It is funny, but not always in a ha ha sort of way, how the recent pandemic has changed many lives, but to keep this in a high road focus, it has changed how shoot as well.
I personally like to shoot small groups, and long range steel, but I have a few things I need to accomplish that I have not gotten around too while being "isolated at home".
I want to Chrono some BP guns, with and without cartridge conversions, this is better done on BLM Land as it takes a little time to set up the chrono, and align everything etc. I also want to shoot my 1851 at 50 and 100 for the fun shoot. So, this got me thinking, maybe I should just do a BLM Trip, closer to home (less gas) less crowded (social distancing) less ammo expended (hard to find components and ammo), BP revolvers (though caps are hard to find these days I do have enough for this) .
When I go to the Range, I would typically take my 6.5 Stealth, .223 Varmint, and a few pistols to practice with, punch out some holes at 10, 25, 100, 200, and steel out to 1000.
It would not be unusual to go through 500 or 600 rounds of ammo in a 3-4 hour range trip more if the wife or son go with me, between pistols and rifles, and while I do have reloading supplies, I am unsure of how things are going to go for the foreseeable future, so, I second guessed my normal choices and started thinking about taking some .22s instead of the 223 and 6.5, I can still shoot small holes, I have revolvers and pistols, I have "target quality" rifles, and it will cost less and I have lots of .22 ammo.
Well, if I am just taking .22s, then I don't need to drive all the way to the range, I can just go out to BLM Land for 25 to 50 to 100 yards. Closer to home (less gas) less crowded (social distancing) less hard to find ammo expended (hard to find components and ammo), and I could take the BP revolvers.
Crazy that we have been in this mess for more than a year now, and as I look back on the last year, I realize I have only gone shooting 4 or 5 times. Usually I go shooting at least once or twice a month (winter sucks, but we have an indoor that is 30 mins away).
Where I would typically not think twice about the drive, and/or shooting several hundred rounds of 9mm or 223, and another hundred or two of 6.5, I am now thinking about shooting just .22 and .22 mag rifles, which I like to shoot, but I am picking these because I have a lot of this ammo, and I am talking myself out of the drive to the long range (50 mins each way) in order to save gas, social distance, save components, etc.
Sorry for the rant, but, wow, this has been a crazy roller coaster the last year and I have come to realized I have gotten into a rut that I have to knock myself out of and get on with my life.
i am going shooting this weekend one way or another.
Is it just me or are others feeling the same need to shake off the cobwebs?
Dave
I personally like to shoot small groups, and long range steel, but I have a few things I need to accomplish that I have not gotten around too while being "isolated at home".
I want to Chrono some BP guns, with and without cartridge conversions, this is better done on BLM Land as it takes a little time to set up the chrono, and align everything etc. I also want to shoot my 1851 at 50 and 100 for the fun shoot. So, this got me thinking, maybe I should just do a BLM Trip, closer to home (less gas) less crowded (social distancing) less ammo expended (hard to find components and ammo), BP revolvers (though caps are hard to find these days I do have enough for this) .
When I go to the Range, I would typically take my 6.5 Stealth, .223 Varmint, and a few pistols to practice with, punch out some holes at 10, 25, 100, 200, and steel out to 1000.
It would not be unusual to go through 500 or 600 rounds of ammo in a 3-4 hour range trip more if the wife or son go with me, between pistols and rifles, and while I do have reloading supplies, I am unsure of how things are going to go for the foreseeable future, so, I second guessed my normal choices and started thinking about taking some .22s instead of the 223 and 6.5, I can still shoot small holes, I have revolvers and pistols, I have "target quality" rifles, and it will cost less and I have lots of .22 ammo.
Well, if I am just taking .22s, then I don't need to drive all the way to the range, I can just go out to BLM Land for 25 to 50 to 100 yards. Closer to home (less gas) less crowded (social distancing) less hard to find ammo expended (hard to find components and ammo), and I could take the BP revolvers.
Crazy that we have been in this mess for more than a year now, and as I look back on the last year, I realize I have only gone shooting 4 or 5 times. Usually I go shooting at least once or twice a month (winter sucks, but we have an indoor that is 30 mins away).
Where I would typically not think twice about the drive, and/or shooting several hundred rounds of 9mm or 223, and another hundred or two of 6.5, I am now thinking about shooting just .22 and .22 mag rifles, which I like to shoot, but I am picking these because I have a lot of this ammo, and I am talking myself out of the drive to the long range (50 mins each way) in order to save gas, social distance, save components, etc.
Sorry for the rant, but, wow, this has been a crazy roller coaster the last year and I have come to realized I have gotten into a rut that I have to knock myself out of and get on with my life.
i am going shooting this weekend one way or another.
Is it just me or are others feeling the same need to shake off the cobwebs?
Dave
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