The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: alfsauve on June 05, 2018, 04:45:32 PM
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[SHORT STORY]
Registered to shoot the Rimfire Challenge at Rockcastle, KY on 7/21. Got Miss Kitty and I a room there, too. Will be a nice vaca. If anyone else is going let me know.
[LONG WAR STORY]
Miss Kitty has worked for the church's Academy for 16 years as librarian. When she was hired there was a brand new building and a large empty room. She built the collection to over 25,000 volumes. Held some of the largest Scholastic book fairs ($35k gross) in the country. Has been a marketing dynamo for this school. In April, she was informed her contract would not be renewed for 2018-19. She was DUMPED. She's kept a positive attitude and done all she can to help the person taking over for her. Basically, she made too much money and they were cutting corners. Great for this coming year's budget, but long term they've lost quite an asset.
I have always told the church, when Miss Kitty goes, I go. So I informed them 3 weeks ago I'd stay through July. I've been real busy getting everything in order at work. Tamping down the gravel one last time where all the evidence is buried. Finally finishing up all those temporary installations and making them look neat. Completing documentation.
The Rimfire Challenge will be my retirement kickoff. The first, I hope, of many matches I'll be shooting over the coming years.
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If I was dumped I wouldn't help my replacement much. They'll have years to figure it out, or get dumped themselves. Either way it all works out in the end. Congratulations on your coming retirement. I hope you and Miss Kitty don't get sick of each other from being around each other too much. My friend's wife said she's getting a job when he retires, just to get out of the house. Being together 24/7 is too much. I see many matches in your future. ;)
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Well, congrats on retirement but it's a shame it came to you the way it did. I took a look at where that was in Kentucky because I thought...hey, that sounds like fun. But...it's a loooonnnggggg way from home to skip a few days at work.
Anyway, since it did look like fun whilst looking for an address to the shooting locale I came across a rimfire competition board than there's one nearer to me in Columbia, Missouri, (Midway USA home) on September 8. Maybe.....just maybe.......
So much for my digression. You'll need to keep us apprised with your preparations and practices to get ready. Maybe you guys should get an RV like Timothy's been talking about...make competition a regular thing across our great land.
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Alf...I'm not familiar with the Rimfire challenge.... is there a posted course of fire, or is the Rimfire Challenge an offshoot of the steel challenge format, or something like the Chevy Sportsman's Team Challenge?
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Alf...I'm not familiar with the Rimfire challenge.... is there a posted course of fire, or is the Rimfire Challenge an offshoot of the steel challenge format, or something like the Chevy Sportsman's Team Challenge?
Started out as Ruger Rimfire Challenge. Then NSSF took it over and ran it for a few years. Now it has become it's own entity with Michael Bane and Ken Jorgensen as two of the chief board members.
http://www.rimfirechallenge.org/
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If I was dumped I wouldn't help my replacement much. They'll have years to figure it out, or get dumped themselves.
Miss Kitty didn't want to be vindictive. However, her assistant has zero qualifications to be a librarian, and Miss Kitty did not give her a crash course in library science. She did however, complete her normal end-of-school-year duties and answered any question her assistant had. The school is trying to cut corners by not hiring a certified librarian. The Academy's accreditation isn't up for review for 5 years so they can play this game.
We will both be ignoring some phone calls come August.
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I worked one semester of high school in the library. It was the best hour of my 5 hour school day. I didn't enjoy reading when I had to do book reports, but once I was out of school I started reading more. When I was awake but not working, I read during downtime when I was on call about 1,100 hours straight, 4 times a year in the army. If I didn't have a computer I'd probably be reading a book now.
Not going out of your way to help someone isn't vindictive. I would show the other person how to log on to the computer and/or where the card catalog is, depending on how ancient the library is. But if I'm not being paid to train someone I wouldn't. They can look up the Dewey Decimal System online if they don't know anything about it. If the library needs a librarian they should have one on staff. And if not, they get what they paid for.
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Alf... thank you for the reply....
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Practicing or making preparations for the Rimfire Challenge?
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Rastus... no, if the question was directed at me... I built a 10/22 for the Sportsman's Team Challenge, but from looking at the rifles and pistols pictured looks like they are super light weight designed to shoot the steel challenge type matches... the STC was a fixed time precision event out to 90yd offhand... I do have a couple of good pistols, SW M41 and High Standard Citation in case it shows up around the Tampa Bay area...
if anyone is building a 10/22 I have some suggestions, but have not kept up with the gains of technology... since my last STC match was in 1998...
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I have the 10/22 I built out end of last year. Super light Hogue stock and Tac sol barrel.
My range has two sets of 8" plates on a bay. I practice variations with them at 20 yds.
Left to right. Right to left.
Every other one one way then back the other on the remaining.
Outer to inner, alternating left to right and visa versa.
Finally, more for fun, double tap each one.
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Les I'm sorry, I was checkin' on Al...but you having been a competitor I am all ears to what you are doing too and what you can recommend!
Sounds like a good setup Al. Maybe set up some competition sized square plates made with cardboard painted white....you won't get the sound but having that third plate may be a help. Putting them far and near is good but with a third plate (or more cardboard cut-outs) you could really drive yourself by putting one of those 8' plates far and everything else near.....at least that's what killed me having 3 or 4 near and one far. Just my 2 cents....
So Al...do you have an aftermarket trigger and a compensator? I have an old first generation compensator on a 1st generation Tacsol (yep....let me rub it in to everyone again...I won it on this board...did you hear that Mike? ;D ) and it really helps keep me on target. Though the compensator expands the groups some.
I did pick up a tri-mag coupler a few years ago when they moved the RRC to Tulsa out of Colorado one year. That worked well for me if you have some 10 shot restrictions to consider. They are $15-25 buckaroos...and I bet they are better now because it was a bit of a trick to get them in the coupler I have.
Are you using optics or iron sights?
Yes I spilled coffee on me in the middle of this post and I had to come back and fix it...just in case some of you read the abbreviated version and wondered what was wrong with me....
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I hear ya ... But, at least you share the fun.
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random thoughts on setting up a 10/22...
get one with an aluminum trigger group if you don't plan on after market....simply radius grinding off the base of the hammer where the step is, reduces sear engagement of a stock trigger... round the plunger of the trigger return spring to smoothly track across the rear of the trigger
if you mount a dot directly on top of the aluminum receiver, make sure you check for tightness.. loctite... after the first year at STC all three team guns were loose with Leupold mounts.... then drilled and tapped for a cantilever mount off barrel... no problems since
first year used a factory custom stock without barrel band and Clark .930" fluted barrel.... cut to 18" after year one, switched to a thumb hole Fajen stock with section of cheek piece cut out so I could get my head more vertical
inexpensive trick using factory barrel is to shorten chamber end of barrel about .020" and re cut the chamber
if you have occasional flyers, limit the vertical travel of the firing pin
if possible reduce head space of bolt... IIRC don't go below .045" (don't trust me on this)
the best addition I added was a harmonic barrel tuner... piece of 1 1/4" aluminum round stock about 3" long, bored .930 with a lengthwise slit and pinch cross screw.... shoot group, move slightly, shoot group... you can watch the groups open and tighten.... this saved on trying multitude of ammo
I full length bedded the barrel and added a second mounting screw.... don't think this is necessary with the RC
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Yes I spilled coffee on me in the middle of this post and I had to come back and fix it...just in case some of you read the abbreviated version and wondered what was wrong with me....
;D
I'm using stock trigger and no comp on the 10/22. I'm not sure I'm missing anything yet.
The 22/45 does have the deVang comp because I like the damping effect.
Optics on both the 22/45 and the 10/22. If I had built out a second 10/22 with iron sights I'd enter both divisions.
I have 3 large orange plasticy type of swingers that I could take out and put at a different distance. No reason I can't paint them white. Good idea to work varying distances.
I could go to our regular action pistol range and break out a real steel set, but that sounds like work.
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random thoughts on setting up a 10/22...
Les, your thoughts are far from random and much to detailed and intense for simple ol' me.
You know better, but I'm a free float guy. And I'm loving the Hogue plastic stock. I haven't shot this light weight one from the bench yet, maybe this weekend, but braced standing it shows great promise. It was shot standing but holding the rifle against the side wall of the shooting lane (indoors)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-General/i-r7cvPKs/0/9a69cd6c/L/20180112_150147-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-General/i-4cBGTf8/0/da27cec0/XL/20180112_145640-XL.jpg)
My varmint 10/22 (heavy barrel, free float) right of the box, embarrasses most bolt action rifles.
Here are 3 groups at 50yds, bench rest on calm day. This is from the box, with the exception of a thumb hole stock and a good scope. It will only do this CCI Standard ammo. I don't want to change anything about this rifle.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-General/i-8BWN6wZ/0/ffebb0ce/S/TargetSavage25100710-S.jpg)
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Am I the only one not seeing the pictures?
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Am I the only one not seeing the pictures?
Yep. You're missing the big picture. ;)
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Concerned about the Rimfire Challenge. As of this afternoon only 6 people have registered and the MD hasn't approved anyone to shoot. Maybe rimfire people aren't use to using Practiscore and there'll be a lot of morning-of registrations. Oh well it'll be a nice vaca for Miss Kitty and I regardless. I might take one or more CF guns just in case there's something else to shoot up there.
Rearranging things and got all the ammo out of the safe and into my "ammo locker". I didn't realize how much .22 I had accumulated. I know i'm a piker compared to some but I'm thinking 2,500+ gets me in the club.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-General/i-sxXMGWf/0/67c0ad01/L/20180707_093352-L.jpg)
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Just went and looked at the website, and I am pleased to see there are some ranges that participate within a day's journey (to - event - home again). Now, time to get the guns back in my hands.
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So as of this morning only 10 people have registered on Practicscore. As long as they hold the match, I'm not complaining. small squads, no waiting. Cool.
Just so happens that on Shooting USA they ran their show about the Rimfire Challenge World Match. Watch to see what gear the competitors were using. Not so much as in pistols and rifles, but range gear, dump bags, etc. The whole thing is run pretty much like a GSSF match. I'm good to go.
Only regret is I never got the 617 so I could compete in Revolver. Nor do I have an iron sighted 10/22. Hmm. I am taking a spare pistol with iron sights and if it works out I'll see if I can enter that category too. Not sure how many entries you can do on one squad.
Oh, and this is day 4 of retirement. So far so good.
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Sorry I didn't know you were looking for a 617 :'( There is one in storage in the Gun Library in Minnesota that I would have gladly had shipped to you for the event.
Have a blast just the same. I watched Shooting USA last night, and was itching to get going again.
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No iron sighted 10/22 Alf? For shame!!!! I bet you can do something about that pretty quick...I mean...going into retirement without one of those is bad. I hate to see your retirement kicked off like that... ;)
Dang Mike I hate that you are separated from your babies like that....maybe all that permit stuff can get worked out real soon.
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Rastus,
I have taken all my written tests. As soon as, if ever, this knee heals I can go in and take the three practical tests to get my driver's license. Once that is in place I can apply for the FOID. Biggest hiccup right now is the knee.
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I went, I saw, I shot. Didn't necessarily conquer.
The PROs:
1) In Rimfire Challenge (RC) you get to shoot a lot! There were 5 pistol and 5 rifle stages. You shoot each 5 times. 6 targets each. That's 300 rounds IF you don't do any makeups. Good thing I took 500 rounds. I actually shot 332 rounds so there were some makeups. On one stage I missed the stop plate so I just emptied the mag on it.
2) Tim Norris, on Board of Directors of RC, came in from California to make sure everything ran well and to compete. He's a great guy. Gave us some good tips.
3) Rockcastle has 5 plenty big, action pistol bays and 8 cowboy bays. The estate is 2,000 acres and also includes shotgun ranges, rifle range and golf course. They even have their own cave which probably connects to the Mammonth Cave complex. Oh they also have their own winery! They grow some of their own vegetables, the salads are especially tasty in the restaurant.
4) The Rockcastle owner and family couldn't have been more polite and eager to please. The sons did all the RO duties so we didn't have to do anything but paint the targets.
5) I don't have a copy of the full scores, but the RO said I finished 3rd in Open Rifle, behind this other really fast pro and Tim. Cool.
6) Winners got a year free membership to Rockcastle shooting and something else(I forgot what). Everything else was random drawing. I got a nice pistol case. Plus Tim gave me $50 gift card to Timeny Triggers!!!
7) That evening we sat around the outdoor veranda and a local band played and we consume a few beverages. That was cool, too.
PICTURES:
Here's Tim Norris and he's watching the owner's son give the match briefing.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-bpn4q8z/0/9585625b/L/20180721_090426-L.jpg)
More competitors: Elizabeth is 14 and was an excellent shooter.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-HH9sJwn/0/5d56c7c1/L/20180721_090423-L.jpg)
This was Pistol Stage #1. Looks easy? It was the hardest one to shoot. The firing box is to the right of the picture. Pointing at the ready cone, your gun is lined up with the large steel plate. So do you swing far right and shoot everything right-to-left? Or do you engage the big, easy plate first, then the ones in the back, then the ones on the right, then swing back left for the stop plate? Slowest times were on this stage.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-Rj2pwBG/0/5dee00f0/L/20180721_113310-L.jpg)
Here we are in Cowboy Town doing the rifle stages.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-PzqjpSm/0/06a32500/L/20180721_150322-L.jpg)
FUNNIES:
Here's Miss Kitty and I going on the cave tour. Soon as we got well inside I reminded her about the flooded caves in Thailand. Not a good thing I did there.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-zwLbpZn/0/44b2cc16/L/20180720_111919-L.jpg)
Okay i wouldn't have gone swimming anyway.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-6dNKmrV/0/ee5f5fdf/L/20180720_164312-L.jpg)
I can imagine all sorts of reasons for this, but am guessing either golfers cleaning their clubs or shotgunners their barrels.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-h7QpGjV/0/68b74170/L/20180720_095152-L.jpg)
CONS:
1) This was Rockcastle's first RC match and they're were feeling there way through it. Still more communications would have helped. I registered 6 weeks ahead and never heard anything from them. Nobody was approved on Practiscore until 7:30pm the night before. Just a brief email confirming the match would have been nice, along with a few instructions about when & where to meet.
2) The lodge was built around 1964 and is in need of an update. It was 92+ on Friday and the window air couldn't keep up. Upgraded, insulated windows would have helped. Ceiling fans would have helped, also. Yes it is a lodge, but still a little updating would go a long way. I'll say they gave me a great rate and I wasn't uncomfortable. These upgrades would probably even save them some money in the long run.
3) The restaurant is good and the staff bends over backwards for you. Great people. And while some of the vegetables are home grown others aren't so hot. One of the things I judge a place by is their potatoes. Instant potatoes just don't hack it. There's no excuse for not mashing you own. We ate there a couple of times, but for dinner preferred going down to Bowling Green or up to Cave City's Cracker Barrel. Given more time we might have tried the lodges inside Mammoth Park.
4) PICKY 1st World Problems: Yes, they had WiFi. Could have been a little stronger though and encrypted. LED TVs would save them some money too over the CRT one we had in our room. Not that we watched much.
I will say, that if I go back to shoot there I will stay at the lodge again. I'll just be better prepared with my own fan and a large ice chest, that I'll fill at the local store.
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Well Alf, heck it still looks like a lot of fun. Did they have any RV hookups by the way? We got that RV thing going now.
Mike...I hope that knee get's healed over quick like.
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Well Alf, heck it still looks like a lot of fun. Did they have any RV hookups by the way? We got that RV thing going now.
It was fun to shoot. Got to expend lots of ammo.
They should have RV hookups, but I didn't see any and I don't know for sure. A quick call will tell.
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The last Rifle Stage was interesting. It looked simple, but there were a number of theories about how to shoot it. Here's my crude drawing. Now this is from memory so the distances may not be entirely accurate, but you get the idea. The numbers of course weren't on the targets, they're just for discussion. The height was such that the rear ones were a little taller than the front ones.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Gun-Competition/i-Pm8dqfH/0/644ea45d/L/Rifle%20COF-L.png)
So, one thing I learned is that if you swing past the Stop Plate you're tempted to shoot it. I had just bragged that out of 9 whole stages, 45 strings of fire, I had never shot the Stop Plate out of order. I shot 1,2,3,6,4,5 and was very tempted to shoot the Stop Plate as I crossed it but caught myself. So shooting 4 then 6 or 6 then 4 should be a no-no unless you're of very strong mind.
The most popular way was, 4,1,2,3,6,5. (or the reverse) A big circle, you don't have to change direction.
But that means your first shot is 20yds.
Tim pointed out that you only had to raise your rifle a little bit to go from 2 to the Stop Plate. So I think he may have shot it, 1,4,6,3,2,5. Also a sort of circle but starting on a 10yd target.
I only bring this up to show how a seemingly very simple COF can present so many options.
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Word of warning about the HKS .22lr Loaders.
ONLY USE THEM ON THE MAGAZINES THEY WERE MADE FOR ! It's stamped on the side.
I just grabbed two of several loaders to take with me, one of which was not for the 22/45. Jammed one on my 22/45 magazine and it stuck. I mean stuck. Several people tried to pull it off with no success. We all decided best wait until I got home and had use of my shop. Fortunately with the right tools it came off with no damage.
One of my HDS loaders is for Ruger MK I and MK II ONLY!
It will jam if you force it on a MK III or MK IV (22/45) magazine. They look so similar and ALMOST the same size. Wish HKS would color code them. (Actually I'm going to sell off my MK I so it won't be a problem in the future.)
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Al I'm a little lost here trying to find the place is it off I-65 and 31W right by an exit (northwest)?
The closest place I can see to where I think it is is here:
Diamond Caverns Resort and Golf Club
660 Doyle Rd, Park City, KY 42160-7942
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Heading North on I-65, exit at SR 255, Park City. Turn right, South, and go for 1/4 mile. Turn right on SR 31W. Go ~1/2 mile and turn right into the Rockcastle facility. The Lodge is about 1/2 mile up the hill.
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Yes thanks. I was not absolutely certain but now I am. There's an RV park just 2-3 miles away.
I might meet you there next year if I get all retired and they do this again. I always wanted to go to the cave anyway...so two birds with one stone.
If I do please take it easy on an old man.