Snow vs Me Round 2

Last Saturday I didn't get to do much shooting due to too much snow up in the mountains.  Weather's been mild this week, so I went back again.  All my buddies were working, broke, or both.

 Initially, roads were clear.  Ran into few parked vehicles off the freeway which was strange.... but I soon found out.  As you climb up, all shooting spots were taken, there was one group who even lined up their trucks blocking the way(I assumed they were shooting on the road).  Rest of the logging roads had foot of snow, so unless you came up to do uphill off-road climbing, you were out of luck.  

I came back down near the freeway myself to regroup.  I knew of another road just few miles from there, so I decided to take the chance & bingo!  I discovered this sweet spot with nice backstop. 😍

I kinda wished I had brought my AR with me.  I had brought just two guns:  My conceal carry Glock 43x MOS(with Trijicon RMRcc) + the new gun S&W Model 69 .44 Magnum.

Glock shot well.  I have TLR-6 light/laser combo on it(laser turned off).  To fit RMRcc on the gun, I went with the adapter plate made by Forward Controls Design.  Tall-ass suppressor height sights to cowitness are also by FCD.  Let me warn you: If you go with this setup, most holsters will not fit.  Only one I found for IWB(In-Waist-Band) & under $80-ish was Werkz holster.  Other holsters didn't have the tall clearance for FCD front sight blade.  It's decent, but like many other holsters out there, it's uncomfortable.  😭

I didn't know this, but like how .357 Magnum revolvers can also shoot .38 Special, .44 Magnum revolvers are able to shoot .44 Special.  After shooting few rounds of .44 Magnum from the S&W M69, I finally tried out the .44 Special.  I saw Hickok45 on youtube comparing .44 Special kick to that of .45ACP?  After shooting .44 Magnum, I shit you not, it felt like I was shooting a .22LR man.  Crazy. 😳  

Unfortunately for me, .44 Special actually costs more than the Magnums.  Magnum were around buck a round, Specials little over buck a round.  👿

I think I mentioned in the last post that I had bodyshop work on my pickup.  I was told that they had to take my tonneau cover(bed cover) off during the repair, so I decided get my tools out & just make sure it was put back on correctly?  Uh-uh.  Clamps weren't tightened properly & it was on crooked.  💩  Took the rear hatch off, spent about 30 minutes working on this thing, but I wasn't able to straighten it out with out taking the other hatch off & I wasn't up for that.  I just tightened the clamps, put the rear hatch back on & called it good.  Bummer....

At least I was able to find a brand new plinking spot, so I'm gonna call this a win.  👍

 

FN SRP G2 Carbine aka FN 15

Day before Thanksgiving, I was on a mission to go shooting.  1) I had just picked up a new AR rifle & 2) Been waiting to test new 12rd magazine I bought for my carry pistol(Sig P365).

Where I go shooting, it was all rain with the exception of Wednesday.  Mission was successful.

Foggy on the way up there, but no problems.

Let me get this out of the way.  Trigger on this rifle sucks.  Whether talking about Glocks or AR-15s, I hear & read about swapping, upgrading triggers.  Never really understood it.  People are spending lot of money & effort to upgrade these triggers, so I'm sure they are really nice.  However, I'm okay with most standard factory triggers, and ones that came with my three AR's before(Bushmaster 308, M&P Sport 2 & PSA lower), I actually liked those.  

I just sold my Bushmaster 308, because I have nowhere to really take advantage of  its extended range.  Jumped on this FN 15 from Botach.com, because 1) It was on sale for $899(after shipping & background check $974 😬) 2) Been interested in FN, because along with Colt, they provide U.S. military with it's full-auto cousin M4 rifles & 3) I wanted to replace my backup AR with little bit more reputable lower(it was PSA before this)

There were other points too, like my backup AR upper(M&P Sport 2) had shorter handguard than I like.  I've also been wanting to upgrade backup sights to steel ones & they cost like $200 or more for the set?  I found that bit outrageous.  Just for that, it was like taking another $200 off this new rifle since it comes with a set.  Here's a pic of my outgoing backup rifle.  It's been stripped of nicer accessories & probably sold soon:

My backup AR-15 before the new FN15. Wanted more reputable lower + longer handguard, maybe free floating barrel.  Consists of M&P Sport 2 upper, PSA lower w/Magpul STR stock, MOE SL handguard & Burris AR 536 red dot/prism scope kit.

Back to FN 15.  My new backup AR-15:

Already swapped the cheap stock & grip with Magpul STR + rubberized grip.

It looked like this stock:

Sighted in the backup sights before installing the red dot/scope.  These FN backup flip sights are great.  I would say HUGE upgrade over the Magpul MBUS.  Especially the rear.  #USERFRIENDLY

Only thing that worries me about these flip sights are those nail-sticking-out-looking release button on the (left)side?  I'm afraid of that thing getting snagged by clothing, straps, etc.

You can flip the peep hole for large or small.  Much, much easier to use than the Magpul MBUS I've used before this.

Looks really good after installing the Burris AR-536 kit(kit has FastFire 3 red dot on top of the scope).  AR-536 is actually designed for .308/7.62x51.  I originally got it for my Bushmaster 308(image at bottom of the page), but I've been since using it on my ARs, because I can't afford ACOG. 😭

As for the rifle, I have found my outgoing M&P Sport 2 to be more accurate.  Maybe because the trigger sucks?  I was only shooting sub-100 yards though, rest-shooting on top of the table & backpack.  Maybe it was me, who knows.  Hard to say after just one round.  Overall, I think the rifle's good.  But again, terrible trigger pull.  Never realized AR trigger could be this unsmooth.  Maybe I'll try cleaning & lubing it, too.  

I carry all sorts of spare batteries in my shooting pack.

It was pretty cold up in the mountains.  My red dot battery died.  Shortly after, my ear muffs.  😤

Shot my carry pistol Sig Sauer P365 after that.  With the ammo price & availability not improving much, I only shot it with this new 12-round mag.  It performed flawlessly with the plinking Blazer brass ammo & also Hornady hollow point.  Spring's mad stiff & I could only fit 11 round in it so far.  Magazine's also little longer, prints little more than the stock 10rd magazine with the pinky extension, but not that bad.  It's my new carry mag.

Also shot some with Glock 19(my go-to) & HK USP.  Yep.  Still sucks with both.  Thanks for reading.  😭

Bonus: My first real rifle.  I'm gonna miss you bud.

Bushmaster 308

 

 

Magpul PMAG 15 GL9 Magazine Vs. Factory Glock 19 Magazine

Wanted to work on my new pistol grip today.  Have the rest of the week off(it's Tuesday), so headed up into the woods first thing this morning.  Nobody came up where I was, it was great.  93 mile drive at 23 miles to a gallon.  I overpay at $3 per gallon, so little over $12 round trip.  I did little bit more math, and closest shooting range I'd bother to visit would cost me about $18 for the visit + over $7 in gas.  I've heard all the crossover SUV jokes, but my Edge rules!

Anyhow, I decided to do this today, because it's supposed to be mostly raining all this week, except this morning.  I didn't get rained on, just light mist for a minute, so very happy with the weather as well.

I bought couple of these Magpul Glock magazines for my Glock 19(left).  I was buying a HK USP magazine from Botach(cheapest price anywhere), and when I saw these things for under $11 a piece, I wanted to try it.  

When I first got them, they had that cheap dollar store plastic feel to them?  Me & my coworker were not impressed.  I thought it didn't have those tiny indicator holes in the back either, to show you how many rounds you've loaded.  My other coworker noticed that they put little windows on the sides, so you can tell when you have full 15 rounds in them.  Okay.  I do like the orange followers.

As you can see, floor plate protrude little bit more compared to the stock magazines.  Glock PMAGs worked flawlessly for very little I shot.  What I disliked though was how much more friction were noticeable when loading.  Factory Glock mags loads smooth, and Magpul is the opposite.  I HATE LOADING AMMO, and I don't need that added to the chore.

If you are on budget, or are looking for cheap mags for training, plinking, etc., these are probably good.  I'm happy with the two I bought, but I still prefer factory mags, even at double the price.  Still love their everything for ARs though.

So finally on handgun training.  When I first got this gun, I couldn't hit anything with it.  I was shocked.  I'm just a casual plinker, so I got my other handguns out(Kimber + USP) & started testing them out.  This really got me interested in target shooting.  I adopted much tips, advice from all sorts of messageboards & youtube videos, and it started to improve.  After much experimenting, I think I finally found what works for me.  I believe this is actually the basic grip?  

I'm gripping the gun firmly with the both hands, right hand palm(green) pressing forward, left hand palm pressing back in the opposite direction(blue).  Highest purchase possible with the left hand, with thumb extended up.  Lock both wrists, straighten right arm & work the trigger independently to minimize movement of the pistol.  

I'm still training at 15 yards, because I don't think I'm ready to shoot 25 until I can leave something resembling grouping on the paper at 15.  Paper's roughly 8" square, circle roughly 7" & believe it or not, this is the best I've shot my Glock so far.  :(  I keep telling myself about the trigger control, but I still find myself jerking it.  Gah.

Remember to pick up all the trash & shells after plinking!

Isolating During Covid 19 In Outdoors

 I didn't shoot a lot, but this was my first real "plinking" of 2020.  Coronavirus amirite.  Terrible year, the worst year.  I can't even list all the bad things happened to people around me, myself, and we are still barely in Spring.  :D

Anywho, on the way out to the woods, on the highway are reader boards asking us to "Stay Home, Save Lives".  I'm by myself, I saw one person at 7-Eleven on this entire trip, so I told myself it was okay.  It was isolating, and one driver who did drive up to my site, we were good 25 feet apart, he never got out of the car & drove off to look for another site.  :)

Parked the car off to the side, and set up my usual folding table.

Set up the tripod today to sight in my newest red dot I installed on the Micro Roni stock(for Glock 19 Gen 4).

I actually have the same red dot model sitting on top of the scope on my AR-15(scroll lower little bit).  It's Burris FastFire 3.  Normally, it goes for $200+ by itself, but package I purchased also came with the AR-F3 mount, which I believe goes for $70+.  It was the best damn deal I had come across, a member posted it on a regional gun forum called Northwest Firearms.  While the sale has already ended, it was $145 shipped for the red dot & the handy mount featuring side guards.  Score.

AR-F3 Burris mount raises it to adequate level for I guess AR, but also for my Micro Roni stock.  I can co-witness with the MBUS(Magpul's flip up Backup Sights) through the glass, so I was pleased about that.  :)

I totally forgot to take pics, but I also target practiced with Glock 19, the USP(.45, full size), but had horrible results.  I'm just terrible with handguns, barely could keep them on paper.  :(  Shot handful of rounds out of my AR-15 to make sure the EOTech still held zero, then mag dumped the rest.

I wish I could say "The End" here, but we still have these people leaving trash up in the mountains.  WTF people.  At this rate, we'll be forced to shoot only inside shooting ranges.  I don't know if it falls on Department of Forestry, or logging companies, but they can, and they already are kicking us out of these areas.  Three of my favorite areas were shutdown in maybe just last two years?  This one could be next.  

**** these people.  I'm sorry for ranting. 

Some people have lost jobs, some people are getting overwhelmed at their jobs right now.  I hope we get this Coronavirus pandemic under control soon, and you guys stay safe.  

-The End-