OLD DOWNS PURSUITS HFT and Clay

Got a voucher for four free sessions at Old Down Pursuits rifle club off the Wifey Christmas just gone, so due to the fact that sessions are every second sunday and crap weather in general, i finally got to go. Its the other side of Cirencester from where i live, so 1st sunny sunday found me being dropped off by the wifey.(Two weeks later it's pissing down with rain again)

There is a lot of clay shooting going on which i ignored, but the 30 lane HFT course did take my fancy.

Some one with a HW100 using the HFT course at Old Downs Pursuits.

Though i didn't take advantage of this i did of the sighting and plinking range, with it's many spinning targets, knockdown targets out to 45 yards , and a large board for sighting with a couple of once used Shoot N C targets on it.

Two lanes and four spaces at the sighting and practice range.

Having brought a selection of rifles, a Hills pump and a small bag with some tools and pellets in it i was content to sit at the double bench and seats and plink away, next time i'll take less rifles and some target paper for fine tuning of sighting.

All set up and ready to rock and roll.

I started off using the Air Arms Shamal in .177 with 4.52 AA field diablo pellets, this rifle is heavy, incredibly accurate, but accuracy goes tits up if it's canted.

I get a boner just thinking about my Shamal.

I could not top up on air as i forgot to bring a 14 mm spanner to remove the forster fitting on the pump as the rifle dates from 1989 when diver's bottles where a screw fit, so i had no idea how much air i had in it.

It's a good job the air cylinder is this big on the .177 Air Arms Shamal,it's annoying if you forget the spanner to attach the refill hose.

Fair enough i must of got over 80 shots out of the Shamal so i could of used it, however i had topped it up on air over a year ago so it's nice to know the old girl is still air tight.

The .22 Air Arms s410 for which i did have an adaptor fitting for shot very accurately as well using H&N field target trophy pellets, I did have trouble hitting accurately past 40 yards as i had forgotten how much hold over i needed. I used clip after clip on the s410 and refilled the resevior twice, as i did have the adaptor fitted to the pump for this one.

.22 Air Arms s410 is also a bloody cool bunny basher

Later in the session i did use the ASI Sniper which has proven to be an accurate little springer shooting AA diablo's at around 7 ft/lb, annoyingly this one didn't hit a dickie bird as the sighting was out.

The ASI Sniper is not too bad for an old Gamo.

I met about three pairs using the HFT course who were very affable and friendly, they had rifles such as a BSA Ultra, a HW 100, and one of those Evanix tactical jobs. Also a father and son with a under lever and one of those 715 Dan Wesson rifled barrel co2 pistols which they kindly let me have a go with, i really was impressed with the pistol even if the trigger pull in double action was a little on the heavy side.

I was having so much fun i didn't even notice the clay shooters banging around and was saddened when the wifey informed me by phone she was on her way to pick me up, after all i would look a trifle dodgey walking through Cirencester with three gun baps on my shoulders. Any way that's it for now.

TTFN

Best wishes, Wing Commander Sir Nigel Tetlington-Smythe.   

THE LONG AWAITED ARTICLE OF DESIRE

Thanks to the lovely owners of Allsports of Gloucester I was able to get my new air rifle by paying in installments, bless them. My wife got it for me  as a joint Xmas and birthday present and as money is usually pretty tight it was a big sacrifice, you just got to love her, there's no two ways about it.

So here it is, my new (2nd hand) Airarms Shamal .177. I paid £300 for her and I know there's always someone who would have said, "stone me mate you could have had mine for 200". But no this was the 'one'. Like all 90's Airarms she is expertly engineered, the walnut stock is perfectly shaped, scope sight is acquired the moment you put your cheek to the monte carlo style raised butt, fitting like a glove. However I now have to save up for a foot pump.

Now down to business. Using AA Diabolo Fields I set up the back garden range at about 27 yards, and sitting on an old stool with my forearm resting on the fence support (this would be close enough for hide conditions) I squeezed off the 1st shot. 1/3 of an inch above aim point, let off a 2nd and couldn't see that one anywhere, so i tried a 3rd and I noticed the 1st hole enlarge a little to the left. Shots 4 thru to 10 could all be covered by 5p piece, I was truly blown away, I even managed to shoot a piece of string holding a can aloft. Now I realise the scope had been sighted for maybe another 10 yards and once i'd adapted, it was no problem. She will be a dream to shoot for HFT and hunting dinner will be morally satisfying with this gun. (bound to do some accuracy tests at some time in the the future)

She came with a green hesian quick detatchable sling and a Nikko Sterling Silver Crown 4x12x40 scope, the sling is professionally mounted and the scope, mounted on medium height quality mounts, is in wicked condition considering it was bought when the gun was new. Although the zoom ring was stuck at first, a little TLC had it working. I cannot seem to find a safety on the gun as yet, but that is of no major inconvenience to me. The shoulder butt can be adjusted up or down and is set 1 or 2 settings down, which is perfect for me (don't fix if it ain't broke). Compared to the PCP's on the market nowadays she is a little heavy (9lbs with scope) but she's a wonderfully engineered piece of art (to me) and thats what matters, thats why I love my Weihrauch hw 35 so much, they are so overdesigned and will last generations.

Maybe in time I might remove the cocking toggle and replace it with a cocking bolt, even replace some parts with brass. But truth be told she is best off as she is, with maybe a little non glare camo tape here and there, and wiped down with a little gun oil after each use, she is after all a tool to be used in responsible hands and I intend to use her to her full capabillities.

The workshed and the art of trying to complete one project at a time.

The stuff you can learn on you tube nowadays is amazing. I wanted a forge to cast aluminium and thanks to a blog by 'MYFORDBOY' I was able to make just that. I needed a simple metal lathe and with a bit of googling i'm well on my way to coming up with something well useable though not precision made, but the tolerances are fine for now. With what I have now i could buid a very fine 'gingery lathe'. 'THE VINTAGE PROJECT' and 'THE BACKYARD  METAL CASTING BLOG' are perfect for this.

So now down to my air rifles. There's the 22 Wiehrauch hw 35 which only needs an inspection and a lube really, seeing as its shooting one inch groups at 30 yards and the woodwork is uttererly unique with immaculate blueing.

I bought two Crosmans a while back. The pistol, a 2044, is one the best pistols you can get for your money. It comes with many after market parts. The other is the Air Source 1077 which is a repeater based upon the Ruger 1022 firearm, this little beaut is hours of fun but can be exspensive in co2 depending on how carried away you get with it, and with it being a cold November morning the power drops like Shelley Winters off a cliff edge. I did have an idea once to change the barrels in the 1077 from a 177 to a 22, but we shall wait and see on that one, shall we?

The BSA Meteor  I picked up for a small price was coated in loads of black paint, wouldn't fire a pellet as you could hear piston creep down the action , no breach seal, and no rear sight, and because its a mk111 its impossible to fit a scope mount at this time. A good stripdown, replacing the disintegrated leather spacer on the piston and turning a new breach seal (the O ring seemed fine), turps, wet and dry, and wirewool soon got the piston bore all smooth and shiny. Stripped the piant off the gun and got it looking spiffing and shooting fine, most definitely a project for more affluent times, I save a lot of money making my own parts.

Now the project I think deserves the most attention for now is the sad tale of the 22 Relum Telly I found in a skip many moons ago. The poor thing just lay there with a shattered stock and a slightly bent barrel a sure sign that the barrel had snapped shut prematurely. I plan to build a new stock for it - I have some lovely wood for this project and am quite eager to be getting on with it as soon as i'm over this stinking flu.

  

SO WHAT IS 'THE ANGRY, ANGRY GUN COMPANY'?

   The name came about from a suggestion made by my wife a short while back, and to tell you the truth I found it ironically amusing, so there it stayed. Airguns are a passion of mine as they are to many others young and old, whether they're used for plinking, hunting, field target, or HFT, even those who take it to the discipline of Olympic level.

I have several projects sitting around and I am keen to be getting on with them. I will document thier progress as well as the progess on tools and machinery such as gingery slyle lathe and metal smelting furnace to help me do a more professional job upon them. More than anything this will be a learning experience for me, and through  trial and error will be able to help others along the way, and hopefully learn from others myself. I have found you tube and google in general a great wealth of information.

One the major reasons for this blog is to find likeminded people in Cirencester  and surrounding area who are at a loss for somewhere to practice for HFT and FT without having to pay through the nose for the privilege.

So there will be documented projects to follow and possible recipes on pigeon pie, yum yum.

TTFN, Tet