Finally!!!!

[armoredman]

Yes, I am back. The winter of my discontent has ended. No, its still windy and cold out there, I'm just not discontented. See, I got my rifles back, and I was FINALLY able to go try out the boolits from that mold I bout 4 months ago!
So quick like a bunny I load up and head out, CZ 527M carbine, 7.62x39mm. Cold and windy, yes, even here in AZ, but I had a jacket on, all good.

Get to my range and realize I left my shooting stool at home. Dang, means I shoot standing or kneeling. Well, I had a peice of carpet in the trunk, so I could shoot kneeling, even though it would not be as accurate as sitting at the bench, but I wasn't about to go home! No sir! So out comes the little carpet runner, and I settled in. I suddenly realized light jackets aren't that great. See, in AZ, 45 degrees is cold, shoulda brought something a BIT more substantial. BUT I AM NOT GOING HOME!
All right, kneeling it is, windy and cold, 50 yard range with a new boolit and a couple of loads, we'll call it, um, "testing under field conditions", yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!

First target, j-word bullet control group.



OK, now lets try some of those 129 grain sharp pointed boolits!



Not bad, little under "oomphed".



Comparing it to my "control" group, not bad at all, definate promise there, but group sizes are going to be a BIT bigger under these conditions.

JUST for grins and giggles, I tried my brand new CZ SP-01 Phantom at 50 yards, and yes, I did use some cast boolits with it, just not this target. I won't lie, that was the best target I had, 50 yards, two hand hold standing, slow fire.



In my defense, I was getting a bit chilled. It warmed up to 48 when I got home...

A bad day at the range beats a good day at work, ANY day of the week!

[1Shirt]

Come on up to Ne. and spend a little time on the range between Nov and March, and you will get to know cold and wind real well.
1Shirt!

[armoredman]

Thanks, but I did boot and A School in Great Lakes Naval Training Center right off the lake Sep 86 to mid 87. Cold. Also did live fire on the flight deck while cruising past Adak, Alaska in February. Cold. Said I didn't need to do THAt again!

[HollowPoint]

I had a slow day at work today. I would have loved to have gone to the range but, I guess I've just been living in Arizona to long.

My blood has thinned out to where if it's in the forty-degree range its to cold to go to the range. If there's a breeze that accompanies that forty-degrees, even a good looking blond holding a brand new rifle doesn't tempt me any more.

I heard a local disc-jockey on Monday mention that there was a possibility of snow here on Thursday. I don't know if it was true or not but, right now this very minute it sure feels like it want to snow.

I've lived here for a little over a half-century. In that time I've seen it snow twice. I suppose we're overdue.

If it gets to cold I can't even walk straight. And forget about shooting straight.

Some of you guys from the colder parts of the country probably get as much of a kick out of us hot-weather guys complaining about the cold as we get about you cold-weather guys complaining about the heat.

The temperature has been around the mid-seventies the past few days. This cold snap just messes everything up.

HollowPoint

[Tazman1602]

Lord have mercy. Over 40 degrees here is t-shirt and shorts weather...........temp gets above 35 with NO wind and I'm a shooting.................

...........with the same respect, if I came out to shoot with you in the sun at 75 degrees I'd be DYING.....................

Art

[Bloodman14]

Man, I MISS Arizona. . .

[Echo]

Supposed to get down to 21 here this weekend...

[Crash_Corrigan]

WE have a plinking party planned for Jan 3rd out in the Mojave Desert South of Las Vegas and we expect to have about 15 guys out there shooting steel.

My buddy makes up these great steel targets and we all get to shoot at them. Some guys always really like them and want some for themselves. He may actually be able to make some bread doing this.

I hope so since he has been unemployed for some time from his construction job on the strip.

He uses AR 500 steel for his targets as it will take a beating and keep together. He has tried cheaper steels but that does not get the job done and they do not last. I have a steel circle of about 12" that was given to me by a friend from that secret base we are not supposed to talk about here close to Vegas.

I have been shooting at it with all my pistols and semi-autos and also with most of my rifles with my own cast boolits. It is not even dented. However one day at the range some yahoo down the line punched 5 .30 cal rifle rounds through it when I was not watching. I never caught the bum. That was nasty.

The normal weather around the desert runs about 50-60 degrees during the day. A really cold day will be in the high 30's but not too often. This is locally and not up in the hills. Every thousand feet you go up in this area will reduce the temperature by quite a bit. Our biggest worry is the wind. It can really blow out there and make it uncomfortable and difficult to shoot at any range.

[noylj]

Nebraska:
Where the berm is the highest ground for miles around.
Where the overpasses look like ski slopes after a couple of weeks.
Where in winter, the snow blows horizontal to the ground and you are likely to get your windshield covered in mud from the vehicle in front of you.
Where a summer day of 100F and 100RH is considered mild.
Where the offices are at 85F during the winter and the people are still wearing their heavy jackets with a sweater underneath.
It is hard to find any outdoor venue to be very comfortable no matter what the time of year.

[WHITETAIL]

Here in Pa. it started out at 15F this morning.

[mroliver77]

It is up in the 40s here today. Yuck!! The snow is melting and it is trying to rain. Not good for my poor abused body. Maybe if the snow is gone my tractor will be able to get some traction. The frozen ground got a bit of ice on it then snow and tractor cannot get into anything to grab on to.
It is hard to keep a clean fire in the stove without overheasting the place on these "warm" days. I can shoot the .32 out the back door for practice on these wet yucky days to brighten up my mood.
Jay

[armoredman]

Tazman, 75 degress is early winter, not summer. Summer is 105-118. I get to the range at opening at 0730, and leave at 0900, about when the mercury breaks 100, heading north.
No matter, still have fun shooting whether shivering or drenched in sweat.

[Tazman1602]

Doesn't matter man. Temps here today were in the high 40's and it has been raining for two days now. Was drizzling today but I still got off about 50 or 60 rounds at the paper in back of my house.

Dang mud is miserable, I'd rather have it frozen..............

Art

[Fixxah]

Miss Arizona? Is she hot?

[XWrench3]

if i moved to AZ., and i have thought about it. i would HAVE to make an underground shooting range. no way i could take 100+ degree days! of course, the question then would be how to keep the snakes and scorpions out of the cool shooting range.

[canyon-ghost]

Hooray for you, ya went shooting! How about coveralls and jersey gloves? Targets look really good, that's some fine rifle work there.

Ron

[JCherry]

My part of Arizona today has a high of 22 and the low is to be -2. We've got a couple of feet of snow.

I'm at 6,500 ft in the Ponderosa pines, beautiful country. I'll be in the shop casting for the next few days.

By the 8th it is supposed to get up to a high of 48 but it will probably be too muddy to get out and do much. We have a long range cowboy match scheduled for the 8th but my guess is the mud will preclude the shoot.

Would not want to be any where else though, I did my time in Southern Arizona.

Have Fun,

JCherry

[ricksplace]

When it gets down to 0F my fingers get cold. Wife made me a pair of pure wool fingerless gloves for shooting. Great stuff. I can shoot down to about -20F comfortably.

When it gets to 85F here, everyone complains about the heat. Many people hide indoors with the air conditioners on. Even when it gets hot, it always cools off during the night. In spring and fall, it is not unusual to run the furnace in the morning to get rid of the chill, only to have to run the air conditioning in the late afternoon.

[x101airborne]

if my body ever sees -20, that's because im dead and its a cold day in hell.

[armoredman]

I shot at -20, actually I think it was below that, but it was windy across the flight deck that February morn...I qualified, that is all I will say.
As soon as sickness leaves the family alone, (me first, now wife, waiting for son to get sick), will be back out with new target stand...shot the old one to death...