S&W Model 41

Earlier this week I reloaded all the 45 ACP wadcutter ammo I’ll need (and then some) for this week’s Desert Midwinter 2014 competition.

But neither of these is how it started.

It’s the process as much as the product. And by that I mean when, how much and where the product, any product, is used.

Do you ever ask questions like these?

• When did I last replace the recoil spring in the wad gun and does it run best with 11 or 12 pounds for my current load?
• How long have I had this S&W Model 41 and what did I pay for it new? And when did I get the shorter barrel that I now prefer?
• How long has it been since I gave the ball gun a complete tear down and cleaning?
• My backup 22 (a Ruger Mk III,Volquartsen trigger) looks clean but have I fouled the barrel yet?

In the past, I’ve jotted notes in my shooting log that would let me figure these things out. But since it’s one book for many guns, finding some detail about a specific firearm means a lot of page flipping. And, if the detail doesn’t jump out, does that mean I missed it or did I just forget to put it in there in the first place?

So I’m gonna be pushing some lead downrange at the 2012 Desert Midwinter Championship next week!

Damp and chilly. Brrrr!

The humidity was high and, with the cool 58 degrees, there was a decided chill to the air as we shot the Bullseye 900 last night. Everyone wore a light jacket or a shirt atop a shirt. I “warmed up” with 22 caliber and kept its temperature-sensitive ammunition in my pocket.

Recently I mentioned that I had the trigger weight on my IZH-46M air pistol cranked up to the maximum. I did this to practice with a heavy trigger.

Before

Today and tomorrow are the days in which my concentration – and repetition – need to be at their best. I will do the same things as yesterday but with a more challenging gun.

Before

The Plan

• 6:00AM Up: One cup of regular coffee while surfing the net and reading the newspaper (online).
• 6:30AM Breakfast: oatmeal with a pat of butter, one hard-boiled egg with pepper, a small can of low sodium V-8 juice.
• 7:00AM Shower and dress for cool weather, lined bluejeans same as yesterday, fresh but similar thick cotton shirt, sweater with jacket on top.
• 7:20AM Pack gun box with primary (S&W Model 41) and backup (Ruger Mk III) 22 pistols with their respective ammunitions (CCI Standard Velocity in the plastic box and Federal Gold Medal Match 711B) in sufficient quantity for the 900 and the follow-up team competitions plus enough for alibi strings (120 + 30 rounds). Also take a small can of the low sodium V-8 juice.
• Switch to Northrop Grumman baseball cap for today. (I wore the Bill O’Reilly “No Spin” cap yesterday.)
• 7:30AM Drive to range in rush hour traffic.
• 8:30AM First shot.
• Before the NMC: Drink the V-8.
• Lunch: Probably a nearby Subway with some of the other shooters.
• 1:30PM 22 team competition NMC.
• Approximately 2:30PM Done. Record scores and head home.

After

In the chronographing of various ammunitions and guns a few days ago I recorded the following five-shot string: