Your Best Day at the Range

Five shot clover leaf on the target at 50yards with my Ruger Super Blackhawk 44mag. Unfortunately I have lost track of the target. It was over 20 years ago. Benchrested from sand bags of course.

2.25" 5 shot group at 300 yards with my Howa M-1500 Sporter .308 prone on sandbags.

I took the pre 64 in 270 my grandfather gave me to the range for the first time. I worked up some handloads that I tested at another sight and managed to manifest a consistent sub load for it. Once I had a solid load I took it to the range. There are 5 rams at 500yds at the range. I knocked all 5 down in 5 straight shots within 10 seconds (around that time frame [didn't time it]).

2.75" group at 200 yards from a CZ 527M, seated unsupported. i.e., no bags/rest.



Same gun at 50 three days ago.



Too much fun to shoot, but I can't get to the long range as often as I'd like.

That's my best SHOOTING at the range, but absolute best day? This one, and you can guess why.

April 15, 2007 - the day I earned my Distinguished Rifleman badge. Followed closely by my top 100 finishes in the President's Match in 2009 and 2010.

Any day at the range with my daughter.

Every day on the range is a good day. The best??? The day I qualified on the 800 meter known distance range to become a Marine Sniper.

My most memorable range day was a couple of years ago. My oldest daughter wanted to share a day with me during the summer after graduating HS and heading to college.
She demanded that we do what I like best, so we spent about the good part of the day fishing the Texas gulf coast for specks and reds. After catching enough fish for a few meals we headed to the ranch for some shooting.

All her life she had'nt expressed much interest in shooting firearms and I never forced her to. This day was different in that she was anxious to do some shooting with me so I obliged her. I told her that she was going to have to load her own rounds that she was going to use and she gave me that look but I assured her that I would be guiding her through the steps and observing her and that it would be ok. She was a little hesitant but agreed.

After a brief lesson she began rolling her own ammunition. She soon had 30 rounds of 223's loaded. I have a 600 yard range right out of the reloading room so we were ready to send some shots down range. After instructing her about the rifle she was soon to be shooting, a precision AR 15 she was ready. She handled it well, her first ever shooting that rifle her 5 shot group went 1/2" at 100yds. It made me proud seeing her shoot that day and she has gained alot of interest in various types of shooting since then.

I took a few pics that day to document "our day of shooting" and cherish it.

That's Nice, I like shooting with my dad although it's expected a 14 year old guy would want to, I load my own ammo, I clean all our guns, although my dad is more of a pistol shooter, I enjoy shooting with him, aside from the fact that I'm a pretty strict rifle shooter and I'm quickly growing bored of the 300 yard rifle range at the gunclub we belong to.
No steel, No fruit boring.

When i get to sight in a new gun, it shoots tight groups and no hiccups or problems. And when all seems to go right , like no strong crosswind , the range not too crowded, nice and friendly shooters around, makes for a great day.

Also when i get to know a fellow shooter and have a great conversation. He lets me shoot his gun and let him do mine.
A bad day is when an unsafe shooter sweeps and cause a unsafe practice close to you. Or worse when something happens.

Shot "Hawkeye" in BCT in '87. That was pretty cool.

Also won a "Best overall" in a American / German pistol club match. I enjoyed that.

But generally the best days are when I go by myself with a thermos of coffee, there is no one else there, and I can really focus on what I am doing for 3-4 hours.

Last Memorial Day, Vermont State Championships. I was third overall in the Leg Match on Monday and picked up my first 8 Distinguished Rifleman points for being high non-Distinguished.

Other than that, any day at the range is a good day. Probably the most frustrating day was at the NTI at Perry last summer, waiting out the medical emergency. I fell asleep leaned against a tree on Rodriguez during the cease fire. And I missed the cut by 1 point that day.