The Journey of a Newbie

[Swingerguy]

The snake I used was a Hoppes brand Bore Snake that has 2 sets of brass brush sections and the pull cord came out of the main part of the snake when the 2nd set of brushes entered the bore.


I can’t comment on the one you have as a part of your kit as I have not used one.

 

[Big-Boss-Man]

mine are similar to your Swingerguy, so same I am not sure on the ones in the kit, but I am sure you can't go wrong with them.

 

[Muzikal]

Entry Three - First Range Day

Great! I now have everything that I need to start off (based on my humble opinion), so its time to take this thing on the road. A quick 25 minute trip on a nice clear afternoon took me to the local shooting range. Prior to making the trip I had stopped off at the local tactical store and gotten basic instructions from the veteran behind the counter about how the range worked. It was all gibberish to me at the time but once I drove up, it made perfect sense.

I got down to the line and joined the lone other shooter there (this was 3pm in the afternoon) - a rugged-looking but well-mannered kid who was easily half my age. I introduced myself and we exchanged pleasantries. He was there sighting in his girlfriend's 7mm-08 hunting rifle while getting the rust off his own technique with his 7mm.

He wasn't wearing the typical ear muffs and glasses that you see in the movies, so I thought that recommendation from my PAL instructor was just overkill. The first shot he took from his rifle had my ears ringing! Man!!! That thing was loud!!!

I quickly, but discretely slid those bad boys over my ears as I set up my pea shooter.

I alerted my fellow-shooter that I was heading down-range, stapled up my target at 50 yards and headed back to the bench. I read online that the 64F tends to jam when firing from a full mag so I chose to only load 6 in for the first go-round. Mag in, cartridge chambered, rifle raised, sights lines up, safety off.............Trigger pulled!!! The first shot I got off brought a smile to my face! I HAD FINALLY FIRED A GUN!!! I proceeded to proudly empty the mag before heading down range to confirm my hits.

I grinned as I headed to the target, just like a University graduate going to collect his diploma. When I got there, I saw that NOT ONE SINGLE BULLET HAD INTERACTED WITH THE TARGET!!!!

Myself and the young-un had a good laugh at my marksmanship while I reloaded. I will spare the step by step by saying that it took me 80 shells to produce what is pictured below:




Point of the story: A rifle scope is needed.....ASAP!
Question for the group: How often would you suggest a rifle cleaning?

 

[ESnel]

First of welcome,

Not sure where you are but go to https://mapleseedrifleman.com/ and check for the closest event(shooting clinic) and sign up. Also in the files section there are downloadable targets.

Might I suggest printing and shooting at 25yd targets to start. Looking at your target, my first impression is lack of consistency in sight alignment. While a scope will simplify sighting

somewhat take the time to learn to shoot iron sights. There is more to shooting then simply lining up the cross hairs.

In the beginning you have to be careful not to ingrain bad habits which are tougher to unlearn. Keep things simple at first, for some reading/research look for "four marksmanship
principles". Also YouTube has some good video on basic shooting/marksmanship.

 

[JustBen]

You should pick a closer target to start. Even with open sights you should hit the target every single time.

 

[Muzikal]

@Esnel:

I just checked out the rifleman site and the events are either in Ontario or alberta. I am in BC so that might take some doing. You made some good points though and I appreciate each one. I will sit at the feet of the youtube masters in the days to come.

 

[Big-Boss-Man]

You should pick a closer target to start. Even with open sights you should hit the target every single time.

this x2

even if/when you put an optic on the rifle it is recommendable to start the sight-in process at 25yards to ensure you are even on paper, then move out to your desired distance [some people will say at 100 yard intervals for the really long range stuff]

 

[chuckufarlie]

I echo what the others said already.

For me, there is nothing more frustrating than not knowing where I am hitting.

So yeah, shoot a bit closer until you can be more consistent and possibly use a more visible target like the splatterburst (available at gun shops, amazon, etc):

If your range has a gong, that's always fun. If your range has any disciplines like silhouette, cowboy action, etc, those are great places to meet fellow shooters and most of them are happy to help a new guy learn the ropes.

If you do put a site on your rifle, like a scope or a red dot, sighting in might be frustrating the first time too, but don't be shy to ask for help. That guy with the 7mm probably would have been happy to help you site in your rifle if you had an optic on it and needed assistance.

 

[Big-Boss-Man]

That guy with the 7mm probably would have been happy to help you site in your rifle if you had an optic on it and needed assistance.

everyone I have met at the ranges I have been to are REALLY friendly. There has been more than a few occasions where other members have traded me a magazine in order to try out their firearms, and visa versa. I have tried a 9mm Sprinfield XDS, ruger comander 45acp 1911, a winchester 30-30 lever, and an SKS thats all i can think off the top of my head. I've let other try all mine aswell. Specially the Masada cause I am so blown away how soft it shoots for being polymer I think everyone needs one lol.

 

[Muzikal]

Yeah - I've accepted that I probably started off with a target that was too far away. I'll chalk that up to youthful exuberance.

Round 2...coming up!

 

[stevebc]

Muzical, are you squeezing the trigger (slow steady increase in pressure until it goes off), or pulling the trigger (it's on target, quick, pull it before the sights wander off target)?

What is your sight picture when you're aiming? You should have the front sight post equally spaced from side to side within the rear sight, and the top of the post should be level with the top of the rear sight. Also, try a 6 o'clock hold, where the black centre of your target is sitting on top of the front sight post.


As for cleaning, I'd let that go for quite a while. I don't clean until I see accuracy drop off.

 

[Grimlock]

There should really be a semi-organized program where people who grew up with firearms take people who got into it at an older age under their wing. There's a lot of little things you take for granted.

 

[Muzikal]

Muzical, are you squeezing the trigger (slow steady increase in pressure until it goes off), or pulling the trigger (it's on target, quick, pull it before the sights wander off target)?




As for cleaning, I'd let that go for quite a while. I don't clean until I see accuracy drop off.

I have read a lot of posts about 'squeezing' vs 'pulling' the trigger, and was very cognizant of the need to squeeze. However, I have to admit that the bolded section of your post above was in my mind more often than I'd like while I was shooting. I take that as an indication that I may be pulling more than squeezing.

 

[3MTA3]

I misread the title- I thought it was "The Journey of a Newfie" and thought it was about moving home from the oil patch or something- Welcome to the forum , happy shooting- Mapleseed like was mentioned before is a god start.

 

[luckychingi]

Lucky you!!!

While I am waiting for my PAL, I am also researching gun ranges here in and around the Greater Toronto Area, there seems to be a wait list + signatures from existing members + probationary period.

Entry Two - Getting set up

I decided to get that first rifle, but with a hesitant (yet gracious) wife and a house full of kids, I made a covenant that I was gonna do it right. So I went and did the PAL, learned about guns and safety and all that jazz. Next step was to get the house ready for the change. Off to Canadian tire (CT) I went and caught one of their sales on gun cabinets ($150):

View attachment 33332

Yes, I know you guys are gonna say that I should have just gone for at least a 12-gun cabinet but in my mind, I was never gonna need that much space anyway. I will admit that I am already seeing that I may need to upgrade down the road though....no need to rub it in.

So with cabinet bought, assembled and installed, my next purchase was a run-of-the-mill gun case for transport. I treated that purchase like I was shopping for a lap-top bag: make sure it is padded and has compartments. Those basic criteria gave me quite a list to choose from so I just went on amazon, pointed and clicked ($36).

Next, was the big day! I went to work, finished my shift, then headed back to CT and picked up this little starter:

View attachment 33331

...a Savage 64F semi-auto .22lr.

From my research, it came down to this and the 10/22. A lot of folks complained about the 64F jamming and not firing, very few had anything bad to say about the 10/22. I chose to roll the dice on the 64F because it was a hell of a lot cheaper ($170), there were some people who swore by it, I was new to the whole thing and would have just as much to learn if I bought a $2,000 piece, and the purchases were beginning to add up.

I picked up a 100 pack of cartridges the same time and headed home agrinning. That night I went online and purchased a range membership ($150), a cleaning kit from amazon ($30) and ear muffs/glasses ($30).

Having parted ways with just under $700 (taxes included), I was now ready for my first trip to the range, which I shall share on the next episode of this yet-to-be-titled documentary.

 

[Big-Boss-Man]

Lucky you!!!

While I am waiting for my PAL, I am also researching gun ranges here in and around the Greater Toronto Area, there seems to be a wait list + signatures from existing members + probationary period.

Contact a range that you are interested in they may have in their bylaws that the board can sponsor new memberships, that is how I got into my range without knowing anyone.

 

[luckychingi]

Thanks for the tip.

Contact a range that you are interested in they may have in their bylaws that the board can sponsor new memberships, that is how I got into my range without knowing anyone.

 

[Muzikal]

Entry 4

Man, Its been a busy summer! Me and the family did way more road trips than we planned, not to mention some special projects that work decided to throw my way just because....

As a result, I wasn't been able to have a rematch with the targets at the range....up until a couple days ago. First off, since my last abysmal showing at the range, I went and got a scope and mounted it to my rifle. I got this one: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000KOSB34/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I had initially intended to get the scope from Canadian Tire, but they sell everything in pieces. I would have to get the scope, then the mounting rings, then the dovetail mounts,....I didn't want to have to deal with all that. So when I stumbled on this all-in-one 'kit' on Amazon, I decided to give to give a try and it worked out very well for me. I had it mounted on the rifle for just over a month before I was able to start the sighting in process. I say 'start' because I still don't have it set just right yet. I was getting close, but I had an appointment and had to skedaddle in the middle of the session.

So on this particular day, I got all my gear together (including a different brand of ammo - I am trying to see what the rifle will/won't take) and headed out. This time I went to the 22 section of the range and set up with a closer target - about 10 or so yards. You might recall that at my last session I was shooting with a guy half my age. This time I was blessed to have a guy twice my age who was tightening up his groups...even though I don't know how much tighter you can get than putting 4 bullets in the same hole from 100yds.

With his help I was able to walk away feeling very good about myself and my future in this hobby (see image below). I have numbered my groups to show the progression through the session. He also taught me how to get rid of that halo in the scope and gave me tips about scope placement, shooting posture, etc. He was a god-send.

I plan to get back out there in the coming days to really tighten my groups as I have set a goal of at least one grouse by the end of the season.



Cheers all!

 

[Muzikal]

I remember when I first started lurking around this forum, I had asked for recommendations on that "one gun" that I should buy. Someone (I forget who) had corrected me, saying that the question should be "which gun to buy FIRST".

I laughed it off. I wasn't about to become one of those gun nuts with a collection of boom sticks.

Well, I have recently been reminded about the dangers of memorizing one's credit card info and randomly searching things on the internet.

This came in a few days ago....

 

[77Gunner]

Im going to share 2 pearls of wisdom with you that will have your wife looking forward to seeing new guns come into the house for the piddly sum of $200 per year. You need to do these in order.

First is achieving "critical mass". Critical mass seems to be around 10 gun for most people. Thats the number of guns you need to have that makes it impossible for your wife to know that a new gun has popped up in the collection.

The second part of the plan is the "$200 per year investment guns and the payoff" plan. When you just cant sneak a new gun into the house, bring it in right in front of her. When she protests, tell her you only bought it because you got it cheap and you're putting it up for sale for more. The payoff is when, about every 6 months, you walk up to her and plant a hundred dollar bill in her hand. When she asks what its for, you ask her if she remembers that gun you bought. Well honey, I sold it for $200 more than I paid for it, and the $100 bill in your hand is your half. Of course, you didnt sell anything, but theres enough guns in your critical mass that she cant tell.

My wife really likes it when I bring new guns home or when they arrive in the mail. It took me a few years of being brow beaten in order to achieve critical mass, but once I got there, its been smooth sailing ever since. You're welcome.

This is bloody brilliant.