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Ignoring the “first round flyers” (described in previous blog) which I think are an artifact of our test procedure, the group sizes and shapes I fired on the Ransom Rest this past Saturday in my factory-new (December 2004) Smith and Wesson Model 41 were:

We shot eight (8) brands of .22 ammunition at 50 yards yesterday before packing up around Noon when the temperature passed 105. Some recurrent problems were observed that will get followup attention but, nonetheless, the core of the results are reliable and what we were hoping to get.

Joe and I will be doing some accuracy tests tomorrow at the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club. We will have a total of three (3) Smith and Wesson Model 41s of various vintages – mine is 99% “factory original” and less than one year old – as well as several other guns.

Some months ago I asked for help on this list [Bullseye-L] in my struggles with the 45. I received many helpful and encouraging replies. As a result, I’ve kept at it and kept at it until enough things finally started to work that I’ve gotten past that early frustration. I’m still well down in Marksman-land for sure but, every now and then, there’s a glimmer, a single target, that suggests what’s ahead.

My brass catcher consists of a three-legged folding, all metal music stand as the base and its telescoping tube for height adjustment (discarding the music holding top part), a wire frame made from VERY heavy gauge construction wire (from Lowes because Home Depot didn’t have anything stiff enough) that is stuffed into the top of the telescoping tube, and a laundry bag with drawstring and two five pound barbell exercise weights from Walmart.

As a relatively new shooter who is reading and thinking about this a lot, I think of the perfect shot process as something in a closed box that can be started and monitored but, left to its own, will continue on automatic and run to completion.

Shooting, I’m beginning to suspect, is like riding a bicycle. Intellectually you know what you have to do but as long as you have to think about it, you’re gonna crash.

The Nighthawks Tuesday evening league started well last night at the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club, but then it got interesting.