Saturday Shoot

A friend of mine whom I will refer to as Executive Mendicant suggested we go to the range on Saturday and put some lead in the air.  Well then, who am I to be anti-copacetic?  Keep reading to see the range results (you'll feel better about yourself) and a review of the Smith and Wesson Airweight.

Sporting Clays at Black Wing

I haven't been down to visit Big Mike lately, so when he proposed a weekend of shooting, drinking and other enjoyable pursuits I accepted his offer with enthusiasm.  As usual, Big Mike's hospitality is first rate.

The drive South to Columbus, Ohio was nothing if not boring for most of the trip, then exciting as soon as I hit I-270 and the Columbus traffic.  Let me be perfectly clear about this.  Any Columbus police officer who feels like writing a few traffic citations for such minor infractions as speeding, failure to maintain a safe distance (tailgating) and driving without due regard for safety need only spend five minutes patrolling I-270.  I don't know how long it takes to write a traffic citation, but I'm certain that an entire eight hour shift could be dedicated to pulling over the cretinous, inconsiderate, maladriot drivers that are making I-270 hazardous to everyone's health, including their own.

By Divine grace I arrived without incident Friday afternoon, and we took off for Black Wing intent on breaking a few clays.  I haven't been to Black Wing in a while, and they've changed their sporting clays course around a little. 

Big Mike and I played 50 birds, and I finally discovered just what was wrong with my game.

Range Report: Shooters of Maumee

Up until recently people in the Toledo metropolitan area had two choices for an indoor pistol range: Cleland's Outdoor World and The Bullet Stop.  That is no longer the case.

I'm happy to report that gun owners have another choice.  Shooters of Maumee is open for business, and the place is excellent.  Keep reading for a curmudgeonly run down on the facts, features and vicious rumors.

A Day at the Range

I haven't been to the range since I qualified for my Ohio CCW permit, which I'll write about later on.  So when Big Mike told me he'd be in town over the weekend and asked me if I'd like to go shooting, I naturally answered in the affirmative.

One way or another we got into a game of 9mm eight ball.

My Life: Range Report.

Last Saturday was range day, and as usual Big Mike got hold of me earlier in the week, interrupting my afternoon siesta with the news he was coming into town for an unscheduled visit and felt inclined to put a few holes in paper.  When Big Mike asked me to choose between Cleland's and The Bullet Stop, I naturally chose the closer of the two - Cleland's.  Big Mike objected.

Cleland's Outdoor World: Range Report

As I promised, Big Mike and I went over to Cleland's last weekend to check out the new pistol range and see if there was anything under the chicken wire that we couldn't live without.  As it turned out, the new store is very nice in many respects and could use a little work in others.  Here's the latest news.

Range Report: Sporting Clays at Black Wing

Last week I received the following email from my brother Big Mike:

I just found out that Blackwing shooting center has a SPORTING CLAYS course. I went shooting this evening (pistol, that is) and got a tour of the clays course. I NEED to shoot the course. My plan is to do so next weekend (the 30th/31st). You want to come down and join me?

What could I do? When your brother needs to shoot a sporting clays course, you cannot in all good conscience allow him to face this challenge alone and unobserved.  So on Saturday morning I threw all my gear along with a change of clothing into the trunk, put my jalopy under me and headed South for a shotgun holiday.

I've written about Black Wing before as a notable part of a Columbus Road Trip, but the sporting clays section is brand new to Black Wing, and the course is impressive.  The Black Wing sporting clays course is fifty shots over ten stands, with each stand displaying a very well thought out scenario.  Every stand features between four to six birds launched in report pairs or natural pairs.  For those not familiar with the terms, a report pair means that a single clay pigeon is launched and as soon as the shooter discharges his firearm the second target is launched.  A natural pair is when both clay pigeons are launched simultaneously.  If you're up to it you can run the course in reverse once you reach station 10 and turn it into a 100 shot course.

Black Wing Sporting Clays Course as Seen From the Parking Lot

I admit that I doubted that Black Wing could construct a decent sporting clays course, but I should have known better.  Black Wing has received a five star rating from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and clearly they are not going to do anything to drop that rating to four or even three stars by putting together a poor quality range.  The photo above is taken from the parking lot.  The two cars are about twenty feet from me.  In the middle ground are the skeet fields.  Beyond the skeet fields is an open field, and in the background you will see a line of trees.  The sporting clays course is in that tree line.

Here is a typical shooting stand.  Range rules dictate that you load your musket once you're in the stand and not before.  Before you leave the stand you must unload your musket, one way or another.

Typical Stand

Stand Electronics

You must get a card at the shooting store before you can shoot the range.  You put the card in the reader (shown here with the card inserted in the reader, just under the LCD) and the equipment counts the birds to the card.  Interestingly if the catapult malfunctions and doesn't throw a bird, no bird is counted.  There must be some sort of sensing device on the catapult, although we didn't examine the equipment closely nor did we pester the staff with a lot of questions.  We only had two instances of a malfunction in the hundred shots.

Station Directions

Every station has a set of directions as to what to expect, which is nice.  You also get to see one bird from each catapult before you have to humiliate yourself shooting at them.  Hey, no sense in not postponing the inevitable, right?  I remember station six because it was difficult and I shot a little better than I expected.

Station 8 - Four Easy Shots

Station 8 is two report pairs flying overhead and out into the field - and safety.  This particular shot is an inevitable scenario on any sporting clays field, and I was glad to find it here.  Any shot-gunner can learn to hit this one in a few tries, as the birds are flying high, directly away from you.  All you need to do is aim under them and remember to keep your barrel moving while you shoot.  I got two out of four, I think.

Bad Luck Station

I wasn't going to include this station, but Big Mike made a disparaging comment about Excellent Rachmaninoff's behavior and ancestry, so here it is.  Big Mike didn't get any of the birds on this particular stand - missed 'em all.  If he'd learn to be nicer to Excellent Rachmaninoff he'd likely have hit a few.

Trap and skeet shooters who are any good at all will have a very humbling experience on this course, particularly trap shooters (who are an anti-social bunch anyway, but what do you expect?).  I shot 33 out of 50, which is a very respectable score.  I think if I had the energy to shoot the course again I'd do better, but not a lot better.  This is an enjoyable course to shoot and combines easy shots with hard ones in a nicely balanced course.  Every experienced shot-gunner who shoots this course should get something - maybe not everything, but something.

Shooting this sporting clays course comes with a few caveats.  First of all, more than half the course is in full sunlight, and this time of year that translates into heat.  I was wearing light clothing, SPF 48 sunscreen and a light hat with a full brim and I still felt the heat.  By the time we hit station 10 I was soaked and Big Mike was feeling the heat.  I suggest you dress to protect yourself from the sun.  Secondly, although there is water located along the course, you should bring your own potables in the form of Gatorade or something similar and have a drink at each station.  Finally, the path connecting the shooting stations is made of rough cut stone, which is no problem if you're wearing hard soled hiking boots (like Mike) but is a major pain in the feet if you're wearing tennis shoes, like I did.  By the the time I got to station 10 I was truly regretting the thought of walking back to the car, parked on the far side of station 1.  Walking that path was painful.

Speaking of the car, when you drive out to the course and park, be sure to park closer to the highway than to the sporting clays course.  Although it is very unlikely, bird shot can reach the parking lot from the course and you'll want your car parked away from the falling shot.

All in all, this is a great sporting clays course.  Even if Big Mike didn't live in Dublin, Ohio I'd make the drive down to Delaware in order to play the course.  I'd just plan for an early start and a long day.

My Life: Range Report.

Big Mike came to Toledo this weekend, and as usual we went out to the Bullet Stop to throw some lead. I think the proprietor and a few locals are starting to accept us now as peers - good, law abiding citizens who mind their own business.

I started off with my .22 Ruger and did pretty well. The target on the right shows 30 shots at 25 feet, and the one on the left is 30 shots at 50 feet. Keep in mind that my eyes are so bad I can barely see anything at 50 feet, let alone sights and a target.

.22 Ruger Results

Mike hauled out his Glock and displayed a new set of sights he bought, which are absolutely amazing.  Mike got Advantage Tactical Sights for his pistol, and I am truly impressed.

Advantage Tactical - Click to Zoom In

If you haven't seen or tried this system, I encourage you to do so.  The sights are extremely intuitive; you just put the front sight into the top of the pyramid and allow it to cover your target.  Here's a slightly better picture of the sights.

Advantage Tactical Sights

Although the company recommends that the sights be installed by a qualified gunsmith, the mandatory CYA statement is followed immediately by specific directions about how to install your own, which Mike followed with a good deal of success.

Advantage Tactical Kit

Advantage gives you several colors to choose from.  Mike chose green and yellow because it provides a slight advantage to older people - your eyes operate better in the green spectrum.  But if you're not old and decrepit you can have white on white, white on red... the colors provided are white, yellow, red, orange and green.

Here are my efforts with Mike's Glock.

Glock at 25 Feet

The low flyer was my fault.  I torched it off before I could stop myself.  The shot at twelve o'clock is my first, and the tight group are shots two, three and four.  After running a few more clips through it, Big Mike concluded that everything was going slightly off to the left and so adjusted the sights slightly, putting everything slightly high at 25 feet.  I can live with that.  If I ever decided to spend some money on improving my Ruger, I know what kind of sights I want.

I like Mike's Glock, which surprises me a little because I'm more of a traditionalist than most people.  To me, firearms in stainless steel look a little odd, but the synthetic grip and parts of a Glock are almost ugly looking.  For pure beauty, nothing beats the 1911 Mil Spec.

Betsy - Springfield 1911

There's something about the 1911 that says I mean business.  I put a few shots downrange and did pretty well, all things considered.

Shooting Betsy at 25 Feet

Here are my results, about one shot per second.  Not bad for an old man.

Anyone who shoots at the Bullet Stop will be happy to know that there is a new air conditioner in the range.  Big Mike helped install it, and I helped test it.  It works, but with this weather the range is still hotter than a five dollar pistol on Saturday night.

My Life: Range Report

My strength is returning, so when I got a yen to put some lead in the air I sent Big Mike an email advising him of my improvement and cravings, to wit: having the energy to enjoy myself and desirous of his company, I would invite him to spend a pleasant afternoon at the local target range followed by a late lunch and the imbibing of strong fluids which befuddle men's minds.  I can't remember if Mike sent me a one word response or if he suffered a fit of magniloquence and expressed himself using two or even three words.

We arrived at The Bullet Stop around 1:00 PM.  As usual, I started with my Ruger .22, which I've always done pretty well with.

Ruger MkII Government .22

10 Shots at 25 Feet

30 Shots at 25 Feet

As you can see on the first target I tended to shoot low, which is normal for me.  I have not been able to find a cure for this malady, but given the size of my group I'm not losing any sleep over it.  Likely I'm moving the barrel when I pull the trigger.  I ran another two clips through the gun (second target) and then, encouraged with my success, I put up a new target and moved it back to the end of the range.

Target at 1000 Yards

Big Mike enquired politely if I could actually see the target at this range, and when I assured him I could see it quite well, thank you very much for your concern, Mike affirmed that any holes I put in the target would be by accident, but that he could almost guarantee that I would hit the backstop most of the time.

Results from 1000 Yards

Well, it seems like 1000 yards.  I'm not unhappy with this given my failing eyesight.

Big Mike's Buckmark .22

Mike started out with his Buckmark, which I have always liked.  I wish I could get the trigger pull from Mike's Buckmark on my Ruger.

Buckmark Results

Here are the results from Big Mike's efforts with his Buckmark at 25 feet.  Note the flyer at the bottom left.  This is what happens when you go shooting without your morning whiskey.

Betsy - Springfield 1911 Mil Spec

I hauled out Betsy and ventilated a target at 25 feet.

Betsy at 25 Feet

I shot this at about one second per shot, and I don't feel too badly about the results.  For one thing, the sights on Betsy are almost vestigial, she being built to military specifications.  Likewise, the tolerances are a bit loose.

I decided to switch to Big Nose Kate, my Springfield V-16, which I haven't shot in almost a year.  You see, the last time I field stripped Kate I was over at a friend's machine shop, where he keeps three milling machines, three lathes and a host of other equipment, metal stock, supplies and junk.  The place is crowded and not well organized.  In fact, not organized at all.  Number One claims he can find anything and everything in his shop, but I don't think so.  Last time he was looking for some sort of drill adapter he didn't find it until his beautiful, kind and generous wife came out and found it for him.  Big Nose Kate is set up for .45 Super, and as such the internals are not what you'd expect.  The guide rod comes in two pieces and unscrews, which means that when you field strip the pistol you have to be careful or the recoil spring will send the guide rod into the side of a nearby filing cabinet where it will ricochet off and smack into something else and finally hit the floor where it will skitter away into the tenebrous corners of the room, never to be found.  Ever.  After a lot of searching by both parties I called Springfield and explained what had happened, backing up my wild story with a photo of the parts left over.  The folks at Springfield were amazed that I only lost the one part and sent me a replacement gratis.  Here are the results shooting Big Nose Kate, which I am happy with.

Big Nose Kate at 25 Feet

Big Mike decided to shoot his Smith and Wesson 586 using the .357 ammo, mainly because he knows the noise drives me nuts.

Big Mike's Smith and Wesson in .357

.357 at 25 Feet, One Handed Sinister Side, Double Action

The best target of the day was shot by Big Mike with his Smith and Wesson 586 using 357 ammunition, one handed double action only, left handed (Mike is right handed).  At 25 feet he turned in a very tight group.  I maintain that Mike is not getting a good value from his targets, as he tends to put several shots through the same hole.  Being of Scottish heritage, I try not to do this and am generally successful, but Mike does not have my thrifty nature and wastes a good portion of his target by repeatedly using the same hole.

We repaired to The Maumee Bay Brewing Co. for an excellent lunch and a micro beer.  I had their breakfast stout, which is excellent.  All in all, a good day's work.

Range Report: Ruger LCP

When I talked to Big Mike the other day about going out to the range, I informed him that I'd cleaned and oiled all my hardware and so was only bringing two pistols. No worries, Mike informed me. I could shoot his new pistol, a Ruger LCP. This is a brand new, just out of the box with barely 50 rounds through it pocket pistol in .380.

Ruger LCP

The pistol is small, being 5.16 inches long, 3.60 inches high and 0.82 inches thick. It's also very light, officially 9.4 ounces. So, what with summer coming on, if you're the type that can't find just the right pistol for your Speedo swimwear, this pistol is definitely on your short list. Even if you just want a pocket pistol, I'd still put this one on your short list. Here's what we found during our unscientific range test.

The LCP has a steel slide and a steel barrel. The rest of the gun is made from synthetic glass filled nylon, which accounts for the light weight. As I said, the gun is small. Here are a few photos to illustrate that point.

Big Mike holding a standard size Kimber 1911 .45

Mike doesn't have hands; he has chow hooks. He finds a full size automatic, such as his top of the line Kimber, very comfortable to hold. Okay, who wouldn't? Here are a few photos of Mike holding the LCP.

Ruger LCP

Ruger LCP

Note the two finger grip. The pistol is so small that Mike's ring finger wants to overlap. Here's another photo:

Ruger LCP

Now you see it, now you don't. We put it next to the Kimber .45 for comparison, along with .380 and .45 auto ammunition. Note the slide position on the Ruger.

Ruger LCP .380 and Kimber 1911 .45

The LCP holds six in the clip and one in the chamber. It's a double action only autoloader, and there is no safety on it (much like you would expect from a revolver). The slide does not lock back when the last bullet is fired as most autoloaders do. To load the LCP you put the clip in and slingshot the slide - the LCP won't chamber a round successfully if you simply work the slide back and forward. You must pull the slide all the way back and let it slam forward, and you must do this in one fluid movement. The gun is particular about this.

The LCP isn't particularly stiff or hard to load. It's small, and the size is what makes it somewhat difficult to bring the LCP in battery without catching the meat of your hand between the moving parts of the gun. That being the case, I could not envision carrying this pistol without a round in the chamber; the very last thing you'd want is to have to draw your pistol and screw around trying to get a round up the pipe.


Once in battery, you'll squint down the barrel and notice that there isn't much by way of sights. I'm not too surprised by this, as the pistol is designed to be carried in your pocket and having adjustable sights would only provide something to catch on your clothing or holster.  The LCP has a long, smooth trigger pull. It isn't overly stiff, as I've noticed with a number of double action autoloaders, but it isn't the smooth ball bearing pull you'll find on a Colt Python. I found it adequate for the job at hand. Both of us were able to hold the pistol on target and actually do pretty well with it, all things considered.

Ruger LCP Results at 15 Feet

All of the shots are on the paper, and given the lighting, age and decrepitude of the shooters, I'm not going to entertain many complaints about my performance here. Besides, no one knows my real identity.


For those of you who haven't shot one, the .380 has a nasty snap to it. People think that because it isn't a .45 or .357 it doesn't kick much. They're wrong. The LCP has no weight to soak up any of the recoil, so when I torched the first shot off the gun slammed back into the web of my hand and hurt like billy be damned. I adjusted my grip and tried again, with similar results. I ran ten shots through the LCP, and it took me five to decide how to hold on to it, and another five to decide what to do about the lack of sights. I finally resorted to pointing and shooting rather than sighting in on the target, and my score began to improve. While your mileage may vary, my own best results happened when I simply ignored the sights and concentrated on pointing the little gun at the target and pulling the trigger.

The good news about this pistol is that Ruger didn't compromise. The goal was a small pocket pistol in .380, and Ruger achieved that goal very nicely. The LCP is finely machined with no sharp edges or any protrusions to catch in your clothing or in a holster. It has no safety; like a revolver you just point it and pull the trigger. Some people will argue that .380 is light for self-defense. My rejoinder to that argument is that you can buy special .380 self-defense ammunition. You now have a pistol the size of a .25 auto that packs a lot more punch than that feeble little bullet.

Both Mike and I agreed that the LCP should be carried with a round in the chamber and should be in some sort of holster, the danger being that the you might snag the trigger while putting the gun in your pocket and thus do yourself a mischief.

I like the Ruger LCP and will probably end up buying one for concealed carry.