Alphecca: I Went Shopping For A Gun

May 21, 2005

I Went Shopping For A Gun

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their suggestions to this post.

I finally decided that I should be a bit frugal and bank a couple hundred for bills, paying back a friend, and -- *gasp*, -- I only have 5 payments left on my car -- and so on. Also, I decided that I have enough defensive handguns for now including my Para-45. I like plinking-type long guns. I want to seriously get into target-shooting in a big way because it's so relaxing, enjoyable, and (*ahem*) inexpensive. After a long day at work, I can zip-up to the range and spend an hour making noise and punching holes.

I wanted to check-out a gun dealer just across the river (in NH) and establish a relationship with him. He came highly recommended by friends at work and while walking out with a rifle (for Vermont residents) is no problem, he also has an FFL friend who handles instantaneous handgun transfers across the bridge as required by Vermont. It's a small store only open Saturdays and a couple evenings.

Great guy, small selection but he has good prices and will order anything. I think I've just discovered how to avoid 1+ hour trips to the nearest VT dealers.

I said before that I had enough handguns. Well, of course you never really have too many but I wanted another "fun gun" that visitors and ME could enjoy. I love my old Marlin .22 Bolt but sometimes you just want to do away with the work and have a semi and this dealer had -- go ahead, be pissed and disappointed -- a Ruger 10/22 (the Carbine version) which I've always admired. I decided to get it. And, I can shoot all day with a couple-bucks of ammo. I also did something new for me; I got it scoped (just a cheap Bushnell) because while I usually avoid scopes (my .308 doesn't have one, neither does my Marlin or the Camp-nine I recently (*sob*) sold) I've come to realize that my right-eye is starting to go. I want to SEE the target...

Look, I have enough fire-power to protect myself. I don't really worry about that stuff here in Vermont, at least where I live. And besides, if someone was really stupid enough to bug me, I've got a .32, .38 special, and a .45 waiting to greet them! I want to have fun plinking on-the-cheap. The Ruger 10/22 is a small gun that seemed comfortable. So tear me to bits if you will.

Incidentally, this dealer also does "payments" and I put down $50 bucks on a Savage .17. Okay now, (shameless groveling) I want all of you to hit my "tip-jar" on the right side-bar so I can pay for it within a few weeks...

I immediately headed to the Thetford range. Since it had just opened for the season, I was expecting crowds. I had the place to myself...

It was kinda' weird since it was still nice out (but rain was predicted for the next FIVE days). Maybe everyone else was still celebrating a nice Saturday morning and doing dumb stuff like yardwork when they could have been shooting. Silly people!

Look how nice this place is!

As you can see, Spring has finally sprung but the sky was already clouding-up. I put up targets at the 25 yard boards and started sighting in the scope. Then, the 50 and finally the 100. I really screwed things up then and will have to go back to adjust the scope. It started to get really overcast and about an hour after I got there the rain started, it got cold, and the damned weatherman turned-out to be right.

So, I wound-up buying another plinker, put a deposit on yet another (and I have my sights set on a .223, too!) and tried it out today. Sorry if I decided to go for another "plinker" but I've admired my friend's 10/22's for a long time. Also, Ruger is a local company (Newport, NH) that employs some of them. And besides, I had two bricks of .22 sitting in my closet just waiting to punch some holes...

It's strange but I find myself being defensive while writing this post. You all wanted me to get some big honking firearm and I've let you all down by buying a backyard banger.

Hey, it's another rifle that I've always had my eye on and now I own one. I like it. It's small, like me, and doesn't give my shoulder a cramp.

I'll be back soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Update 5/22: By the way, the place was crawling (buzzing actually) with black flies. Did you know that whatever is in those cans of Off Deep Woods practically melts the plastic on ear-muffs?

Posted by Jeff Soyer at May 21, 2005 02:12 PM

Comments

I have a Savage Model 10 in a .223 and it's a very nice tack driver of a rifle.

Posted by: George at May 21, 2005 04:32 PM

Great choice! I keep one of these in that same configuration for guests and as an extra metallic silhouette rifle. My dad bought it for me in the mid-sixties. It's been back to Ruger once when it spit up its extractor and they fixed it at no charge.

I recommend any and all trigger upgrades. Midway is constantly running specials on trigger kits. Just to get the bolt-lock back part, (which can be dremelled out of the factory part) is a great deal. Nice to be able to lock the bolt back.

Check Midway and Sportables.com.

And the Hogue overmolded stock is nice..I have a titan stainless barrel on mine.

With that scope you ought to be able to SEE THE BULLETS in FLIGHT at 100 yards off a benchrest, especially with Remington sub-sonic.

You needed this gun, and I think everyone ought to hit the tipjar and help pay for it for all the good things you do.

Posted by: robert at May 21, 2005 04:50 PM

Excellent choice!

Posted by: SayUncle at May 21, 2005 05:56 PM

That was my very first gun, and my brother's, and I still enjoy the hell out of plinking with the thing. Hell, my gunsmith even offers a specific package of upgrades for the 10/22. Excellent choice.

Posted by: LabRat at May 22, 2005 08:14 PM

Outstanding. I probably shoot mine as much as all my other 22 rifles combined. If you've never done it you can amaze yourself by buying 50 or 100 rounds of a dozen different styles of ammo and doing 10 or 20 shot group tests. My particular 10/22 doesn't much care for Remington subsonic or Winchester 22 Target rounds (10 separate holes with each @ 25 yards), but loves Winchester high velocity solids (1 large hole) and Eley standard rifle (1 smaller hole.) I might get even better results with some of the more expensive Eley stuff, but they couldn't be enough better to justify their even higher cost.

Your rifle will almost certainly like different ammo, but I'll bet you have the same experience - there will be one or two particular rounds that will be absolute tack drivers in your particular gun, and that's what you then buy bricks of. BTW, it's much easier to shoot groups if you crank your scope at least an inch off center in both directions, so you don't blast away your aiming point with your first couple of shots.

Posted by: Kip at May 23, 2005 11:00 AM

Do you know if it's legal to safely use a firearm in State owned or other publically available land for target practice?

Posted by: Paradigmshifter at May 27, 2005 04:02 AM

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May 21, 2005

I Went Shopping For A Gun

By Golly, you're reading an archived post. Click Here to head to the main page and read current stuff...

Check it out:

My group sci-fi blog novel:

Colony: Alchibah