I think this would be a very good idea. I see firefighters and LEO types open carrying in regular clothes all the time. I even have a kid LEO who wears a gun in one of my TJC classes. Let's pack some HEAT! It would work for citizens just as well. This blog has the contact information.
Call the calendar committee and ask them to let the open carry bill go up for a vote: HB 2756. 512 463 0758.
I did and also emailed everyone on the list with my own email. Just doing a little. Each.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
1911
My standard match load- 4.5 grains of Titegroup under a 230 Sierra Matchmaster in a Winchester case with a Russian primer.
1911 in the front. K22 behind.
Dallas Pistol Club Regional EIC//LEG Match.
Scoring timed targets at the 25 yard line.
Pistol on the line between strings.
On the line, firing.
Shooting from the shade.
Chief Denson.
Gary scoring at 50.
More 50 yard scoring.
The walk-through on the 25 yard berm.
Shannon scoping his target.
Drove over in the AM for the Sunday, Mother's Day shooting of the Distinguished Pistol Match and NRA Distinguished revolver. Actually I had forgotten all about shooting revolvers and just took my 1911. I didn't shoot well nor badly but ended up having the top score in the LEG match with a 263X3. Good for another six points and making my total 20. I need 30 points for the badge so the suffering will continue. Just enough folks to give one LEG so the six points I got were all there were.
Like to be double distinguished, rifle and pistol. It's rare. I think it's much harder to get rifle Distinguished badge. I'm just a tourist with a pistol. Course of fire is 10 rounds in 10 minutes at 50 yards with a Service pistol. Two five-round strings in 20 seconds each at 25 yards and then two stings of five rounds each in 10 seconds at 25 yards. 30 rounds total. Nothing to it.
I borrowed a nice S&W K38 with a good grip and free ammunition for the NRA Distinguished Revolver Match. NRA Distinguished is not the same at all as the CMP Distinguished. The fellow I borrowed it from shoots right-handed but left-eyed and I ended up having to hold about a foot off the aiming black low and to 7:00. I made it go and shot a 250- second place to his 256. Nice shooting revolver, and old K38 with a six inch barrel. Fun to shoot.
I have a Diamondback and a Python...both with 4 inch barrels. Wonder what it would cost to re-barrel one of them to six inches for Distinguish Revolver matches?
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Cousin Wallace blows air.
Every once in a while my cousin Wallace sits down does a little actual research. Here's his email in total:
About a month ago I borrowed my co-worker's Crossman "Titan" break-barrel .22 calibre pellet rifle (model # C8M22NP) that has the new nitro-piston system instead of a conventional spring piston method of propulsion. As some of you know, the spring piston system could be considdered a tad unpleasant to shoot due to the "recoil" produced. I believe the recoil to be less on this system and it seems a bit more pleasant to shoot. He has a 3X9 scope mounted on this rifle as it has no provisions for iron sights. It is a fairly heavy rifle having a wooden thunb-hole stock and is full sized.
I have little experience with these types of air rifles and was told by my co-worker that the rifle was sensitive to the way it is held upon firing. Sure enough, I tried holding the rifle "tight" and shot a 3-shot group and then "loose" for a 3-shot group. The group sizes wern't much different but the point of impact differed about 1.5" at only 15 yards! Wow, I never dreamed it would make that much difference. If a consistent "hold" is not maintained, then it surely will effect group size.
The Crossman was hefty enough to feel like a real rifle. I wasn't particularly happy with the trigger. While smooth, it was a super long pull, not unlike a double-action only pull. I am told aftermarket triggers are available which are better. Cocking effort wasn't too bad, a little stiff perhaps for a small person but the avg person shouldn't get sore muscles. Loading was easy with the breech exposed. Care was taken to fully seat the pellet so as not to damage the skirt when the barrel was snapped closed. It was apparent this was no toy. This is a powerful rifle. I shot through a 1/2" thick piece of OSB with a pointed pellet! Definitely has some punch!
I had recently recieved my chronograph back from being repaired after a bullet came apart & splattered the front display, so I was anxious to try it out. I figured this was an excellent time to compare the Crossman break barrel with my Benjamin model 392 pneumatic. I set up a benchrest in my backyard to minimize human error and placed my targets at 20 yards with a suitable backstop in my back yard. Wind wasnt much of a factor as the yard is surrounded by a wooden fence and I tried to do this on a day when the wind wasn't howling. The chronograp was set 5 feet in front of the muzzles so the actual muzzle velocity would be just slightly higher than recorded. I decided on 3-shot groups for group size, average velocity, standard deviation and extreme spread figures. I normally use 6-pumps for my Benjamin so I settled on that as a standard. On two pellets, I tried 8-pumps just to see what effects on velocity and groups size would be. I also tested my old Crossman 2200 Magnum pneumatic rifle (6 pumps) with a couple of pellets just to see how it would compare. I've had this rifle since sometime in the 1980's so it's kinda old. Also tested my Benjamin model 242 pneumatic pistol (6 pumps) for grins. All groups were shot with issue iron sights except for the Crossman Titan which I used the 6X setting on it's scope. Below are the results.
Ben Rifle w/6 Cross Titan Cross 2200 Ben Pistol w/6
Daisy Precision Max avg 582 fps avg 673 fps avg 492 fps avg 365 fps
Flat-Pt ES 6 fps ES 10 fps ES 31 fps ES 4 fps
Avg wt 13.62 grs SD 3 fps SD 5 fps SD 16 fps SD 2 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 10.23 ft lbs 13.68 ft lbs 7.31 ft lbs 4.03 ft lbs
Group Size 1.120" 1.936" 2.959" 1.282"
Daisy avg 586 fps avg 679 fps avg 517 fps avg 369 fps
Pointed Field ES 8 fps ES 20 fps ES 17 fps ES 14 fps
Avg wt 13.73 grs SD 4 fps SD 10 fps SD 9 fps SD 7 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 10.46 ft lbs 14.04 ft lbs 8.14 ft lbs 4.15 ft lbs
Group Size .963" 1.312" 1.302" 1.857"
Predator avg 551 fps avg 616 fps
Polymag ES 3 fps ES 11 fps
Avg wt 16.23 grs SD 1 fps SD 5 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 10.93 ft lbs 13.66 ft lbs
Group Size 1.102" 1.053"
JSB Match Diabolo avg 530 fps avg 582 fps
Exact Jumbo Heavy ES 3 fps ES 9 fps
Avg wt 18.12 grs SD 1 fps SD 4 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 11.29 ft lbs 13.61 ft lbs
Group Size .708" 1.145"
The Crossman Titan averaged 637.5 fps vrs the Benjamin with 6-pumps avg of 562.3 fps for an advantage of 75.2 fps to the Crossman. The energy advantage of course also went to the Crossman with an average of 13.75 ft lbs to 10.72 ft lbs for the Benjamin. Best average accuracy went to the Benjamin with the 4 pellets averaging .973" vrs the Crossman with a 1.362" average. Of course, some of this may have been me not holding the Crossman as consistently as needed. I was trying to be as consistent as I could for a fair test. The Extreme Spread (ES) and Standard Diviation (SD) was more consistent with the Benjamin as can be seen in the figures. I do not know why this is but it was bound to help with accuracy. The Benjamin, in my opinion, is a more pleasant rifle to shoot. No recoil and a trigger that is somewhat easier to manage. It's trigger isn't light or creep free, but it does seem to break within reason.
I did shoot the Benjamin rifle using 8-pumps on a couple of the pellets to see how the velocity/ES/SD/energy & groups sizes would compare to the 6-pump test. Here are those results.
Daisy Flat Point avg 626 fps / ES 4 fps / SD 2 fps / energy 11.84 ft lbs / 1.328" group
Daisy Pointed avg 634 fps / ES 13 fps / SD 7 fps / energy 12.24 ft lbs / 1.009" group
There you have it. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the Benjamin. I like the Crossman being more powerful but, it is a harder rifle to manage. Unexplained "flyers" are hard to tolerate. The long trigger isn't very user friendly. The Benjamin is very predictable and easier to shoot. It isn't as adaptable for scope use but has the advantage of being "varible power" depending on what it's needed for. I have found that with only 6 pumps, it is plenty potent for small critters/rodents...it will drop a squirrel easily. I have 4 "squirrel notches" on it already! You do have to spend time & effort to "pump up" the Benjamin. With the Crossman it's one cock and you are ready. That's a little faster & a little less effort if that matters to you.
As for pellets, the big surprise was the daisy pointed field pellets. For a cheap bulk pellet, they did pretty well. They obviously have an advantage at any distance, being more streamlined. They also seem to penetrate better...plenty enough to drop Mr Squirrel out to about 20 yards or so if properly hit. I think the JSB Jumbo Heavy roundnose pellets are a great choice too, especially at extended distances as their extra weight makes them carry further and hit harder. They delivered excellent accuracy too. The old Crossman 2200 Magnum was OK but not in the same league with the better rifles. Of course, it's approaching 30 years old too. The Benjamin pistol is about 26 years old and has slew it's share of grackels and a squirrel or two. It's 20 yard accuracy surprised me. It would be a lot easier to shoot if it had a lighter trigger.
I hope this report served as entertainment and was informative. It answered a few questions for me and was fun. As always, I welcome comments, good or bad.
Wallace
About a month ago I borrowed my co-worker's Crossman "Titan" break-barrel .22 calibre pellet rifle (model # C8M22NP) that has the new nitro-piston system instead of a conventional spring piston method of propulsion. As some of you know, the spring piston system could be considdered a tad unpleasant to shoot due to the "recoil" produced. I believe the recoil to be less on this system and it seems a bit more pleasant to shoot. He has a 3X9 scope mounted on this rifle as it has no provisions for iron sights. It is a fairly heavy rifle having a wooden thunb-hole stock and is full sized.
I have little experience with these types of air rifles and was told by my co-worker that the rifle was sensitive to the way it is held upon firing. Sure enough, I tried holding the rifle "tight" and shot a 3-shot group and then "loose" for a 3-shot group. The group sizes wern't much different but the point of impact differed about 1.5" at only 15 yards! Wow, I never dreamed it would make that much difference. If a consistent "hold" is not maintained, then it surely will effect group size.
The Crossman was hefty enough to feel like a real rifle. I wasn't particularly happy with the trigger. While smooth, it was a super long pull, not unlike a double-action only pull. I am told aftermarket triggers are available which are better. Cocking effort wasn't too bad, a little stiff perhaps for a small person but the avg person shouldn't get sore muscles. Loading was easy with the breech exposed. Care was taken to fully seat the pellet so as not to damage the skirt when the barrel was snapped closed. It was apparent this was no toy. This is a powerful rifle. I shot through a 1/2" thick piece of OSB with a pointed pellet! Definitely has some punch!
I had recently recieved my chronograph back from being repaired after a bullet came apart & splattered the front display, so I was anxious to try it out. I figured this was an excellent time to compare the Crossman break barrel with my Benjamin model 392 pneumatic. I set up a benchrest in my backyard to minimize human error and placed my targets at 20 yards with a suitable backstop in my back yard. Wind wasnt much of a factor as the yard is surrounded by a wooden fence and I tried to do this on a day when the wind wasn't howling. The chronograp was set 5 feet in front of the muzzles so the actual muzzle velocity would be just slightly higher than recorded. I decided on 3-shot groups for group size, average velocity, standard deviation and extreme spread figures. I normally use 6-pumps for my Benjamin so I settled on that as a standard. On two pellets, I tried 8-pumps just to see what effects on velocity and groups size would be. I also tested my old Crossman 2200 Magnum pneumatic rifle (6 pumps) with a couple of pellets just to see how it would compare. I've had this rifle since sometime in the 1980's so it's kinda old. Also tested my Benjamin model 242 pneumatic pistol (6 pumps) for grins. All groups were shot with issue iron sights except for the Crossman Titan which I used the 6X setting on it's scope. Below are the results.
Ben Rifle w/6 Cross Titan Cross 2200 Ben Pistol w/6
Daisy Precision Max avg 582 fps avg 673 fps avg 492 fps avg 365 fps
Flat-Pt ES 6 fps ES 10 fps ES 31 fps ES 4 fps
Avg wt 13.62 grs SD 3 fps SD 5 fps SD 16 fps SD 2 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 10.23 ft lbs 13.68 ft lbs 7.31 ft lbs 4.03 ft lbs
Group Size 1.120" 1.936" 2.959" 1.282"
Daisy avg 586 fps avg 679 fps avg 517 fps avg 369 fps
Pointed Field ES 8 fps ES 20 fps ES 17 fps ES 14 fps
Avg wt 13.73 grs SD 4 fps SD 10 fps SD 9 fps SD 7 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 10.46 ft lbs 14.04 ft lbs 8.14 ft lbs 4.15 ft lbs
Group Size .963" 1.312" 1.302" 1.857"
Predator avg 551 fps avg 616 fps
Polymag ES 3 fps ES 11 fps
Avg wt 16.23 grs SD 1 fps SD 5 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 10.93 ft lbs 13.66 ft lbs
Group Size 1.102" 1.053"
JSB Match Diabolo avg 530 fps avg 582 fps
Exact Jumbo Heavy ES 3 fps ES 9 fps
Avg wt 18.12 grs SD 1 fps SD 4 fps
Avg Ft Lbs Energy 11.29 ft lbs 13.61 ft lbs
Group Size .708" 1.145"
The Crossman Titan averaged 637.5 fps vrs the Benjamin with 6-pumps avg of 562.3 fps for an advantage of 75.2 fps to the Crossman. The energy advantage of course also went to the Crossman with an average of 13.75 ft lbs to 10.72 ft lbs for the Benjamin. Best average accuracy went to the Benjamin with the 4 pellets averaging .973" vrs the Crossman with a 1.362" average. Of course, some of this may have been me not holding the Crossman as consistently as needed. I was trying to be as consistent as I could for a fair test. The Extreme Spread (ES) and Standard Diviation (SD) was more consistent with the Benjamin as can be seen in the figures. I do not know why this is but it was bound to help with accuracy. The Benjamin, in my opinion, is a more pleasant rifle to shoot. No recoil and a trigger that is somewhat easier to manage. It's trigger isn't light or creep free, but it does seem to break within reason.
I did shoot the Benjamin rifle using 8-pumps on a couple of the pellets to see how the velocity/ES/SD/energy & groups sizes would compare to the 6-pump test. Here are those results.
Daisy Flat Point avg 626 fps / ES 4 fps / SD 2 fps / energy 11.84 ft lbs / 1.328" group
Daisy Pointed avg 634 fps / ES 13 fps / SD 7 fps / energy 12.24 ft lbs / 1.009" group
There you have it. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the Benjamin. I like the Crossman being more powerful but, it is a harder rifle to manage. Unexplained "flyers" are hard to tolerate. The long trigger isn't very user friendly. The Benjamin is very predictable and easier to shoot. It isn't as adaptable for scope use but has the advantage of being "varible power" depending on what it's needed for. I have found that with only 6 pumps, it is plenty potent for small critters/rodents...it will drop a squirrel easily. I have 4 "squirrel notches" on it already! You do have to spend time & effort to "pump up" the Benjamin. With the Crossman it's one cock and you are ready. That's a little faster & a little less effort if that matters to you.
As for pellets, the big surprise was the daisy pointed field pellets. For a cheap bulk pellet, they did pretty well. They obviously have an advantage at any distance, being more streamlined. They also seem to penetrate better...plenty enough to drop Mr Squirrel out to about 20 yards or so if properly hit. I think the JSB Jumbo Heavy roundnose pellets are a great choice too, especially at extended distances as their extra weight makes them carry further and hit harder. They delivered excellent accuracy too. The old Crossman 2200 Magnum was OK but not in the same league with the better rifles. Of course, it's approaching 30 years old too. The Benjamin pistol is about 26 years old and has slew it's share of grackels and a squirrel or two. It's 20 yard accuracy surprised me. It would be a lot easier to shoot if it had a lighter trigger.
I hope this report served as entertainment and was informative. It answered a few questions for me and was fun. As always, I welcome comments, good or bad.
Wallace
Friday, May 6, 2011
Grand Canyon
Jetpacking over the Grand Canyon. Unbelieveable place. I've applied for Artist in Residence there next year.
Update: Another great idea, shot to hell!
Update II: He makes the flight.
Update: Another great idea, shot to hell!
Update II: He makes the flight.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Walking Lucie
Had to dip back inside and pull a fleece top off the rack. I thought fleece was over for the year. Very crisp morning in the 40s. Walking home with an ebay package, .45 brass and three knives. Came around the corner and a youngish Black Vulture was eating a squirrel that got flattened a few days ago at Bois D'arc and Rusk. Walked right up to him. He nearly stayed in place.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
TSRA Mid-Range Video is up.
Shoot, shoot, shoot. Wind blows. Shoot, shoot, shoot. More wind. Then we give awards.
Ebay Vintage Knives.
Lower knife in todays mail. Wonderful blade. Aircraft windshield acrylic handle. The other was a re-handled Kinfolks blade.
Like Christmas in April. Two cheap knives in the mail, both theater-made knives from WW2. Cleaned them up. Good sheaths though one doesn't fit. Something will. I'm basically buying anything that catches my eye and reselling the non-favorites. Upgrading the pile pretty quickly with more interesting knives and not spending any money doing it. Probably 10 knives ready to go back out on the block.
Video of a little doe-dressing using vintage knives.
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