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I'm going to give this blog thing a try. Not that anyone cares what a nobody like me does, but it might be fun to keep track of things for this year.

After a long winter, our first Friday practice day, March 19, turned out fantastic, especially for March weather near Cincinnati. Sunny skies, a bit breezy and 68 degrees!

It felt good to see the range again, after a 5-month break.
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The first thing I do when I get to the range is unlock the trap house where the air compressor is kept and get it started filling the tank. I looked at the door and said "Nice new lock that I don't have a key for." Swell. Looks like no air today...I will just unlock the targets and manually reset them all day, which will be a pain, but I can still shoot. I drive up to the first bank, look down and say "Nice new lock that I don't have a key for." I drive around the range and see that all the targets have new locks. Well, maybe I can get in the shed and pull the swingers out.

At least that lock hasn't been changed, but I decided swingers just weren't going to cut it, so I called Walt at home. He told me they put new locks on everything the previous week when they re-installed the air cylinders and they were all identical locks. A couple spares were hidden in the shed with the same keys, so I was in business.

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Every year I start the silhouette season with the Bond XP in .30 DC. It has been a tradition of mine, and now that Ralph has passed on, it has a more special meaning for me. I know he's watching and smiling, seeing his old gun still going strong.

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The first shot of the season is always on a pig, and it connected with a solid clang...man I love that sound! I finished 5 pigs, 5 turkeys and 10 rams with no misses. The Calfee XP-100 in 7mmBR was next. That stock just fits my hand perfectly and it is a real joy to shoot.

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After checking the zeros at all ranges, I put 5 more on the half-scale shootoff swingers at 200 meters, not centered, but all were hit. A little rusty still.

Next up was the XP-100 in 7mm TCU.

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This one has an unknown barrel installed by an unknown gunsmith...not an obscure gunsmith or barrel, I just don't really know as it is not marked anywhere...but it shoots like a house on fire! I was pulling bullets, some left-over Hornady 154 grain SP's. Got the pigs, missed a couple turkeys...not right. Then I remembered the note in my ammo box about these bullets shooting higher than the normal loads I use. Perhaps I should pay more attention to the correct sight settings. After readjusting, all the rest of the targets went down fine.

After lunch (remind me to never bring a tuna fish sandwich to the range again ), I pulled out the Bond Sassy Grass XP in 7mm International. Hadn't cleaned this gun since last year and the bolt felt a little sluggish, so I pulled it, disassembled it, cleaned it and I was back in business.

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Time for a little rimfire shooting, so the next gun was, what else...the Cheater Gun.

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By this time Ed and Joe had pretty well knocked all the paint off the targets, so I just cleaned up the turkey and ram banks a little by shooting broken clay target pieces. I HATE those things cluttering up the berms. After 40 rounds they looked a lot better...still more work to go though.

Getting late in the day, time for the only revolter I brought with me. Paul's Dan Wesson 15-2. I knew he was also watching me, making sure I took good care of his gun.

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Over the winter, I picked up several boxes of factory .38 Special Nyclad ammo for a song. I wanted the Federal nickel brass and the ammo would be good to practice with. One box was fired on the big bore targets, standing. Ed shot a few of them, we had no sight settings, so kept cranking it up til it got on target. Mostly shot at the pigs and chickens, did about my average, but I suck at standing. Figured I should hold about a foot above the turkey at 150 meters, hit the first one, but no more after that. Another 40 regular .357 loads were launched downrange, hitting about 40 percent of the targets. Man, I really like this Dan Wesson...just need to get sight settings for it in creedmore now.

By 1630, Joe and I were about done, the eyes were shot, then a club member came out to shoot. He wanted to try silhouette but apologized for coming so late, I convinced him to stay, and while he banged away at the .22 chickens, I pulled out the last gun, the Lilja XP in 6mmBR.

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By the time I had shot 20 rounds, he was out of ammo...those Ruger MKII shooters so I packed up and called it a day. Good to have Ed and Joe there on this perfect day, with 225 rounds going downrange. Silhouette season is back!