1928 Lee Enfield .303 calibre rifle Mark III

1928 Lee Enfield .303 Short Magazine III rifle

 

I have shot the Mark I and Mark II so why not take out the Mark III.  It was fun, for sure, and loud!  I shot two groups but could only find 2 holes in the paper for them.  It is shooting a little down and to the left, so I adjusted my sight picture and squeezed off the third group very, very carefully, and managed to get them within 5.5 inches.  That's OK, but, like the other high power rifles, I need to work them up a little with more than careless introductory shooting.  I still have my go-to hunting rifles to shoot. 

Winchester Model 52 Bull-barrel .22 cal target rifle

Winchester .22 caliber Model 52 Bull-barrel target rifle

 

What a smooth trigger!  I am just blown away by it.  I shot seven groups of five and it was just so smooth!  This gun is so perfect!  Of all my guns, this one is probably my prize possission.  I inherited it from my dad and he had a penchant for fine things.  Mostly German air-rifles, but some firearms as well and this one is the greatest!  There is hardly any doubt that I will not find a smallbore rifle that can beat this gun.

Six of the 5-shot groups were scorable and came in as follows, the best being good for 5th place so far, but this gun is a contender when I sight it in and sandbag it later.

 

2.4"   2.8"  1.9"

3.0"  3.0"  3.7"

Mossberg Model 190 Bolt-action 16-gauge Shotgun

Mossberg Model 190 Bolt-action 16-gauge Shotgun

I purchased this shotgun a few years ago at an "antique" store for around $125 because I just couldn't resist it.  I have to confess that at this time I have yet to shoot it.  But it is a nice looking shotgun with an adjustable choke on the end of the barrel.  I have bought a couple of guns at these so-called "antique" or combination antique-general merchandise-flea market kinds of places but in recent years, one can hardly find even a BB gun at them!  The politically correct crowd must have them cowed with their anti-gun message. Perhaps they are afraid of someone having a shooting accident, or commiting a crime with them and then coming back at the seller.  Whatever.  Nonetheless that is how I got hold of this one, and I am determined that I am going to shoot it in the very near future!

The very near future took a little while. I brought it to Maidson to get a round in, but didn't get around to it, although I brought it to the league range for a back-up a few times.  I took it to Portage to shoot with my friend there and even though my 870 locked up, I went to grab the Mossberg and darn if I didn't pull the bolt out, it jumped all the way out and I couldn't get it back in! I was frazzled and borrowed my friend's gun instead.

Today, however, two of my teammates wanted to go and shoot on a Sunday and I took it down and was careful not to work the bolt hard enough to make it jump. The gun shot two boxes of factory shells just fine, although I only got a 13 and a handicapped 10 at 21-yds.  I was satisfied for a first outing.  I'm certainly not afraid to use it for a back-up now.  The external choke is a bit unnerving for covering clays; but it was an ungodly hot day and I was just happy to shoot successfully.

I shot two more boxes with a friend in Portage and did a little bit better, hitting 16 and 15.  On the first round, I broke the first and last five, but somehow managed to get only six in the middle three stations!  Oh boy!  The gun is a hit at the trap range, though, because bolt-action shotguns are not seen much. 

Bennelli Supernova Tactical finish 12-Ga Shotgun

Bennelli 12-GA Supernova (tactical finish)

One of my friends had visited Florida this past winter and brought his son-in-law's Supernova to shoot while there and I didn't take the opportunity to shoot it the few times we were able to go. Back in Wisconsin, he had to return the gun but had liked it so much that he bought a new one for himself. I went up to Portage to shoot with him, having been rained out the last time I tried, and unfortunately my 870 locked up on me (I have isolated the problem to the hammer/trigger assembly and am taking it to a gunsmith).  I had brought a 16-Ga back-up and darned if the bolt didn't come out and wouldn't go back in.  I was quite disappointed in it all, but my friend handed me the Bennelli to do a round. I was flustered, but took it to the line and shot 18 with it.  Except for a couple of fantastic times, I don't usually shoot better than 18 so I was satisfied.  The gun was balanced well and felt nice and light, a good pointer for a field gun.  It was a great pleasure to shoot it. The action was pretty much identical to the 870, although it seemed a wee bit larger and maybe an inch longer than mine.  All in all it was a good day because I got a chance, finally, to shoot this gun.

Diana Model 6 Air Pistol, .177 caliber

Diana Model 6 Recoilless .177 caliber Air Pistol

 

Another wonderfully made German gun inherited from my dad.  Mine has the gray plastic grips and I know from the past that it is a real tack-driver and a thrill to shoot.  However, it suffers from the same worn-out seals that my Diana Rifle does and will have to be repaired as well.  I am waiting for a slack time in which to try and carry off one of these projects.  I intend to do the rifle first because I have a downloaded complete manual of the task.  The pistol may be identically built even though the seals are different in size.  We will see, we will see.

Springfield 87A Tube-feed semi-auto .22 cal rifle

Springfield 87A .22-calibre semi-auto rifle--tube feed

 

I tried to shoot this rifle, which I got from an old lumberjack friend, on two occasions this summer with the same result: The firing pin clicks but does not fire the shell.  I have to regard it as "down" and will have to take it apart to investigate, I am afraid.  It is a tube feed for LR only in that mode.  Will get around to this task when I get a little time for it.  Meanwhile there are several other .22's in the armory to sight in and evaluate.