![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Today's Shooting
Mar. 30th, 2009 08:59 pmMy Charter Arms Patriot came back in the Saturday mail. They recrowned the barrel and replaced the front sight. I had already planned to go out today to shoot my Mini-14 in order to sight in the new scope. This made it a two-gun mission.
The Patriot continues to shoot low, both with .32 S&W Long and .327 Federal Magnum. The former shoots much lower, not surprisingly. At 25 meters with both factory Federal 100 grain .327 rounds and my first set of 85 grain .327 reloads the short-barreled revolver shot about ten cm low, but with fair groups. This is actually acceptable. This is not a target pistol. Now that I know how much to hold over I can hit close to the bullseye with most shots. At a more typical combat range of ten meters I casually put all five shots in the black, with one almost a bullseye.
The Mini-14 was another matter. I could shoot very well using the iron sights, but the scope was vastly low at just twenty-five meters. Even after I got it on paper, hit location was erratic. I eventually noticed that the four screws holding the scope to the mount were loose, one of them having actually fallen out! I replaced that one and tightened the other three, and the rifle shot much better. I was actually having to check the screws after every shot. Doing that, I got a five shot group on paper at fifty meters. I was running late by then, and frustrated by the constant retightening, so I packed and went home.
I have already put Lok-Tite (SP?) on all four screws. If the weather isn't too bad, I'll try again tomorrow.
I really like this scope. It's only a four-power and has a small field of view, but it allows use of the iron sights with the scope in place. It has a return-to-zero, quick detach/reattach mount. With those screws hopefully staying tight, now, I should be able to zero it for fifty and probably a hundred meters next range session.
The Patriot continues to shoot low, both with .32 S&W Long and .327 Federal Magnum. The former shoots much lower, not surprisingly. At 25 meters with both factory Federal 100 grain .327 rounds and my first set of 85 grain .327 reloads the short-barreled revolver shot about ten cm low, but with fair groups. This is actually acceptable. This is not a target pistol. Now that I know how much to hold over I can hit close to the bullseye with most shots. At a more typical combat range of ten meters I casually put all five shots in the black, with one almost a bullseye.
The Mini-14 was another matter. I could shoot very well using the iron sights, but the scope was vastly low at just twenty-five meters. Even after I got it on paper, hit location was erratic. I eventually noticed that the four screws holding the scope to the mount were loose, one of them having actually fallen out! I replaced that one and tightened the other three, and the rifle shot much better. I was actually having to check the screws after every shot. Doing that, I got a five shot group on paper at fifty meters. I was running late by then, and frustrated by the constant retightening, so I packed and went home.
I have already put Lok-Tite (SP?) on all four screws. If the weather isn't too bad, I'll try again tomorrow.
I really like this scope. It's only a four-power and has a small field of view, but it allows use of the iron sights with the scope in place. It has a return-to-zero, quick detach/reattach mount. With those screws hopefully staying tight, now, I should be able to zero it for fifty and probably a hundred meters next range session.
