RIFLEMAN'S JOURNAL - SEPTEMBER 2002

Yes, we killed thousands of civilians that way - but that beats getting hundreds of thousands of our soldiers and Marines killed in a conventional invasion, which may have cost millions of Japanese civilian lives in their suicidal defense. To anyone who considers Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be atrocities or war crimes, I have one word: Nanking.

Okay, more than one: Bataan, Special Unit number-whatever-it-was, and of course, Pearl Harbor. And a long, long list besides.

I have heard and read that most Japanese subjects (no, they're not citizens; citizens have rights) born since the war do not know there ever was a war between the United States and the Japanese Empire. How convenient! It's public knowledge here, and other places outside of Japan, that the Japanese government has never apologized for the unspeakable crimes its soldiers committed at Nanking and other places. A couple more generations of their kind of public education, and no one there will believe there was ever anything to apologize for.

No, I've no personal axe to grind against Japan, no ancestors or other family hurt or lost in that war, that I know of. It's just that, as a gun owner, revision of history is already quite the sore spot with me, and revision of this magnitude is an insult to my entire nation.

I do like history. There are so many mistakes to learn from, that so many other people have gone to the trouble of making already! I remember hating history in grade school. Obviously it wasn't being taught right.

19 - Tuesday, 3 September 2002: Okay, I haven't heard of any commie mobs rioting in downtown Portland - but I don't watch much TV since I lost cable, and the History Channel and Fox News Channel, nearly all that was worth watching, with it. I was probably thinking of May Day. That doesn't invalidate my sentiments.

Thinking back on previous range session. Now, the 2A1 Ishapore is derived from the #1MkIII Lee-Enfield, which Hogg's Small Arms of the 20th Century lists at 8.7 pounds empty. The Mosin M44 carbine is listed at 8.6 pounds. Listed ballistics give a slight but clear advantage to the Mosin, with the 7.62x54mmR standard load throwing a 147-grain FMJ at a little under 2,900 feet per second (obviously this would be less in the 20-inch carbine barrel, versus the 30-inch rifle barrel the cartridge was designed for), while the US-standard M80 load consists of a 150-grain FMJ at about 2,800fps. I presume the surplus ammunition I've been getting at gun shows is loaded to these respective Warsaw Pact and NATO standards. Even the simplest understanding of Newton's Laws would suggest that the Mosin should have more recoil than the Ishapore.

So - why does the slightly heavier Ishapore, with slightly milder ammunition, seem to kick so much more than the lighter, hotter Mosin carbine? Both have identical Uncle Mike's slip-on recoil pads. I'm even using the same - the very same - sling on both, in the same way, the hasty sling method wrapped around the support arm to pull the rifle in tighter to the shoulder so it doesn't get a running start at me and beat me up even more.

Could be the shape of the stock, I guess, though the angles and proportions don't look all that different to me. Maybe, somehow, the Mosin gives a straighter push into the shoulder, while the Ishapore/Lee-Enfield kicks at more of an angle, from higher up. I have noticed that the Ishapore's stock feels fatter at the wrist (can't call that a "pistol grip") and is less comfortable to hold than the Mosin, which would appear to have an even less ergonomic design.

Anyway, in one session with the Mosin I instantly did better than two sessions with the Ishapore. But the Mosin is the wrong caliber! How can I expect to scrounge ammunition from the corpses of UN or Federal oppressors if my rifle is in the wrong caliber?

Well, I could always take the enemy's rifle, along with his ammunition. Except, most of the troops I'd likely be fighting would be carrying those 5.56mm mouse-guns anyway. If you shot a man at 500 yards with one of those, would he stay shot? They didn't in Somalia, from a lot closer, and reportedly they don't in Afghanistan, either.

If I had an M14/M1A, or an FAL, or an Ishapore I could hit things with, I could expect to scavenge ammunition from NATO-standard 7.62mm machineguns, like squad-automatics, or cupola- or coaxial-mount weapons on vehicles. Ammunition for my rifle, the one I trained with and would be comfortable and effective with, the one I know is sighted-in and maintained properly, not the one that's likely been abused and neglected by some illiterate peasant conscript. (sigh)

So, I'll get more Mosin ammunition at the show this weekend. Probably. It's either the GP35 and nothing else, or not the GP35, and food and bus fare and the phone bill instead, along with maybe another battlepack of the Portuguese 7.62x51mm, and maybe a book or three. And another sling, so both the Mosin and Ishapore have one.

20 - Wednesday, 4 September 2002: Aw, hell. Big 5 Sporting Goods has VZ24 Mausers on sale for $69.99, as opposed to the usual sale price of $79.99. 25% down for layaway, I suppose I can afford that. At least this time I'll take a cleaning rod. These VZ24s have actually been used, unlike the Yugo M48 I used to have.

I still have a bayonet, charger pouch, and a couple hundred rounds left from the Yugo M48 Mauser I had to sell. The VZ24, here, is the standard-size action, which the M48 wasn't, so all the aftermarket stuff will fit.

I stopped at the nearest store after work and... they didn't have any. "Try Monday," said the guy behind the counter. Well, phooey. Maybe it's an omen, though of what I can't imagine; I'm already past the point where I could realistically afford the GP35 this weekend. The sale price is good through Monday. I'll call ahead from work to find out when they get some; the store is on the way home.

Oh! I get it. It's an omen telling me to take the headspace gauge for the 7.92x57mm, which I mail-ordered a year or two ago for $20-odd. (Forster, NO-GO, 1.8803", and its little plastic tube, too. Can't remember if it was from GPC or Brownells. The Yugo, when I still had it, would not close on it, so it had good headspace.)

21 - Thursday, 5 September 2002: Still no VZs at the local Big 5. New Shotgun News in the mail today. Benefit package from the new job, also.

Hm. Never had a job decent enough, long enough, to get benefits. Maybe I can get new glasses out of this before the place burns down or I'm restructured back into unemployment or something.

In the latest SGN, SOG International advertises three different GP35 pistols: refinished Argentine surplus, $300; refinished Belgian-made, probably Argentine contract, $400; and the FEG, about $200. All dealer price, of course. The FEG is listed with one 10-round magazine and "black grips" - the picture shows conventional panels instead of the wraparound rubber I saw. Anyway, it shows that the ones I did see are fairly priced. Dealer Warehouse lists a CZ75BD for $320, but that's the new decocker model; I want the earlier version with a normal safety - and the FEGs are still $100 less anyway.

I have been getting some good advice about building an FAL. Legally, things are just as I'd believed; no permit, no fee, no registration, nyah to the Federals. Technically I've received several fine tips (for example, I would likely send the receiver off to be professionally heat-treated). Access to a mill would be the sticking point now, the rest I could afford one step at a time (assuming, as always, I don't quit my job in utter revulsion). So the mill, or use thereof, is the first step on the path to building my own FAL - and useful in itself, anyway.

A motor vehicle would be highly useful in locating, examining, and ultimately transporting such a device (and in getting out of town when the next unpleasantness starts, mill or no). Well. Keep saving, see what opportunities present themselves. My two engineer/tinkerer friends often know of good deals on autos; I would want a pickup, likely compact, as cheap, efficient, versatile, and low-maintenance as possible. I tried that route once before but couldn't make it. Next time I'll wait ‘til I have $500 or so cash in hand. I should be able to get a beater pickup for that.

Registration, insurance, and other prior restraints on my unalienable right to go where I damn well please - and fuel, of course - have always been the real financial obstacles to my owning an automobile.

22 - Saturday, 7 September 2002: Still no VZs at Big 5. Went to the show! With, after admission, just under $100. Thought about blowing out the coffee cup in which I've been saving for the GP35, but left the pitiful wad for responsibility's sake. Escaped with $10, half of which went into the cup.

First thing as I entered the exhibit hall, with an empty day-pack which I intended to fill over my shoulder, some rent-a-fascist yells, and I mean yells, "Got any weapons in the bag?" I gave him a look and said, "No" - and went on my way. Damaged my mood for the whole show.

Most FALs were $600 or more. Only saw one under $500, used, marked "STG58", maybe a Century Arms rebuild. One table wanted $24 for a metric 20-round FAL magazine - the same kind that are going as low as $4 in Shotgun News.

Only saw one FEG Hi-Power, for about $300. The vendor who had the two I could afford did not seem to be at this show. Several CZ75s and EAA Witnesses at or below $400. One .45 Witness, black, used but not very, about $350. A similarly-used 9x19mm Witness, $300. The .45 was, of course, noticeably fatter in the grip than the 9mm, which fit my hand nicely.

One, count it one, pre-Ban M1A, with bayonet lug and flash hider (and, BTW, National Match rear sight, or the hood at least). $1850. Regular wood stock with butt flap to rest above shoulder during prone firing, brown synthetic handguard.

No Portuguese 7.62x51mm in evidence. Got a 140-round battlepack of South African, which has good reviews, $18.25. Seven 20-round paper bundles of brass-case 7.62x54R, $3 each. Three MREs, 3 for $10. Two speedloaders for my .357, $6.50 each, total now four, which should be enough for any fighting I'll be doing with only a revolver. Need another speedloader pouch; the vendor was out of black ones by the time I determined that he did have the best price on the speedloaders, and only had camouflage left.

Uh! Forgot to get the spare handguard for the Ishapore! And there were some, too, $12 each. Damn that rent-a-fascist for distracting me! Not going back tomorrow, admission is $7 and it's ‘way across town from my apartment. Forgot to get another sling, too. Next big show November 15-17.

Also got a pack of 100 .36 percussion revolver wads, and a couple 3x5' flags: a Betsy Ross for myself, signifying my desire to return to America's founding principles, like the rule of law and the Bill of Rights; and a Jolly Roger, for a friend who is building a small sternwheeler, one of the two engineer/tinkerer friends I've mentioned. This is the guy who gave me part-time work in his cabinet shop when I was otherwise unemployed, and paid me to blunder about with his power tools and waste his cabinet-making material. I'll be getting him a cutlass later to complete the Infamous Willamette Riverboat Pirate shtick.

Met Sarah Seale, Republican running for Congress in Oregon's 3rd District, against commie traitor Earl Blumenauer, whose picture appears in the encyclopedia under "Career Politician" and who has never had a real-world job in his life. I was going to vote for her anyway, since whoever the Libertarians put up won't have a realistic chance of beating Blumenliar - but Ms. Seale probably doesn't have much more chance. Oh well. If I don't vote, I don't have a right to complain.

At the same table was a man whose name I don't recall, from the local cable-access show "Black and Right" - he's black, and he's not a leftist, and in this town that's a tragically-rare combination. He said his show was no longer running but implied that it would be again. Gave me a membership/info form for Oregon Young ("You're under 40, right?") Republicans. I imagine the man's heart is in the right place, but he's a bit too Right for my taste. (Libertarian, here, remember.) Oh well, still better than the commies who call themselves Democrats.

First, vote Republican to get rid of the Democrats. Then (okay, if necessary), vote Libertarian to get rid of the Republicans.

New Cabela's catalog in the mail when I returned. Their prices on the three most common and popular models of percussion revolver reproductions - the "1858" (1863-ish) Remington, and the .36 1851 and .44 1860 Colts - still beat anything I saw at the show, at least a little.

Next Friday is payday again, and the plan remains to check out the Vancouver Rifle & Pistol Club. For a moment I thought about going to the English Pit again in addition, but I think I've about had it with that range, between the lack of options for firing positions, the FAL-toting Democrat (who is a regular there), and the increasing mobs as hunting season approaches. I won't be taking anything to VR&P this trip either, since I can't count on that place being worth the extra hassle of dragging all that cargo all that way.

There are small shows the following two weekends at the Longview and Vancouver fairgrounds. Nothing at all listed in October, from the two usual show outfits. Depending how hard these shows are to reach I may check out another candidate site in Gresham.

23 - Sunday, 8 September 2002: Having examined some FALs, it seems the rear sight - a fairly old-fashioned step-slider type, with an aperture instead of a notch-blade - goes from 200 to 600 meters, in the usual increments of 100. Opposing screws adjust for windage. The front site is adjustable for fine elevation. Gun Parts Corp. lists a wood buttstock with metal flap buttplate, like the M14, for resting above the shoulder.

Having little experience with longarms with vertical pistol grips, I find that bringing the weapon to the shoulder is not as quick and smooth as the conventional-stock weapons I'm used to, but that would certainly be solved with practice. FAL controls may not be ideal, but still beat an HK or Cetme; I can reach the safety lever easily with the shooting-hand thumb, while the magazine catch and bolt lock are both designed for use by the support hand - but that's much the same as the M14.

Still no VZs at the local Big 5, but one of the employees was kind enough to have one transferred from another store; it should arrive Monday or Tuesday. 98/22 Mausers, also quality Czech, on sale this week, with longer (my regular cleaning rod won't reach, even with all three sections!) barrels, $79.99. If the VZ doesn't work out I may get one of those instead. The one I checked had good headspace; the bore's condition was hard to tell, since there was plenty of cosmoline and, as mentioned, my rod wouldn't go all the way through.

Been working up gumption to rebuild bugout bag, which for the moment is in a very ordinary day pack. Big 5 has lots of camping and hiking stuff, some of which is usually on sale; this week it's a High Peak Trekker external frame pack, 3100 cubic inches, $50. I have a surplus ALICE pack but lots of people can tell you why it's not the best choice. Hmm....

24 - Monday, 9 September 2002: Stopped at Big 5 on way back from work. Only VZ24 in store, one I already looked at with a damaged stock and handguard. Good headspace, bore hard to tell, only ran one patch through with Break-Free CLP, suspect it's pitted though rifling still shows clearly. The one being transferred from another store won't likely arrive for weeks, according to a manager; apparently it has to go all the way down to California and back. Hmp. Well, I have a rain check which should still be good when they get another whole batch so I can look over several. Have cash set aside for putting it on layaway, when.

Big empty space on wall where the Trekker pack is supposed to be. I'll try to find it on the web, for features and such. ...Found no manufacturer's site, only .com stores selling the thing. Well, I can't really afford a fancy pack anyway, and it seems to only come in one color, "dark teal." I prefer forest green, or at least olive. Besides, if I can't fit an escape/survival kit into an ordinary day pack it's too big to run for my life with anyway. On the other hand, I think I have some links archived somewhere describing DIY improvements to the ALICE pack. Time to dig those up, perhaps.

High Peak is probably made in China, anyway. Damn commies. Boycott China! Have a look at BuyAmerican.com.

No, I really shouldn't be committing $70 - really $79, counting Measure 5's unconstitutional gun tax - on another beat-up old bolt-action, when I'm trying to save for a proper pistol and a respectable rifle (and maybe a car), but this is the high-quality Czech Mauser upon which I could, in some nebulous future, build a truly spiff custom rifle. And, it'll probably be $10 more the next time it's on sale. Good thing I got the rain check at the lower price. If I get one with a good bore and headspace, I'd likely start by sending the bolt off to get its European-style 90-degree handle turned down, American-fashion, and then get an aperture rear sight, not necessarily in that order. Mojo Sight Systems does make one for most Mausers - it was their first product - but it replaces the original, using the same shorter sight radius. More like a ghost-ring than a real aperture. Oh well, still an improvement over the old notch. There's also that Phase III front aperture to consider, which should work fine with a Williams aperture rear receiver sight (you can get rear apertures of different sizes).

Mausers are not known for inaccuracy. Reference the Second Anglo-Boer War, South Africa, 1899. The Boers lost to the British Empire, for strategic and logistical reasons, but with Mausers little different from the VZ24 they whupped on the Lee-Metford-toting redcoats at 1,200 yards. I'm only supposed to be training for 500. A rifle with that pedigree is worth seventy or eighty bucks, yeah.

25 - Wednesday, 11 September 2002: That Day. Not many strategic targets in the Portland metro area, not much expectation of anniversary attacks, and apparently nothing much happened, judging by the couch-potato fodder on the TV I rarely watch anymore anyway. KPTV 12, formerly UPN and the only broadcast station I can receive clearly, is apparently a Fox affiliate now, but the local news staff is the same Ken-and-Barbie gang, so I can't expect the kind of even-remotely-objective reporting I enjoyed on Fox News' cable channel. Once I get the back rent caught up I may get cable again, and a cable modem while I'm at it. Faster computer first, though. This 133MHz dinosaur is killing me.

We are so screwed. We haven't had a real Constitutional government for at least a hundred years, more like a hundred forty, but this is ridiculous. Just one example: we're about to attack Iraq.

America does not start wars! What is Dubya thinking? Perhaps he thinks himself the reincarnation of Theodore Roosevelt, that it is his destiny to launch another period of American imperialism. Gods help us all.

My mind has been dwelling on that Tuma cartoon, "Patriots", with the revolutionary and the couch potato. The United States is becoming a third-world dictatorship before my very eyes and no one cares. Gods, I'm depressed.

Hmp. One bright spot: bank statement came today, and by careful examination of my dreadful handwriting in my checkbook, I discovered that I have $40 more than I thought. Probably just as well that I didn't know that during the gun show last weekend.

Examination of the Collectors West site reveals that there are small shows in October after all, but none I can reach with my current transportation. One large and three small shows in November that I might could reach.

26 - Friday, 13 September 2002: That bright spot isn't so bright; no pay for Labor Day, I haven't been on the job long enough to get paid holidays yet. Also, no mention of optical coverage in the benefits package.

I reckon I'll still check out the Vancouver club tomorrow. At least it will get me out of the apartment.

Um. Longview gun shows are not in range. Closer to Astoria than Portland.

Examining maps, the C-Tran map indicates a Fred Meyer store exactly where an internet map shows VR&P. Well, it's about the same distance as the English Pit - that is, no great distance further, and it appears to be largely flat - and it'll still get me out of the apartment.

27 - Saturday, 14 September 2002: I was all set to get a (relatively) early start, when the phone rings: InetAmerica, returning my call for tech support since I screwed up my TCP/IP settings. But, I screen all my calls and Donna, the tech, had finished her message before I reached the phone. So, now I play message tag. I'll give her a couple hours, then leave about eleven. Oh well, now I can have more breakfast.

...Well, that was largely a waste of time. VR&P appears to be an old barn, implying all indoor shooting, and likely rifles of .22 rimfire only; highly unlikely their backstop could stand up to my battle rifles, even if they did have the 25 yards minimum I need to practice with the reduced targets. Also, the place was deserted when I found it, with a chained and padlocked gate. Either they give every member a key to the same padlock (unlikely), or the club management only opens the gate for regularly-scheduled events (implying no room for my needs anyway), or the place is shut down.

Got a Vancouver-area map. Clark County Fairgrounds, which I presume are the fairgrounds the little gun-show flyer means, are way north of Vancouver. Not practical to go to a gun show there without a motor vehicle. Besides, Oregon will be returning to its infamous weather any day now, and I generally don't ride during that part of the year.

Ugh. Between the imperfect facilities, my lack of transportation, and the weather, I may have fired my last round until next summer! Keep saving, forget the GP35 and FAL for now, work toward a car so I can go up in the hills and do what I want.

(Well, I'll still get the Mauser, since I've gone to so much trouble over it already; and besides, I already have ammunition and stuff for it.)

I had enough time left on my C-Tran transfer to take Tri-Met's light rail up the hill to the shopping center for groceries, as long as I was out of the apartment already. Still no return message from Inet, but I'm done for the day so I can stay here and wait for it.

(Of course no one will see this on my site until that problem is resolved.)

28 - Sunday, 15 September 2002: Still no response from Inet. E-mailed them from a public library.

Big 5 called last night; my transferred VZ24 was in. Stopped by today (like I would have for the sales flyer, for my website, anyway) and checked it out. Good headspace, much original finish remaining, bore looks acceptable (counterbored muzzle; reportedly common on these). Put it on layaway.

Beginning to suffer net deprivation. At least the word processor still works.

29 - Monday, 16 September 2002: Damn - library closed on Monday, can't send the Big 5 sale thing to the cheapshooting list. Maybe Inet will call tonight.

Mail: Second Amendment Foundation's survey. Filled out, returned, sent a check for $5. CATCo flyer; parts kits for submachineguns, some books and videos, nothing I can't live without. New Shotgun News, finally, six days late again.

Wholesale Guns & Ammo offering G1 FAL parts kit without magazine, $98.99; Imbel receiver, $209.99. Discussion on the mailing lists implies finishing a receiver is not a healthy project for a beginning machinist.

Filled out benefit forms - Blue Shield, general and dental, apparently $39/month, if I filled out the forms right.

No call from Inet. May try their tech number from work, but expect to get voice mail.

Rain today, and forecast tomorrow, though clearing the rest of the week. Summer is over! Probably no more shooting until either late spring, or I get a motor vehicle. Well, I may go to English Pit one more time this weekend, with the Mosin.

30 - Tuesday, 17 September 2002: Slow day at work, got off early. "Ah," think I, "I'll stop at the library and use mail2web.com to see if Inet has at least answered my mail - and, I'll post the Big 5 sale to cheapshooting while I'm there, since I had the foresight to save it on floppy, and still be back at the apartment in time to answer the phone when I told Inet I would."

Not so. First, just as I go out the door, the bus goes by, so there's a quarter-hour gone waiting for the next one. Then, I get to the library and find nothing from Inet but the automated receipt of the message I sent on Sunday. Next, I reach the cheapshooting website easy enough, but of course the library computers have all been castrated so I can't use the floppy drive that is right there in front of God and everybody. By this time I've blown another quarter-hour and give up to catch the next bus - which goes by just as I go out the library door, five minutes early according to the schedule. Another quarter-hour still.

Hmph.

Anyway Inet finally calls about 6:45pm. Apparently Bill, the (The) tech, was in hospital (which explains why no one answered...). Inet appears to be just a couple of folks and some servers. I chose them because they're a buck less than the Sprynet/Mindspring/Earthlink I was using, and Inet donates $5 of the monthly fee to pro-gun causes, particularly Citizens of America, which produces pro-gun TV, radio, billboard and print ads. Earthlink reportedly donates to the enemy.

So I talked to Bill, the tech, and got some new settings and... they don't work. Left another voice mail at 7pm. Waiting again.

Considering this weekend. English Pit again? Not many alternatives, if I want any practice at all with a battle rifle. Thinking about paying off the Mauser - I could - and taking it along with the Mosin (giving up on the Ishapore for now). Probably I should wait until next payday, the 27th, for the Mauser, but temptation calls. Only $50 left on it, plus the aforementioned $9 Oregon gun tax. If I get my ISP straightened out tonight I'll do some grocery shopping tomorrow, get myself stocked up through payday, then reconsider the Mauser.

Sent a check to the phone company, a couple-three days late (I was going to pay on time, online at their website...) but at least I can afford it and will be pretty much caught up. Closing in on back rent, should still be easily caught up by end of year, then I can really start saving for something useful. I may even open a savings account. Haven't had one of those in years....

Inet called again about 7:45pm. Bill is stumped. Donna, the other person there, suggests that I'm not the only one having this trouble. Bill gives me a couple other access numbers to dial, thinking it may be a router problem. Still no luck. Left voice mail again at 8:30pm. About 1200 items in my inbox, when I checked at the library four hours earlier. I'm on a lot of mailing lists. I'll be a while catching up, when I finally get connected again.

10pm and no more word from Inet. At least now I know there's someone alive on the other end of the voice mail. Maybe they are having larger problems with their servers or routers or whatnot. Hopefully it'll get fixed tomorrow.

Hm. Can't/shouldn't take the Mauser anyway. No sling (or recoil pad, though I really should wean myself off those, like I'm trying to with caffeine). Besides, most Mausers' rear sights only go down to 200 meters; the Yugo M48 I used to have shot way high at 25 and 100 yards. The Mosin shoots pretty much where it's aimed, just a touch high and left, so I can get useful practice with it. At least this VZ24 will be the standard size action, for which piles of aftermarket goodies are available, like adjustable triggers and proper sights.

31 - Wednesday, 18 September 2002: I am thirty-five years old.

Phooey.

Left another voice mail for Inet when I got back from work at 5pm. Now 7 and nothing from them. This is getting old.

I might get that GP35 by the end of the year after all. Maybe for Christmas. There's another big show the weekend of December 14th & 15th. The CZ75/85 or EAA Witness remains an option. The .45 Witness is appealing, because it's a .45, but the 9mm version fits my hand much better. Not much difference in price for bulk (full metal jacket, more-or-less military specification) practice ammo, according to ads in Shotgun News. 9mm magazines would be easier to find and likely cheaper, and of course the 9mm would have less recoil and higher capacity - and, during the Next Unpleasantness, I could scrounge NATO-standard ammunition from the enemy.

I hereby dismiss the entire 9mm vs. .45 debate by pointing out that the performance of many modern 9x19mm defensive loads are up in .357 Magnum territory, and more to the point, that shot placement matters a whole lot more than terminal ballistics. Practice, practice, practice.

The .40S&W (10x23mm) just doesn't do anything for me. The 10x25mm (10mm Auto) might (there are a few Witness pistols made for that cartridge), but it probably kicks and almost certainly barks more than I would like, and reports are that no autoloading pistol yet built in that chambering has held up to the stress of regular firing - and if you don't fire regularly to develop and maintain your skills, it's just an expensive paperweight.

Donna from Inet called about 8pm, will have Bill call me if he gets back from a meeting before 10, otherwise at some godawful hour of the morning before I leave for work at 7. Donna offered to give me their home number so I could call direct, but I don't have long-distance service, since I hardly ever call anyone on a regular phone anyway.

In the September 10th SGN I note that Century Arms offers the ".308 Shooters Dream" deal, 1,000-round cases of various 7.62x51mm with free shipping: Boxer-primed (reloadable) Greek, Israeli or Austrian for $129; Berdan-primed (non-reloadable) Argentine (used that in the Ishapore a while ago, it worked), Portuguese (what I've been using in the Ishapore lately), German, Belgian or Austrian, $119. "...tarnish from storage... we tested it, and it shoots fine." Sold in thousands only, but, twelve or thirteen cents a round delivered. Hmm....

Witness magazines, 9x19mm 15 round, $30 or so. 13-round GP35 magazines, roughly half that; 15- and 17-round Argentine military units available; 20- and 30-round extended magazines, $30-ish. Nothing like that for the CZ or Witness, to my knowledge. Like I said, the GP35, the CZ or the Witness, any would be satisfactory, but the GP, having been around much longer, does seem to be easier to support. Probably more holsters and such for it, too. Also, even though the CZ and Witness can both be carried "cocked and locked" and used as single-action-only despite having double-action triggers, the GP is a true single-action and is that much simpler.

Bill called about 10pm, said he will try dialing in with my account to see what happens, will call me at 5pm tomorrow so I don't have to get up any earlier than usual.

32 - Thursday, 19 September 2002: Got back from work about 5:20pm, no message from Inet.

New Shotgun News, a day early for a change. New slick magazine-style cover, but that may just be for the Special Anniversary Issue, five years since change of management. Feature articles on slick pages. Not the regular format, but the article says it might be. I like it. I am very pleased with the improvements to SGN in recent years, especially the articles and columns.

Bill called about 6:15 and remained stumped. Tried a few things, which failed. Bill suggested I call MicroSoft, provided an 800 number, said he would give a month free service and compensate for whatever MS charged (~$25). Left voicemail with MS about 6:45pm. Don't really expect a reply. Will keep trying various settings on my own.

In latest SGN, Dan's Sporting Goods offers South African 7.62x51mm battlepacks (sealed heavy-duty plastic bundles) with free shipping. 140 rds, $25; 420, $65; 1,260 in a plastic tub, $194. If I had net access I'd probably order the 420, either now or next payday, even though I've given up on the Ishapore for now.

Hah! About 9:30, finally stumbled upon a combination of settings that works. Up 'til past 1am with over 2,100 e-mails but at least the cursed thing's fixed!

33 - Friday, 20 September 2002: The MicroSoft number turned out to be for a sales rep, but he called back about 6:15am and left an actual tech support number, which I now no longer need. Will save it, and e-mail it to Bill, for future reference.

Yes, going back to English Pit tomorrow, warts and all. Any practice is better than none, though this is definitely not the right kind. Taking the Mosin, probably 100 rounds, and likely nothing else.

May go out to Aloha Surplus Sunday.

No, can't afford those South African battlepacks until payday, but still considering the 420.

34 - Saturday, 21 September 2002: Forecast calls for 82 degrees, sunny and windy. High 70s and sunny for the next week. Summer's not quite done yet. May go to English Pit again next weekend, although still considering trekking up to Clark County Fairgrounds for the little gun show. Will examine C-Tran route maps, see how close I can get.

Not a cloud in the sky. Hope the range isn't crowded. (Not too bad. The FAL Democrat was not there, or I didn't see him.)

Bringing 110 rounds brass-case FMJ, and the last 20 green-lacquer steel-case soft-point, and the last 18 copper-washed steel-case FMJ.

No wind on Portland side, but strong from the northeast across the river. Useful tailwind for (some of) the return trip. Hah! Found a shortcut, sort of, saved a mile or so.

Got lane 8 on the 25/50 yard line (lanes 7 and 8 are 25 yards). Three targets like before. Started with the 18 rounds of copper-washed on upper target as a warmup. Not bad, several hits. One flyer, still a bit pumped from the ride. Recoil tolerance has definitely improved, but still need work with NPOA.

Had rimlock a couple times with the copper-washed. Some of my chargers are a little tight, that may be it, or it may just be the steel case is sticky that way. Anyway that batch is gone. (Never did get around to using the lacquered soft-point. Maybe I should save it anyway.)

Switching to brass case - a touch of rimlock but not as bad, must have been the steel after all. First string pretty bad, but second pretty good. New targets.

Third string disappointing, but fourth decent except for one flyer, which I rushed. Fifth string rushed, no good. New targets.

Wind not much of a factor, at only 25 yards and down in a converted gravel pit. Need new glasses (and a haircut). String six no good, rushed, getting a little shaky, fatigued; not using NPOA. String seven little better. Concentrate! Eight, still no good. Should have brought some food. New targets. Switching to lane 7, more elbow room.

String 9, high but very nice group except for one flyer. Ten, pretty bad. Eleven, similar to nine. That's 55 rounds for record. Shoulder getting sore; eye fatigue. Keep on? Three more strings at least, forty rounds of brass case left after that.

String twelve: losing control. Some flyers may be caused by dents and wrinkles in the Soviet-surplus brass, especially in the neck, but most are of course my fault.

I'm supposed to be shooting prone! This benchrest stuff isn't right, even if I'm not using any artificial supports, only the hasty sling, with the rifle in my hands and my elbows on the bench.

Rifle pretty hot, shooting consistently high; okay, now I know the Mosin, or at least my Mosin, shoots high when it's hot, but I expect it still groups all right and I just need more practice. Strings thirteen and fourteen, nothing spectacular. Shoulder hurts. Enough for today. 88 rounds fired, most in a single session so far.

Heh. One guy had a shorty AR, one of those M4 lookalikes. Checked his target - little bitty holes all over, mostly way to the right. And he had a scope! And he was only on the 50 yard line! Probably paid $700-$800 for that soft-kicking, flat-shooting mouse gun, and I've got him all beat with an ancient "big-bore" bolt-action for less than $100, and my bullets will actually do something when they get there.

Coincidentally, Fred's September 10th SGN column describes this very phenomenon: a poor marksman trying to compensate with an expensive, fancy-looking rifle. Ohhh, if I were more extroverted I could be hustling rifle like some folks hustle pool - and I'm not even that good.

Yet.

35 - Sunday, 22 September 2002: Decided to go to Aloha Surplus today (open 11-4 Sundays). Long trip on Tri-Met, especially on the Sunday schedule. Left about 9:15am. Got the correct sling for the Mosin, $15; now I can put the other one back on the Ishapore. Also got thirteen good steel chargers, fifty cents each, for the Mauser I have on layaway. I have a pile of brass chargers already, from that cheap Turkish ammunition in bandoliers, but I want some I can really count on. They had the steel ones mixed in with the soft, unreliable brass ones for the same price. I got all the steel ones I saw. Will probably hunt up more at the next gun show, where they'll likely be $1 each or more. They had Mosin chargers there for $2 each. I know of at least one vendor at the big Expo Center shows who regularly carries them for $1, and Tapco offers a "box of 20" for $9.99 (not counting shipping). Shop wisely, there are deals to be had!

Uh! I was going to get a couple 8mm bore brushes, which I saw there, but forgot. Oh well, I can probably find them cheaper at the show anyway.

Considering getting the Mojo sight for the Mosin; the existing front post should serve well there. Also considering sights for the Mauser, even though I don't have it yet. I think I want something really nice there, like a Williams FP with target knobs, but that's $80 or so; I'll see how it shoots as-is first. Also, a Williams or similar sight would require drilling and tapping the receiver, but there are so many VZ24s in American hands now it won't be a crime against history to make an irreversible alteration to one of them. Will need, or at least want, a new front sight too, but lots to choose from for Mausers, they've been a favorite import for generations and there's lots of aftermarket support for them.

Still have the bayonet left over from the Yugo M48, should fit the VZ, as I've said. Will likely get another recoil pad for the Mauser after all; I can always take it off. Already got an extra ten-loop cartridge carrier for the butt, a couple big shows ago. Ace Case is the maker, and by the way, they work with loaded chargers! Will want more charger pouches; may make some out of old jeans, as I'm still planning to make bandoliers. Can't be too hard, and I've already got a leather one for a pattern, and denim is obviously much easier to work with, and it doesn't have to hold its shape when empty; several countries made theirs out of canvas (though still heavier than jeans). May even go to fabric store (which I will anyway, for snaps or velcro or some kind of closures for the bandoliers) and get some actual fabric.

Um. Will need sling for Mauser. Correct, original or reproduction leather can be found, but I think I want another nylon, like the Ishapore. I'm pretty sure the VZ has 1¼" swivels (and lots of them, by the way; typically two on each end, one on the bottom and one on the left side; there may be a third one on the rear, I don't recall at the moment). It may not sound like much, but that extra quarter inch really spreads the weight, and makes the hasty sling more comfortable too. The Mosin sling is only one inch (canvas). I may go back to what I had there after all.

Now really thinking of going to Clark County Fairgrounds show. Not often I can make it to any show, of any size, the day after payday. Practice again on October 5th? Depends on weather. Will want more Mosin ammunition, only 120 rounds brass-case FMJ and 20 rounds lacquered-case soft-point remaining. 245 rounds for the Mauser, all FMJ: 50 rounds copper-jacket, Czech (as I recall), and the rest steel-jacket Turk with the brass chargers. All brass-case, likely all Berdan and corrosive primed; the Turkish is. Put the Czech on the steel chargers, and loaded the pouch with it. Some people have reported duds or even hangfires with the Turkish stuff, which is everywhere; will want to shop for something else. Not as good a selection at the little shows, obviously - which is an argument for practicing on the 28th instead, when the weather is still supposed to be good, and waiting for the next big show in November.

Found the Big 5 flyer in the Sunday paper on the Tri-Met trip back, so I don't have to stop there today. VZ24s this week, $69.99 again. Oh well, at least it's not a lower price, and I seem to have got a good one.

36 - Tuesday, 24 September 2002: Stopped at the local Big 5 to measure the butt of a VZ24 to choose the correct size Uncle Mike's slip-on recoil pad (about 4¾"; the pads come in three sizes, about a half-inch apart). They didn't have any in stock, so they had to bring mine out from the back where it's on layaway.

Someone in that outfit needs to whack their warehouse people upside the head. The VZ is a hot item among those who understand what it is, and at $70 each they could be selling a lot more if they delivered them to the stores.

Or, they might have been sold out in only two days. That has happened.

Went to Bi-Mart, as usual on Tuesday to check my membership card number against their weekly door prizes - and forgot to buy the recoil pad I measured for, which Bi-Mart has cheaper. I'll stop again tomorrow.

Noted that the forward barrel band spring is missing from mine. May talk them into dragging out the one with the damaged stock and scavenging from that one. Otherwise will stop at the parts table at the big gun show in November. Smaller show this weekend probably not worth the effort.

Looking like another session with the Mosin. Wouldn't want to fire the VZ without that spring, though it would probably be entirely safe; might affect accuracy, though, if the band came loose, and if the rifle isn't pointing to the same place between one shot and the next, what's the point? If I scavenge from the other VZ at the local Big 5 I will take the Mauser, at least for a function test. Range fee is $4, bus fare is $1.75 to cross the river. Some short days last pay period so my check won't be as large. Getting more practice will cost less, and probably be worth more, than trekking up to a dinky little gun show which won't have as much selection anyway.

But I'll be going to that show some other time. Private sales at shows are not outlawed in Washington yet, like they are in Oregon. Opportunity might knock to acquire something the government can't prove I have.

(It sure would be nice to have a milling machine....)

Original sights on most ‘98-style Mausers are not easily adjustable for windage. The M48 Yugoslav I used to have also shot several MOA to the right, in addition to going way high because the rear sight only goes down so far. I only fired fifteen rounds from that rifle before I had to sell it (though I recall it was starting to group, even then, and even with the inverted-V front blade and V rear notch; looking forward to getting another Mauser, and firing a lot more than 15 rounds). If the VZ's windage is off I can use the time-honored method of whacking the front sight with a piece of brass and a hammer; or get a new rear sight like I'm planing to anyway. Getting a $40-odd Mojo for the Mauser wouldn't make a lot of sense if I'm later going to spend $70 or more for a Williams.

There is no realistic place to mount a receiver sight on a Mosin and still have a respectably- long sight radius, or have the aperture close enough to the eye to work. The Mojo's ghost ring (oversize aperture for longer distance from the eye) should work there. Probably just the standard model, not the Phase III with extra adjustment for the taller front aperture; the M44 Mosin's existing front post is just fine, clear and sharp and easy to see (which is probably why I can actually hit stuff with the Mosin, as opposed to the Ishapore with its squinty little front blade and tiny rear notch).

37 - Thursday, 26 September 2002: Got the recoil pad (size Small seems about right for most of these surplus bolt-actions), $14. Wanted a nylon sling but all Bi-Mart had was one-inch and I want inch-and-a-quarter. But that's for the Mauser and this weekend I'm taking the Mosin for serious work. I'll probably take the sling off the Ishapore again and slap it on the Mauser for a function test.

I think... it may... be time... to try the AQT. There are ten sets in Fred's bundle, surely I can afford to use one at this point in my self-training.

Each set consists of four targets, designed for use at 25 meters and scaled to represent standard US Army training targets at 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards. Each target comprises one Stage. The whole course of fire uses 65 rounds, including 15 for sighting-in. I'll be skipping that, since it's designed for an M14 with MOA-click sights; I'll just use a center hold on everything since they'll all be at the same distance and that's where the Mosin shoots, at least until it gets hot.

Since this use of the AQT is incorrect (yards instead of meters, can't fire sitting (they don't mean from a benchrest) or prone), it's only for my own enlightenment at this point. If I were to fire the AQT according to the instructions, and witnessed, and scored above 200 (US Army Expert), I could qualify for a T-shirt from Fred's, proclaiming me a qualified Rifleman. They don't sell those to just anybody. They have another version for people who haven't fired a witnessed AQT above 200, anyone can get those.

But this isn't about a T-shirt, anyway.

Stage One calls for 10 rounds in 2 minutes, standing, on a single target. "Load one [20- round] magazine with 10 rounds." The Mosin is a five-shot, but later stages call for mandatory reloads anyway. I should be able to fire standing for this stage on the 25-yard handgun range at English Pit, I've seen people using carbines and defensive shotguns on that line. I think that one- inch square I've been shooting has been good practice. The Stage One target looks pretty big now.

On the other hand, I haven't fired a rifle from the standing position in at least a year. On the other other hand, I do recall that I can handle recoil even better when standing.

Stage Two calls for ten rounds in 50 seconds, "standing to sitting position". I'll be doing Stage Two, and the rest, from the bench like I've been practicing. There are five targets, half the size of the Stage One target; I'm to fire two rounds at each. "Load one magazine of 2 rounds. Load second magazine of 8 rounds." Well, two chargers should have much the same effect.

Stage Three, ten rounds in 60 seconds. Five targets, smaller still, and a sixth for sighting-in, which I won't bother with this time. Two rounds at each of the five record targets. "Standing to prone position." This means I should start standing, then get into the prone position on the clock. Likewise with sitting for Stage Two. I'll be doing this for the T-shirt later, if I can find a place that allows the correct positions, and someone to witness it. For now I'm just measuring my own progress.

Stage Four, smallest targets, ten of them and another for sighting. The 4-point black area is 1½" wide by 1¼" tall; the 5-point line inside it is 1" wide by ¾" tall - and I've been shooting at a 1" black square for some time now. "Prone position, slow-fire." 20 rounds in 22 minutes (!). I don't think I'll need that long. Two rounds at each of the ten record targets.

I've never served in the military, but depending how well I do, I might go to a surplus store - or just online - and buy the US Army marksmanship medal, with the appropriate tabs for "Rifle" and my skill level. Nah - probably wait ‘til I break 200, and should wait ‘till I've done it right.

I'm guessing, based on last weekend's performance, I should make Sharpshooter, between 170 and 199 points. If I get every one of the 50 rounds for record in the black, I'll score at least 200, and all the black parts - even Stage Four - are at least a little bigger than what I've been practicing on... and you've seen, right here, how I've been doing.

But I shouldn't count my holes before they're punched, and the way I'm doing it won't count anyway.

Good forecast for Saturday, high 70s and sunny, but autumn is scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

38 - Friday, 27 September 2002: OW!

Been having genuine arthritis pain, like in the pharmaceutical commercials on TV, last couple of days, mainly in the hands. Worse than previous seasonal transitions. Haven't taken anything for it, don't want a crutch to lean on. Some of the survivalist e-lists I'm on have discussed how risky it is to be dependent on medication, when a tyrannical state could shut down the pharmacies, or just wait there to take the "undesirables" into custody.

Plenty of stuff for arthritis available over-the-counter, but, well, that costs money. I'll wear gloves to keep my hands warm. So there.

Got the Mauser! Mine was the only one in the store, so I couldn't scavenge the barrel band clip. Oh well, those bands are usually on pretty tight, I may take it along for function-testing tomorrow anyway. Chatted with the counter guy, they did have three but sold out quick. Fine, more weapons in the hands of citizens - but Big 5 could still be selling more, if they sent more to the stores. I told him there was a feature article in American Rifleman (the official NRA magazine - I'm not (currently) a member, but I read it at the public library) about building a custom rifle on a Mauser action, specifically a VZ24, and reiterated that the Czech actions are considered the best for such projects.

The bayonet fits. Sweet.

Full disassembly and cleaning. (Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly, Part IV: Centerfire Rifles.) Not original finish, obviously reblued looking at where the Czech crest was ground off, but nicely-enough done. Marking on left side of chamber, above serial number, "E4 (lion) 37". Made in 1937? April, or factory code? Will research. Serial number is E5 (space) 6xxx. E4, E5...?

I was not (entirely) aware that Mauser chargers, and the guide for them, are designed so you don't have to remove them after thumbing the cartridges into the magazine - just shove on the bolt and it pops right out, flying away even, while you also chamber the first round. German engineering. Gotta love it. No wonder the Boers gave the Redcoats fits, and the same for the Spaniards against our Krag-carrying guys in Cuba. It must take forever to reload a Krag. The story is the Ordnance Bureau chose it because it was so prettily made - and because it took so long to reload; they didn't want American soldiers "wasting" ammunition.

At San Juan Hill, 700 Mauser-toting Spaniards inflicted 1,400 American casualties. Five years later we had the Springfield Model 1903 - and Mauser sued us for patent violation.

Four sling swivels, two each left and bottom, 1¼" (or a little more). Forward swivels are both on the rear barrel band, which is split and screwed down for tension like that on a Lee-Enfield or Ruger 10/22. Bottom rear swivel in usual position, bottom left just aft of the pistol grip, where the comb starts to rise. I'll probably just use the bottom swivels, at least for now, though I see how it might be useful to have a sling on the side away from the bolt handle. Left-side swivels have friction so they fold flat against the stock and stay there.

Bolt is mismatched, but I already checked headspace and it did not close on a NO-GO gauge. (Doublechecked, now I know I've got the goop out of the chamber - still good.) Many dings in the stock, handguard does not appear to match, cleaning rod missing (so is the Mosin's), and not everything was reblued. Big deal, this one isn't a collector's item, I'm gonna use it.

The rear sight only goes down to 300 meters, which means it should shoot way high any closer. Trigger not too bad. Bolt smoother than the M48 Yugo I used to have (duh, it's broken-in; many of the Yugos were all but unissued). Sights about as stinky as the Ishapore's, even besides the elevation. Fine, there's a big blank space aft of the charger guide and forward of the bolt handle, that must be where a Williams sight goes. Hope it doesn't interfere with the charger guide, I will not sacrifice that feature. This will remain a fighting rifle. Even if I rebarrel it to 7.62x51 (which would be much later, if ever) I could use the same chargers, since the base/rim diameter is the same as 7.92x57mm (which is one reason Mausers are so popular for sporterizing in .30-06, .270, .308, .243, and the many derivatives thereof; the bolt face and magazine are already the right size, at least in that dimension - in fact to convert a Mauser from 7.92mm to .30-06, little more than a barrel change (properly executed and headspaced of course) needs to be done).

Steel buttplate. That's why I got the pad. Removable front sight protector - base is not grooved for snap-on hood like other Mausers. It's fine the way it is, and is actually easier to remove to adjust the front sight for windage, or replace it. Big "ears" on the protector, probably intended to prevent a shooter using one of the wings instead of the front sight. Only the sight itself (may) need to be changed there. Czech workmanship, gotta love it. Oh yeah, under the dings and dents and grime and gunk, this is a well made rifle. No wonder they sell out so fast, those Czechs take pride in their work, and have every right to.

Bolt in decent shape, well preserved. Detent in left side of stock cross-bolt, handy for resting tip of firing pin for bolt disassembly, must be by design (other Mausers have a similar feature crosswise through the butt).

Some pitting in bore, but rifling still strong. Chamber looks fine. Some time getting all the gunk out of the bore - used .38 pistol brush, since my .30 rifle brushes are too small. I have read that some old bores can actually be "shot clean", that is, after a normal cleaning, fire a few rounds to knock loose all the gunk your little wire brush couldn't get out the first time. Guess I'll find out. Muzzle end is counterbored - bored smooth, larger than the rifling diameter, to protect the important front end of the rifling, the last influence on the bullet as it leaves the barrel - about two inches.

Magazine follower does not block the bolt when empty, like some other Mausers. Do I want that feature? The Yugo was the same so I don't know if it's nice or annoying. See how cheap the other kind of follower is from the parts geezers at the big show. Looks like I'm looking for a two- inch barrel band clip; some other Mausers use a longer one for both barrel bands, one on each end. Magazine spring seems fine. No number, matching or otherwise, evident on floorplate, but I don't care.

Some rust inside the forward barrel band, where it contacts the wood. Break-Free CLP and a wire brush for that. Barrel appears unaffected, scrubbed stock with wire brush.

Whew - rear barrel band hard to remove! First, odd locknut on the regular screw, which goes through the lower sling swivel, but then, a crossbolt going all the way through the fore-end into a hole in the left side of the band, under the side swivel. This crossbolt is very much like the trigger or bolt screw for a Colt single-action revolver, a long plain shaft with a short threaded section near the head. Well, that barrel band won't be coming loose. The crossbolt head is odd too, with two round holes for a specialized tool, not an ordinary slot. Used the points of my Leatherman pliers. Again, rust inside the band. Hm - front band not as tight as I remember the Yugo's being, it may shoot loose after all. I'll find out.

Action screws okay, not damaged; look new, probably replaced by the importer. Both locking screws present, also in fine shape. Trigger guard needed a little "encouragement" to come out - then the action fell out of the stock, smearing cosmoline all over me. Simple Green, or Windex, or a bargain alternative thereto, and a roll of paper towels for getting the preservative goop off. Just tell yourself, "I only have to do this once."

(Tip: removal of cosmoline, and a perpetually-shedding cat in your lap, mix entirely too well. At least try to keep them separate.)

So! It should be ready to go. I will take it tomorrow after all, with, say, 20 rounds each of the Turk and Czech ammunition.

That is one tiny rear sight notch....

Huh - I thought I had another cartridge carrier for the butt, but I can't find it. Oh well, either it'll turn up or I'll get another for five or six bucks at the show. The Mosin has one, and that's the rifle I'm making the most progress with at present, so it's less a priority with the Mauser. Got the recoil pad on, and stole the sling from the Ishapore again.

Ahem - I think I have enough rifles for a while, now (unless Big 5 gets more of those Romanian .22 trainers). Getting real close to catching up on rent; start saving for motor transportation.

39 - Saturday, 28 September 2002: Taking 10:35 bus, should arrive about 11:30. Weather lovely. Taking Mosin with 100 rounds, Mauser with 40, and three sets of AQT.

If the 25-yard bench lanes are full I can't shoot the later stages of the AQT, but in that case I'll just get some usual practice on my black-square targets - I've made up a stack with two-inch centers, for 4 MOA at 50 yards. Will probably make four-inch-center target for 100-yard use later, just in case. Anyone who can shoot 4 MOA, all the time, can break 200 on the AQT.

Taking the Guide along, of course. Looking at the other targets provided therein. Never mind the freedom-fighting implications, some of those look downright fun! Will make some copies later.

Range Officer says no rifle-caliber rifles on handgun range. Phooey. Will fire stage one from 25-yard bench. Got lane 8 again. Will fire five-shot sighter strings at both Stage One sighter targets, then the ten for record.

Hah! Lane 7 opened before I started. First sighter string, high & left. Huh? Second, 6-o'- clock hold, better. Will hold a little low for record.

Did I mention, this range is not suitable for this self-training? Almost impossible to miss the Stage One black from the bench.

But I managed. Damn, now it's shooting to point of aim. Okay, second charger, back to a center hold. Hm- group much larger than I expected, but I still got a 3, three 4s (one just barely, when I was holding low), four 5s and two Vs. 45 points.

Stage Two. Brought enough ammo, will fire five-shot sighter strings on Three and Four. Uh! Didn't time myself. Oh well, this doesn't count anyway. Five targets, two rounds each. All in the black (yay!), though still not as tight as previous sessions have led me to expect. (Rickety old bench rocking when someone in the next lane shifts position may have something to do with it - but probably I just need More Practice.) Four 4s, two 5s, four Vs, 46 points.

Stage Three, five record targets and one sighter. Sighter string, four in black, one touching. That's more like it. For record, one 3 on first target, one miss on fourth, rest in black or touching: one 4, six 5s, one V, 42 points.

Stage Four: five-shot sighter again, all in or touching black. Two targets, one round each [duh! Two rounds each! No wonder my final score was so low, I forgot to fire ten rounds!]. Five misses, a 3, two 4s, a 5 and a V, 21 points. 154 total, Marksman. Phooey.

[Now, if I had fired two rounds at each Stage Four target, like I was supposed to... well, let me just double my actual, lousy, Stage Four score, giving a total of 175 - hey! I would have just made Sharpshooter! ...If I were following the rules, which I wasn't of course, but still, encouraging, if I can come so close even with such a crappy Stage Four.]

40 rounds left for Mosin, back to the 1" practice targets. Third practice string, nice group, but off; Mosin pretty hot now. 25 rounds brass-case left on chargers, 20 more still in paper bundle at home. Will let Mosin cool, fire up Mauser.

Using 2"-center 50 yard target at 25 yards. Starting with Czech ammunition on steel chargers. Mauser much smoother action than Mosin, but trigger not quite as good - but good enough. Sights worse than Mosin but better than Ishapore after all. Elevation slider all the way down to 300. Chargers much smoother - zip! No rimlock either.

First string, decent windage but a couple flyers. About 10 MOA high with center hold, as expected. Recoil about same as Mosin, and I've got a handle on that now. Stock geometry doesn't seem as comfortable, but may simply be used to straight-line Mosin stock.

Forward band came loose during second string; removed it for now (must also remove front sight protector for clearance). Not grouping well but probably my fault more than the lack of a barrel band. Much, much smoother action than Mosin - can fling brass like an autoloader, thwack! into the shed wall - yet still as solid-feeling and confidence-inspiring as the Mosin. May switch training to Mauser, after getting decent rear sight. Depends on ammunition availability.

Another shooter let me fire his 1891 Argentine 7.65mm Mauser. Cute little carbine, low recoil. I let him fire a charger's worth from each of mine. He's... better than me, at least as I am now. More Practice! Third string from the Mauser, last of the Czech I brought (I let him fire the Czech stuff), well... every round helps, I guess.

20 rounds Turk 7.92, 20 rounds brass-case Mosin, remaining - use it up! (After a trip to the porta-potty...) Still with the Mauser, now with the Turkish ammunition. Extraction sticky! Nothing evident on cases, no danger signs, recoil same. Could be gunk on bolt face, wiped it.

Not grouping well, but the guy with the Argentine put three rounds in a row, touching each other, through my VZ24. Will take my time with a string of Turk, see if I can get a decent group.

Extraction better, may have been dirty bolt face - but terrible group. This Turk ammo is very cheap, and marked 1942; it may not be capable of 4 MOA. I thought I fired a good string but it's maybe 10-12 MOA across. 10 rounds Turk left, 30 rounds Czech at home, I know the Czech stuff will group because I just saw it.

Now, I know I fired a better string than that. I suspect the Turk ammo is crap. Still have a pile of it, too. At least I didn't pay for much more than I seem to have got, and the bandoliers and chargers can be reused.

And... the last five rounds of Turk ammo that I brought did this. Imagine my consternation.

20 rounds left for the Mosin, ten each on two 50-yard targets at 25 yards, did mediocre. Shoulder a little sore, but real improvement in recoil management - that alone is almost worth the trip. 130 rounds fired, all I brought except for the ten fired by the guy with the Argentine. Progress! But... now I'm effectively out of Mosin ammo, with only four chargers' worth of the brass-case FMJ, and one box of the lacquered soft-point that shoots way low and won't extract. Well, I'll just have to see how I do with a Turk-fed Mauser. Who knows, I might even try the Ishapore again - I do have a bunch of ammo for it, after all.

Weather permitting, I may take the Mauser out some more, just leaving off the forward barrel band and front sight protector, until the big gun show in November, where I can expect to find the barrel band clip and more Mosin ammo.

After cleaning, Mauser bore definitely pitted, but still capable of grouping. Good enough.

Inventory: 7.92x57mm Mauser, 30 rounds Czech on steel chargers, 175 rounds Turk on brass chargers, mostly in cloth bandoliers, 205 rounds total, seven steel and five brass chargers extra. 7.62x54mmR Mosin, 20 rounds brass-case FMJ on chargers, 20 rounds lacquered-case soft-point in factory box, a pitiful 40 rounds total (but the rest was spent in the just cause of improving my skill), sixteen chargers extra.

7.62x51mm NATO, 125 rounds Portuguese, ten in the Ishapore's magazine and the rest on M14 chargers, either in bandoliers or the buttstock cartridge carrier - opened the battlepack I thought was more of the same and holy crap! It's Austrian Hirtenberger, the good stuff! Apparently made in 1980, and I think it's Boxer primed, reloadable! Won't know that for sure ‘til I fire some, but if it is I'll save the brass; at the least I could barter with it, to someone who does reload. Managed to rustle up enough chargers for 100 rounds of it, and to cram that much in my factory- made green nylon bandolier. That leaves 100 rounds Austrian in boxes, and 140 rounds South African still in its battlepack, 465 rounds FMJ total, no extra chargers - unless I count the six loaded with Talon remanufactured tracers, which with the Ishapore's spare magazine gives me 40 rounds of that, but I'm sure English Pit's Range Officer would object, and besides, tracers have different ballistics from FMJ so it's not worth much for practice.

40 - Sunday, 29 September 2002: The Weather has Changed. Started raining last night and, this being Oregon, probably won't stop ‘til June.

Regardless: need more ammunition! For the Mosin and Mauser at least, and certainly for the international-standard-caliber Ishapore if I can figure out how to hit things with it. Study Shotgun News.

Generally, private citizens without a Federal Firearms License can order ammunition direct after sending a signed statement to the vendor, to the effect that they are 21 years old and that no local, state or Federal laws prohibit them from buying. Often a photocopy of one's driver's license or other photo ID is also required. I've already scanned my DL and built a word processor file around the image, it prints out nice; now all I need is stamps (and money, of course). Maybe I can send it as an e-mail attachment....

Oho! The barrel band clip I'm missing is one of those L-shaped types that goes through the fore-end. Illustrations in the '98 Mauser parts diagram in the Gun Parts Corp. catalog (36A, I think). The spring part broke off, the pin part was still in the stock. Now I know exactly what I'm looking for.

Hah! I knew I had that other cartridge carrier. On the Mauser now.

Been e-corresponding with a guy on the crffldisc list. He is a Cruffler, the holder of a C&R FFL, a Curio & Relic Federal Firearms License, which means he can order firearms on the C&R list direct from distributors at wholesale prices. From him I've learned of two regular monthly gun shows that I could reach, one every second Saturday at the Barberton Grange north of Vancouver and the other every last Sunday at a National Guard armory near the Portland Airport which I could almost walk to. He also says he might have, or find, a replacement barrel band spring for my VZ, before the next big show in November and for less than GPC would charge. Sweet!

He also says, having several Ishapores, that they are ammunition-sensitive. I have not tried the South African or Hirtenberger in my Ishapore yet, I've never seriously practiced with anything but the Portuguese, and the only other flavor I've tried was CAVIM from Venezuela and that was maybe two years ago. Now I'm getting a handle on recoil, maybe I'll dust off the Ishapore again after all.

So far, the weather forecast would be adequate for another trip to English Pit on the 5th.

41 - Monday, 30 September 2002: Yipe! Yes, the surplus Mosin ammo is corrosive. My normal bore-cleaning procedure is a solvent-wet patch, then a wire (not plastic) bore brush a couple-three strokes, then another wet patch and dry patches until they come out clean. With a civilian rifle and civilian ammunition, I use Hoppe's #9, but with military ammunition I use USGI surplus bore cleaner, then do it all over the next day. I thought this was working pretty well, even with stuff I knew to have corrosive priming, but after e-mailing with the Cruffler I went and looked and my Mosin's bore was all dark and icky! So now, with any ammo I know or suspect is corrosive, I do the whole cleaning thing as above - with ammonia/water-based window cleaner to neutralize the corrosive salts, and then I do it all over again with the USGI stuff. I imagine I'll streamline the window-cleaner part after I calm down. :(

The Mauser ammunition is almost certainly corrosive too, but since the VZ has had a long diet of it already it's hard to tell. Anyway I'm cleaning it the same way now on principle, and I have seen that very rifle group nicely, pits and all, so I'm not too worried. (The Mosin cleaned up all right, mostly.)

Opened the South African battlepack. Hissed comfortingly when unsealed. Markings indicate 1984 manufacture. Will take 40, maybe 60 rounds each of that and the Hirtenberger with the Ishapore, and maybe a bandolier of the Turk and the rest of the Czech for the Mauser, if I go this Saturday. Black-square practice, no sense shooting the AQT with anything but the Mosin at this point, and I'm out of ammo for that.

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