The word of the day is “waning.”

Waning light. Waning energy. Waning focus. Waning confidence, and, truth be told, waning enthusiasm due to yesterday’s less-than-thrilling performance.

But we press on the best we can here at the House of Gun-a-Day, so after a bit of a Sunday afternoon siesta (more like a “snore-esta” in my case), I grabbed gear and headed for the 50-yard station after setting up the time lapse rig in an effort to keep the “waning” from turning into whining.

Please allow me to direct your attention to the upper-right squared circle. In square number seven (lower left of that target grid), I gained first-hand experience with that elusive and seductive quality that so many others admire about the .17HM2 cartridge.

Yes, that’s right. As of today, “inherent accuracy” is no longer a theory, a rumor, or a friendly bit of advertising hyperbole. No, I have now seen it for myself, and all my doubts are blown away.

The time lapse images show that the eight hits in this square are from nine consecutive shots. Number 8 struck in the square above, but these are all well-inside one square inch.

Most satisfying (and shooting-addiction-enabling) are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th shots from this 10-shot set. The bullets from those shots (upper middle of that square) overlapped their edges to the point that they make one ragged, long-ish hole (and there are other key-holed pairs in the set, too).

There is a measure of good fortune in this because I can’t see the target in any detail with this non-magnifying scope, but the shots are real, and, in this case, they are also real close together.

Without further ado, may I present the 44th Shot(s) o’the Day:

The target was all wrong for 50-yard shooting with non-magnified sights (at least for my middle-aged eyes), but the evidence is clear and settled:

1. This rifle can be fired to a consistent point of aim

2. The ammunition (though there are still stove-pipe jams) is also accurate-as-advertised.

3. The sight is effective for what it is, and it is now close to dead-centered.

4. I am able to aim and fire it well enough to satisfy my fairly modest goal of being squirrel-center-mass-accurate at 50 yards.

My conclusion is: whining is no longer necessary, and any remaining small shreds of waning enthusiasm have been completely blown away!

=== ( • ) ===

Wow! This ammo is grittiest, grimiest and cruddiest (yes, these are highly technical ballistic terms, but please don’t be intimidated by the jargon) I’ve ever used, as today’s main picture shows (I hope it’s clear in this picture).