Showing posts with label Ruger American .22LR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ruger American .22LR. Show all posts

Monday, March 18, 2019

Monday Shoot - Ruger Rimfire Roustabout




"LSP, what are you up to tomorrow?" asked the text, followed by one simple answer, "Shooting, join in." And that's what happened, CC drove over from the Metrosprawl, we loaded up the rig with guns and headed to the range. 




I wanted to test out not one, not two but three Ruger rimfires, an American .17 HMR, .22 LR, and the country's favorite semi, a 10/22. But first off we shot off a box of skeet, smoking the biodegradable orange adversaries in good order with a CZ Bobwhite SxS 20. What a great little gun, bang on.


A Gang of Three

Then it was down to serious business with the Rugers, while CC plinked away. I hadn't shot the .17 in ages and, please don't laugh, wanted to see if the dirt cheap, made in China, Simmons 4x scope I'd bought this morning from Walmart actually worked. It boldly advertised itself as ".22 MAGNUM," so perhaps it would.


That's Weird, it Works

And it did, amazingly, right out of the box with minimal adjustment, sending the tiny high velocity rounds into a small silhouette with miraculous $26 precision. Well done, Ruger and Chicom Simmons, you shoot like a laser. I was taken aback.


Best Ruger American .22 LR Group 

Next up, I checked the zero on another Ruger American, a .22 I'd unscientifically sighted in last week at around 50 yards. After a bit of adjustment, it was well in the zone and the same went for the 10/22, which shot as it should given iron sights and LSPvision. So well done, Rugers, you work, but which one's best?


Note Expensive Scope

The American .17 was easily the most accurate, cheap optic regardless, and its .22 twin wasn't far off either, which you'd expect from these rifles because their "Patented Power Bedding® integral bedding block system positively locates the receiver and free-floats the barrel for outstanding accuracy." 


CC

At least that's the marketing and sure enough, the aluminium blocks which the American's receiver screws into seem to do the trick. The barrel's crowned too and comes with an adjustable trigger, 3-5 pounds, which doesn't hurt. 


Proper Little Blaster

Then there's the 10/22, which has been around since 1964 and's still going strong. Why? Because it's an excellent rifle, reliable, accurate, and a lot of semi-auto fun. It's also around $60 cheaper than the American rimfires.


Yet Another Ruger

So I'd say they're all good depending on what you're after. For rounds in the same hole accuracy at an affordable price, the .17 does the trick, provided there's no wind to blow the little bullet off course. 


Random LSP With Shotgun

For a less accurate but cheap to shoot all day alternative, either the 10/22 or the American .22 are more than good and inexpensive to boot. One's semi, the other's bolt, the American's perhaps more advanced but the 10/22 can get a lot of rounds off quickly. Your call.

Needless to say, I like them all, buy one of each if you're into shooting the lowly .22 and its faster cousin, the .17.


Texas

The shoot finished with a good old blast off against the enemy. Soda cans, range debris, steel plates and silhouettes all met their match as the afternoon lengthened into evening under the Texan sky, and that was that. Big fun and always good to get out and shoot.

Gun rights,

LSP 

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Let's Go For A Shoot!



"Can we go for a shoot, please?" asked an eager cadet. "Sure, it's about time. We have new weapons in the armory and it's the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Let's go." Before you could say principles of marksmanship we were on our way to the range.




Would the  new guns, an Aero build .308 AR and a ChiCom SKS perform? Only one way to find out, shoot the beasts and that's what we did.




To be fair, I didn't know what kind of ammo the .308 had been zero'd in on and came with a random pack of 150 grain bullets. Would the weapon even be on paper? It was, straight out of the gate. Excellent result and that can be improved. Big fun to shoot, explosive sound and fury with the recoil of a 20 gauge.


That'll do for now

After the mighty ballistics hi-power of the .308 battle rifle, the SKS came in as a fun gun, easy to shoot and light as you like. It performed pretty much flawlessly, sending its chunky rounds down range with workmanlike, ComBloc effect.





So what's better, an SKS or a Mini 14? Good question and I hesitate to answer but I will say this. The SKS seems simpler and a bit easier to shoot. 

Still, it's factory basic, thanks, Commies and doesn't have a detachable magazine, unless you mess with it. But and it's a big but for shooters on a budget, it does cost a whole lot less. Whatever, your call, both are neat. For what it's worth, I see the SKS as a ranch rifle/fun gun on a budget.




After filling up the center mass of the Green Enemy we fell back to the small shooting house and some nice and easy plinking with a Ruger American .22.



The plates met their match.




Then it was time to head back to the Compound for Mass, a good day had by all. Moral of the story? Get out in the country and shoot, it's good for mind, body and soul.

Gun rights,

LSP

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Don't be an Illuminati Shill, Shoot



There's nothing wrong with collecting guns. You can stare at them, lovingly, as they sit in their racks, gleaming in the Gun Room, and that's just fine. But the end or the telos of the gun is to hit a target with a bullet, moving with explosive energy and power. 

If guns aren't doing that they're not fulfilling their potential, which isn't fair on the firearm. With that in mind, I took BW, her friend T and some of the armory to Range #2.


You're Right Handed, BW

It was hot, no doubt about it, but that didn't stop us squaring up against the opposition under a fierce Texan sun that seemed to bleach everything with white light.  A Glock 21, Beretta PX4, AR 15 and a Ruger American .22 all fulfilled themselves, putting rounds down range and on target.


T Gauging The Enemy

T, who works for the Beretta Gallery in NYC, enjoyed shooting weapons that aren't generally available on the Island, and he shot well, taking to the violent and deadly .45s like a natural. He's a wing shooter on the Rainbow Hued East Coast (RHEC) and favors a classic double trigger, straight stock, side by side 20 gauge, for shooting pheasant and woodcock. I'm jealous of that gun and he's jealous of the freedom to shoot .45s and evil assault rifles. 


A Target

Are we even? No, because I can save up and buy the SxS. Sorry, T. rally 'round and vote the RHEC out of power, please. In fact, send the elite millionaire socialist leaders to jail while you're at it. The world will be a safer place.


A Typical Day in Texas

BW got in some practice on the Ruger and wanted to shoot left handed, which is odd, because she's right handed. That peculiar trend was put right, I think, and accuracy improved accordingly.




Shoot over, we headed back for home and some ice cold beer. And that's what it's all about, here at the Compound.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Monday, June 6, 2016

Getting to The Range



There's not been a lot of shooting in LSPland lately because of our enemy, the Weather. Seriously, it's rained so much that the places I like to shoot at have been pretty much off-limits. But that's changed, at least for now, with a few days of heat and sun.

So I drove down to the range with GWB and a couple of wood stocked Ruger American .22s, a value pack of ammo and a mind set on a few hours of firearms fun. Make up for lost time, I thought to myself, and blaze away in the clean country air. Right on, get out and shoot.




Then disaster struck. Thanks to the Weather, part of a tree had fallen and was blocking the way into the range. It was a significant obstacle and there was no way it was going to move without a chainsaw and there wasn't one.

"We need a saw," said GWB, thoughtfully, and I agreed, "Yes, and there isn't one." I optimistically tried a bit of telekenesis on the fallen timber; maybe staring at the branches would shift them out of the way. No, it didn't, and then it came to me, GWB had had the foresight to bring a multitool. "What about your Leatherman?" I asked,  "That has a sawblade, a surprisingly good one."




Sure enough, the Leatherman Wave's handy saw made quick work of an offending branch and we were able to drive around the road block. Moral of the story?





Don't underestimate our enemy the Weather, it can throw some nasty punches. Also, be prepared, have the kit you need to reach your objective. Most importantly, when things go wrong you can sit there in your pajama onesie, whining into your coco as you wait for the Government to step in and save you, good luck with that. Or you can take matters into your own hands and find a solution.




That's what happened today. We cut through the wood and drove on through, to the other side.

Thanks, Leatherman Wave. You work.

LSP


Monday, March 28, 2016

Shoot Your Guns



Some people have ONE gun, others have several, but whatever the case, the song remains the same. If you're going to be any good with firearms you have to actually shoot them, as opposed to staring at them fondly as they stand gleaming in their racks.


Thieves

That was brought home to me a little while ago, after a dismal offhand performance against some steel plates. The expression, "couldn't spot a thieving hippy on the hustle in Austin from 10 paces" totally applied, embarrassingly. So I set out to change that, with a Glock 21, an AR 15 and a Ruger American .22.




After a brisk warm up against an unfortunate silhouette, the plates were swinging at 50 and 75 yards. Well done, Ruger. 


Here's a Handy Chart

I left the rifle zeroed at 50 yards; just dial it up a fraction under 5.5" for 100 yards. And note how the Ruger American takes the ubiquitous 10/22 30 round magazine. Good job, team.

The AR did fine, too, and made handy work of an empty value pack of .223. It has a Primary Arms 1x6 scope on it, which I'm tempted to upgrade. Perhaps with a Vortex Strike Eagle.




Then there's Glock. Some people don't like Glocks and call them "rubbish." Well, the Glock 21 isn't a Colt Python and it can't send the mighty .357 Magnum through your enemy's engine block, but still, I'm not complaining. That pistol is all business.

Shoot over, head for home.

Gun Rights,

LSP

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

A Prayer Poem For The Feast



It's the evening of the Feast of St. Matthias and all's quiet here at the Compound, apart from the sharp click of magazines going into their wells, rifle bolts being worked and pistol slides racking in the action. And the sound of sirens filling the air as the local PD heads West over the railway tracks to take down a meth lab under the light of a silver moon.

As you reflect on this comforting scene of rural Texan tranquility, here's something to steer the mind towards holier things. It's from the Eastern Breviary.

O apostle Mathias! thou didst complete the sacred college, from which Judas had fallen; and by the power of the Holy Ghost, thou didst put to flight the darkness of idolatry by the admirable lightnings of thy wise words. Do thou now beseech the Lord that he grant peace and much mercy to our souls.
He that is the true Vine sent thee, a fruitful branch, bearing the grapes that give out the wine of salvation. When they drank it that before were slaves to ignorance, they turned from the drunkenness of error.
Being made, O glorious Mathias, the chariot of God's word, thou didst break for ever the wheels of error, and the chariots of iniquity. By the divine power, thou didst defeat the idolaters, and destroy the pillars and the temples; but thou didst build up to the Trinity other temples, which echoed with these words All ye people, praise Christ above all for ever!
The drunkenness of error. I'd say there's a surfeit of that, right about now.

Your Old Friend,

LSP