⬆︎ We're in a broad valley between two mountain ranges. The photos, of course, can't convey the open feeling of broad vistas.
⬆︎ This day was for the "Star" pistol, actually a Chinese M213 in 9mm. It is crudely finished, but pretty serviceable. I was shooting factory l124 gr FMJ loads and just plinking at 25 yards. The holster is from Russia, a leather one I found on eBay for a very reasonable price.
The 1911 didn't see any action that day, because I had forgotten a part for the tripod that holds my brass catcher net that can be seen to the far right. I don't save this 9mm brass, as it is Russian steel case and Berdan primed. Berdan primed cases can be reloaded, but it is a pain and primers aren't normally common here. Of course nowadays, no primers are common.
Also, the government has ended all imports of Russian ammunition due to a foreign relations situation. While there are reasons for this, I don't think that the administration found a reason to grieve denying ammunition to gun shooters. More than 30% of our ammunition was steel cased Russian, which was the cheapest on the market.I'm of two views about this. I very much dislike banning any ammunition or guns from import. Other imports that aren't banned are PPU from Serbia, Sellier and Ballot from Czech Republic, Fiocchi from Italy, and others. They are still imported. One positive thing that I hope to see is home companies using the removal of such a large supply as a business case for expanding or building new construction, since ammunition is flying off of the shelves as fast as it appears, and ammunition manufacturers are now running their production 100%. Maybe now, production capacity will be increased. But, the lack of workers since COVID doesn't promise this.
Another sad thing about this import ban is the complete disappearance of Barnaul 203 gr 7.62 x 54r ammunition, the best factory ammunition I've found for Mosin Nagants.
⬆︎ Heere's my Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt. I found a few boxes of reloads -- 255 lead semiwadcutters, and took this out one day to have some fun. And it was fun! These bullets over 9 gr of Unique are a fairly potent load and they let you know you have something in your hand. There are hotter loads, but I haven't shot them since my young days, that are well into hot 44 Magnum territory. Young men find that sort of thing more interesting than older ones, I suppose.
⬆︎ This was from yesterday. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "What is that disreputable looking thing?" It is the first of four Mosin Nagant M1891 barreled actions I bought years back for $5 a piece. Little by little, I've been putting them back together, adding parts when I can find them cheap. It isn't common to find parts at a reasonable cost nowadays, and I've ordered some of them from Russia. They aren't cheap, either, but they are sometimes reasonable. Shipping isn't as slow as one might think it would be. The thing that's rare is the stock -- finding one that doesn't cost hundreds is pretty much impossible now. I found the one on this rifle about a dozen years ago. I think it is a war time replacement stock. Back then, the Soviet battle rifle was the Mosin Nagant M91/30, and whatever M1891s that weren't converted to the M91/30 pattern were given to partisan units behind nazi lines. I've seen pictures of partisans with them.
The only thing missing from this rifle is the barrel handguard, which are pretty much unobtainium today. The wood was thin and easily cracked, so not many survived. I also don't have a bayonet for it, as the M1891 pattern is quite expensive nowadays, as well. The sling is a WW2 pattern, probably made in the 60s.
I grabbed a couple of belt pouches filled with some Albanian surplus. Years back, I went through various kinds of commercial and surplus ammunition, looking for the most accurate loads I could use in Curio and Relic match shoots. This Albanian stuff is (I think) brass cased, unlike all Soviet and Warsaw Pact ammunition (Albania was communist, but not a Warsaw Pact member.) This stuff was filthy and shot quite poorly. The years of storage (however many they are) has not done them much good. There were large patches of black corrosion on a few of the cartridges, and on one, the primer fell out and jammed the rifle. So, shooting had nothing remotely resembling accuracy!
But is was so much fun!!! These rifles, with an almost 80 cm barrel, look long and ungainly. They aren't light weights, but they are surprisingly agile in one's hands. They are balanced nicely and swing naturally. But the long barrel and weight make them nice to shoot. It shoves one around on the bench, but not roughly or unpleasantly. It's been so long since I had an opportunity to shoot a high powered rifle that I found it a lot of fun!
Next time I take this fellow out, I'll take some real ammunition and see how it shoots. The trigger is not at all bad: the pull is long, but quite smooth with no hint of grittiness. The sights are a bit of a challenge for my eyes, but I can work with them. Of the remaining three barreled actions, I have two that I've completed to shooting condition, and one is in a cheap plastic stock I found, so it will need trying out soon.
I also want to find a bullet mould for these rifles, which are often called "fat 30s" and have the larger than 30 bore that can vary widely, just like British SMLEs.
⬆︎ Then, it was time for the fun to end and head for home. Again, the photo doesn't do justice to the colors of the sunset. It's such a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
I hope that you all enjoy the photos.
