One of the items I had on my sabbatical to-do list was to get myself to a shooting range and do some practicing while I wait for word on the CCL. My main goal was to do some target shooting with the Glock, but I also have two of Dad’s long guns in the basement that I’ve been meaning to put some rounds through. The range my neighbor and I went to last month also allows for rifles, so I took two hours this afternoon to get some time in. Here’s the report so far:

Glock 48: I brought 50 rounds for the pistol and used every one. My CCL instructor told me to start at 10 feet and focus on stance, breathing, and grip, so I followed his advice and worked my way through three targets. My shooting is pretty consistent at this distance, and using my right eye makes all the difference in the world— I habitually started with my left eye and immediately corrected after the first two rounds. On the advice of my instructor, I ordered a larger slide release for it, which arrived today while I was out, and I’ll put this in tonight. I did find that one of my magazines has an issue loading past 5 rounds, which I’ll have to sort out when I get done with the slide mechanism. The important thing is that I’m feeling better and better about this pistol the more I use it.

Mossberg 152: this is an interesting .22 rifle manufactured in the 1950’s, meant for target shooting, teaching your Boy Scout firearm safety, and varmint hunting. It’s unusual in that it’s magazine-fed: there’s a basic 5-round mag it was designed to accept and the action is semi-automatic.

I was the least worried about firing this gun, and I was not surprised by it at all. It has a very simple period Weaver V22 scope at 3X magnification, and I found it easy to see at 30 feet. The first shot was anticlimactic; after the 115-grain rounds in the Glock, these little 36 grain rounds felt like a popgun. My first 20 rounds were off to the left and just a hair low, so I adjusted the windage and found that it angled the crosshairs over to the right like a listing battleship. This had some effect on accuracy but not enough to dial the rifle in completely. I’ve got to do some more research on zeroing a scope. I’d brought 50 rounds for this rifle and had a blast (literally) shooting at 10 yards, with excellent results. I have an aftermarket 10-round mag for this rifle but found that it had consistent feed issues, so I stuck with the original Mossberg mag it came with. I’l have to see if I can find another inexpensive original on eBay. This will definitely come back to the range with me, and I’d like to try it at longer distances.

VZ-24: this is a Czech-made military rifle chambered in 8mm 198 grain Mauser, which is a heavy round. This rifle is big and beefy, and if my internet sleuthing is correct, it’s 98 years old. I loaded one cartridge in the rifle and prepared myself for the kick, but it still surprised me. Both loud and powerful, it knocked me backwards even though I was shooting in a kneeling position with the rifle supported on the table. The scope on this rifle is a period 3X-9X Tasco (it was put on sometime after the rifle made its way to the U.S., thus ruining the authenticity) which I could not focus for love or money. The zoom worked as advertised, but all I could get was a semi-blurry sight picture. All the shots I took were low and to the left, and even when I was adjusting for this I still got varied results. I put six booming rounds through it and then packed it back up. This will require lots of research on the scope, more testing, and possibly a modern replacement.

Both rifles need a good cleaning, so that’s next up on the list. The Mossberg is, as I mentioned, perfect for target shooting, doesn’t require much, and benefits from cheap ammunition. The VZ-24 is a beautiful rifle but it’s overpowered for what I think I’d be using a rifle for, and 8mm is an oddball round that’s not cheap. If I continue practicing in earnest, I’d rather put money into buying a newer long gun in a more modern, common, and reasonable caliber, and practice with that instead. The question now is: would I do better with a true hunting rifle or something that works for intermediate range?