For my buddy’s birthday, I took him to our local indoor range, my treat on ammo and range fees, so that he could shoot my M1A. Now my buddy is an Iowa boy who has an AR-15 (that is still back on the farm) and hadn’t previously thought about the M-14 much, so when I bought mine he really wanted to check it out. We finally got our chance.
Since we were going to the indoor range I took off the telescopic sight of the ARMS#18 and put the Aimpoint on the forward scout rail. With two shots I was re-zero’d and then I let him go to town. I think I (and the California legislature which made many other rifle options verboten) have converted by brother! He is ready to buy and looks forward to having a rifle in hand rather than in another state.
Of course on St. Patty’s day there weren’t too many folks at the range which was good because indoors an 18 inch barrel will either push a lot of people’s buttons (too loud) or attract a crowd. My ugly ducking with its ugly desert camo pattern did attract the attention of a couple of cops again. “No, no officer it is not Pre-BAN… it was bought LEGALLY here in state… yes, this muzzle brake looks different than the old rifles because it IS legal in California… and in case you were wondering those are 10 round mags… That is pretty typical out here in CA. We are all about looks after all, and if it looks scary then it should be illegal. I politely displayed the finer points of the rifle to the LEO’s and informed them that there was a SOCOM-16 for sale right here at the range too!! Some cops are just interested in the gear, and are asking questions seemingly and perhaps truly innocently. Others are jerks who come across like it’s a quiz and they are trying to trip you up. It could be harassment to a degree, but I welcome it. If they know that there are responsible shooters out there who exercise their legal right to be armed to the teeth, but who come across as lambs then they might change their paradigm somewhat. … enough rant!
I broke out my Argentine (circa 81) surplus and was very pleased with its performance. No FTE’s no FTF’s. I admit that I cannot attest to the accuracy when shooting at a 25 yard range, but in sitting position with an Aimpoint ten rounds rapid inside of a 1 inch hole… I think it will do a good job at 100-200 yards. I burned through about 100 rounds. It was dusty in the box and a little greenish tint, but nithing to worry about.
For the first time, my rifle has been handed back and forth between shooters and was getting hotter than I have experienced it before. I am noticing the effects of a hot barrel on the Aimpoint/Scout rail combo. I am beginning to see the limitations of the utility of the SCOUT rail for this reason. Mostly, I shoot with a cold gun and I rarely shoot more than one round a minute when I am by myself at the range. I am loath to move the Aimpoint and zero it to the ARMS… Time will tell.
Later we switched to a pistol shoot off with our Beretta 9mm’s (mine is stainless and his is the anodized olive drab) on an ISPC practice target. I know many folks don’t like the Beretta 92, but both of us were holding six-inch center of mass groupings at 20 yards. My bro waxed me on the final round when he put his last five rounds almost on top of the X. You can argue a lot of “valid” issues with the Beretta M9 (i.e. stopping power, slide cracking (no longer), large clumsy frame, large clumsy grip) but accuracy, shoot-ability and reliability aren’t up for discussion with me. I’ve never had a single problem with any of the innumerable makes of ammo I have put though my pistol or any of the service pistols I've ever been issued.
Finally we finished with a Black Death Challenge with our .22’s. That is allot of fun. I might have bet the range fees on the outcome, but since it was my treat anyway, we stuck with bragging rights. If anyone is interested just google-up the Black Death Challenge and you can check out the rules and download targets. It really makes you hang it out there for the win, and can help improve your shooting skills even among your buddies while still keeping it fun. The basic idea is that the targets are all sized differently and count differently for scoring. The targets are white on black. If you ever hit an edge of the black you are dead. Your score for the whole round is zero. The smallest targets gain the most points and have the highest risk of Black Death. Place a wager and the stimulated stress level can elevate to really test your mettle and confidence in your own skills. It can be humbing and fun at the same time.
Since we were going to the indoor range I took off the telescopic sight of the ARMS#18 and put the Aimpoint on the forward scout rail. With two shots I was re-zero’d and then I let him go to town. I think I (and the California legislature which made many other rifle options verboten) have converted by brother! He is ready to buy and looks forward to having a rifle in hand rather than in another state.
Of course on St. Patty’s day there weren’t too many folks at the range which was good because indoors an 18 inch barrel will either push a lot of people’s buttons (too loud) or attract a crowd. My ugly ducking with its ugly desert camo pattern did attract the attention of a couple of cops again. “No, no officer it is not Pre-BAN… it was bought LEGALLY here in state… yes, this muzzle brake looks different than the old rifles because it IS legal in California… and in case you were wondering those are 10 round mags… That is pretty typical out here in CA. We are all about looks after all, and if it looks scary then it should be illegal. I politely displayed the finer points of the rifle to the LEO’s and informed them that there was a SOCOM-16 for sale right here at the range too!! Some cops are just interested in the gear, and are asking questions seemingly and perhaps truly innocently. Others are jerks who come across like it’s a quiz and they are trying to trip you up. It could be harassment to a degree, but I welcome it. If they know that there are responsible shooters out there who exercise their legal right to be armed to the teeth, but who come across as lambs then they might change their paradigm somewhat. … enough rant!
I broke out my Argentine (circa 81) surplus and was very pleased with its performance. No FTE’s no FTF’s. I admit that I cannot attest to the accuracy when shooting at a 25 yard range, but in sitting position with an Aimpoint ten rounds rapid inside of a 1 inch hole… I think it will do a good job at 100-200 yards. I burned through about 100 rounds. It was dusty in the box and a little greenish tint, but nithing to worry about.
For the first time, my rifle has been handed back and forth between shooters and was getting hotter than I have experienced it before. I am noticing the effects of a hot barrel on the Aimpoint/Scout rail combo. I am beginning to see the limitations of the utility of the SCOUT rail for this reason. Mostly, I shoot with a cold gun and I rarely shoot more than one round a minute when I am by myself at the range. I am loath to move the Aimpoint and zero it to the ARMS… Time will tell.
Later we switched to a pistol shoot off with our Beretta 9mm’s (mine is stainless and his is the anodized olive drab) on an ISPC practice target. I know many folks don’t like the Beretta 92, but both of us were holding six-inch center of mass groupings at 20 yards. My bro waxed me on the final round when he put his last five rounds almost on top of the X. You can argue a lot of “valid” issues with the Beretta M9 (i.e. stopping power, slide cracking (no longer), large clumsy frame, large clumsy grip) but accuracy, shoot-ability and reliability aren’t up for discussion with me. I’ve never had a single problem with any of the innumerable makes of ammo I have put though my pistol or any of the service pistols I've ever been issued.
Finally we finished with a Black Death Challenge with our .22’s. That is allot of fun. I might have bet the range fees on the outcome, but since it was my treat anyway, we stuck with bragging rights. If anyone is interested just google-up the Black Death Challenge and you can check out the rules and download targets. It really makes you hang it out there for the win, and can help improve your shooting skills even among your buddies while still keeping it fun. The basic idea is that the targets are all sized differently and count differently for scoring. The targets are white on black. If you ever hit an edge of the black you are dead. Your score for the whole round is zero. The smallest targets gain the most points and have the highest risk of Black Death. Place a wager and the stimulated stress level can elevate to really test your mettle and confidence in your own skills. It can be humbing and fun at the same time.