Hehehehehe man's gotsta know his limitations, I know mine! That thing musta been a whomper!

That's an awesome range, Stovey!!!
BUT, like you said:
"And I only go to this public range on weekdays. It would be a HUGE mistake to go on the weekend. Takes on a whole different flavor- as in all the gooofballs that learn about guns from watching TV come out of the woodwork, I think you know what I mean- even the range officers laoth the weekends."

In my area, every time I have gone to a range there have been goofballs and worse. The only exception is when there is an organized competition.

so I avoid the ranges.
I carved out a lane through the woods in my back "yard" a bit narrower than a powerline access. Good to 125 yards. Also have a target area 60 yards from my front porch. That's luxury - no packing and loading the car necessary. I really need to get a set of nice gongs, though. LOVE that sound. Our makeshift "gongs" are pretty cool too, though. We have a few blocks of granite to shoot at. The .300 mag hits them with a CRACK!! and a big puff of dust and rock flakes puff into the air. It's fun to plink those at 125 yards with the Ruger Blackhawk .44.

I go to the dollar store occaisionally and buy an assortment of little rubber African animals. 3" x 2" It's a challenge, but possible to pick "kill shots" on these at 125 yards with the .204. I haven't yet found traces of the ones I've demolished with the .300 mag.
For longer distances we have to travel. A friend has a couple of pastures where we can shoot as far as 600 yds. Got to do a lot of walking to set up and check targets. NEED some gongs.

Thanks for posting the great photos. That's one beautiful smokepole!!

And - yes - I know these comments are useless without photos. I'll try to get out and take some before snow flies.

My dad made a 458 out of something, I will ask him this weekend when I am down there. I only shot it once and it hurt like Hades. But I was only 15 at the time. I do know that when my older brother shot it, it rolled him back up the embankment. The round went almost all the way through a 3 foot long 22 inch hickory log that we were shooting into the end of from around 2o yards. It was a hoot, but no one ever bugged him to shoot it again. He still has it somewhere. thats about the biggest caliber I recall ever shooting in a rifle. a day shooting my 30-06 is enough to leave my shoulder sore and gives me something to whine about for a couple days. I dont know if Id want to go much larger on a regular basis though. Occasionally I wouldn't mind it though. I guess Im just a wimp.

Stovepipe, know what you mean by tv gun nuts. Now I am not expert, and I dont intentionally try to act like one. I know once in a while I may, but I know I dont know much about it, and there is always something to learn. Hell, my dad is 80, been shooting building reloading, fixing guns for over 65 years and still is learning about them everyday. If he isnt an expert by now, I dont know who could be a total gun expert. To much for any one person to just know everything. I have seen to many self proclaimed gun experts in gun stores or at gun shows arguing over subjects neither one appears to really have more than a clue about. But hey, then again, i could be wrong on that too. I know Im an idiot, but I dont mind asking questions so I dont even up a dead idiot. lol

ok, I are gonna show my ignoramance here. But Stovepipe. What do a "Merit Device" be for aiming iron sights? Is it something the boyscouts hand out for marksmanship? LOL. but really, what do you mean?

Hang around a while .......... you'll eventually learn his language !!!

Merritt device is an aperture you attach to your glasses to sharpen the depth of field in your vision. Like a pin hole camera it makes the front post less fuzy for us presbyopic old farts.

www.eabco.com/css_sts2.html

Marty- you truly have a luxurious life set up there man!

Dan- Dawgdad nailed.

Chambered- Morning buddy! Stovey-speak is easy to understand if yer over 45 and have been shooting a while with bad eyes. The gent with the smoker had one too....us old guys still shoot open sights from time to time and w/o a pinhole device it's impossible. It's so simple it's silly and really works- try it with a piece of cardboard and a small hole from a sharp pencil. Oh- and I'm selling my 20ga Trap gun, the Russian Musket, cheap if yer intrested.

hmmm that merit device looks like something to experament with. there might be something in that that may work even for those of us with ok eyesight.
I learnt years ago to fire the big kickers standing NOT laying down prone. no it wasnt with an elephant gun just the ol single banger .12ga.... think Im a big blouse???? try it prone there is not much give and the boot has nowhere to go but into your shoulder.

well stovepipe and dawgdad, Im hittin 50 next Jan,and it wasnt until around 4 years ago that my eyes started failing. Let me correct that, it wasnt until around 4 years ago that I finally admitted my eyes were starting to fail! lol.. and as Ive said before, Ive been around guns all my life, and have shot guns since the age of 7 , but I never was into the technical aspect or much into anything except just plucking around for fun. Like shooting bottles and cans, playing cards and hunting with friends. Also, as Ive said before, my dad did all the technical aspect with guns and was not willing to share in his younger years, so I was never really exposed that much too it. What I learned up until a few years ago was just what I was exposed to and read over the years. Not until the last couple years have I pursued it more. That is why I like coming here. You guys dont seem to condemn others for asking what to you might appear to be obvious questions. That is a rare trait in this day and age.

Hey, thanks to the link DawgDad posted and a quick google, I found out why its called a Merit Device/ sight. At least I think I did. The company that started making these Iris Apertures is called " Merit"

www.meritcorporation.com/

I think I will get one and give it a try. But Id order from Dawgdads link if I do. Its a lot cheaper than the Merit sight.

This is also like the device on the sights of my US Military Mossberg 44US 22LR training rifle. Which is a great shooting 22, but it weighs more than my car ! We always called it a Peep Sight though.

Champion shooter's supply has good assortment of pin-hole devices. The Merrit one is pricey as it's adjustable and has a suction cup and it's tiny.

Anything will work even a piece of electrical tape with a hole in it as proof of concept etc.

Happy shooting!

wouldnt the tape hurt when you pull it off your eyeball? maybe I will use that Blue masking tape first to get use to it. But Im not looking forward to putting the pin hole in it. I might go to deep and stick my eye!

dan1dad wrote:

wouldnt the tape hurt when you pull it off your eyeball? maybe I will use that Blue masking tape first to get use to it. But Im not looking forward to putting the pin hole in it. I might go to deep and stick my eye!

"Hold my beer and Watch This!"

OUCH!!!!!!!!!

....funny stuff! Great visuals.