Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Police in mid-Michigan have determined that a teenager has died as a result of a wound in the back from a pellet fired from a high-velocity pellet gun. The shooter is being held on murder charges. The complete story is here…
By Glen Wunderlich
It’s always fun trying out a new gun and working with energetic beginners makes it that much more rewarding. So it was yesterday, when a friend brought his two teenage daughters over to the range for a plinking session. (Plinking is a technical term for punching paper, “recycling” plastic bottles filled with water, and bowling with bullets in an informal setting; at least that’s what I’m calling it.)
L-R: Mike, Abbey, and Allie Load Up
The two young ladies, Allie and Abbey, had already been introduced to plinking this past summer, but now they were able to partake in a live practice session with their own pistol: a Smith & Wesson model 22A in .22 caliber long rifle. (Dad’s keeping it under his control until they are older.) With an ATN reflex sight, the young ladies took to it like a fast-action video shooting game with which they were quite familiar.
We started with some sub-sonic fodder for introduction purposes. The target pistol functioned flawlessly with the lower-power ammo and we soon graduated to some Winchester rimfire rounds advertised at 1300 feet per second. We experienced several misfires in 200 rounds but found that the pistol’s firing pin was doing its job on the rim of the cartridges; they just didn’t ignite for some reason.
Of course, punching paper gets a bit boring after a while, so we moved on to bowling pins at 20 feet.
Abbey lines 'em up
Both youngsters are quite competitive, so the challenge became to knock down 10 pins with 10 shots. It was a bit problematic, because my stock of bowling pins are quite shot up and have been outdoors for 15 years and some of the wood inside them has “gone away.” Because of that, we found that some good hits passed clean through without much more than a wobble, but we could tell a good hit anyway. Below is a short clip of the action.
Guess it’s time to visit a local bowling alley for some fresh targets.
In any case, all of us gained a bit of experience and look forward to another session when the weather is more cooperative.
H.R. 2055—the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012—has been passed by the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been sent to the President for his expected signature. This bill contains three NRA-backed provisions that will strengthen our Second Amendment rights and prohibit your federal tax dollarsfrom being used to advance an anti-gun agenda. Read more
Urban shooters have a new enemy: Shot Spotter. It’s being used in over 60 cities, including Flint, and pinpoints gun activity with wide-area acoustic surveillance and GPS technology to triangulate the source of gunshots
A Detroit business owner with a concealed pistol permit was confronted by two thieves looking to steal materials from buildings. He was able to get them to cooperate at gunpoint but couldn’t hold them long enough for police to respond. How long did it take for the Detroit cops to respond? Find out here…
Alexander Arms is proud to announce that they are currently shipping production AR15 rifles chambered in 17HMR. The rifles are the only semi auto rifles specifically designed to reliably and accurately shoot the high performance 17HMR cartridge. Alexander Arm’s 17HMR rifle is not a reworked 22 rim fire action but a purpose built design that will provide a life time of high performance rimfire shooting fun. Read more
Smyrna, GA – GLOCK’s newest generation pistol, the Gen4, brings revolutionary design changes to the world’s most popular pistol. New to the Gen4 family, GLOCK will introduce the G21 (.45 Auto), G32
(.357) and G34 (9X19) Gen4 models at the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Read more
A Sevier County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Department officer suspended, after his service pistol discharged inside a convenience store and a .40-caliber bullet lodged itself into a pack of frozen bologna has returned to work after being suspended.
A 78-year-old Florida man, Billy E. Brown, was shot in a strange accident when a dog “bumped” a loaded .308 rifle causing it to fire.
The man is in critical but stable condition.
It is unclear if the safety was engaged, but my hunch is that it wasn’t.
By Glen Wunderlich
Whenever sportscasters spew off statistics about certain team rivalries and how two teams have stacked up over the years, it makes me think they don’t have anything better to talk about. It all means nothing, because the current teams have evolved through coaching and personnel changes – any one of which alters the team’s personality, potential, and character. An impending game, therefore, is sure to become a new adventure. So, too it is with hunting. Read more