Dimitri wrote:

Same prices once you do the AUD to USD conversion. Never could get into shotguns and skeet myself. Even ended up giving my O/U shotgun to a buddy who's shooting skeet regularly now.

SKEET doesn’t do much at all for me. What I enjoy shooting is 5 Stand Sporting and Sporting Clays. Both emulate real life hunting scenarios (quail, ducks etc). More often than not you don’t know exactly how the Clay will arrive in your shooting arcs, and these disciplines are shot from the “gun down” position. On seeing the target, you mount the gun, decide on the trajectory then destroy the target…maybe.

A good Sporting layout will have clays coming from any direction, left, right, going away, incoming, overhead from behind, from a high tower, from behind trees over water, from behind and over the top of (and disappearing behind) trees and a second target on “report”, usually from a different direction, springing Teals thrown straight up about 15-20 metres, and “rabbits” (fired from a trap and rolling along the ground very quickly…with natural “lumps and bumps” in the ground causing them to “jump”. Another difficult target I’ve seen was a bateau Clay rolling off a 30m high platform and simply dropping…very difficult to hit. A fun target was “The Rat”. A target was released (no spring pressure) and it rolled down inside an angled poly pipe, about 2m high at one end, for about 3 or 4 metres. You shot it as it left the end of the pipe. Another very difficult target was 3 individual targets fired from rear left on calling, down a gully, with the trap wound right up for max speed. You had only a few seconds of time before the target disappeared into the bush or gully.

I don’t like Trap, or as we call it, Down The Line (DTL)…it’s boring, although Trench (the Olympic Course of Fire) is OK, but you need to be really on your game.

Heading out to the Rifle Range today. Time I had some recoil therapy. Taking my Stevens 308, SMLE #5 303, Savage 223 and Model 94 30.30 to give them all a run with my grandson. We spent a couple of hours at the reloading bench yesterday teaching him the basics of reloading. The finer points will come with experience. He was very methodical and careful and not missing a thing, including a couple of cases I left in there with split necks.

The “Test of Objectives” comes today when he gets to shoot the 60 or so rounds of 30.30 he assembled. The load isn’t max…half a grain below max at 29.5gr of ADI BM8208 (IMR 8208) with a 160gr Hornady FTX bullet.

With some luck I’ll be able to sort out a load that my Stevens 308 likes. Lots of research and checking out load suggestions online…then comparing them to my reloading manuals and data should set me right. I have about a dozen or so of varying loads over two different powders, so things should come together ok…I hope.

A damn fine day at the range. I believe I’ve worked out a load for my 308, just need some fine tuning.

Had a couple of small ammo problems, but nothing that stopped me achieving my aim…that of selecting a suitable load for the Stevens 308 WIN. I tried loads in two powders AR2206H (H4895) and AR2206 (Varget) and two different bullet weights (Hornady 150gr Interlock and SPEER 165gr HotCor) at 100m and the 150gr bullet, at this time, is the bullet of choice pushed along by 45gr of 2206H (H4895)..although it will need a little fine tuning to tighten up the group.

In the attached pic, the target is approx 6” x 6” and the group is approx 40mm x 50mm at 100m. I expect I can tighten that up significantly with fine tuning.

I haven’t written off the 165gr bullet as yet, but the Hornady offering is easier to get (at this time), so I’ll concentrate on the 150gr bullet.

Shooting clays is fast becoming a dim memory for me.
3 RH shoulder reconstructions have put paid to it, shoulder just cant stand up to 75 to 100 rounds in a morning anymore. The local range had a complete management change and Im not likeing what Im hearing, so I havent wandered down there for several years.
Vince, If that groups over open sights thats not bad.

Pete

dhc4ever wrote:

Shooting clays is fast becoming a dim memory for me. 3 RH shoulder reconstructions have put paid to it, shoulder just cant stand up to 75 to 100 rounds in a morning anymore. The local range had a complete management change and Im not likeing what Im hearing, so I havent wandered down there for several years. Vince, If that groups over open sights thats not bad. Pete

I’m feeling your pain mate. Maybe you can transition over to shooting left handed. I was forced to, and while it took time to come to grips with overcoming muscle memory, I have successfully changed over now. My Clay target scores didn’t improve much, if at all, but with practice that can be overcome now that I have a quality shotgun in the Miroku Mk11.
Unfortunately life has got in the way of shooting clays, but I’m working on getting back out there.

I’m hearing you with the Ranges. I used to visit Ripley on a, sort of, regular basis (I refuse to go out to SSAA Belmont - too expensive and arrogant ROs who really p1ssed me off). With the changes with SSAA QLD and the Brisbane Branch, the bullsh1t is spreading and is now at Ripley…including price increases, albeit still cheaper than Belmont. On the 300m Range there is now a minimum of two certified SSAA ROs (often three) and the nice relaxed atmosphere has become very strict, regimented and uncomfortable…chamber tags in every firearm on ceasefires (they sell them of course at $2 each), stand behind the yellow line, wrist bands for every shooter, morning and afternoon sessions separate with an hour break for lunch between sessions, only SSAA targets allowed. Also, some of the shooters are staunch SSAA who can’t help themselves…they can be very officious about the rules and are quick to jump in and mouth off if they think you may be getting lax.

I very seriously considered leaving SSAA for the Shooters Union, but they don’t have Ranges, all they offer is a voice with the authorities, and even that isn’t very strong. We have too many small associations, most who don’t care about groups so long as they aren’t affected. We need one overall body like the NRA in the USA, an organisation with strong clout to represent all shooters.

Looks like I am going to have to spend more time out hunting to get my jollies and recoil therapy, but even that is getting harder these days. I think I’m getting old and becoming a whinging grumpy old fart.

That group was using a scope mate, after I had bedded the “Tupperware” stock. I’m no longer chasing Bench Rest groups…just minute of critter…although obviously the tighter the group, the more chance you have of achieving your trophy rabbit or critter.

Well, I was going to shoot in a Sporting Clays competition today, but my mouth and cheek haven’t settled down after a tooth extraction five days ago…I’m thinking there’s something else at play as I’m eating analgesics like sweets to try to control and kill the pain. I wouldn’t be able to get a decent cheek weld on the butt of the shotgun (the tooth removed was the upper, last in line), so I decided to not waste the ammo and entry fee…and avoid the pain from the recoil on my cheek.

Oh well, I still have the ‘honey do list’ that needs addressing, so I’ll be busy.

That group is not terrible. The verticle stringing is interesting but MIGHT close up on next reload of cases,possible a bit of difference in them. Good range techniques and firm hold of stock should help,know it does for me. At least you getting out a bit more now.

Elvis wrote:

That group is not terrible. The verticle stringing is interesting but MIGHT close up on next reload of cases,possible a bit of difference in them. Good range techniques and firm hold of stock should help,know it does for me. At least you getting out a bit more now.

Nowhere near as often as I’d like mate. There is pretty much always a reason why I can’t get out…medical appointments, aches and pains (that I try to ignore), honey do lists and of course, life.

I wish I was able to slip out to hunting spots like you…they are all so close to you. The nearest to me is about a 90 minute drive, but getting access is near impossible for two reasons…either the property owner likes the deer and won’t allow hunting, or the Aust Deer Assoc has tied up access to those properties that will allow hunting. The nearest spot I have access to is at least a three hour drive south of me and means camping in the bush (not a real problem because I love camping). However, getting a shooting buddy with the time to go out is hard as they all have commitments to work and their family…I’m working on it with one of my grandsons.

Right now, my first priority is sorting out the problems with this tooth extraction, then I can concentrate on other things.

Yeah mate,I'm spoilt really. Sitting on butt at home doing very little.have plenty of hunting all around me but don't want to fill freezer too soon or won't have excuse to head out over next two months got three small eating pigs the other day.then guided stranger onto a deer that we halved following week. Ducks are in season so shooting a few,spent four hours paddling around the other day with Poppy I back of kayak.had a ball.only brought home three ducks but the soul was refreshed.

I’ve never been really interested in duck hunting…nobody at home likes duck for eating. However, paddling around in a canoe, with a fishing rod, really appeals to me. I’ve been looking at buying a boat, either a 3.8m tinny or a Canadian canoe for a while. The tinny would need a small outboard (3 - 5 hp), or oars, which would make life easy. Many inside waterways have put an Electric Motor restriction on kayaks and canoes these days, and the cost of an electric setup is very expensive. A new “plastic fantastic” fishing kayak can cost thousands of $, so I’ve been trolling FB Marketplace for a suitable floating platform. A Canadian Canoe comes up every now and again, and they are usually cheap, but there are too many SCAMMERS on Marketplace now…I don’t fancy getting ripped off. I even thought about building my own wooden boat using the Stitch and Glue method, but again, not cheap. Oh well, maybe in the near future I’ll get something at the right price.

In the meantime I’ll keep trying to plan a trip to hunt, and I’ll be able to get the Grandson to come along (hunting on your own, while OK, is not the smartest thing to do).

The local stock n station type stores and even the warehouse have sit on kayaks at semi reasonable prices these days. Mine is a two small person,or one big and one small person semi open fibreglass jobbies. Heaps of them sitting in sheds or rotting away in gardens. A little bit of tlc and they good as gold again. Look around,you may be surprised what you find. Dingy is hell of a lot easier to get in and out of,and safer in crappy weather.

Elvis wrote:

The local stock n station type stores and even the warehouse have sit on kayaks at semi reasonable prices these days. Mine is a two small person,or one big and one small person semi open fibreglass jobbies. Heaps of them sitting in sheds or rotting away in gardens. A little bit of tlc and they good as gold again. Look around,you may be surprised what you find. Dingy is hell of a lot easier to get in and out of,and safer in crappy weather.

I’ve looked at several “sit-on” plastic kayaks (no better than a surf ski), but these don’t float my boat (pun intended), especially with my woeful balance. I’d really prefer a tinny or dinghy (same thing)…much more stable, room to store fishing gear etc and would save me getting a regular dunking. In fact I’d really like a small basic half cabin…give me somewhere to sleep after night fishing or somewhere to get out of the rain and fry up some fish…if I caught any.