Good morning,
I split my time at work between a feed truck and a saddle. For years I’ve had Winchesters, both 94 and 70, in circulation until seven years ago when my “girlfriend’s dad,” now my father-in-law, gifted me a Ruger Guide in ‘06. These made splendid truck guns, which I’ve come to define as “whatever fits on the dash/in the scabbard and comes into battery with the least resistance.”
We live on a spread some might call wild and woolly, where you are just as apt to kick up a herd of woods dwelling homegrown “chemists” as a heard of unwelcome hogs, both of whom I’ve had close and uncomfortable brushes with while on the job. There has even been a statistical rise in rustling since COVID/election season began, which has also become a significant, and surprising 21st century problem. Taking prospective comfort in the idea of quick follow-ups, I dabbled in the Ruger mini 30, only to find that I was more effective with my m29 or Blackhawk, using hand loads and holding my mouth right, at farther ranges than I was with that rifle. Even trying my hand at an AR platform or two, I found myself drawn to the comfort of wood and steel, and purchased a standard grade SA m1a. Not being set up to reload .308, I was only able to buy a few boxes of 149gr Federal XM80C FMJ. My first occasion to use this rifle with this ammo yielded the following result.
My target was a moving taillight gradually growing in distance. Using open sights and waiting for the hundred yard mark, resting on the pulled in side view mirror of my feed truck, I saw glass fall to the dirt road, indicating a successful shot. However, my rifle did not eject the spent shell, which I had to do manually. The second shot at the same target, roughly 128 yards away now and moving much faster, missed completely, and also failed to cycle.
Shortly after this anti-climactic first run, I was discussing my experience with the county sheriff who had taken over the apprehension of the taillight owner. Being a veteran and a LEO lifer, he explained to me that this combination of brand new rifle and cheap ammo will often yield this result and that I should stick with it. We then emptied my 20rd mag and another box of what ammo I had at targets ranging from 17-140 dyards across the hood of his pickup. I had two more failures, but sincerely enjoyed the rest. He was gunsmoke scented magic with this rifle, and very encouraging towards my continued use of it. Having been issued an M4 lately, he became nostalgic recalling his former use of the m14 platform and the 308 cartridge.
It is my hope that handloads and a stationary target will improve my first impression. In honesty I was hoping for a Scout configuration, but this full rifle platform is wonderfully balanced and full of promise. I am eagerly awaiting the days of cool heads and level implement prices so that I might sincerely open it up and watch it work.
I split my time at work between a feed truck and a saddle. For years I’ve had Winchesters, both 94 and 70, in circulation until seven years ago when my “girlfriend’s dad,” now my father-in-law, gifted me a Ruger Guide in ‘06. These made splendid truck guns, which I’ve come to define as “whatever fits on the dash/in the scabbard and comes into battery with the least resistance.”
We live on a spread some might call wild and woolly, where you are just as apt to kick up a herd of woods dwelling homegrown “chemists” as a heard of unwelcome hogs, both of whom I’ve had close and uncomfortable brushes with while on the job. There has even been a statistical rise in rustling since COVID/election season began, which has also become a significant, and surprising 21st century problem. Taking prospective comfort in the idea of quick follow-ups, I dabbled in the Ruger mini 30, only to find that I was more effective with my m29 or Blackhawk, using hand loads and holding my mouth right, at farther ranges than I was with that rifle. Even trying my hand at an AR platform or two, I found myself drawn to the comfort of wood and steel, and purchased a standard grade SA m1a. Not being set up to reload .308, I was only able to buy a few boxes of 149gr Federal XM80C FMJ. My first occasion to use this rifle with this ammo yielded the following result.
My target was a moving taillight gradually growing in distance. Using open sights and waiting for the hundred yard mark, resting on the pulled in side view mirror of my feed truck, I saw glass fall to the dirt road, indicating a successful shot. However, my rifle did not eject the spent shell, which I had to do manually. The second shot at the same target, roughly 128 yards away now and moving much faster, missed completely, and also failed to cycle.
Shortly after this anti-climactic first run, I was discussing my experience with the county sheriff who had taken over the apprehension of the taillight owner. Being a veteran and a LEO lifer, he explained to me that this combination of brand new rifle and cheap ammo will often yield this result and that I should stick with it. We then emptied my 20rd mag and another box of what ammo I had at targets ranging from 17-140 dyards across the hood of his pickup. I had two more failures, but sincerely enjoyed the rest. He was gunsmoke scented magic with this rifle, and very encouraging towards my continued use of it. Having been issued an M4 lately, he became nostalgic recalling his former use of the m14 platform and the 308 cartridge.
It is my hope that handloads and a stationary target will improve my first impression. In honesty I was hoping for a Scout configuration, but this full rifle platform is wonderfully balanced and full of promise. I am eagerly awaiting the days of cool heads and level implement prices so that I might sincerely open it up and watch it work.