Gun Post

I really need to get back into my dry-firing routine.

In other news, I'm slightly considering joining a range that has opened up somewhat close-ish to me. $400 initiation fees and $250 a year. Seems a bit steep to me, and it's about as far to the east of me as Range Partner's range is to the west of me, hence the "slightly considering" aspect of the whole deal.

On a positive note, I've figured out the trick to shooting the Arisaka. If you line the sights up in the traditional manner it shoots all manners of high. However, if you level the ears on each side of the front sight on the rear sight you still have the point of the front sight visible in the V of the rear sight, and that puts the bullets right on target.

I only shot it at a 25 yard range, adjusting the windage and my technique until all the shots consistently went into the black, but given that it's the first range session I've been able to accomplish even that I'm overjoyed. I'm also overjoyed that on a bench rest rather than in my shaky hands it groups excellently.

Next time I'll bring more ammo and shoot out to a 100 yard range, then maybe try it out to 200 yards as well. If I can get it to target and group as well at 100 and 200 yards as it did at 25 I'll take it Bambi-missing and maybe to one of the Vintage Military Bolt Action Rifle matches I've been meaning to attend.

The range also had a new steel target, and Boy and I had a great time with the Saiga making it ring.

I also patterned the EBS Project following an addition of a spacer to the stock. Without the spacer I wasn't able to get a good cheek weld. With the spacer it's better, but maybe just one more spacer would do the trick. Also, the Glock continues to eat factory loads without any troubles after the spring change, if you have an early G-36 with FTF/FTE issues I highly recommend the spring change to cure it of that particular evil.

Afterwards we helped Range Partner with some building materials relocation. Another great day making smoke and noise, and an outstanding way to celebrate on this Independence Day weekend.

A Day At The Range

The High Standard shot well, as you can see by the photo. The upper left target was shot at 20 yards and the lower right was shot at 5.

There were a handful of FTF malfunctions that were likely due to ammunition; it was just cheapie Remington ammo that I got with the Marlin. Inspection of the unfired rounds show that the firing pin seems to be working well, there was a clean indent on each of them.

I did much better with the High Standard than I did with the Glock later on. More proof that I need to get out to the range more often, it has been way too long. I didn't shoot the Glock at 5 yards, but at 20 yards I was all over the paper. I only shot 50 rounds through it, next time I'll start at 10 yards and I'll bring 100 rounds with me.

Youngest Son got an unexpected object lesson in where food comes from today as well. My range partner raises rabbits, and one of them turned a bit cannibal and started chewing on his hutch-mates. He came to the range with us and was dispatched with a .22 caliber  bullet to the back of the head.

This was a good opportunity not only to show him that meat doesn't magically appear in neat clean packages, but also that anyone who tells you a .22 can't hurt you is dead wrong. He was a bit quiet for a while, so I think the lesson sunk in pretty well.

We also shot the Mosin, the Arisaka and the Saiga. Later on when I got everything home and was cleaning rifles I dropped the Mosin (!!!!) and jarred the sights off, so next range session I will have to put them back in. Oh, darn, I guess that means I have to go shooting again sometime soon.

The day was finished off with steaks and shrimp on the barbie.

A Day At The Range

Any day spent making noise and smoke is, by definition, a good one.

The Saiga conversion works wonderfully, and the rifle has been sighted in again.  I really didn't notice much difference in the fun quotient, shooting it was always a blast but the trigger conversion seems to make mag swaps faster.  I was worried the bolt hold-back lever would interfere with the trigger finger, but I trimmed it off as per the instructions before I put it back in and I never even noticed it.

The Arisaka has been sighted in for azimuth and I think I have figured in the right amount of Tennessee elevation to at least get all the holes on the paper. I love this little rifle and I'm looking forward to shooting it - badly, most likely - in the Vintage Military Bolt Action Rifle events.  The down side is that it is so expensive to feed.

The Mosin shoots right in the middle where it should be.  The gel buttstock pad has tamed the kick down magnificently, and after 25 rounds fired I did not feel like stabbing Nazis. In fact, the shoulder does not hurt at all.  I highly recommend the Shooterpad gel filled recoil pads.  I ended up not having to adjust the sights at all, I was worried that I had moved the front sight but that wasn't the case. I'm going to be shooting this one in the VMBAR events as well. Likewise as badly, I'm sure.

And finally, I have figured out the issues I was having with shooting the Glock, and after putting almost a hundred rounds through it today I have a large sized hole in the middle of the target right where it should be. I'm really looking forward to this class next weekend, I'm thinking I'll learn a lot and my shooting will improve dramatically as a result of it.

The only two bad things that happened today is I left the Mosin's cleaning rod at the range and when cleaning the guns before putting them away I knocked an almost full bottle of Hoppes #9 on the floor.

The good news is the cleaning rods are readily available so if I can't retrieve the one I left at the range it won't take much to get another one, and now my kitchen revels in the perfume that is Hoppes #9.

UPDATE: My range partner picked up the cleaning rod for me so I don't have to order another one. Whew!

Hey, I got to go shooting today. Nothing bad can happen the rest of the day!

Finished!

The grip is here and the conversion is complete!

I think it turned out pretty well.

Parts used for 922r compliance: Tapco trigger group (3 parts), buttstock and pistol grip, and a Leapers UTG quad rail system (foregrip).

That gives me six of fifteen (I don't have a muzzle attachment) US made parts, and if I throw in the Surefire US made magazine bodies, followers and floorplates I have nine.

That means I am in compliance no matter which magazine I use, which was the purpose of this operation from the start.

I'm happy with it.

UPDATE: Range time has been scheduled. I can't wait to try it out.

Saiga Conversion

The hardware I was looking for showed up Saturday.

Unfortunately the pistol grip I was hoping to re-use is not going to work.

Twenty more bucks plus shipping and I have a Tapco pistol grip on it's way.

It should be in this week sometime, and then I'll finally get this darn thing done.

The conversion itself isn't hard to do and I think I will really like the way it works when it's done.

Pics when finished.

In The Mail

The clips for the Mosin.

It really is easier to load it with stripper clips rather than one at a time.

If the hardware for the Saiga/AK ever shows up I'll complete that, too.

Then it will be range time for all the rifles.

UPDATE: The Saiga hardware is on the way.

Modifications

There seems to be an internet group for everything.

I went looking around for Saiga stuff and found a forum, not unexpectedly I might add.  Since the Saiga is manufactured by the same people and along the same lines as the infamous AK-47 it is quite possible, and even encouraged, to move the trigger group forward from it's sporter configuration to the normal AK spot.

Moving the trigger group gets rid of some unnecessary connecting hardware, gives better trigger operation, better ergonomics, and shortens the rifle up by a couple of inches which improves its handling a bit.  It also virtually guarantees compliance with Federal law regarding imported rifles if the furniture gets changed out as well.

I bought this rifle in the condition that it presently sits. It's a pretty standard Saiga .223 under it's fancy hardware. That fancy hardware includes a Tapco T-6 collapsible stock set, a UTG MTN-HGSG39 quad rail system that replaces the forearm hand guard, a Vickers VCAS sling (which may or may not stay), a Grip Pod GPS02 collapsible grip bipod, and a quartet of Surefire .223 30 round magazines. It also has a Texas Weapons Systems dogleg scope mounting rail, in the Gen 1 configuration not the Gen 2.

With this parts listing (not counting the bipod, scope rail or sling) as long as I'm not using the standard Saiga magazine I'm in full 922r compliance. However, if I decide I want to use the shorter Saiga magazine I need a few more domestic parts.

Moving the trigger group installs three more domestic parts, which makes it safe to use the Saiga magazine.  Looking around the web one can find many conversion instructions, but this one is the one I think I will use, mostly because the author seems to have started from the same basic skillset that I possess.

So to that end I have ordered a Tapco T6 stock for the AK (I'm hoping I can use the same pistol grip that came with the Tapco Saiga stock set), a fire group retaining plate, and the necessary hardware to complete the conversion in accordance with the instructions.

It ought to be fun!

Range Report

A preliminary report can be found here, but it's scarce on details.

The first thing that was done was a sighting in at 25 yards, just to make sure everything was close enough to mark the paper. The Arisaka shot slightly high and right, about the same distance high as right, but close enough to get on the paper (or so we thought at the time).

The Saiga was also high, but slightly left. Once again, it was determined to be close enough to get on the paper.

We set the targets up at the 200 yard line and prepped the rifles. Five shots out of the Arisaka and ten out of the Saiga, and a peek through the spotting scope revealed that...

Actually it revealed that the spotting scope wasn't strong enough for 200 yards, so we had to hike the distance back to the targets. The Arisaka was high and right enough to be off the paper and on the cardboard, the Saiga was high and slightly left.

Back on the firing line the Saiga got it's sights adjusted, and we decided to fire one rifle at a time and check shot placement after each magazine (the ulterior motive was to make sure all the ammo would feed out of each of the Saiga magazines since I had some trouble with one or two of them before). Each round of firing required a 200 yard hike to the target and 200 yards back.

Since the Saiga had more capacity we started with it. By the time we were through the third magazine we had it sighted in fairly well, so the fourth magazine grouped right in the middle where it should have been. The group was in a pattern about eight inches or so across (32 rounds in each magazine) scattered evenly around the X, so not bad for iron sights.

Next we attempted to sight in the Arisaka. Attempted I say, because the tool we used on the Saiga did absolutely nothing for the Arisaka. We put 20 rounds through it total and it consistently shot about eight to ten inches high and eight to ten inches to the right, but the grouping was pretty good at about 4 to 5 inches for a 5 round magazine (once again, iron sights).

I don't know how the elevation problem is going to get resolved because there is absolutely no adjustment for elevation, but with the proper tool I should be able to get the azimuth dialed in. There didn't seem to be any performance differences between the 129 grain and the 140 grain bullets, the original Japanese rounds were 139 grains so I'll probably stick with the 140 grain rounds unless I get a good deal on something else.

We have also decided that 100 yards is a good enough distance, and since the spotting scope is good for 100 yards it would cut down on the hiking time.

Next we moved over to the pistol and shotgun range. I pulled the plug out of the Franchi and wanted to see how it did. With the plug out the magazine holds 4 rounds, two more than with the plug in. To load 5 rounds you have to first load the chamber and then load the magazine, which is kind of a pain in the nether regions due to the way the semi-auto feed system works. The grouping with a modified choke installed (the Franchi has screw in chokes, unlike the pump-action Mossberg) was pretty good at 25 yards, so it would be a good duck gun (with the plug in, of course).

I then shot about 75 rounds through the Glock and made a big hole in the middle of the paper at six yards, so I'm happy with that. I had absolutely no feed issues this time, not like during quals when I had one stovepipe on me. It may have been something to do with the ammo I purchased from the range, the ammo I had on hand did just fine.

After all was said and done and the toys were put away I said something about getting a Mosin Nagant to play with since it would be cheaper to feed than the Arisaka. As luck would have it my range buddy just so happened to have one, along with enough ammo that I should be able to pass it down to my grandkids. Russian surplus, so I'll have to get some good cleaner for the bore, but plenty of it.

So now my gun safe is multicultural; I have two Russian rifles, one Japanese rifle (the older Russian and the Japanese rifles might have either faced each other or served side by side, they are about the same age*), one American rifle and one American pump shotgun, one Italian semi-auto shotgun, and an Austrian pistol. I have rifle calibers in .22, .223, 6.5 x 50 and 7.62 x 54R so all my bases should pretty well be covered. Both shotguns are 12 gauge and the Glock is .45 so I'm pretty well equipped there, too. I'd like to get another .357 before I'm all done, maybe a 9mm and a .380, but by now I have the "needs" covered and so I'm down to "wants."

The next thing I need to do is find the proper sight adjusting tool for the Arisaka (and more ammo for it), then I will take it and the Mosin out to see how they do.

*EDIT: The Mosin and the Arisaka are not, in fact, about the same age; the Mosin is forty years younger. The Arisaka T-30 was produced in a four or five year span right around 1900 and the Mosin was made in 1943.

After Action (Preliminary) Report

The Arisaka shoots high and to the right, the Saiga has been pretty well sighted in, and I have a new (well, new to me) rifle that I have yet to put anything through. It's a Mosin Nagant purchased from the same friend that provides range time.

All told it was a pretty good day. I am presently in Roanoke VA and tomorrow we will be cruising the Blue Ridge for the day with the top down.

I hope your day was a good one as well.

Scheduled

A range session has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Planned festivities are to see how the Arisaka does with two different weights of ammo (I have a feeling the heavier bullets are going to work better with the shorter carbine), sight in the Saiga (it was shooting a bit high, but that might have been the shorter range that we were using), and get some much needed practice with the Glock.

I will be filing an after-action report on the Arisaka soon.

Someone To Look Over Me

Today I took the clan out to practice our zombie elimination skills.

Along for the ride was the .223 Saiga, the .22 Marlin and the new semiauto shotgun.

Also along for the ride was middle daughter and youngest son, the first time for both of them.

Last night in preparation for today's events I went over the Four Rules with youngest son, with the admonition that he would not be allowed to touch firearms without being able to tell me what they were. This morning he passed the test admirably.

The Marlin is still a tack driver, it consistently hits in the center at any range. It's a great little gun to teach new shooters with, but it is a bit large yet for youngest son. I'll have to get him a junior size one for his own until he grows a bit.

The Saiga shoots a bit high at longer ranges, so it will have to be slightly adjusted. Youngest son fell in love with the Evil Black Rifle, but he is a bit slight of stature yet to fire it well. Middle daughter shot a few rounds out of it and she was done.

The semiauto 12 gauge Franchi shot well, but it's plugged for 3 shots. I'll have to dig through the owner's manual and find out how to take that out.

When I shot the Saiga I was shooting at a 3" swinging target and doing pretty well with it until it disappeared. Turns out instead of hitting the center point of the target, which is what I was aiming at, I was hitting the bar that it hung from instead and two shots took the bar right off. The two shots that actually hit the target itself nearly penetrated the 3/8" steel that the target was made of.

With the swinging target neatly disposed of, the last victim of the day was a 2 liter soda bottle filled with water. I took my turn and couldn't hit it at all, Middle Daughter took one shot and missed it as well, but Eldest Son, aiming for the bottom of the bottle, put a round neatly through the center of the top about 2" below the cap. We never found the cap.

As to the title of the post, I pulled the guns and ammo out from the closet where they are stored and put them on the bed prior to loading up the Baja. As we carried everything out to the truck, Eldest Son found a golden band on the bed with the words "First Best 10 Years" inscribed inside. It was my wedding band, lost these past 6 months. Laura had it inscribed for me on our 10th anniversary.