Simulated 100 yard '03 shootin' with Erma .22...

Hey guys,

Have been trying to get to the outdoor range thirty miles away for a while with my '03's. Tried Sunday but it didn't happen.

Figured I'd try an experiment with my Erma pump .22 and go to the nearby indoor range instead.

Posted about the best target for shootin' '03's at a hundred yards a while ago, and many shooters replied with excellent info. Asked about what the black on an SR-1 target looked like over a service front blade...Bob S. replied, the width of the blade. Sounded like hard shootin' for me, trifocals and all.

Printed some targets on letter paper and went to the range Sunday evening. Almost nobody there. The targets I printed have a three inch diameter and the black is one inch. Sent one out to twenty five feet just to see if I could hit anything. Got very good results. Nary a round outside of the targets and several hits in the black. Well I had to try Bob's info and started sending the targets out until the black matched the width of my sight blade. Just shy of twenty five yards. Figured I wouldn't hit crap. Shot twenty five year old Federal HV long rifles and new Remington HV shorts.

The black looked blurry but could hang with that, contact lenses at the end of the month!

Man, at say twenty two yards the black looked like a tenth sized BB and a little blurry. Didn't expect to hit anything. Also shooting with cheap oldtime Buckhorn sights (Maybe that's not the right term?). Rifle and ammo functioned almost flawlessly, think the rifle was a little dry.

Shot ten rounds at each of three targets before bringing them back. First round made me very happy. Hits in the black on all targets and only one or two fliers off target, but close.

Shot ten rounds on thirteen targets and every one had hits in the black, from one to five. Some had groups of a half an inch. Boy I was happy. Only shot for one hour, paid attention to my breathing, pulled the butt into my shoulder, and especially paid attention to my front sight.

Think this session will pay off when I do get a chance to shoot the big boys again, though recoil will be an issue. By the way, I only shoot offhand, don't own a scope and don't want one, that's just the way I like to shoot. Nothing against you men that shoot with glass:).

The next Springfield might have to be a 1922. Have to do some studying and save some bucks or sell a piece or two.

Wasn't doing any braggin' tonight, just wanted to pass along some things that I learned yesterday, and it didn't cost me a small fortune in thirty ought six cartridges. Guess the Military figured that out.

Hey Herschel, what is the going price for an M2?

Death to paper targets and bad guys,

Lancebear

Lancebear, There are not a lot of sales of M2's on the internet auctions. I sold one a couple of months ago for $1,200.00. It was in nice condition but had been reparkerized, as have nearly all of those advertised on the internet auctions as "Original Finish" . It seems that "Bubba" doesn't have a clue as to whether his 1922MII or M2 has original finish so he falsely advertises it as original and prices it as if it did have the original finish. By original finish I mean the finish that was on the rifle when it left Springfield Armory as a new rifle. I will be happy to help you evaluate one if you find one you are interested in buying.

Robert,

Open sights are good. I have been shooting a lot lately, spurred on by comments from forum posters. A few days ago, I shot a 5-shot 1" group at 100 yards using the peep sight (big bore - no 22). That is as good or better than I can do with a rest and a scope. My new glasses are the cat's meow for shooting. I feel like a kid again with my old 22 Winchester Single Shot (my dad's first rifle and my first rifle and I still have it - going to completely refinish it soon). When I think recoil is an issue, I just load up a bunch of max-load-full-bore-a$$-kicking 45-70's (Siamese bolt action) and after an afternoon of shooting those, a 30-06 feels like a wimp.

I also do a lot of snap firing. I have shot Gene Autry off his horse a hundred times already.

Practice does make perfect. My shooting has improved tremendously. My current issue is breathing & trigger control, as due to old age, my trigger finger (mouse finger) sometimes reflexes when I don't want it to. A bullseye can be a flyer instantly.

It is raining here and I am rust bluing a rifle. Perfect weather for rust bluing, lousy for shooting.

Jim

Herschel/Jim T

I think you may have advised before but what do you think about this one; original finish or re-finish? Looks good to me which ever but just wondered.

Thanks,

Loy Hamilton

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Hey Jim,

One inch group with the peep at a hundred yards...that's money shootin'. You should be planning a trip to Camp Perry and get yourself some medals and endorsements. I'm assuming that you are shootin' an '03?

Only mentioned recoil as it is a lot different between a little .22 and an '03. I might not shoot as accurately at a real hundred yards with the '03. Pretty sure of that. But think the .22 training experiment will certainly help. I'll be happy with one hit out of five shots in the black to start with.

Shot a hundred to hundred fifty rounds of thirty ought six last time I went to the outdoor range. Thought I would get beat up, but the achy shoulder felt normally achy the next day.

How long does it take you to rust blue a piece? I remember reading that it is a three day process.

Think contacts will solve my sight picture problem, another interesting experiment...at least for me.

Death to bad guys,

Robert

Purty rifle regardless the case. Like that dark park.

LB

It takes many days to properly rust blue a rifle. Boiling it in a mixture of NaOH and potassium nitrate helps jump start the process, although it adds no color at the mixture levels I use. Did a bit of experimenting with isopropyl alcohol, which was indeterminate. I will send you some pictures when I finish. I am doing the floor plate, ejector, and bolt now (yes - the bolt). The barreled action came out beautifully. I used a Zischang blue solution, and when finished, I coat the blued metal with RLO. Don't knock it until you try it. It darkens the blue significantly (Zischang blue is an iridescent blue).

Carding is a pain in the rear, and probably the reason most smiths quit rust bluing.

Jim

Lancebear:

You mentioned the "best target for shootin' '03's at a hundred yards" in your OP. I'm brand new here and would like to see just what these targets are.

Any chance you could resurrect your earlier post in that regard? I tried searching, but nothing came up

Thanks,

ppknut

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jim Tarleton

It takes many days to properly rust blue a rifle. Boiling it in a mixture of NaOH and potassium nitrate helps jump start the process, although it adds no color at the mixture levels I use. Did a bit of experimenting with isopropyl alcohol, which was indeterminate. I will send you some pictures when I finish. I am doing the floor plate, ejector, and bolt now (yes - the bolt). The barreled action came out beautifully. I used a Zischang blue solution, and when finished, I coat the blued metal with RLO. Don't knock it until you try it. It darkens the blue significantly (Zischang blue is an iridescent blue).

Carding is a pain in the rear, and probably the reason most smiths quit rust bluing.

Jim

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Hey Jim

I think your chemistry equation fails to appreciate what the inclusion of copious amounts of Methyl Carbonal can accomplish...:thup:

Hey PPK,

Go back to page three in the posts, think it is there. Haven't shot at a hundred yards yet, but from the info that was given to me, think the SR-1 is what I will use.

Think Bob S. posted the dimensions for this target, the black is 6.35" in diameter. Said it looks like the width of a service front sight blade at a hundred yards.

LB