Tuesday, June 7, 2016

At The Range



Do you remember Day of the Triffids, in which alien plants, Kudzulike, overwhelm their terrestrial counterparts? It was like that at the range, though the plants were Texan, and who knew what was lurking under them. Watch out for snakes, shooters.




The snakes didn't appear though two Ruger American .22s did. One with a 4x Hawke Optics scope and the other with Ruger supplied iron sights. Both rifles performed flawlessly, picking off shotgun cartridges, steel plates, a Sprite can and an old kettle.




Now, you may scoff and look down upon this scene with smug condescension, while you chamber another round in your .375 H&H Magnum before cranking off a few rounds with a 45-70 bear rig. But before you turn away in scorn, read this about bolt action rimfire shooting:

There’s something cathartic about deliberate fire punctuated by a short-travel bolt cycling the next round into the chamber. Remove recoil from the equation entirely, and you have a great gun for working on those rusty fundamentals, or for teaching a new generation the finer points of marksmanship.

And here's the Shooting Times on the RAR (Ruger American Rimfire):

Who would have thought a new bolt-action rimfire rifle could be a game-changer? I mean, everything is all about autoloaders nowadays, right? But a game-changer is exactly what the new Ruger American Rimfire series is, and it’s positioned to become as dominant in the rimfire bolt-action world as the Ruger 10/22 has been for so long in the rimfire autoloader world. Maybe even more so.

You can read about the gun's specifics, such as its adjustable trigger, patented bedding, modularity, sighting options and more in the above reviews, but I'll throw my Guinea on the bench and say this. The RAR has excellent fit and finish for the money, it's accurate to minute of shotgun cartridge at 30 yards and, with a wood stock, has a satisfying aesthetic for wood and steel enthusiasts. A great little rifle. If you're looking for an affordable rimfire bolt-gun, get a RAR.


GWB Likes Ballistol. It's Green

A 525 round value pack of ammo and a lot of fun later, it was time to head for home. A good day was had by all.

Shoot straight,

LSP

5 comments:

  1. No one should dis the bolt action .22. I learned to shoot at around eight years old on a Remington. I did switch up to an automatic when I was a bit older so I could go plinking at the local dump. Killed a lot of rats, bottles, cans, and an occasional TV back in the day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Snakes in the tall grass - and even though was not possible in previous years, who knows but what a 12' gator may lurk?

    I'm glad that you both were able to slaughter targets with reckless abandon and escape (without the weight of ammunition to burden your egress) with your lives.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wouldn't mind a semi myself, Euripides, probably a 10/22. But per the review, there's something satisfying about bolt action and perhaps it lends itself to better shooting. .22's cheap, too, which is consideration.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We certainly won the firefight, LL, which is fortunate, but didn't see any gators. I think that's because we didn't try hard enough.

    I asked my pal if he wanted to go on a snake hunt at "the beach" (swampy tank) and he wasn't into it -- that's probably where the gators were.

    Next time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you'll recall, I declined to wade about in the swamp daring a cottonmouth to strike as well.

    ReplyDelete