make my own lube, I pick up once fired brass at the range when I clean up there. Other than primers and powder I am good to go and last year a friend of my Dad's died and his kids had me remove all the dangerous powder and primers from his house. 20,000 primers in GI ammo cans and 22 pounds of assorted powders. I can ride it out a while.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Tue May 18, 2010 1:01 pm

Don't TRY...DO **Yoda**

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Tue May 18, 2010 2:34 pm

Joe have you checked this place?http://www.lefthandersgunclub.org/

horsesoldier03 · Post by **horsesoldier03** » Tue May 18, 2010 3:11 pm

Joe, you sound like your about as big of a tight wad as I am. YEP shooting is definately getting outrageous. I seldom target practice anymore, however I have my niece and her husband coming to visit this weekend, so I plan to take him to the range and do a little shooting for fun. He just recently received his CCW permit. It amazes me to no end on the amount I see others spending on hunting trips. Right now most places run about $1500 for a 4 day KANSAS Turkey hunt. Its ridiculous when you consider they might get 40#s of meat if lucky and they get 2 birds. I honestly never knew turkey hunting was that popular. I guess I need to get a guides license and take a few of those out so easy to part with money and let them take a few shots out of my turkey blind. I complained when I had to spend $20 on a turkey tag.

I guess I will continue to scrimp and save and do the meager hunts that I can on Public Hunting ground or places that are nice enough to grant me hunting permission. Just think how much ammo will be running in 2012! You better stock up.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:00 pm

Don McDowell wrote:Joe have you checked this place?http://www.lefthandersgunclub.org/

Don,
Yes I have, at least twice. First time no response, second time I got a membership form, filled it out, sent it in and no response.
I gave up.

.................................................
horsesoldier03,

I'm not really a tight wad, it's just that I have thing about prioritizing where I spend my money. When I have disposable income I've got no qualms about spending it. When I don't, I'll sit it till my wallet is bulging so bad it hurts to sit on it.
That's what's going on now. I finally had to break down and buy some supplies and that just about caused me to have a stroke. Sticker shock

.... yep.
............................................

BlaineG,

Yes Master Yoda ...

.............................................

KCSO,

Yep, I'm a brass hog, I cast my own bullets, or did until I got here, and I've got most of the ingredients to cook up my own lube. I just need a clear safe place to work in, and that I don't got.

................................................
ceb,

So invite me and the missus down for a day of shooting. Got car will drive

................................................

Nath,

Isn't anything with the £ in front of it almost double the $ amount? But I know what you mean. Anything that begins as free then becomes govt regulated gets very expensive very quickly.

...............................................
El Chivo,

You gots more disposable $$££.¢¢ than I do, that's for sure.

Poor squirrel, I'll bet he won't do that again.
............................................
MikeD,

Going shooting just because was the rule rather than the exception when I lived in AZ. Back here, it's a major undertaking. But like you I've almost quit shooting. Last year I made the gun range 3 times and one of those was the get together in Indiana in June or July. This year I've been twice so far. I'm trying to go more often as I have many loads to test and gun alterations to test.
It's just not near as much fun any more.

.............................................
Old Ironsights,

Yep, I do believe this is part of the gooberments overall plan. But that doesn't alter the fact that without $$££.¢¢ I just can't do it.
Now I've not said even once that I'm planning on selling all my guns. Didn't say that. Did agree with someone about the possibility of getting rid of that persnickety Ruger and some other stuff I just don't have to have, but never said I'd get rid of all my shooters.

Joe

Chas. · Post by **Chas.** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:05 pm

I have had 2 hand guns for 40 years - a .44mag S. Blackhawk and a .357 Blackhawk. I shot them sporadically and never was very good. About a year and a half ago I bought a Ruger Super Single Six (or some such) 22. Back then I had trouble keeping rounds all on a 14"x17" paper target at 50 feet. After hundreds of rounds through that .22 over the last year and a half, I now can put most of those .44's and .357's on a 3"x5" index card at 50 feet. Shooting .22 absolutely does make a difference even when shooting other guns. I'm a believer in practice, practice, practice, even with the lowly 22.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:11 pm

Chas. wrote:I have had 2 hand guns for 40 years - a .44mag S. Blackhawk and a .357 Blackhawk. I shot them sporadically and never was very good. About a year and a half ago I bought a Ruger Super Single Six (or some such) 22. Back then I had trouble keeping rounds all on a 14"x17" paper target at 50 feet. After hundreds of rounds through that .22 over the last year and a half, I now can put most of those .44's and .357's on a 3"x5" index card at 50 feet. Shooting .22 absolutely does make a difference even when shooting other guns. I'm a believer in practice, practice, practice, even with the lowly 22.

I ain't gonna argue with you. But in this specific instance I can shoot my ancient beat up, overhauled, loosy goosy Uberti Cattleman .45 Colt into groups half the size of the Super Single-Six I've got. Now, practice makes perfect but you gotta have a gun with enough accuracy potential to make it worthwhile.
I'm working on the gun, got the tilted front sight replaced with a straight one, got a wider rear sight blade to try. If that helps get me a sight picture I can work with then we'll see what happens. After that I gotta do something about the gritty, jerky, inconsistent trigger pull.

Joe

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:16 pm

Joe it looks like their next 22 match is June 5 , might be worth a morning drive to go and take it in....

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:18 pm

J Miller wrote:
Chas. wrote:I have had 2 hand guns for 40 years - a .44mag S. Blackhawk and a .357 Blackhawk. I shot them sporadically and never was very good. About a year and a half ago I bought a Ruger Super Single Six (or some such) 22. Back then I had trouble keeping rounds all on a 14"x17" paper target at 50 feet. After hundreds of rounds through that .22 over the last year and a half, I now can put most of those .44's and .357's on a 3"x5" index card at 50 feet. Shooting .22 absolutely does make a difference even when shooting other guns. I'm a believer in practice, practice, practice, even with the lowly 22.
I ain't gonna argue with you. But in this specific instance I can shoot my ancient beat up, overhauled, loosy goosy Uberti Cattleman .45 Colt into groups half the size of the Super Single-Six I've got. Now, practice makes perfect but you gotta have a gun with enough accuracy potential to make it worthwhile.
I'm working on the gun, got the tilted front sight replaced with a straight one, got a wider rear sight blade to try. If that helps get me a sight picture I can work with then we'll see what happens. After that I gotta do something about the gritty, jerky, inconsistent trigger pull.

Joe

Joe, take off the grips and drop one leg of that spring off the stud...carefully check, and see if that don't fix your trigger pull. Like I said, just make sure it will hold with about half of the spring tension, tho, I've done that to all my single action rugers and never had a problem.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:24 pm

BlaineG wrote:
J Miller wrote:
Chas. wrote:I have had 2 hand guns for 40 years - a .44mag S. Blackhawk and a .357 Blackhawk. I shot them sporadically and never was very good. About a year and a half ago I bought a Ruger Super Single Six (or some such) 22. Back then I had trouble keeping rounds all on a 14"x17" paper target at 50 feet. After hundreds of rounds through that .22 over the last year and a half, I now can put most of those .44's and .357's on a 3"x5" index card at 50 feet. Shooting .22 absolutely does make a difference even when shooting other guns. I'm a believer in practice, practice, practice, even with the lowly 22.
I ain't gonna argue with you. But in this specific instance I can shoot my ancient beat up, overhauled, loosy goosy Uberti Cattleman .45 Colt into groups half the size of the Super Single-Six I've got. Now, practice makes perfect but you gotta have a gun with enough accuracy potential to make it worthwhile.
I'm working on the gun, got the tilted front sight replaced with a straight one, got a wider rear sight blade to try. If that helps get me a sight picture I can work with then we'll see what happens. After that I gotta do something about the gritty, jerky, inconsistent trigger pull.

Joe
Joe, take off the grips and drop one leg of that spring off the stud...carefully check, and see if that don't fix your trigger pull. Like I said, just make sure it will hold with about half of the spring tension, tho, I've done that to all my single action rugers and never had a problem.

Blaine,

Ahh the poor boys trigger job. But, my Single-Six is an old model, no double legged spring.
When I got it it had shortened springs in it. They were a bit too soft so I put OEM springs back in. I do have a set of Wolff springs I can try.
As rough as that sear is, I doubt it will make a lot of improvement. But it's worth a try.

Joe

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Tue May 18, 2010 5:26 pm

J Miller wrote:
BlaineG wrote:
J Miller wrote:
Chas. wrote:I have had 2 hand guns for 40 years - a .44mag S. Blackhawk and a .357 Blackhawk. I shot them sporadically and never was very good. About a year and a half ago I bought a Ruger Super Single Six (or some such) 22. Back then I had trouble keeping rounds all on a 14"x17" paper target at 50 feet. After hundreds of rounds through that .22 over the last year and a half, I now can put most of those .44's and .357's on a 3"x5" index card at 50 feet. Shooting .22 absolutely does make a difference even when shooting other guns. I'm a believer in practice, practice, practice, even with the lowly 22.
I ain't gonna argue with you. But in this specific instance I can shoot my ancient beat up, overhauled, loosy goosy Uberti Cattleman .45 Colt into groups half the size of the Super Single-Six I've got. Now, practice makes perfect but you gotta have a gun with enough accuracy potential to make it worthwhile.
I'm working on the gun, got the tilted front sight replaced with a straight one, got a wider rear sight blade to try. If that helps get me a sight picture I can work with then we'll see what happens. After that I gotta do something about the gritty, jerky, inconsistent trigger pull.

Joe
Joe, take off the grips and drop one leg of that spring off the stud...carefully check, and see if that don't fix your trigger pull. Like I said, just make sure it will hold with about half of the spring tension, tho, I've done that to all my single action rugers and never had a problem.
Blaine,

Ahh the poor boys trigger job. But, my Single-Six is an old model, no double legged spring.
When I got it it had shortened springs in it. They were a bit too soft so I put OEM springs back in. I do have a set of Wolff springs I can try.
As rough as that sear is, I doubt it will make a lot of improvement. But it's worth a try.

Joe

Ok...strip the lube off, cock, and while applying slight pressure to the hammer, pull trigger....that may take some of the rough out of it.....Don't overdue it, or you might round off a corner you need

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Tue May 18, 2010 7:57 pm

BlaineG wrote:<snip>

Ok...strip the lube off, cock, and while applying slight pressure to the hammer, pull trigger....that may take some of the rough out of it.....Don't overdue it, or you might round off a corner you need

Lube

, what lube? You're supposed to lube this things?

Joe