I had a bit of fun today.
Last week I succumbed to my yearning for an M1 Garand and purchased a one owner CMP Garand at a local gun show. I broke it down, cleaned the cosmoline out and reassembled it today. I couldn’t wait to take it out and shoot it….do I did.
tldr Bio...
I’m in my late ‘50’s, have been shooting all my life. Pre-kids, I shot a lot of matches and got into IPSC just before hanging up the competition shooting. While I own a variety of guns (rifles/pistols/shotguns), I’ve always been more interested in hunting or modern day weapons. When the bug to own vintage weapons hit, M1’s had already started their stratospheric climb in prices. With kids and having to pay for private schools and then college, I never afforded myself the luxury of chasing the M1’s price.
One of my kids just finished their masters degree and is now gainfully employed. Soooo…. I splurged and bought this Garand. I haven’t been this excited over a purchase in a long time….
I’ve purchased a couple of KarK98’s and a 91/30, but to tell the truth, I haven’t fired any of them. I guess for a couple of reasons. One: I need to check the headspace on all of them, and two: I know what I can do with standard bladed iron sights. The Garand was ready fire and has peep sights… (which as a target shooter, I hate….) I guess they’d be alright if you shot the same gun frequently. Grouping for iron sights is pretty much just about sight picture. With peep sighs, positioning the gun to your shoulder and cheek consistently is paramount for decent groups (same holds true for trap or sporting clays, but you’re shooting shotgun..more lead flying at the target .) And too, I can’t see as well as I used to (perhaps that’s the real reason…. )
Here’s a view toward the targets from my “shooting station” lol. Targets are just 50yds (~46m) away. Beware pic is full size.
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/Fromtruck.JPG"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/Fromtruck.JPG"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/Fromtruck.JPG[/URL][/URL][/URL]
From the target back toward the truck:
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/fromtarget.JPG"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/fromtarget.JPG"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/fromtarget.JPG[/URL][/URL][/URL]
Here is the progression of sighing shots. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time zeroing in as there was a stiff 15-20 mph crosswind blowing about 80degrees left to right. If you’ll notice, there are only 15 holes in the targets. I was chicken and fired the first round from the hip into the ground, just in case there was a problem with the gun. After shot 11, I left the sights alone for the duration of my shoot.
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/numberedtarget.jpg"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/numberedtarget.jpg"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/numberedtarget.jpg[/URL][/URL][/URL]
Ammo is in extremely short supply and I don’t have any 30.06 loaded (other than hunting rounds), so my shoot was short. Just for fun, I stapled up a life-sized “home defense” target and shot two more enbloc clips of 8. First pic is of the green target as its stapled to a cardboard IPSC target. Next is the IPSC cardboard target that was behind it.
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smgreentarget.jpg"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smgreentarget.jpg"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smgreentarget.jpg[/URL][/URL][/URL]
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smipsctarget.jpg"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smipsctarget.jpg"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smipsctarget.jpg[/URL][/URL][/URL]
And here is the perpetrator:
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/theperpetrator1.JPG"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/theperpetrator1.JPG"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/theperpetrator1.JPG[/URL][/URL]
[/URL]
All in all, I had more fun than I’ve had in years shooting this thing. I’ve got to work on my enbloc loading skills, though……
Last week I succumbed to my yearning for an M1 Garand and purchased a one owner CMP Garand at a local gun show. I broke it down, cleaned the cosmoline out and reassembled it today. I couldn’t wait to take it out and shoot it….do I did.
tldr Bio...
Spoiler!
I’m in my late ‘50’s, have been shooting all my life. Pre-kids, I shot a lot of matches and got into IPSC just before hanging up the competition shooting. While I own a variety of guns (rifles/pistols/shotguns), I’ve always been more interested in hunting or modern day weapons. When the bug to own vintage weapons hit, M1’s had already started their stratospheric climb in prices. With kids and having to pay for private schools and then college, I never afforded myself the luxury of chasing the M1’s price.
One of my kids just finished their masters degree and is now gainfully employed. Soooo…. I splurged and bought this Garand. I haven’t been this excited over a purchase in a long time….
I’ve purchased a couple of KarK98’s and a 91/30, but to tell the truth, I haven’t fired any of them. I guess for a couple of reasons. One: I need to check the headspace on all of them, and two: I know what I can do with standard bladed iron sights. The Garand was ready fire and has peep sights… (which as a target shooter, I hate….) I guess they’d be alright if you shot the same gun frequently. Grouping for iron sights is pretty much just about sight picture. With peep sighs, positioning the gun to your shoulder and cheek consistently is paramount for decent groups (same holds true for trap or sporting clays, but you’re shooting shotgun..more lead flying at the target .) And too, I can’t see as well as I used to (perhaps that’s the real reason…. )
Here’s a view toward the targets from my “shooting station” lol. Targets are just 50yds (~46m) away. Beware pic is full size.
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/Fromtruck.JPG"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/Fromtruck.JPG"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/Fromtruck.JPG[/URL][/URL][/URL]
From the target back toward the truck:
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/fromtarget.JPG"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/fromtarget.JPG"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/fromtarget.JPG[/URL][/URL][/URL]
Here is the progression of sighing shots. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time zeroing in as there was a stiff 15-20 mph crosswind blowing about 80degrees left to right. If you’ll notice, there are only 15 holes in the targets. I was chicken and fired the first round from the hip into the ground, just in case there was a problem with the gun. After shot 11, I left the sights alone for the duration of my shoot.
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/numberedtarget.jpg"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/numberedtarget.jpg"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/numberedtarget.jpg[/URL][/URL][/URL]
Ammo is in extremely short supply and I don’t have any 30.06 loaded (other than hunting rounds), so my shoot was short. Just for fun, I stapled up a life-sized “home defense” target and shot two more enbloc clips of 8. First pic is of the green target as its stapled to a cardboard IPSC target. Next is the IPSC cardboard target that was behind it.
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smgreentarget.jpg"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smgreentarget.jpg"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smgreentarget.jpg[/URL][/URL][/URL]
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smipsctarget.jpg"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smipsctarget.jpg"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/smipsctarget.jpg[/URL][/URL][/URL]
And here is the perpetrator:
[URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/theperpetrator1.JPG"][URL="http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/theperpetrator1.JPG"][URL]http://www.ro50pc.net/images/public/theperpetrator1.JPG[/URL][/URL]
[/URL]
All in all, I had more fun than I’ve had in years shooting this thing. I’ve got to work on my enbloc loading skills, though……
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