Rain in Southern Nevada?!

[loose noose]

Well here I sit this morning cause of the dad gum rain, got all my "honey do's" done yesterday and I planned on going out and do the final touches on that new GPR flintlock that I completed (accuracy wise). Whoever heard of a downpour in the southern tip of the desert known as Nevada. Man, I got my targets with the target holder in the truck, along with the shooting bench, and all the accessories. Oh well such is the life of a city dwelling frontiersman.:banghead:

 

[BADUNAME30]

Mmm...perfect conditions to go out and round up some snakes, scorpions,tarantulas 'nat.
Of course, i'd have my trusty ROA strapped on in case i ran into a renegade posse LOL

 

[loose noose]

Oh well there is allways tomorrow, I don't believe I ever seen it rain 2 days in a row.

 

[mykeal]

There's always a first time.

 

[loose noose]

Gee thanks mykeal, just what I needed, encouragement.

 

[YumaKid]

Hey - we were supposed to get that stuff down here! I'm not complaining, though; I wasn't gonna make smoke and noise today - instead work had me 42 miles from my un-tarp'd haystacks, so the sun was my friend.

Latest radar map (15 minutes old) says my high school bud and my rodeo pals in Kingman are still getting a little wet; but I'm guessing that you're staring up at blue sky by now.
Gotta jump over onto one of my other hangout forums (deals with old orphaned Mercury Cougars) and see if one of my contacts in Pahrump had to get swim fins for his horses this time.

 

[loose noose]

Yuma Kid, well I got out shooting this morning, and I believe I got er dialed in. We did get some more rain this afternoon. Unbelievable, out here in the middle of the Mojave Desert and we keep getting rain, go figure. I'll have to post some pics later on and do a little bragging. Sure had plenty of wind this morning though but it was steady. Could only shoot out to 50 yards which is about as far as I plan on shooting up in the UP of Michigan.

 

[loose noose]

Here is the photo I promised of the results of the .50 cal Flintlock, after I dialed it in with a 15 mile wind blowing fairly steady. I'll do some more shooting just before I take off to UP Michigan for the deer hunt up there. Note the first 4 shots, I kept adjusting the sights to get it closer to the POA, the elevation is fairly simple, however the windage is quite a bit more difficult, I had to use a small hammer and a brass rod. Anyway the last 4 shots hit fairly close to the POA, with the wind blowing in that direction. Take note all shots were taken from my portable bench with a rest on the forearm, Using 80 grns of Goex 2F.

 

[snakeman]

We had 11.5" here in ballinger, tx about a two weeks ago. It's normally very dry here and towns were going to drought stage 3. The massive rain wiped out a bunch of our fences and caused us a lot of work. Here's the thing though, it's rain and we love it. You're in the desert! Quit griping and appreciate the rain!

 

[loose noose]

Hey snakeman, it was so hot and dry here in southern Nevada, my cactuses started dieing, believe me I'm not complaining just griping, 'cause black powder and rain just don't mix.

 

[BADUNAME30]

Guns are like snakes, If you don't hate them...You love them.

Snakeman..i sure could use a big ole male pituophis sayi from yer neck o' the woods

 

[YumaKid]

Hey noose, good shootin'! Just don't forget to take that brass rod and a small beatin' tool to take the windage out of that front sight when you get up there and it's dead calm!

See now, when it rains down here; I'd go shootin' anyway. Everybody else stays home and my son and I get the whole joint to ourselves. Nice big awnings over the benches at Adair Range; but nobody want to get a little wet. Smells great, too. Wet creosote bushes, greasewood bushes, a couple-three Sonoran mesquites just as wet..... mix up all those smells with a little powder smoke (even if it's only Pyro) and a pot of coffee burblin' on the Coleman stove. Man, that's gooooooooooodddd.

(((I'm sorta half-tempted say that I keep the powder jugs parked right next to the burning stove (to keep it dry, of course); just to see who on the Forum would start screamin' and making veins pop out on their foreheads!
But I won't say it, and wouldn't do it anyways. The 2 oldest kids (both girls) are gone and starting or maintaining thier own families; but I still have the 16 y.o. son at home and a 3 y.o. grandson living with his parents a little over half-way between Des Moines and Omaha, smack in the middle of flyover country. I want to see both those boys grow up to be men before I can die in a stove-gas-and-powder explosion. Besides, it would probably mess up that awning a bunch)))

To shoot in the rain I've got some Birchwood-Casey "Dirty Bird" targets that flash some orange when they're struck. They're plastic, not paper; so they don't get all soggy on ya. Hang 'em on the 3/4" re-bar target racks with some tie wire..... wet don't bother us a'tall!

 

[loose noose]

Hey YumaKid, I can appreciate the smell of wet greasewood, mesquite, and all that, but where I shoot, it's all open range, no roof of any kind. However, I did shoot in the prone position in a proverbial downpour from the back of my pickup's camper shell, but that was with my .223 (AR-15) several years ago. No ramrod to speak of.

 

[Gatofeo]

I live in the remote desert of northwestern Utah. Yep, we get occasional downpours of hard rain that lasts for hours, and may do so for a number of days.
Nothing unusual about rain in the desert this time of year.
We also get a fair amount of snow. I've seen 14 inches on the ground, in the 15 years I've been here. What makes it a desert is the lack of precipitation for months during the summer -- but fall and winter, rain and snow are common.
Friends in southern Idaho and southern Utah report the same.
When it rain, I find "rainy day" projects to do.
When the rain or snow stop, and if the wind is calm, that's the best time to go shooting -- I have fewer concerns about setting the dry, desert grass on fire.
I haven't been shooting most of this summer, because of the drought. The dry grass is thigh-high and everywhere. One spark or small flame and a wildlife is sure to erupt. The West has been plagued by wildfires all summer. I refuse to add to its woes.

 

[loose noose]

Gatofea, This is the real desert out here, I've been out here over 20 years, and I've seen snow out here once, and it didn't even cover the ground. As far as tall grass goes, all we get is a few sparse weeds, and they have a hard time growing, we do have a lot of sand though. I very rarely shoot in the summer, because of the heat. I know western Utah is beautiful, as well as Idaho, however I find a lot of beauty right here in the middle of the desert, that is the real desert.

 

[BADUNAME30]

Wet creosote bushes, greasewood bushes, a couple-three Sonoran mesquites just as wet..... mix up all those smells with a little powder smoke (even if it's only Pyro) and a pot of coffee burblin' on the Coleman stove. Man, that's gooooooooooodddd.

Dang, Yuma.....i can close my eyes and take in those aromas.

(((I'm sorta half-tempted say that I keep the powder jugs parked right next to the burning stove (to keep it dry, of course); just to see who on the Forum would start screamin' and making veins pop out on their foreheads!

I want to see both those boys grow up to be men before I can die in a stove-gas-and-powder explosion. Besides, it would probably mess up that awning a bunch)))

 

[BADUNAME30]

Here is the photo I promised of the results of the .50 cal Flintlock, after I dialed it in with a 15 mile wind blowing fairly steady. I'll do some more shooting just before I take off to UP Michigan for the deer hunt up there. Note the first 4 shots, I kept adjusting the sights to get it closer to the POA, the elevation is fairly simple, however the windage is quite a bit more difficult, I had to use a small hammer and a brass rod. Anyway the last 4 shots hit fairly close to the POA, with the wind blowing in that direction. Take note all shots were taken from my portable bench with a rest on the forearm, Using 80 grns of Goex 2F.

That's some real gratifyin stuff right there Noose.
And..a dead deer for sure i must add.

How 'bout some pics o' the finished gun ?

 

[loose noose]

Hey Jim I posted about 4 pics of the rifle shortly after I completed it, remember? Now I'm getting ready to finish my Flintlock Pistol, and believe me that is a real pain in the butt. Thought I had it all completed about a week ago and found out I had to take a bit more off the tang area, in order for it to fit properly, which meant more refinishing to match. Anyway I'll post a few more of the rifle before to long.