tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post5053327015673784969..comments2023-11-05T00:19:25.417-07:00Comments on Rifleman Savant: Gear squee: the hunting airgun is ordered.Kevin Wilmethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18368887768008126052noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post-13780185895757968192014-11-05T13:08:16.027-08:002014-11-05T13:08:16.027-08:00Also, ML, point well taken (and duly bookmarked) o...Also, ML, point well taken (and duly bookmarked) on the lead topic. I am rather invested in hard-cast bullets for my <i>kerflattenboomers</i> (45 Colt and 45/70) and of course buck and slugs for the shotgun, but those don't get shot all that often, either. <br /><br />I haven't had time to comb all the articles yet, but would be interested if you've found insight on the following:<br /><br />- Do gas-checks help at all from a health standpoint, other than just reducing bore buildup?<br /><br />- Are plated bullets a significant improvement or does one really need a full copper jacket? (I've been using the Rainier plated pistol bullets for a while now, by choice, just because they're so much cleaner to work with, and they're hardly any more expensive than plain lead. The plating feature is often advertised as being indoor-friendly...)<br /><br />I'm happy to say I've only used an indoor range up here once, and that was back in 2009. One of the keys to having peace with the winter up here is to get out as often as possible, and we do. :-)Kevin Wilmethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18368887768008126052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post-90493462068949129022014-11-05T12:54:43.950-08:002014-11-05T12:54:43.950-08:00This (continuing) discussion makes me all the more...This (continuing) discussion makes me all the more want to be able to shoot with you some day, if for no other reason than to see, in person, how it works for you. And I suspect that it wouldn't take long, either, for you to see the things that speak to me. :-)<br /><br />I suspect that at some point I'll have cause to make the drive between Bozeman (where my parents live) and Denver (where I was before we came to Alaska), and if nothing else, I'll make it a point then to swing out toward Gillette and stop over for a visit. And of course if you ever find yourself up here, you are more than welcome to visit and stay with us. (I'd love for my girls to meet you too!)Kevin Wilmethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18368887768008126052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post-22700614826278259292014-11-05T11:55:30.235-08:002014-11-05T11:55:30.235-08:00Well, my friend, each to his/her own. :) I think w...Well, my friend, each to his/her own. :) I think we have some differences in our goals for training, as well as methods, but there is no one right way to go about this. If that wasn't so... there wouldn't be all these thousands of different guns, equipment and accessories in the market. And just think what that would look like in a truly free society! :) They'd have to open up sporting goods outlet malls on the moon. LOL<br /><br />On a truly serious note, I have been doing some research the last week or so, and have learned some things that seriously challenge some of my prior practices. Lead exposure, especially indoor ranges, is a far more serious problem than I ever believed. http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/?p=6014 I suspect you may use indoor ranges a lot up there, so if you are not aware of some of this, now's the time to do something about it.<br /><br />If nothing else, THIS might drive me to look for other options for shooting during the coldest weather. Our indoor range is very, very poor measured against the requirements listed in the article. I'm going to present this to my club, and see what they want to do. But I won't be shooting inside again until they "get the lead out."<br /><br />I'll also use up my unjacketed revolver ammo, outdoors, and won't be buying any more of it. <br /><br />I have a pump action pellet/bb rifle, but have not had much use out of it. The little "clip" that is supposed to hold the pellets got lost the first day, and there is no way to load the pellets without it. The BB part works well, but in either case it gives me no help with practice for pistol shooting. MamaLibertyhttp://www.thepriceofliberty.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post-52046598460718721702014-11-04T09:51:00.281-08:002014-11-04T09:51:00.281-08:00One thing to keep in mind about Airsoft guns is th...One thing to keep in mind about Airsoft guns is that you have to scale down both your target and your range. The barrels are smoothbore, after all (and to be clear, they do not accept diabolo pellets or even steel BBs, just the 6mm plastic Airsoft balls), and they are accurate enough if you scale both your targets and your range.<br /><br />The competition set has figured this out, and what they do is shoot scaled-down targets at scaled-down range. Within that range, your "perspective" in making a given shot is an exact scale of a similar shot with a firearm, at firearm ranges, with firearm-sized targets. So, if you peruse a bit <a href="http://www.tactrainers.com/collections/all" rel="nofollow">here</a>, you can see that, for example, shooting at their scaled-down Pepper Popper at 10 feet, will look just like shooting a full-sized firearm Popper at 16 yards. <i>And within that ten feet</i>, the smoothbore Airsoft guns are more than accurate enough.<br /><br />ML, you know me well enough to understand that I wouldn't bother with something that wasn't effective, or as realistic as possible. And please do not misunderstand me when I speak of the value of trigger time. I am completely with you on the value of dry-fire with your (centerfire) firearm, and I do plenty myself; I have simply <i>added</i> Airsoft to this, and the big thing that it does that dry-fire cannot, at least with an auto pistol, is that it lets me practice multi-shot strings, wherein I must reacquire the front sight and manage the trigger. I can do that dry-fire with a revolver, but not with the auto pistols that I carry.<br /><br />I've got little use for "tactards" and, really, for competition. but I do find this useful! :-)<br />Kevin Wilmethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18368887768008126052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post-50638737153955208832014-11-04T07:03:42.613-08:002014-11-04T07:03:42.613-08:00"seeing the effects of trigger control on poi..."seeing the effects of trigger control on point of impact make it a nearly invaluable education tool. :-)"<br /><br />Yes indeed, it does. The red dot can speed the learning curve for new folks impressively, and for us old dogs, it keeps us sharp. It is especially valuable for teaching "point and shoot," because it is often hard for people to let go of the "sights" as being the be all and end all. It's a whole other game, and it is important <br />to learn both well if one is training for self defense.<br /><br />None of us actually uses the pellets in the airsoft training guns we have... they are not accurate enough, and the plastic bb doesn't even mark the target often enough to be worth the effort if they were. Ours are on a much lower level of function than yours, obviously. :) We keep the red dot zeroed in to be accurate, and that's the best we hope for. <br /><br />As for the cost and "trigger time," most of us agree that paying strict attention to dry fire exercises, and then making every round count at the range is our best bet for training. I can have all the "trigger time" I want free of charge with my dry fire and red dot... then verify it with a few rounds at the range. Never have been one who thinks it is vital to expend a lot of ammunition in order to be proficient. <br /><br />Might be different for competition shooters, of course, but I can put rounds into a six inch disk at anywhere between bad breath and 20 foot range, and that is what I'd need in any likely self defense situation. I can do that all day long, both hands with any gun I own, and either hand alone with some of them, including my two carry guns.<br /><br />My training goal is to keep that happening for as long as possible. :) MamaLibertyhttp://www.thepriceofliberty.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post-22369123020941703892014-11-02T22:18:32.787-08:002014-11-02T22:18:32.787-08:00Sure. I'm not aware of anyone who advocates A...Sure. I'm not aware of anyone who advocates Airsoft for hunting; the little plastic BBs run just about three grains and must have a truly awful sectional density value.<br /><br />The lead diabolo pellet, on the other hand, seems to have a niche. It can't do everything that the .22LR can do (much less centerfires), but with the gun I have coming, it can certainly take any of the small game I have access to here, with range and power to spare. (And I am certainly impressed by the SHTF value of requiring no gunpowder resupply, and the option of simple pellet casting.)<br /><br />I do think that the <i>calculated</i> use of Airsoft for training is very worthwhile. (The trick seems to be to know the limitations and to keep training realistic over time.) For me at least, the startling economy makes this worth the effort; I get far more trigger time now than I ever have had before, simply because I can afford plastic BBs, canister propane and a little silicone oil.<br /><br />I will probably get myself a laser sight at some point as well, if for no other reason than working with others. My understanding is that the training value of seeing the effects of trigger control on point of impact make it a nearly invaluable education tool. :-)Kevin Wilmethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18368887768008126052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8988046816576439468.post-2653622605155984672014-11-02T04:11:30.874-08:002014-11-02T04:11:30.874-08:00Glad you are having so much fun with this! :) I...Glad you are having so much fun with this! :) I'm doing a lot more shooting these days since I hold a firearms coaching clinic at the local range each Wed. morning now. We shoot all kinds of guns, and some of the girls have gotten airsoft pistols with a red dot. I bought a crimson trace for my XD9, since I'd already had the airsoft for several years and felt the need to upgrade. I don't carry with it on, however, it's just for practice. And mostly for practicing the point and shoot. None of the airsoft things we have are powerful or accurate enough for hunting, of course. <br /><br />Still can't work up any real enthusiasm for airsoft guns myself, but I can see serious potential for them if ammo ever gets really impossible to obtain. :)MamaLibertyhttp://www.thepriceofliberty.orgnoreply@blogger.com