As soon as I got there I was pissed off. The road going down and to the facility is dirt, and some bugger in a 4x4 decided to play when the road was soupy. It's rutted all to Hell and even the grass on the sides were chewed up. I was affraid I was going to take off my oil pan! When I got in to the shelter, the ground was covered in 12 and 20 gauge shotshells. Empty shotshell boxes, clay bird boxes, candy wrappers, cigarette packs, pop cans etc. What a mess! I picked up some of it but finally got ticked off and made a sign saying to clean up your own damn mess. I hate slob shooters.
After all that I finally got to have some fun. I tried my .300 Weatherby for the first time Today. I loaded it up with 180 Hornady boat tail soft points. I was a bit apprehensive using these bullets at those velocities, but not so much anymore. My first shot on target was about a foot low of my target and center punched a railroad tie. I walked out to check it out and the paper behind the tie looked like it was hit with a shotgun blast. There was a hole about an inch and a half in the backside of the wood! I think that will do just fine.
I sighted her in about 3 inches high at 100 yards. I figure that should get me out to a 275-300 yard zero. I play with the long range targets another time. It shoots 2 shots at about an inch, and the third shots would open it up to about 2 inches. It was probably just me, so I'm not too worried. That's plenty good enough for that rifle and for me.
I also got to shoot my Browning Gold for the first time Today. I didn't shoot it at anything really, I just wanted to see if it would hiccup with the lightest target loads I had. out of 23 shots, nothing. However halfway though the box, I had one shotshell laying on the table on it's own. I stuck it in the chamber and just fired from the hip. It never ejected. Puzzled, I loaded the mag up and shot again like normal, 3 shots as fast as I could pull the trigger. It worked perfect. Again I put 1 in the chamber and shot from the hip and again it didn't eject. I suppose it needs the recoil to help it along to eject the light loads. Not a big deal as I never fire from the hip as a quacker is passing overhead. I ran about a dozen mixed steel loads too. From cheap light steel to heavier, high brass loads and no issues. I'm dying to take it out this Fall, but I think it'll make a trip out for pigeon's first. But what the hay, any day shooting is a good day, right?
After all that I finally got to have some fun. I tried my .300 Weatherby for the first time Today. I loaded it up with 180 Hornady boat tail soft points. I was a bit apprehensive using these bullets at those velocities, but not so much anymore. My first shot on target was about a foot low of my target and center punched a railroad tie. I walked out to check it out and the paper behind the tie looked like it was hit with a shotgun blast. There was a hole about an inch and a half in the backside of the wood! I think that will do just fine.
I sighted her in about 3 inches high at 100 yards. I figure that should get me out to a 275-300 yard zero. I play with the long range targets another time. It shoots 2 shots at about an inch, and the third shots would open it up to about 2 inches. It was probably just me, so I'm not too worried. That's plenty good enough for that rifle and for me.
I also got to shoot my Browning Gold for the first time Today. I didn't shoot it at anything really, I just wanted to see if it would hiccup with the lightest target loads I had. out of 23 shots, nothing. However halfway though the box, I had one shotshell laying on the table on it's own. I stuck it in the chamber and just fired from the hip. It never ejected. Puzzled, I loaded the mag up and shot again like normal, 3 shots as fast as I could pull the trigger. It worked perfect. Again I put 1 in the chamber and shot from the hip and again it didn't eject. I suppose it needs the recoil to help it along to eject the light loads. Not a big deal as I never fire from the hip as a quacker is passing overhead. I ran about a dozen mixed steel loads too. From cheap light steel to heavier, high brass loads and no issues. I'm dying to take it out this Fall, but I think it'll make a trip out for pigeon's first. But what the hay, any day shooting is a good day, right?
Last edited:
