by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
This report covers:
- Sixguns
- Artillery
- A snubnosed .38
- It’s easy!
I was asked to write this report, and I’m glad to do it. I made the statement that I shot Colt Single Action revolvers at 300 yards and apparently some readers were intrigued. Actually, that wasn’t the whole story, so today you’re getting the rest of it.
Sixguns
I acquired the book Sixguns by Elmer Keith when I was a stunt gunfighter at Frontier Village amusement park in San Jose California in the late 1960s. I was young and impressionable at the time, so I didn’t know that Elmer Keith was widely held to be a liar. He reported taking several long-range handgun shots that got him game and the couch reporters of the day didn’t believe him. But I did, so I tried what he wrote and discovered that it does work. I guess I’m a liar, too!
In this picture I was the deputy marshal (white hat) of Frontier Village. Gave the marshal a day off.
I shot beachball-sized rocks at 300 yards with a Colt 1860 Army cap and ball revolver. The holdover was tremendous, but once I got it figured out, it was hard to miss. And the lead balls made a nice splat on the rocks.
Please don’t ask me if I shot this way standing up and offhand! That’s the stuff of Hollywood! Nobody in the real world can connect from a shot that far away from the standing offhand position. I shot just like Keith taught me to — sitting down and resting my elbows against my knees. Or I shot one-handed with my hand resting against the outside of my extended leg. It is a variation of the Creedmore shooting position that I have showed you numerous times in the past. You have to try this stuff to see that it really works!
Yes, I have told you this before. I described it in the report titled How to rest any handgun for accurate shooting.
Here Keith is shooting with a one-hand hold. This is good for 300-yard shots.
This is the two-hand hold. It is even better for long-range handgun shots.
Here I am using a variation of the two-hand hold. My arms are resting on a sandbag.
Artillery
Although I was a tanker, I have a lot of respect for field artillery. I was a 4.2-inch mortar platoon leader in Germany and had to learn some of the intricacies of indirect fire. It’s one thing to aim at your target, but something else to aim at a reference point, knowing that your projectile is going over a mile high and three miles downrange, to land within 40 meters of the target!
This is one of my 4 mortar tracks. Yes, when I was younger the world was in black and white!
My platoon had failed their annual test the previous year and were assigned to me — a senior first lieutenant — to bring them up to speed. We practiced our drills every day, until we could do them in our sleep. And, when we took the test (an ARTEP, for you soldiers), we were ranked top in the division, among several dozen other mortar platoons. During our live-fire test we actually landed one 4.2-inch mortar round down the turret of one of the target tanks, blowing the turret off the tank! That was nothing but luck, but they say if you shoot a lot you get lucky a lot.
The division commander (First Armored Division) saw that shot and wanted to give every member of my platoon an impact (on the spot) Army Commendation Medal, but my company commander declined his offer. The evening before, during practice, one of my gunners had read his sight backwards and we hung a 4.2-inch flare over a German village behind us and outside the Grafenwoehr training area! A 4.2-inch mortar flare is so bright that there is no way anyone can miss it! Which is my way of telling you we were good — just not perfect.
A snubnosed .38
The last story I will recount is one I find hard to believe. But since I did it, I know it’s true. I was on a German farm with a hunting buddy and we had permission to shoot handguns over a certain plowed field. Among the guns we had, I had brought a Colt Agent snubnosed .38 Special. I had been telling my friend about Elmer Keith and long-range handgun shooting and he decided to call me on it.
It is possible to shoot long-range even with a snubnosed revolver like this Colt Agent.
He said I should be able to hit anything with a snubnosed .38, just like any other handgun. After all, he reminded me, a mortar has a 4-foot barrel and can hit targets three miles away. It had been years since I had done any long-range shooting that way, but I rested against a tree and sighted the little pistol on a football-sized dirt clod out in the field. We were sitting on a ridge about 15 feet above the field, so I was shooting into the dirt safely enough. We agreed on which clod I would shoot at and I asked him to spot for me. Shot one was too low. Shot two went over, and so did shot three. But shots four and five hit the clod we agreed on and broke it apart.
My friend then had to try it himself and went through the same drill he had seen me do. He was also successful. After it was over he said he was surprised by how easy it had been. And that is the lesson today.
It’s easy!
Long-range handgun shooting is not just possible; it’s easy! Once you learn where to hold, and if you hold like those photographs above show, you almost can’t miss.
I will say that pellets don’t make the same impact signs that heavy bullets do, so spotting will be harder, but if you can find a way to do it, you can shoot pellet guns long range, as well.
I have to say that when I read “Hell, I Was There”, some of the stories seemed a little exaggerated. But I have no reason to doubt his long range pistol prowess, as it has been duplicated by others, and now this is even more verification. And off topic but can anyone imagine riding a Pony Express relay leg? Unreal!
Also off topic, what would you say to a Daisy 499 punching considerably above its weight? I just finished doing some work to one and the results were surprising: http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/images/5/5d/499_MV_W-RR_SRING_4-4-2017.jpg
Cobalt,
I have been inside mine, on several occasions. I went back to all stock. So yes, I am very interested in what you did to the 499 if you are inclined to share.
Chris
Uber easy to do. Some details are in this, and the following post: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/putting-a-little-more-power-in-a-15-00-daisy.807316/page-9#post-10521308. I’m taking the 1/2″ preload spacer back out, it’s just not needed, so even easier to do w/just a spring swap…
Cobalt,
Uber easy sounds nice. I ((will)) check out the site more. Looks interesting. I tried an old, chopped TX spring and found the trigger mech. was not stout enough to hold it back. You have my interest. 🙂
Thank you very much, Chris
It would be great to have you! I do have to warn you that the thread meanders around quite a bit. I started out thinking I’d make maybe a half dozen posts at most but it has taken on a life of it’s own. There’s stock and modified MV, accuracy, a lot of photos, various measurements, and modification info on the 1938B Red Ryder, Model 105 Buck, current Model 25, a tricked out ’70s Model 104 (my pet) that has RR wood, a model 25 shot tube, drilled air tube and stronger spring shooting 315 fps on a 240 fps baseline, a Crosman/Sheridan Cowboy teardown/evaluation/comparison to the RR, various BB evaluations, and, well, more than I should try to list here.
Cobalt,
I did check it out some today. (1/2 hr.?) Time is at a premium. If you care,.. give me the down and dirty, to the point,.. mods./parts. (499) I will check out the site more, but I do good just to stay up with this one.
Chris
The link in my post above, made April 6, 2017 at 12:36 pm has the info. Good luck and feel free to let me know if you need anything else.
Cobalt,
Thanks. I am comfortable getting “in there”. Just wanted to know the parts. I appreciate the help and look forward to trying it. Chris
The parts are named in the post I linked to. If you need part numbers, the RR diagram/parts list/order form is also in that thread, page 1 or 2 IIRC. Or am I misunderstanding you?
Nevermind, I reread your post and understand now. Good luck!
Cobalt,
I have spent (well) over an hour looking at your post. First, let me say VERY nice job on all of the information and the GREAT pictures w/notes. You are very talented at doing that. In short, I still do not know what part # spring to order to put in the 499 to get the 415 fps that you did.
That is the (only) thing that you did?
Also, you ordered an “upgraded” sight for the 499? Mine has that plastic peep site which is nice with very fine clicks. But, you say that it runs out of range at longer distances? I bought mine new, so I have the parts diagram that is for it as it is in the manual. From the sounds of it, you used a spring out a Red Ryder?
1) Spring # ? (the one to get the 415 fps)
2) Sight # ? (the manual shows 99SRG for the sight, but mine is NOT that ) In fact, I just found the box that the sight came in. It is a 5899, so I must have the better sight already.
3) Did the trigger pull change much?
4) Did the cocking effort change much?
5) How far have you shot it and what type of groups?
Any help is appreciated. Chris
The spring used to get 415 fps is from Red Ryder p/n 169750-000 plunger assembly, $4.00. The spring is not sold separately. It is the only part changed. No difference in effort to cock than a Red Ryder but more effort than the unmodded 499. No change in trigger pull that I could detect but I haven’t remeasured mine after the mod.
Accuracy is not as good. The weather here in GA has been bad since I swapped springs, so no groups for record. If I had to estimate, I’d say the groups are now no better than a Red Ryder, maybe worse. This is not an accuracy mod, that’s for sure. It’s for extending the usable range of the 499 to be at least on par w/a RR or M25 because I found I had no use for a 5 meter target BB gun- but I didn’t want to sell it because I very much like the wide frame Daisys.
Only other change besides the spring is I used a 1/2” spring preload shim. I’m removing mine today in hopes it helps it group better. It isn’t needed unless all you’re after is raw velocity.
You already have what I (and Daisy, on the 499 parts list) call the ‘upgrade sight’, the 5899.
Cobalt,
Thank you very much for your time and patience. I will wait to see what yours does “on record” at further distance. 15,20 yards (ish) If accuracy is worse, then that ought to show at 5 and 10 meters, so you could compare that data. I shoot mine indoors at 24′ and know what it can do at that range. 10 shots in at least 1/4″ – 3/8″ most of the time. I would hate for that to get much worse, but I could live with a little loss.
I made note of the part #. Thank you.
You are quite the expert on the Daisy lever action line-up! You may not be the best expert, but you are sure up there in top ranks. It looks like a lot of fun, if I had more time. Again, compliments on your fine posting, pictorial skills and editing!
Hit me up on a (future) blog when you get around to collecting some data.
Thanks again, Chris
What’s so hard to imagine about a Pony Express relay leg other than that it was fast, hard, and dangerous? It was the Fedex of it’s day, but it wasn’t sustainable as a business model. I believe it only lasted a little over a year.
Matt61
Oh, and the photo of you, the crew and the mortar track- WOW.
BB,
You are so badass.
Carel
They actually had cameras back then?
SL,
Well, it was mounted on a tripod and they uncovered the lens for several minutes. You had to stand very still!
B.B.
(For you younger folks–B.B. Is kidding on that one. But I hear that part about everything being black-and-white is TRUE! 😉 )
B.B.,
Gosh, you’re the first person I know who actually met Mathew Brady.
I enjoyed this and other blogs and articles about long range shooting with hand guns. What you wrote about the mortar makes sense. I notice you don’t shoot those offhand, either.
Every time I hear or read of long range shooting, I think of the buffalo hunters that decimated the herds in the last half of the 19th century. I don’t appreciate what they did, but they offer a great deal of study regarding the shooting.
For myself, I can relate this to both hand gun shooting and air guns also. I have a few simple questions?
Can things be manipulated so that a projectile can reach the distance desired, do so with sufficient accuracy and achieve the desired end? I refer to the hardware here and to whatever source powers the projectile, whether by explosive detonation, compressed air, catapult, etc. There is always the possibility of damage to the weapon or one’s self when limits are exceeded.
Articles and blogs make mention of trajectory. Chuck Hawks has a nice article on “Buffalo Cartridges of the American Frontier”.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/buffalo_cartridges.htm
I want to quote from one other, a blog by a fellow named John (I found no last name) about the .45-70 Government load.
http://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/2014/02/the-45-70-government-html/
“While the .45-70 is a very accurate round, it is difficult to shoot at longer ranges because the slow velocity and low ballistic coefficient of the bullet, even when using modern bullets such as Hornady’s “LEVERevolution,” combine to produce a pretty steep trajectory. At ranges past about 200 yards, precise range estimation and applying the proper hold over become extremely important. For instance, using the ballistics of the original black powder .45-70 load, a bullet will drop nearly 50 inches between 350 and 400 yards! For this reason, long range shooters using cartridges like the .45-70, such as buffalo hunters back in the late 1800s, used “tang” or “ladder” sights with Vernier scales that allowed for very precise elevation adjustments. As long as he estimated the range correctly, a skilled marksman using a high quality rifle and sight could accurately hit targets out past 1,000 yards using the cartridge.”
With the proper tool, the correct information and using both properly, the shooter becomes the final variable.
At least, this is my best understanding of it all, including airguns.
~ken
Ken,
For a mortar you change the angle of the tube slightly and adjust the powder charge on the tail of the round. The powder is in huge flakes that look like cheese, so adjusting the powder was called “cutting the cheese.” You know soldiers will always find a way to make something embarrassing.
When you cut the cheese you remove powder from each shell. This gives you a pile of unburned powder after awhile. We once didn’t burn our unused powder for a whole week (an absolute safety violation) and when the company commander saw the pile it was two feet high and perhaps 8 feet across. He told us to stand back and he popped a handheld flare into the pile. When it burned, the heat was unbearable 100 yards away!
A mortar tube has an angle of inclination, plus the baseplate allows the tube to turn on an axis. These two moves, plus the powder charge are calculated by the fire direction center and relayed to each gun. A 4.2-inch mortar round should impact within 40 meters of its target all the way to the max distance, which if I recall correctly is either 5300 or 5600 meters. And, although my picture shows the gun mounted inside a personnel carrier, it is much more accurate when ground-mounted, once the baseplate seats in. You just shoot from the track to get rounds off fast. It’s called a “hipshoot.”
B.B.
B.B.,
Very nice. The old pictures were a treat. I am pretty sure that is a T-Rex in that mortar track picture (top and center). It looks as if it sneaking right past you guys as he appears to be looking over his shoulder. 😉
Yes, I do remember the dirt clod story. I say sure, why not? I am always inclined to believe until I can prove/disprove otherwise. And yup on airguns doing long distance. I believe they call it the Pepsi challenge.
Good day all, Chris
Chris,
It would be nice to bring the Pepsi Challenge back again. Any shot at over 400 yards is impressive, but to hit a Pepsi can at that range with an air rifle is awesome.
RR,
I was not aware that it had gone anywhere. But then, I did not follow it. I did see a few videos. Very nice and impressive. You got a real thumper,.. give it a go. 200 yards,… just for an easy “starter” range. 😉
Chris
It is actually ET and he is checking his watch. Hopefully he was able to use the old military crank phone to call home.
Rich
Fortunately it was a flare and not HE.
We all used Keith’s 2nd position when shooting IHMSA long-range metal targets. I was amazed at how many targets I could knock down using open sights (and a handloaded 8mm wildcat out of a T/C Contender).
B.B.
Lovely report! Nice to hear the anecdotes behind all your accumulated knowledge.
Were you “impressed” into the Army, no I guess then they called it the draft. At least they got a ration of rum!
Love my air pistols,
-Yogi
Yogi,
I was in ROTC in college. I figured if I had to go anyway (we all did in those days) I might as well sit in the front of the bus.
B.B.
For those who like the powder burners there is an article in the May-June volume of Handgunner about ringing steel at 100 or more yards. The name is “Single shot savvy”.
BB
Absalutly cool report today. That is exactly what I do with my air guns. But with a scope on the guns. I have about 500 yards of clear open fields in one area. I have hit dirt clods with my .25 Marauder out at 300 yards pretty well in the same manner you explained. I might not get it on the first shot out that far. But I will get the hit after at least 3 or so shots.
Again cool report today.
Once again BB introduces me to something good I have missed. Elmer Keith was legendary, but some people apparently believed the legends. He was a long term contributor to Guns and Ammo magazine. I found this interesting article about him on line. http://www.gunsandammo.com/gun-culture/shooting-star-the-legend-of-elmer-keith/
I was pleased to see your comments about the longshot with your Colt snubbie. On a few occasions over the years, people have told me that ” you can’t hit anything more than a few feet away with that. ” meaning my 2.5″ barreled S& W revolver. Then I would hit some target way beyond they thought possible with a short barreled revolver.
TJKing,
There you go. You understand!
B.B.
If “long range is easy” why is 25 yards so hard =p
Belgrath04
Depends on the size of the target.
😉
Belgrath04,
You got me, there. I guess it’s because we don’t measure groups at long range. At least I never did!
B.B.
I believe what Keith did. I use the hold shown in the bottom photo of him to test handguns and handloads for them as well as when hunting with them. I like to back into a tree or piece of equipment if I can. Never had a Ransom or other fiddly commercial handgun rest. Like Keith , you will find that shooting that way, it does burn holes through your jeans eventually with the revolvers that supposedly aren’t serious handguns anymore. If you want to get steadier (if that’s a word) use a forked stick the same length as your arm and place the crook in your shoulder and grab stick end, and handgun grip with both your hands. Works also if you cannot sit down ,and when resting over something.
BB
Don’t know if all the comment claims are factual or just string pullers. I do know that seemingly impossible shots can be made with a pistol at 200 yards resting the pistol butt directly on a hard surface with only an inch or so of soft leather sandwiched to prevent damaging grips and you. This would seem to help with follow through but may not be much of an artillery hold. Is the artillery hold relevant for firearms with short barrels (pistols) having much higher velocities than airguns?
Decksniper
Decksniper,
I guess some kind of repeatable hold is essential for sort-barreled firearms. Long-barreled ones, too. It is all about follow through and shot-to-shot consistency.
B.B.
Hi BB,
Thanks for the article. When I read Sixgun the biggest thing I took away from it was how to hold over with open sights. Instead of raising the front sight above the target, you lower the rear sight below the front sight. I have used that technique ever since I read that book. It really works.
David Enoch
David,
That’s another way of saying it. That’s what I was trying to say.
B.B.
B.B, I love that pic of you as a deputy marshal! And, overall, this is a great blog today!
I had a copy of Sixguns that I read over and over before passing it on to one of my grandsons.
The artillery story was really cool, as well as shooting that snubnose at long range.
I would love to see a future blog where you shoot some air pistols at long (maybe 50 yards?) range using the techniques described here (perhaps coffee cans in a field as targets?). That would be cool. =)
Thedavemyster,
I’m traveling and can’t quite get my mind around what you are asking for. Wait until next Tuesday and tell me again?
B.B.
Sure thing; will do; safe travels. =)
I have some experience in 200 meter IHMSA long range handgun shooting. They called the most popular position, the “creedmore” position, and it looks very much like the first shot of Elmer Keith shooting at 300 yards. Matches were 40 rounds, and you needed to have done all your homework before the match. That is, have your rear sight settings figured out and written down. My best shooter was in the production class where I liked my all stock Thompson Center Contender in 30-30. You needed a good combination of accuracy and power. The 200 meter rams could weigh 55-60 pounds, and a hit didn’t count. You had to topple the target over. You shot two banks of five shots each at each distance. 50 meters, 100 meters, 150 meters, and 200 meters. You must shoot left to right, one shot per target. If you missed, you had to go on to the next target. A perfect score was 40. There were many more 40’s shot in the Unlimited class, where the sky was the limit for modding. You would see a lot of the old Remington 7BR bolt action pistol-based guns in that class. Open sights only, no scopes. You want scopes, you shoot NRA Hunter Pistol matches, which were standing only, but shot at 25, 50, 75, and 100 meters. I shot those too and that’s where I won a lot of money. For about 3 years I shot well and dominated the big bore matches at the Tacoma Sportsman’s Club in Tacoma, Washington. I hand loaded a ton of ammo back then, as I also loaded ammo for these matches for a buddy. I loaded .357 Maximum, and 32-20 for him. The 32-20 was popular in the NRA Hunter matches. I myself used mostly, believe it or not, a TC Condender with an old Aimpoint 1000. Caliber was .357 magnum, but I used Federal .38 special cases and Winchesyer 110 gran JHP bullets over a modest charge of Bullseye powder. Why? Because, in that Condender, those cases, bullets, and powder charges just delivered the goods period. My 30-30 load was a Winchester 147 grain JHP over the old Accurate Arms 5744 powder. Those were fun times for me. IHMSA also had a Revolver class, and I used a Ruger Super Blackhawk with 10.5″ barrel, which was a popular model. The Dan Wessons, and, yes, the .454 Casull were more competitive. The Dan Wesson’s could use the fine .357 Maximum, and a .375 caliber as I recall. Dan Wesson’s were the gun of choice. I completely wore out my Dan Wesson Model 15, which was my first handgun bought new when I was just 21 years old. That gun saved my backside in a nasty home invasion into my rental house late at night on my 22nd birthday!! No shots fired, but bad guy hauled away by the SeaTac Police.
I should have mentioned that IMHSA required all shooters to wear a “blast shield”. I made mine out of a truck mud flap, cut to size, and a nylon strap. These were to ensure safety, in the case of a revolver, for both the barrel to cylinder gap, and the blast from the muzzle. In a single shot, just the muzzle blast protection was required. One would strap it over the bent knee so that the shield would cover these areas of the gun. In IHMSA matches, one wouldn’t generally have the gun way up on top of the knee as in the Keith photo. More likely, it would be maybe half way up between the foot and the knee. If right handed, you would use your left hand to support your head from behind. You had two minutes for each string of five shots.
Birdmove,
That’s the first time I have heard of that, but I see the need right away.
How’s your health, by the way?
B.B.
Thanks for asking, Tom. I’m on meds to try to shrink the prostate and go in for another MRI of it on June 2nd. The med is Lupron and is a hormone treatment, which was the only option i had. There are side effects, but I’m dealing with them. Hey, it kinda makes one appreciate the little things day by day.
Birdmove,
I spoke with my Dad and he said that he had 2 test done. Both are based on a percent. Both consider the aggressive nature. Both can go either way. His test both proved 80% to the positive (good) and he decided not to do anything. His original choice was Cyber Knife and even had/still has the marker implants. Not something I know much about, but since we all seem to be of the more “mature” side, I thought that I would pass that along. Best wishes and continued prayers.
Chris
Thanks, Chris! Sounds like your dad is doing all right.
BB, please pardon my asking this, but are you a cowboy? You also live in Texas …and shoot revolvers well…
Riki,
That is a very valid question. From India and 18’ish,.. correct? Back in the 1940’s(?) ~ 1970’s(?) Cowboys on the historical sense were very popular and in TV, movies and cowboy themed products. A “fun park” or a theme park was/is a type of entertainment “back in the day”.
Things have changed and anything kid and shooting related is pretty much non-existent these days.
I am not the best source for info. regarding the time period, but I thought that I would give you some sort of answer that would help make sense of the difference in cultures and on entertaining re-enactments.
Riki,
…and do you work in a call center? I’m just teasing — please don’t be offended.
No, Riki, I am as far from being a cowboy as it is possible to get, and still be male. If I were a cowboy I would be called something like Gabby Schwartz or Hopalong Mcgillicutty! I am reminded of the Dr. Demento song “The Ballad of Irving” He was the 142nd fastest gun in the west.
B.B.
Ha ha, thanks for the clarification BB. The article and pictures got my imagination going. Have to stop seeing the Wild West movies.
Riki,
… and I hope that you took no offense to my comment. I am (little aware) of what the India cultures involves or it’s pastimes and what is considered entertainment. I thought your question was very appropriate for someone coming from another country. It would be one I would ask if I were you, if the shoes were reversed.
I have a lot of respect for your drive and enthusiasm and your diligence to the shooting sports. Plus, your studies.
Chris
Chris, no issues at all.From the little knowledge I have about cowboys, they seem pretty cool. 🙂 There used to be a episodes of “Gunslingers” on discovery channel(documentary about greatest cowboys) on Sundays at 9 pm barely two months ago, but it was stopped after around 4 episodes because of viewer complaints of violent content. Apart from cowboys, the other thing that intrigued me were the Pinkerton detectives.
In India, shooting related stuff isn’t supported; and to tell the truth shooting sports is actually frowned upon, both by the Govt. and most common citizens. But for a few people like me, air-gunning is the favourite past time.
And thanks for all the support man.
Nice to get a close-up of the Frontier Village Days. Weren’t you wearing a black hat in the previous color photo? Anyway, my interest in re-enactment is invigorated. I’m still agonizing between getting a pair of jump boots or jack boots. The jack boots are staying in the game largely with the help of a scene from an historical film called Barry Lyndon. A Prussian officer is pacing around a polished floor in some palace with knee-high riding boots and making an audible click with each step. Pretty cool. And on the subject of indirect fire, I know how difficult this can be. During a high school JROTC trip to Schofield Barracks, the big army base in Hawaii, I had a great opportunity to shoot a training round from an M40 grenade launcher. I lined up carefully and fired only to hear that I was way off target. I realized that I was sighting through a notch in a screw at the bottom of the sighting assembly rather than through the sight.
Keith was very impressive, and he even used the same line about how constant practice makes you lucky. He said this in reference to shooting a Golden Eagle on the wing at 150 yards. I believe he was protecting his herd, and anyway, the conservation laws were different back then. I always liked his idea of a specialized iron sight for long range handgun shooting. It consisted of a tall front sight with graduations on it in gold leaf to measure holdover. I suppose that never took off since long range handgunning is a difficult skill, and that sight would disable the weapon for shorter distances.
But unless I’m mistaken, Keith has been surpassed in a big way. Long range handgunning offhand is the stuff of Hollywood? No, it’s the stuff of Jerry Miculek. YouTube has a video of him hitting a target at 1000 yards offhand with a revolver in 9mm equipped with a red dot sight. He says that his holdover was 80 yards high, but he has video proof of hitting with his first shot. If this could be disproven, I would be relieved, but I doubt it will happen.
I know the meaning of “impressment,” but I hadn’t thought of it in that context. I learned the meaning a long time ago as a child, but I’m not sure why. Most people don’t know the meaning of keel-hauling which was another abusive practice towards sailors. I believe I learned about impressment in relation to the War of 1812 which was fought partly because the British were impressing American sailors into their navy, so maybe this came up as part of American history. But I have since learned that the War of 1812 was a more complicated affair that didn’t entirely redound to our credit. While the impressment of American sailors was a legitimate grievance, the war was also apparently an attempt to expand the United States into British holdings in Canada and also to make an unwise intervention into a global war between Britain and France. One dissenting American diplomat of the time described it as “a flea intervening in a dog fight by committing suicide.” There was also a lot of military incompetence including the occupation of Washington D.C. that was overshadowed by the heroics of Commodore Perry and Andrew Jackson. But on the subject of impressment, it is surprising to me how the Royal Navy performed so well when much of its manpower was coerced. I suppose that is where the cat of nine tails came into play.
Kansas Heat, that would be tough to clean the house as a price for shooting. I doubt I would get any shooting done.
ChrisUSA, yes I was a little annoyed at my protege. But I’m trying to make a distinction between safety rules and other shooting advice. The kid hasn’t actually violated safety rules. His attitude is just a little disturbing and mostly naive. But I think you also have to remember how clueless kids are at that age. I certainly was. And from doing martial arts training with this males of this age, I have wondered if they are entirely sane. Anyway, another danger I’ve seen from firearms instruction is to be overly dictatorial. My high school shooting coach seemed to have some association with the national shooting team. He and his wife would wear red, white, and blue shooting jackets with USA on the back. But this guy would rave and curse in what seems to have been a poor imitation of a salty old shooter like my M1 gunsmith from Virginia. And online there is a video of a gun personality berating his kid while teaching him to shoot the M1 in a way that would make him hate the whole experience. So, apart from the non-negotiable safety rules, I’ll try to lead through persuasion.
Matt61
Matt61,
I had no doubt in your ability to teach. Your approach sounds,… sound to me. I wish you and your student the best. You would be a good teacher of many other things as well as is evidenced by your vast knowledge on a plethora of topics. Hopefully your student makes some use of that as well.
Chris
Bring a slingshooter, I have seen more than enough”impossible” shots bring achieved with a slingshot. Hitting a coke can at 120 meters is absolutely possible when using fast rubber bands and not giving up after 20 misses.
Great photo, B.B. You could have stood shoulder to shoulder with John Wayne and James Arness among others.
~ken
Ken,
I’m afraid that would have been shoulder, head, shoulder. 🙂
B.B.
i owe y’all a good kick in ribs. kids gave me the flu. think i broke a rib coughing. running hot and cold with fever. male menopause, or as the wife says “karma for making fun of her hot flashes”. My brain stumbled over impressement but just went right over that speedbump. Thanks seantheaussie for once I don’t have to wait until the next day to finally get the joke. timing.
Another age of sail book series. Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/maturin novels. Ships of the line were the aircraft carrier battle groups of the day. Men of steel sailing ships of wood.
ChrisUSA been a year since I shot with the kids. The nine year old boy makes me realize forty five years later why my grandfather never taught me to shoot as far as he knew. I try again this year individually. the thirteen year old girl has talent and good sense about gun safety. Seven year old girl is good for her age on the rules but is so tiny I would have to cut half the butt off the small red ryder to give her something to put up to her shoulder. With the boy I would settle for not looking down the bore every time I turn around. I guess success is having them realize the gun that turns up at a friends house is real.
Schools,
No one “taught” me. You sound as if you have your hand’s full. I wish you and the young in’s the best. In retrospect, I often thought that a good dose of harsh reality would be a good addition to lessons. Maybe not and most likely for sure not at those young ages. It all sounds a bit like walking a fine wire in which position must be constantly checked and corrections made very gradually. I wish you the best.
Schools,
Hello fellow educator!
I broke a couple ribs coughing a couple years ago, and this is what helped me heal. I used a weightlifting belt with the buckle twisted off to the opposite side of the sore ribs and wore it over my ribcage. I wore it at home, especially as I slept. When I wasn’t wearing it, I placed my hand over the ribs and pressed gently but firmly as I coughed, a technique I believe is called “splinting.”
Here’s to you speedy recovery.
Michael
B.B.,
Those photos of Elmer Keith (and I mean this as a good thing) remind me of those great lithos by Currier and Ives of guys shooting rifles on their backs between their legs and in other tortured positions. This is great stuff!
And that picture of the Colt Agent snubbie has me wishing for a CO2 replica of that model, with its what, 1.5 inch barrel. That snub nose with the ultra short barrel was a classic profile in my opinion.
Michael
Interesting that few mention the math behind the sight reference for long-range open-sight pistol shooting using the front sight system Elmer did. Took me awhile but I finally nulled it all out several years ago after reading Roger Clouser and Ed Wosika writings. It’s just the following– front sight height x 3440 (for MOA, 1000 for mil) / sight radius (front sight to rear sight unless target is placed at top of front sight then it’s front sight to eye). Now calc. a ballistics program for your load and apply the MOA or mil calcs to the front sight vs. sight radius system. As an example my 1377 with iron sights calcs out to 80 MOA. My MOA ballistics profile is calcd for a 10.5 gr. pellet at 400 fps. I have made many shots to ranges of even 80 yds. using this system often on the 1st shot.
Rangefinding is just as much fun using the front sight measurements and the sight radius (to your eye). Substitute the measurements into the mil-ranging formula, and it will surprise the daylights out of you when it works (with larger tgt sizes).