Gun-a-Day 31: You Say TOZ-78, I Say TO3-78 (Let’s Fire the Whole Magazine Off)

Gun-a-Day 31: TO3-78 & the January, 2011, Family Photo

The TOZ brand is sometimes spelled with a 3 for the Z (TO3) because, I guess, the 3 character is close to the Cyrillic shape for the Russian alphabet’s Z-character. I like it! It’s old-school Leet-Speak for tech-nerds and gun-geeks alike. My peeps!

The combination of reliability, economy, durability, and affordability makes this rifle a tremendous value for most anyone who wants to have fun shooting .22LR’s for fun or profit. It doesn’t need my recommendation or endorsement, but I sure do offer both to anyone interested in getting the most out of a gun-buying dollar and a gun-firing minute.

The steady, light, chilly rain was falling under a grayed-out canopy of clouds this morning as I went out with the safety on and only 10 rounds in a curved magazine. I found a pine tree at my 50-yard firing line and took a supported-standing position with my eyes on the little red plastic soda cup lid in front of the woodpile backstop. The scope covers were never opened. Today was all about the adjustable iron sights on this tough little Russian gun.

My semi-auto Browning Sporter may still be King of the Cabinet when the Zombie Squirrel Horde is on the loose, but this gun is the sentimental favorite– my Tovarisch! “TOZ-vidanya.”

Shot o’the Day: It’s the January Family Photo!  What an odd-looking clan, huh? They’re quite a random conglomeration of styles and purposes and personalities …

In all, I was privileged to put 12 guns to work this month, and it was not unwelcome work in any way for me. Seven rifles (and one is also a .410 shotgun) and five pistols were put to the test, and they passed with distinction, even when I didn’t always excel in my own results. I love a good test of just about any kind at just about any time, and I loved seeing what I could do without worrying about needing to impress anyone (including myself). I wanted the chance to get out every day and do something with my guns, and I hoped to learn some things in the process. I certainly have learned a great deal, and I am very, very thankful that January worked out so well.

And, hey, how ’bout this target? Six shots from 50 yards are clearly on the target with the regular sights. It’s a bit wider than a squirrel’s center mass, but I’m closer than I’ve ever been to feeling like I could ethically and responsibly take a 50-yard shot at a varmint/pest, and that’s one of the very welcome results of this first month of the Gun-a-Day project.

Wait. Did I say six shots on target? Isn’t it amazing that I managed to get all of the other four through that straw-hole opening there at 7 o’clock?! Is that some remarkable shooting, or what?!

Yeah … right. 🙂

No, I can deal with– if not exactly accept– a 60% success rate today, knowing that I have a chance to do better next time I try to make my allergy-watery eyes work with the surprisingly accurate standard sights on this unassuming, understated, over-achieving rifle.

It’s not exactly the smartest idea to buy firearms on a whim, but this is one impulse transaction that I’m more and more grateful to have completed. It has been a great help in my training and learning process.

Lord willing, I’ll be even better prepared and consistently accurate as the days and weeks add up. If I am able to reach the 365-days of shooting goal, then I’ll know that I have made the most of the blessings I receive on a daily basis.

How am I thankful? Let me count the ways.

1. The blessing of abundance which makes this project possible. My small income and many work hours still affords me so much more luxury than so many others in the world. I do not take that for granted.

2. The blessing of health which makes this project manageable. I’m overweight and under-trained and the quality-control inspector was on a smoke break when my bones were “knit together,” but I’m able to stubbornly and happily do the things I enjoy and then complain about the aches and pains at will. I do not miss the significance of that opportunity.

3. The blessing of interest and enthusiasm for target shooting which was always in the back of my mind but was encouraged and supported by my good friend, Russ. I do not pretend that I’m a self-sufficient lone wolf.

4. The blessing of a property where I can walk out the kitchen door and be on my own private range and hunting ground. My wife and I have worked so hard for so long to have this modest little place, and we know that it did not come to us for any reason other than God’s provision and direction.

5. Of course, the blessing of our nation’s freedom is so crucial to this whole situation. I do not mistakenly disregard the value and the genius of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the foundational Amendments which have proven so resilient and dynamic for 200+ years and counting …

6. Last and most important, I’m humbled by the blessing of safety over all of these days and all of this activity with my firearms. I do not confuse the difference between God’s amazing grace and my own careful but inevitably-human-so-therefore-fallible safety efforts. I have to be vigilantly cautious and constantly responsible, but ultimately only God can be credited for any safety and success I experience.

Gun-a-Day 30: TO3-78, .22LR, Bolt Action, Simmons 4×32 scope, prone at 50 yards

Today’s Mission? Prone shooting, part II (just when I thought it was safe to enjoy another perfectly mild, breezy, and sunny day).

The potential for redundant self-indulgence was pretty serious, since the plan for iron-sight shooting turned, at the last minute, into another practice round with the scope. But it turns out that I learned some very good things that I might not have otherwise. I also found from the pictures that I had some very tight shot pairs in the process (interested parties may refer to shots 12 & 13 and 14 & 15 in the time-lapse– the first two touch over another hole, and the second pair are almost single-holers at 3 o’clock on the target edge).  No doubt there’s a bit of good fortune involved in those shots, but they did happen, and this gun is taking on legendary and heroic proportions in my mind …

Today’s Documentation? The “gallery “picture” is the time-lapse video (in part ’cause I just found out that my Flickr account is getting overloaded … I’m running out of free storage space) which includes the rifle on the shooting mat at the end.

Today’s Recognition? Did I say shooting mat? Actually, in classic, Gun-a-Day cheapskate style, that black throw is a barbecue grill pad that I got on clearance. It works great, with its plasticized pad, as both a ground cloth and as an indoor gun-cleaning catch-all-base. No stains on carpets or tables …

But enough about a stupid piece of black synthetic fabric! What a hoot today’s shoot was! The rimfires were poppin’ and flyin’ with wild, blustery, ballistic abandon. How great is it to be able to post another 50 for 50 round? Pretty great.

Today’s Lesson? I do much better with smaller targets! Counter-intuitive but true. This is the tightest total group I’ve ever shot at 50 yards (or any other distance to the best of my knowledge), and I’m pretty sure I owe most of the credit to the pizza-box cardboard insert and the 2-inch Shoot-n-C target for helping me concentrate and center better than ever.

I may only use the 6-inchers for 100 yard-plus shooting from now on. This is definitely my new strategy for 50-yard targeting.

Shot o’the Day is the “one that almost got away” out where the target was held in place. I’m really happy with how compact this total group is, and the “flier” is the exception that proves the point.

Today’s Observation? Not so significant, but genuinely interesting to me: these cheapo, bent-aluminum/steel (?) yard sign holders are tough. The shot that turned the target and tore a big chunk out of it actually hit the pressure-pinch circle, and the wiry, stubborn, little widget didn’t do much more than turn in place.

In fact, it seems to have dropped the bullet dead in its path. I think I found it after the session (seen on the right in the target close-up). Sure does fit like a glove in the cardboard indentation and tear. The major deformation leaves it as a kind of “smear” of lead. It got the worst end of that confrontation.

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised to find that my collarbone was still tender from a couple of days ago. Now it’s even more so, but I just look at the target grouping, and the pain fades into the background … The wooden butt-plate may get a small recoil-reducing slip-cover sometime this year, though. Just for extra length of pull, of course!

Today’s Resolution? The scope issue is completely settled in my mind. This rifle deserves the best glass I can put it. It won’t be the best there is (can’t afford that, I’m sure), but I do intend to upgrade the optics on this pretty-doggone-near-to-a-tack-driving firearm. I feel like I’m obliged to ol’Tozzy …

Tomorrow: iron sights … no, really!

Gun-a-Day 29: TO3-78, .22LR, knee-rested seated position, Simmons 4×32 scope with Butler Creek flip-up lens covers

Well, if this wasn’t the first time I’ve ever tried elbow-to-knee, seated shooting, I’d be more disappointed with my results, but I’m going to have to accept 47 out of 50 on target and just be happy that my 3rd or 4th shot (according to the time-lapse below) was centered, and there were a couple of nice key-holed pairs in the session as well.

In addition to this, the position experiment also led to a significant discovery. That is, I do NOT like seated shooting. Yes, okay. I need to lose at least 25 pounds, and maybe I’d be much more comfortable. I’m working on it. Promise. In the meantime, I had a hard time holding on target, and I had a hard time avoiding a recurring problem with the oxygen-debt shakes.

Knee-rested shooting is not for me. My days as a little league baseball catcher caught up with me long ago, and my congenitally-twisted vertebrae don’t take too kindly to long stretches of sitting as still as possible in one position. Those issues and the weight concern all add up to my not planning to try that set-up again any time soon. The results weren’t bad-bad, but they weren’t that good, and it wasn’t very comfortable. All good stuff to know. 

The shots went downrange much more quickly today. The action is either loosening up a bit, or I’m getting more familiar with it, or both. Both is probably right. I had to keep reminding myself to take an extra second for the sake of the time-lapse effect.

Then again, it appears that 3 shots didn’t even make the cardboard at all, so I must have been rushing a bit too much. Also good to try and good to learn. The pictures tell the story. Here they are …

So what are the positives today? At least two things stand out: Ammo & Accessories.

Well, I finished off the last of the Federal Round Nose .22LR’s yesterday, so I was curious to see how my buddy TOZ would like the coppered hollow-points. Also Federals, but I recalled as I was cleaning guns last night that I’d had a feed ramp problem with this rifle when I first tried it out. The owner of my favorite gunshop in the area stood by our trade deal and smithed it up a bit to make it more like a ramp and less like a brick wall. I haven’t had any serious feed issues since, and I was glad to see that the hollow-points chambered just fine. That’s a very, very good thing, ’cause I’ve got about six boxes of hollow-points left which I’ve stockpiled on and off during the “Great Ammo Shortage of ’09 & ’10. They’re great in the Brownings, and they work just as well in this Russki-rifle.

Also: I do not like the sling currently on this gun. It’s a Remington with .410 and/or large caliber holders, so it’s not meant for a .22, and I only have it on as a “short-term, temporary” thing, but it’s funny how that kind of stop-gap can end up lasting for years? Not this time, though. Once summer hits, I’ll definitely be looking through my spare parts bins for a good, “permanent” replacement.

The accessory on this rifle that I do like very much is the pair of Butler Creek flip-up lens covers I installed last year. Wal*Mart and a couple of shops I stop in once in a while all had a number of sizes on clearance, so I just grabbed up anything that looked close to my optics and put them on whatever fit. I wouldn’t have worried about this scope at all, but the covers were exactly right for them, so on they went. I’ve tried “bikini” covers elastic band-connected slip-overs and a number of other things, but these flip-ups are the only thing I ever want to use on anything I currently own. They work, and they are so convenient– completely no-hassle– and efficient. Being a person who might tend to be able to lose just about anything at any time from a pocket or range bag, I’m completely sold on these “always attached” gizmos. They get Gun-a-Day’s highest recommendation.

That and a buck-fifty won’t get anyone a latte-mocha-vente-whatever, but it is my endorsement nonetheless, worthless or otherwise. Good on ya, Butler Creek!

Now, the time has come for shot o’the day, and it’s a sad little fella. In the interests of full-disclosure integrity, I need to point out that I don’t know for sure that this is one of the three that missed today’s board, but I offer it as a representative example of shots that string low (at least 4 or 5 shots have missed the target backboard altogether in the last 2 or 3 days. This is, I guess, one of ’em. The little copperhead ended up in the short railroad tie section that I have been using to “guard” my iPhone 4 while getting the time-lapse shots. Sure glad that old chunk of wood was sitting there!

I found it while looking for slugs and fragments in the backstop, and now it’s safely stored away in the bullet-bucket with all kinds of company in all kinds of sizes and, now, shapes.

We had gorgeous, pre-Spring weather, and I felt very blessed to have this excuse (along with the deadfall clearing, tree-felling, and trail-building I did) to be out in it, having fun with my time, my tools, and my little tract of land. God grace is great (and amazing).

Gun-a-Day 28: TO3-78, .22LR, 4×32 Simmons scope, prone position at 50 yards

Lay-flat shooting is new for me, and it gave the perfect excuse for another session spent with this little Russian beauty. I’m not sure exactly why I haven’t done much of it (other than the need to think through what I might use for a ground mat and how to avoid getting myself and my gear all grungy, but I was happy to realize that this rifle and this breezy-cool, sunny-sky-warm day was the perfect combination for a Gun-a-Day exercise. At first, I found some unexpected challenges with “shouldering” the rifle from flat out on my stomach. I must have very pronounced collarbones or something, because I couldn’t find a spot for the wooden butt-plate to stabilize without it bothering me. I probably didn’t have a quality hold on the gun, but that is another good reason for continued practice. Maybe an elbows-to-knees seated position would be a good mission for tomorrow. Just about any excuse will do to keep me operating this piece of equipment.

That relatively small discomfort in no way minimized my enjoyment of another opportunity to test this gun and to be tested by it. I was getting tired and a bit stiff by the end. My admiration is deep and wide for battlefield soldiers who have had to ignore such aches and pains while fighting for their lives and my/our freedom. Respect.

My fascination and infatuation with this rifle continue to deepen with every multi-magazine target session. The time-lapse video shows that my first three shots were a nice little group, and the rest of the shots were spread a bit, but the overall results were very encouraging for a first-time, ground-pounding lead-toss. Today’s session was also about learning more about doing time-lapse photography. I positioned my iPhone closer than ever on the Owle Bubo rig, and the results are much more satisfying than the previous attempts. So far, there has been no problem of any kind with debris or bullet deflection. I don’t yet have the confidence to put it this close with anything but .22-caliber rounds in play.

I need to take a moment in the middle of all this to express my gratitude to God for His blessing in my life and on my family. We are so, so grateful for the privilege of owning this property. We’ve worked very hard, and some people have much more to show after 25+ years, but we love our little wedge of acreage, and we feel God’s mercy, favor, and kindness every day we are here.

Like no other place we’ve ever been, our home and woods and meadow and pond and gardens provide such a sense of peace and satisfaction that we have an almost unlimited source of inspiration each day for living out the wisdom of Psalm 92:2, which advocates the practicality and propriety of “declaring His love in the morning and His faithfulness at night.” What a humbling, exciting, fulfilling thing it is to be the undeserving recipients of God’s overflowing generosity.

Shot o’the day is, once again, the one that got away. Down below the 5 o’clock spot, a single, small hole is left from the shot which went downrange just as my throat caught in mid-swallow and caused me to shift my position to head off a cough. I’d let a bit too much creep into the trigger, and I said, “Oh, that’s not good,” as soon as the firing pin did its duty. It’s disappointing to not reach my goal of three straight “50 out of 50” days, but I should just be glad it’s on the board at all. All of this has me in a bit of a dilemma– caught between two ideas which both make good sense to me. The first is that I should never do anything to mess this system up by messing with the optics or anything else. If it is this accurate, I should leave well enough alone. The second idea is very compelling, though. I’m really wondering what 3-9×40 glass would make possible on this rifle. I’m beginning to think that similar accuracy at 100 yards is very possible, and my eyes just aren’t clear enough to see the center ring from that distance on just 4x magnification. I’m not going to rush into anything, but there’s a chance that a few days of Gun-a-Day work, later in the year, may be spent sighting in a different scope. It already sounds like great gun-fun.

On another note: if there is a person out in the big wide world who is more of a cheapskate shooter than I am, I would definitely like to meet him or her, because I’d like to learn a few tricks from them that I could put to use. Until then, though, there is no one in my circle of life who even comes close to operating on the shoe-string budget and scrap-management target-design “plan” that I follow, and I’d be glad to know if there are ways to cut the budget even more to the bone. I don’t even have the decency to be embarrassed by my fun-with-stickers target for the day.

As an example, I’m glad I finally realized that I don’t have to just throw away the target borders from the Shoot-n-C sheets. Not only can the unused pasters become target pieces on their own, it’s nice when they’re  surrounded by the yellow sheet-edge on a target sheet. I’m out of the 6-inch targets now, but I think these leftovers will do just fine for a while. After that, I might just start pulling out those plastic Pepsi bottles I’ve been saving up. The logo make a great little center ring …

There’s no risk of my work being mistaken for a professional endeavor, though, that’s for sure, but I am just as surely enjoying it all as great educational fun …

Gun-a-Day 27: TOZ-78, .22LR, Simmons 4×32 scope

Just in case my official, Gun-a-Day position has not been made clear, this declaration is announced:
My little Russian-born, almost-balsa-woody, small-bolt-y rifle is fanTOZtic!

Before getting home, I was planning to shoot with iron sights, but I had so much fun yesterday that I started developing new mission scenarios just to make sure I could string the practice sessions out for a few more days. So, today’s “job” (“Please, Sir, may I have some more?”) was to hit the 50-yard firing station again, employ the scope, and take a seated position, using an elbow-to-knee rest and support arrangement.

The scope doesn’t quite give me enough magnification to see target hits clearly, but I saw just enough yellow on the Shoot-n-C target to know that the first five rounds went alright. From there, I not only managed what I think is a decent group (all on the target once again) but also  shot the whole set at least twice as fast as I did yesterday.

I aimed faster and triggered quicker than my usual tendency to over-think, under-breathe, and over-wait on shooting (too often to the point of beginning to shake for lack of oxygen), and the results are very “acceptable.” For me, they’re downright fulfilling.

I picked out all Federal round-nosed cartridges (“lead-heads” in my book, ’cause they have no copper coloration– nothing but smooth, gray metal.

As I type, it occurs to me that I have rarely (if ever?) done a session of prone shooting. Perhaps tomorrow! Also, this rig is just begging for a time-lapse photography work-up, too.

Before getting too far ahead of myself, I’ll make the call on shot o’the day. It’s another cumulative pattern on a target affixed to an otherwise un-holed piece of cardboard which was “painted” with lead “markers” as the red-orange sun sunk into the gray-green fields under cloudless, ice-blue skies full of chilling, puffing breezes which were being scraped clean of farm smells by abrasive, lively pine needles and dead-dry (and yet stubbornly still branch-bound) oak leaves. A faint trace of bonfire-spiced ash and coal was floating as one of the thermal layers of near-earth atmosphere– nothing is better as a stress-relieving aroma on a deep-darkening, shadow-lengthening, temperature-plummeting mid-winter’s night.

All that and the smell of rimfired gunpowder residue and the sight of thoroughly-plugged target paper? What a great way to let go of daylight and start soaking up moonlight.

=== +++ ===

What It TOZ?

It was designed practically. It was produced economically. It was made sturdily. It was priced reasonably.
It was fitted capably. It was finished unpretentiously. It was distributed effectively.
It was marketed straightforwardly. It was reviewed favorably.

It was purchased confidently.

It functions reliably. It handles comfortably. It rests steadily. It aims easily. It presents handsomely.
It performs notably. It triggers consistently. It fires satisfyingly. It kicks almost-imperceptibly.
It reports pleasantly. It prints impressively. It travels lightly.
It cleans quickly. It stores conveniently.

It is valued affectionately.

=== +++ ===

Gun-a-Day 26: TOZ-78 Bolt Action .22LR, Simmons scope and iron sights (25, 50, and 100 yard settings)

I might never have expected to find out that I not only wanted to own a Russian-made rifle, but that I would also like it so much and find it so easy to use and accurate to shoot that it would become a go-to favorite. But after getting the Remington/Baikal and finding it such a solid, reliable rifle/shotgun combination and after reading a September 2008 American Rifleman article about the Winchester Wildcat version of this rifle coming to the U.S. market, I decided that I’d like to try one on for size.

Turns out it’s a great fit for me. All the better that a visit to my local gunshop revealed that not only had the owner heard of the model, he actually had one of them on the rack over his shoulder. Not only that, it was the actual TOZ version, not the adapted/imported version Winchester has licensed, so the original (better, in my opinion) bolt-shape, the hood/ring front sight, standard forearm shape and tri-flip sight were all in place (all of which I like much better than the Winchester-nuanced model).

Incredible. I took that as a sign that my plan/goal to find a decent Remington Nylon 12 at a decent price (good luck, right?) needed to change. A bit of haggling and negotiating for a Beta C-Mag swap later, and I was loading this unit into my truck for the short ride home to begin what I hope will be a life-long association with this handy little tool. A spare set of see-through scope rings were dug out of the gear bins, and spare Simmons scope was set in place. The sight-in process was quick and simple, and it was all set up in almost no time at all.

I have never had a moment’s regret about that change of plans.

Simply put, it’s fun to shoot this thing! I found a three-foot square of salvage formica and pressboard counter-top, slapped a Shoot-n-C in the middle of it, propped it up in the target pit, and returned to the 50-yard firing position. Using an improvised, y-yoked monopod (and the left front fender of my truck), I took an easy, still stance and starting sending bullets downrange. With aim held throughout at center-red, the cluster-pattern was very consistent– up and right. On the target between the center and two o’clock.

Wow! I think I achieved one of my main Gun-a-Day goals today. Unless there was a stray shot off by more than about two feet in any direction, I managed to put all 50 shots on the target today with my inexpensive, bare basics, post-Soviet-era, Russian-made bolt action rifle. There’s no let-down of any kind, though. It’s not like that goal is met and now I’m off to something else. No, the opposite is the case. I am eager to see if I can match, meet, or exceed this impromptu result day after day after day after day.

I looked the counter-top scrap over very carefully when I got done, and I could not find any off-target holes. Afraid I was missing something obvious, I looked the whole thing over very carefully from both sides. There are no other holes than those made on and through the target.

And these results don’t surprise me in the least. This is a sweet, simple, solid, straight-shooting gun, and it’s a personal favorite for all those reasons and more. Even the scope is a no-nonsense, nothing-fancy, little loss-leader of a bargain basement optic, but it lined up easily and has kept pretty close to zero in spite of a major move and multiple gun-storage relocations.

The reverse-side photo is shot o’the day. I love seeing all of the chunks out of that one area and no holes– nothing— anywhere else.

This is exactly my idea of Gun-Fun!

Though I did not use them today (soon!), I know from past experience that the iron sights flip-adjust distance graduations are accurate (dead on) and intuitive, too. And I may be putting them to work tomorrow or soon thereafter. I’ll also be re-zeroing it with one or more sessions before it goes back into the cabinet. Every session with this will be enjoyable, and the confidence I feel in the platform seems to translate directly to my expectations for effectiveness and accuracy in my results.

There’s no fine craftsmanship or mil-spec tolerances or custom detail to this rifle. No, it’s a proletariat peasant of a gun, but it’s a workhorse that knows its work and gets it done with a minimum of complaint and hesitation.

If only I were that industrious and focused and hard-working and quiet about my challenges and frustrations …

Gun-a-Day 25: Bond Arms Ranger II + PDX1 .410 ammunition

I drove home in the rain, in the dark, and in a state of semi-exhaustion, but I had a job in mind for the Ranger. A couple of days ago, I thought I’d be able to let it go, thought I’d be able to just fire the “normal” shells as the break-in rounds, thought I’d be able to save the super-shells for the “real thing.”

But by the middle of this afternoon, I knew it was absolutely necessary to get home asap and get some Winchester PDX1 shells run through this mini-cannon. I wasn’t sure I had a target that would do them justice (something squishy or puffy or thick and brittle), but something would be figured out, and these attack-ending loads would have their chance to match up with this Texas-proud, hand-held, mini-tank gun.

Or, at least almost absolutely necessary.

If I were a rich man, maybe I would have taken time to let a couple gallons of milk in jugs sit in the sun and curdle up nice and smelly. They’d make a nice mess in response to shotgun fire, and it would look great on the slow-mo playback. If I were a richer man, I’d probably have dedicated vats filled with Mythbusters-grade ballistic gelatin just jigglin’ in anticipation of being struck by flying metal. If I were a rich, rich man, I’d probably have my butler doin’ all the shooting for me, and what a bummer that would be, so I’m just going to be happy to be under-funded and overly-cheap and that I found this novelty-sized, jumbo-button, truck-stop-bargain-sale calculator that no longer works laying around in the garage stacks.

I didn’t know for sure how it would turn out, but it figured to be good enough for at least a slight bit of friction effect on the Certs-shaped slugs and buckshot BB’s that comprise the wad-contents of the PDX1 shot-shell. I don’t have any idea of how to visualize or comprehend the combined forces of kinetic energy bound up inside them. Even if I understood all the gunpowder and force+mass mathematics, I still don’t think I’d understand it in any kind of personal way. These shells are very intimidating just sitting quietly on a shelf all to themselves. They start to look even more mean and jumpy when they slide into their chambers.

Trigger control and aim-accuracy both improved, mostly because practice enhances familiarity, and familiarity does not have to equate to distraction or disinterest. I drew the pistol, set the hammer, two-handed the grip, sighted the front blade, confirmed the target, touched the trigger, released the safety, breathed out into the cold, wet, night air, and fired. Several holes appeared on the target in concert with a strong kick and a loud report (even with quality ear protection). I repeated the steps and fired again. I think the first round circled low, and the second round arced high.

The kick was still strong, but I’m very glad for the practice, because I’m getting more comfortable with it rather than more tentative and flinchy from it. Maybe it also had to do with the PDX1’s, too. Regardless, I’m totally and completely sold. These are my rounds of choice for the Ranger. Maybe one Hornady ballistic-tipped .45LC and one PDX1 shell. Great day in the mornin’, what a potent combination that is.

Shots o’the Day are found all over the plastic husk of a cheap electronic device where it appears that all of the slugs ended up on target. One slug was sitting out loose on the timbers behind the target, still looking like a little tab of candy (slightly deformed) with hefty weight to it.

The back of the calculator (which is like eight or nine inches wide by 14 or 15 inches high– once again, approximately center-mass, torso sized) shows the impact holes a bit more clearly. Best I can tell, all slugs hit, and some of the pellets must have, too, ’cause I can’t account for all of the holes without ’em.

My guess is that while the 000-Buck shells may be packed to “lead” above and away from center-aim (not intended for stationary targets, are they?) and the smaller buckshot is spun out and around a bit by the slight rifling of the barrels, these Winchester personal defense rounds are designed to go straight out and straight into (and through) whatever is directly in front of the barrel(s).

I’m going to just accept the idea as highly probable that the calculator warranty has been well and truly voided. Oh, well … In fact, I feel it’s safe to say that just about anything this ammo hits will no longer be functional and will have its warranty unmistakably and permanently voided. And that’s all I have to say about that.

This will also close the Gun-a-Day book on the Ranger II for the time being. If the rain is gone tomorrow, I’ve got an old, favorite friend in mind for some 50-yard targeting, and I’m so eager for some bolt-action action that I may not let the weather have any say in the matter at all.

Gun-a-Day 24: Bond Arms Ranger II .410/.45LC (Another Day, Another Dollar’s Worth of Ammo)

A stunning sunset of the light pale blue behind burnt orange-edged clouds and bruise-purpled treetops was breaking my heart on the way home for at least two reasons. The first was its throat-choking beauty (I took such a quick, deep breath when I saw it that I couldn’t get a word out). The second was the fact that I was 10 minutes from the house, and the darkness was dropping like lead-weighted canvas, so I knew I’d be taking aim well-past sundown and on into night by the time I got out of the truck and out to the range.

A jumbo LED emergency spotlight put a beam of faux-daylight on the line of sight to the target, though, and I was good to go. So was the Ranger. On my way home, it occurred to me that the time between yesterday’s first and second shot was just plain unacceptable for any kind of urgent-response-necessary situation, and it seemed like I should find out what it was like to run 000-buck through my newly-tested, tiny-giant super-Derringer.

It was helpful to pretend that my wrist wasn’t still hurting from yesterday’s initiation into the Bond Arms Click-Bang Club, especially since I need to know that I am comfortable and confident with it in hand.

Maybe tomorrow the comfortable part will improve …

Shot(s) o’the Day can be seen on this improvised, scrap-cardboard and cover-dot target which was almost exactly as big as my chest from neckline to the bottom of my rib-cage. The buckshot patterned left and high, but there were shots on center, too, from my spot about 10-12 feet away. The three .32-caliber pellets in the 000 shell were, as usual, high and left (the uppermost hit at the extreme top of the target material, just above where the shot-shell’s wad went through), but all were “on center mass” … for what it’s worth.

The only real problem (and it is a genuine concern) was that I could barely get the trigger pulled on the second shot. There was no “quick” to that follow-up. The pull-weight was much heavier than I remember from yesterday, but I’m also considering that the awkward hand-hold grip is a big part of the issue, too. There was a long “creep” to the trigger, and the pressure necessary to pull it definitely pulled me off-center, aim-wise.

I really do like the weight and feel and look of the gun, so it’s definitely worthwhile to keep experimenting until I find the right strategy and steps for ease of function and improved target accuracy. I went two-handed and with both eyes open for point-without-precise-aim shots (which seems the most likely method in a surprise-threat, up-close, them-or-me attack scenario), and I think I can do much better tomorrow with this extra-heavy trigger weight in mind.

Once again, I thought I might just fire it one day and move on to something else, but reflection can be educational, and I realized during my mental playbacks today that I want and need to try a few more rounds to know what to expect from the gun and from myself when handling the gun.

Hey, the wrist doesn’t hurt too bad either, so I’m pretty sure I’m good for a few more rounds. That means that it’s not quite sundown on this pistol’s break-in period … come to think of it, I’ll have to try to get a picture of the sunset reflected off that pair of stainless steel barrels, too.

It think that might be right perty.

Gun-a-Day 23: Bond Arms Ranger II, .45LC/.410ga.

This is the first of what might be several “Firing a Brand New Gun for the First Time” days this year. What’s more fun and interesting than that?

Today is January 23rd– that is, 1/23, so I wanted to feature a gun that was “easy-as-1-2-3” to operate. My first inclination is to think, “Shotgun,” when my idea is to have an easy time putting holes in and on a target, but I’ve had this Bond Arms beauty in-hand but off-range since early last December, and it eats .410 shells along with .45 Long Colt rounds. My curiosity won out (and I’m in .45 caliber-cleaning mode right now anyway), so I called it good and chose my ammo, and headed out under heavy, thick, solid, gray skies (cold, too!).

I put a six-inch Shoot-n-C (which also gives a clear scale to the pistol itself– it’s no scrawny little pocket pea-shooter) in a torso-sized box lid and stepped off 10-12 feet. I aimed the first two LC’s with the blade front sight on center-red. The first shot was on the target– high and left. The second shot ended up higher but on line straight above the first. It couldn’t be that I was already flinching, could it?

Seems all too likely.

After aiming two, I wanted to “hip-shoot” a couple. As a last-ditch, close-range weapon (whether the threat be a poisonous snake or a “person-ous” one), deliberate aiming may not be an option, so I want to be practiced at the fluid motion of draw-cock-release safety-point-fire. Or as fluid as I can make it …

I knew enough to expect a serious kick from a shotgun shell, but after the third LC (also high and wide), I one-handed a #6 round and immediately tried to figure out if I’d broken my wrist. Wow! What a snap. Probably a good thing I left the 000-Buck in the house this time. Turns out all the bones were in place, but that wrist will be sore for a time. No major problem, but it’s another reminder that I need to improve my grip and hold strength.

The shot patterned pretty well on the target and box. The other two shells ended up wide-high right and wide left, but every shot left obvious damage. The biggest hole of all in middle-left, and it’s from the last shell’s wad. I wouldn’t want to be hit even by one of those!

The gun works. No question.

Shot o’the day is the pic of this LC slug.

That is one seriously intimidating hunk of heavy metal– a horse-pill of a bullet … some very bad medicine. And that’s just the flat-nosed Cowboy Action slug. I’ve also got a speed-load strip of ballistic-tipped Hornady Critical Defense rounds for “real” home security or concealed carry use, and their potential for devastation is almost scary.

Not being a card sharp (and not being a cheating or suspicious player or even a gambler of any kind), I don’t plan to keep this up my sleeve or at the ready under a felt-covered table. It’s a great carry piece with the proprietary holster included in the Ranger package. Not too concealable (for me anyway), but the weight of it and cross-draw positioning give it a seriously Wild West feel which is nicely complemented by the miniature circled-stars on the holster and the grips.

The Ranger II version appeals to me because of the trigger guard, too. It’s removable, but I like the extra sense of safety– at least comfortable familiarity– it provides. In the interest of full disclosure, it should be pointed out that the hold is not a natural fit for my hands. I’m still working to find the grip position that will be best for me.

Easy as … one … two … three!

I bought this as much for my interest in the engineering and design as in the practical use issue, and it’s a product of the Republic of Texas, and I like that, too.

I sincerely hope I never have to use it in an emergency. I don’t even want to think how much hearing damage it would do, especially in an enclosed space like a vehicle some thug might try to car-jack.

Please, Lord, no.

Gun-a-Day 22: Kimber Ultra RCP II, .45ACP, slide-top groove-rail sight, Episode VI (Return of the Wannabe-Dead-Eye)

The good news is that the total group is much more tightly bunched this time, and there’s even hit on that snobby little center-red dot (that’ll teach ‘im), and there are at least 11 shots on the target. I guess that means that there’s not any real bad news, but I sure would like to see all of the holes on the target sometime …

That 7 + 1 start was instructive. Having developed the habit of starting empty, I pulled the first slide after counting seven shots. As it dawned on me that a round was chambered, I realized that this could be a good idea in a competition (or, more significantly, threat-to-life) situation. If  I remember to pull the clip after 7, then there is no re-racking needed for the new magazine. The eighth round keeps the semi-auto action going. 

I “loves me” some target practice, and I got to wondering today about the Luvs diaper box I’ve been shooting at all week. I’ve just about used up all of the usefully-sized scrap and storage boxes around the house, so I set out to see how many days I could get from this one. Seemingly, it’s got a long history already? How many years has that thing “been in the family,” I wonder? Both of our daughters are in college, so if we bought in bulk and used the cube for storage (“FINANCES” is what is says on the flap), then it might be 15 or 16 years old … maybe we just got it from a store’s pitch pile for our last big move. That would still be almost eight.

Never let it be said that we don’t like being environmentally-conscious here at the Gun-a-Day Show. In addition to collecting about half a pound of spent lead after firing and photographing was done, this box still has puposes to serve. By the time this now-heavily-perforated container ends up as fire-starter down in the bonfire pit below the pond, it will have been “recycled” for multiple uses at least eight or nine times and will have lasted for a good 15 years or more. Not bad for a stretch of corrugated pulp and binding agents which may have started out in the first place being made from recovered materials.

Shot o’the Day 22: my “don’t try this at home, even though I’m no expert, so why should I have tried it or be presuming to tell anyone else not to” picture. I have not been satisfied with the time-lapse shots I’ve attempted so far, so, in the spirit of “No Try, Only Do-ism,” I chose to put my iPhone 4 just outside the line of fire and up-close-and-personal to the target. With a small section of railroad tie as a guard for the camera set-up, I pretended that everything would be fine and any deflections or shrapnel or wood chunks would not damage it as long as I wrapped a padded belt-bag around the smartphone’s body and left only the lens exposed. This “Bubo” rig by Owle for my iPhone 4 includes a macro lens for full depth of view pictures and video, and I want to learn how to use it to shoot better pictures at least as much as I want to learn how to use the Kimber to shoot better target groups.

As it turns out, everything was fine. There were lots of wood chunks flying though. If I’ve done things right, the video should also be embedded here. If not, then please just take my word that it wasn’t just a “Try.” I “Do’ed” it, but it didn’t turn out well enough to use … (looks like the video [really a time-lapsed string of photos] works).

Wow. So it turns out that my one center-hit was the first shot. That seems like a very good thing, but it also feels to me like that makes the rest of the shots a bit more disappointing … the “dead-eye” thing may be right, but the rest of the body may not be in sync …