Shooting a 70-Year Old Rifle

"That is not your Mosin Nagant you have. It belonged to others before you and will belong to others after you are gone. Look after it and pass it on with pride. It deserves it."

- Author Unknown

Finally, I took the Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifle out to the range.  It had been almost a year since I bought it, and I hadn't been shooting recently, either.   Of course, I still blogged about this Russian rifle twice: once when I first got it, and second when I left them outside in the summer heat to get some of the Cosmoline off of them.  In this second posting, I made an interesting observation on the 'religiosity' of the Mosin Nagant.

Before taking it to the range, I took the gun apart.  I did it to check  out all the parts, make sure they all looked intact, and to clean all  that Russian version of Vaseline known as Cosmoline.  At the end of World War II, these rifles were refurbished and then dipped in vats of Cosmoline, a petroleum-based substance used to limit rust and corrosion.  Then they were set aside, ready for the start of the Great Patriotic War against the Capitalistic American Enemy.  That never happened, and so at some point people in Russia realized that people all over the world would pay under $100 for these surplus firearms, even if they were still smothered in a cake of old Cosmoline.

Notice that the economy has even hit the surplus firearm market.  I payed a little bit more than $100 for mine, but not much.

One other thing was done for each Mosin Nagant.  Each one was blessed, considering it could have been used for more than just defending Mother Russia.  Combatants often abandon morals - recall news of some atrocious behavior by our Marines in Afghanistan - and I did not want to have what could have been a weapon of oppression in my house.

As I said, I took this gun apart to clean it.  If you don't do this, the cosmoline tends to ooze out of all the nooks and crannies as the rifle heats up.  Then you have to clean off more than just the usual metal and gunpowder reside off of your hands.

It got really hot when we shot it, by the way.

I noticed that there was an additional bolt in the stock of this rifle.  When I looked inside I saw that there was a break in the stock where the wood bridged from one side to the other

Another thing I forgot to mention was that the armorers seemed to be a little stamp-crazy when they worked on these.  Nearly every flat surface would have some sort of symbol or letter - some of them Cyrillic - indicating Lord only knows what about the rifle.  There are online resources which can help decipher the marks.  In the case of this rifle, it was made in 1942 at the Izhevsk weapons manufacturing plant in Russia.  Typically the serial number is stamped on the receiver, the base plate of the magazine, and the butt plate.  In my case, all three serial numbers are the same, indicating that those were probably the original parts rather than those scavenged from another rifle.


After I put it back together, this is what it looked like.  Of course, I still don't know what those few leftover pieces were supposed to go.......

Then I put it on my bedroom floor and took another picture, complete with my unpolished boots.

Game Day.  We took it to Elm Fork Shooting Sports in Dallas.  It is located in a bad part of town, unfortunately.  I told the children to avoid looking at the advertisements; most of the businesses around there were the kind that one finds around firing ranges, airports, and military installations.  Sad.

Still, the folks there were really nice.  I realized that the business card I had gotten from them last year - complete with holes punched in it - was actually a ticket for 10 visits to the rifle/pistol or shotgun ranges.  In other words, I had already paid for our shooting that day.  Woo-hoo!

We got a lane in the 'tactical' part of the range so we could shoot both rifle and pistols without moving around a lot.  Here the Mosin Nagant is lying on the bench, and the target is 30 yards away.

I wanted to shoot it first, not only because IT'S MY TOY, but also because I knew from my reading that there was a small chance that the firing pin could penetrate the primer too much and cause some of the escaping gases to spray back toward the operator.  I donned protective eyewear to go over my glasses, and assumed the position.  I lined up the center 'X' with the sights, and tried to control my breathing and steadying my aim.  I suddenly glanced at the end of the bolt, where a scratch made by some armorer long ago indicated that the firing pin was positioned correctly.  I started to think about that Canadian rifle from World War I, the one with the straight-pull bolt, which had a nasty tendency to occasionally slam back into the eye of the soldier.  I said a quick prayer to my guardian angel, took aim, breathed in, exhaled slowly, and gently squeezed the trigger.

Bam!

Not bad.  The kick wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I studied the target.  I was sure I must have hit the target.  I mean, there was no way that this old rifle, well known for its accuracy, could have not hit the target.  Nothing.  I was dumbfounded.  I slid back the bolt, ejecting the first spent shell, and fed in the next cartridge into the receiver.  I still couldn't believe it.  I had totally missed the target!

Just then I noticed that there was an unusually large hole in the target to the right of mine.  Two men at the station next to us were having a field day shooting off .223 caliber rounds.  They had a whole bunch of weapons laid out, including at least one AK-47, but at that time they were shooting the smaller caliber AR-15 bullets.  They either did not notice, or did not care, that a larger bullet (approximately .30 caliber) had suddenly joined their groupings.

Well that was it.  Here I am firing it.  We tried using the little stripper clips to speed load it, but they did not work.  We shall have to try it some other time. This is me:



Here Benedict(15) shoots the Mosin Nagant from a standing position.  You can get a good look at the rifle and how fun it is to shoot.



As we continued firing, eventually putting 60 rounds through it, I noticed a few things.  One is that the barrel and receiver got really hot.  I burned my thumb when I touched it one time, and I noticed that the heat coming off the barrel made the target seem to swim in the sights.  I also noticed that the action seemed stiffer and harder to work.  Then there was the shoulder discomfort.  My shoulder is still a little sore today.  When you watch Cornelius (11) shoot, you can see how the bolt seems to be fighting us and that the recoil could really do a number on one's shoulder or collarbone:




Each of us shot almost 20 rounds through the Mosin Nagant; one of my daughters did accompany us and at least shot it once just to see what it was like.  By the end of the day, all I could think about was how hard it must be shooting that rifle while German soldiers charge at you.  Another reason to pray for peace.

The next day, I shot pellet guns in the back yard with some of the younger boys.  That will have to be another story for another day:

And now for something completely different:

Memorial Day Prayer

Prayer of a Soldier in France

by Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1918)

My shoulders ache beneath my pack
(Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).
I march with feet that burn and smart
(Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).

Men shout at me who may not speak
(They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek).

I may not lift a hand to clear
My eyes of salty drops that sear.

(Then shall my fickle soul forget
Thy Agony of Bloody Sweat?)

My rifle hand is stiff and numb
(From Thy pierced palm red rivers come).

Lord, Thou didst suffer more for me
Than all the hosts of land and sea.

So let me render back again
This millionth of Thy gift. Amen.

Please remember in your prayers those who died for our country.

Eternal rest grant them, Oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the Faithful Departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.

A Tale of Two Stutzens

You probably wonder, as I sometimes do, which Stutzen is better: the Gamo Stutzen or the RWS Diana Stutzen? Tonight, before dinner, I had a hankering to figure out what the differences are between the two air rifles.

Below are the two air rifles; the Gamo Stutzen is above and the RWS Diana is below. The Gamo is a Spanish airgun; RWS Diana is German. They are both 0.177 caliber, single stroke underlever spring air guns. This means that cocking a lever beneath the barrel will pressurize air which is released when one pulls the trigger. The rifles shoot 0.177 caliber pellets, which are shaped like a badminton 'birdie.' Like the beloved 'birdie' of elementary school physical education, most of the weight of the pellet is in the tip of the projectile. The tail end consists of a cup shape, with thin walls, so the air is trapped when released by the air rifle to send the pellet downrange. Air gun pellets are made of lead, so they flatten when they strike an object rather than ricochet back at you. BB's do that, and we avoid them and any air rifle which fires them.

The badminton birdie is not the most aerodynamic projectile; neither is the airgun pellet. This means that at velocities greater than 1,000 feet per second the pellet tends to wobble and lose accuracy. Most manufacturers know this and try to keep the maximum velocity of their air rifles under 1,000 feet per second. Both of these rifles claim to shoot 0.177 caliber pellets at 900 - 950 feet per second.

These rifles are heavy, about eight pounds. I would not want to use one for hunting. They are very well made, with a full length wood stock which is referred to as the 'Mannlicher' style. They both have cheekpieces for right-handed shooters. The finish is good on both of them, with the wood stained a bit darker on the Diana. They are both nearly all metal construction. They weigh more than conventional firearms because of the spring mechanism, and I installed a scope on each because I can shoot better with a scope than with iron sights.

They cost more than a lot of firearms, but they have one trait which makes them very desirable where we presently live: they can be shot on our property without having the pellets leave our property. This means we can shoot at any kind of target in our own back yard.



The grip and forearm of the Diana have very fine checkering, while the Gamo only has it on the grip. This makes holding the Diana a little easier. I think it is peculiar that I prefer air rifles with wood stocks, but I insist on synthetic stocks on my conventional firearms.





The RWS Diana Stutzen was up for testing first. As one can see above, the goddess of hunting, Diana, is shown discarding her trusted bow and arrow in favor of this excellent air rifle. After shooting it, I can see why.

I must have sighted in the rifle in the past, because I put about 10 out of 10 pellets into an empty Coke can. I was firing at the target at a distance of 50 feet. The sun had set long before I came outside, so I only had the light from one of our outside floodlights to guide me. Unfortunately, none of my shots knocked over any of the cans I hit. This is one of the biggest problems with the 0.177 caliber pellet: it is fast and accurate, but its light weight means that it does not have the kinetic energy needed to knock things down. This goes for varmints shot with the 0.177 pellet as well. The small pellet will not kill them immediately, but will likely set them up for a slow death instead.

The Gamo logo is not as exciting to look upon, but shooting it was a bit more fun. The first few shots were as loud as the crack of a rifle, and I noticed that this Stutzen got all the dogs for miles around barking. I asked the children who had gathered if they noticed any flames coming out of the end of the barrel. I was concerned about this because I remembered that my oldest son had shot this gun while he was home for Christmas break. I know this because he was cleaning the rifle while sitting on the floor of my closet when I got home from work one day. I figured he had left a little bit of oil in the barrel or mechanism of the rifle, and the rifle was 'dieseling.' Dieseling is a process where oil in an airgun can actually ignite when subject to the sudden compression of air behind the pellet. This ignition can actually increase the power and velocity of the pellet, so some people actually add a little oil to each pellet to make them go faster. THIS IS A VERY VERY VERY BAAAAAD THING TO DO, because it can also make the mechanism of the rifle blow up in the face of the operator. I have no desire to become permanently disabled, so I looked over the rifle for any signs of excess oil.

While inspecting the Gamo, I recalled that this was actually my second Gamo Stutzen. Shortly after buying my first one, I had to return it for repairs. This was back in 2005. I sent it to an address in Miami, and around the same time it arrived at the repair center a hurricane struck the city. A couple months passed, and I had not heard anything about this gun. When I called them, they tersely informed me that there were some other things going on in Miami after that storm, and my air rifle was very low on their priorities. Within a week they sent me a new rifle.

As I mentioned above, I was soon joined by a group of children wanting to participate in my testing. I did not want to let the younger boys shoot the big Stutzens, so I promised them that after dinner I would let them shoot if they got their cleaning done quickly.

I picked two smaller air rifles for their shooting. One is the Crosman 2100 in 0.177 caliber. This gun shoots BB's or pellets, but we only use pellets for it. It has a metal receiver and tough plastic for the stock. It is the gun in the picture below which has the iron sights. I like to shoot it too.

The other rifle is a Daisy Powerline S22 in 0.22 caliber. It has a cheap sight on it. It also is well built, with real wood for the stock. Another fun gun to shoot.


Both of these guns have the same drawbacks. One is that they are pump rifles. It takes ten pumps to fully charge them, and for a little guy that is a lot of work. It's not as hard to pump as a Benjamin Sheridan Blue Streak, though. The other problem is that dropping the pellet into the chamber in the correct orientation can be challenging, especially if one has fat little fingers like me.

The antique pistol in the bottom of the pictures is just a toy; Zelie insisted that I include 'her' pistol in there.

So the testing became a family shoot. Here Gus shoots the RWS Diana:

Bernard even got into the action, shooting a toy gun with Zelie coaching him.

Cornelius loads up the Daisy Powerline 22:

Zelie shoots her 'sword gun:'


Max is all elation after shooting a bottle full of water with the Daisy Powerline 22:


Here is his winning stance for target practice:

Marc shows off the Crosman 2100 for the camera:

One of the boys brought out their air shotgun. This is a Gamo air shotgun which can shoot either 0.22 caliber pellets or little shot shells. We started loading our own shells, using toilet paper and some #9 shot. One puts a wad of toilet paper into the cartridge, drop in some shot, and then cap it with another bit of toilet paper. It is neat to see the toilet paper shoot out of the end of the barrel. Here I am holding the air shotgun. It has a single bead at the end of the barrel, but it still can hit target with pellets very well.

Before this test of the two Stutzens turned into a family shoot, I had already decided that I like both guns. Both were fun to shoot, and target practice is one of those things which the boys and I always like to do together. While I wrote this, I looked up information on these two guns online and found out that they are both discontinued. It reminded me that my sons won't always be here to join me in a little bit of backyard plinking, and that I have to spend more time with them while they are still around.

North Texas Saturday Scenes

Another reason to thank God: Diaper manufacturers have stopped putting cute pictures on the back of the diaper. This means that I won't be putting diapers on backwards in the middle of the night

Today we are celebrating Benedict's birthday; it is next week, but there are other things going on that day. Ben wanted ribs, so I have been cooking them 'low and slow' on the grill.

Better get extra dental floss.

Here is a YouTube website which I find inspirational when trying to think of new ways to grill. These guys really love bacon:



This young man likes grapes:

Here are flowers for Carolyn; those in the foreground are from our fields, while the ones in the back are from a florist. Which do you suppose she likes more?


Another variety of flowers from our property:

There is a conspiracy in the Airsoft industry. They are determined to get an airsoft gun in the hands of every red-blooded American. This one was less than $20. It shoots well, too.


Speaking of guns, I can't get this song out of my head:



I like guns, and I love Carolyn and my children.

Somehow those two things are inter-related.

I hope to shoot an AK-47 someday.

A Boy's First Gun

Bernard is growing up so big, I thought it was time to get him one of them there firearms.

Here he is, holding his new Kentucky Rifle - still packed in its original grease and ready for a good cleaning and a bit of target practice. You can tell that Bernard can't wait to take it to the range and get it set up for deer season.


See how he knows, even at nine months, to keep his hands off the metal and on the stock. See how lovingly he gazes at his new gift.

You can almost see the thoughts in his head; the squirrel hunting, javelina stalking, and the day he takes his first deer with that there Kentucky Rifle. Good hunting, boy!

Sunday the Queen Returns

Our Lady of the Mysterious Decapitation needs a fresh coat of paint:


She returns this evening....

My confessor remarked that all children are a cross to their parents, but that it was through the cross that we obtain our salvation. Food for thought at the beginning of another week.

My confessor also reminded me that there are only three reasons to do anything:

1. For the greater glory of God(AMDG, or Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam),
2. For the conversion of sinners, and
3. For the intentions of the immaculate heart of Mary.

After Mass, Father anointed a woman who was ill, and it brought back memories of him anointing Theodore. I thanked him later for all that he has done for our family; giving Theodore the anointing of the sick was just one way we were blessed.

When we got home, I read a book to one of the kids while the others played baseball on the newly mowed back yard. After reading a children's book from John Deere, I got back into Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I was getting to the end, where the climactic battle between the evil empire and the cute and cuddly furry forest people starts. Suddenly the kids called me outside; I figured someone broke a leg. Instead, they showed me an aircraft carrying the space shuttle that was circling over Dallas. I pulled out my iPhone to videotape it, but realized I had not started the 'video' function. You will have to trust me that it happened. I think it might be good to skip mentioning that I saw Bigfoot and the Yeti at the controls of the aircraft.

I went back inside, only to be called out again to examine a snake. It appeared harmless, and wasn't even exciting to our sole remaining cat. I tried to get some action shots, but the snake just wanted to play dead. I threw it into the garden so it could go on with its quiet country life.

Here the cat - 'Skinny' - looks at the poor little snake.
Here I am holding the snake for a close-up. It was not a lively snake. Last night we watched 'Swiss Family Robinson' and apparently the fight with snake mainly consisted of trying to get the snake to stay with the actors.


After reading a little, I took a couple of air rifles outside to shoot for a while. I made some videos of the little boys shooting, but I accidentally covered the microphone. Here is the one of me shooting an RWS Diana 300R, which is an underlever air rifle which can shoot seven pellets in rapid succession without having to reload.

Enjoy:

A New Year, A New You/Me?

This year the Noisykids and I have endeavored to be more active in the great outdoors. We have been preparing for a garden, working on some sort of exercise program, and doing some totally new things.

Well, sort of new things. We have always enjoyed shooting air rifles, and now we are branching out into air shotguns!

Air shotguns are not new(check out this link), but recently a company from Spain called Gamo started selling an air shotgun in the U.S. Several of the older Noisykids wanted one, and they made a great Christmas present.

Here is a video of one of the Noisykids shooting a can.



I was trying to set up this shot so that you could see the can after it was peppered with #9 shot. What should have happened is that the water in the can would stream out of the holes, giving it a kind of 'cartoon' look about it. Do you recall seeing Saturday morning cartoon characters who would take a drink, with the liquid just running out of them?

Am I the only one who remembers Saturday morning cartoons?

Anyways, as you can see the can was so close to the shotgun that it just got blown away. Not very impressive. You can see how the water sprays back towards the shotgun.

Here is another Noisykid who just reached the age to shoot some of the smaller 'big' guns:



Note how the camera makes it look as if the bottle just disappeared. This video was taken by my cell phone, and it is not the highest quality.

Air shotguns are fine for the back yard, but to go after bigger and better targets, we needed a shotgun. We have taken up skeet and trap shooting, and some day we shall go hunting for little birds that turn into little chickens in the oven.

I need a lot of practice to become proficient at trap and skeet, but here is a video of one of my sister-in-laws hitting a 'clay' thrown out by a machine. I stopped the video a little early, so you missed the victory dance:



Oh well. It is late and I have to clean that shotgun before I go shooting tomorrow.

I shall have to write later about how we have taken up the martial art of Taekwon Do!

How about a baby picture?


Here is Bernard, earlier this week, ready for his visit to the pediatrician on one of the few cold days we have had this Winter.

Today was 80 degrees....I love Texas - but I love my wife more.

Return of the Prodigal Gun

This is a post in lieu of announcing the birth of the next Noisykid; my wife is still pregnant, despite my driving to and from Mass, and listening to THIS MAN SING.

The air pistol shown above is the same one which ventilated THIS orange juice container. Shortly after, this airgun, which is powered by CO2 cartridges, started to leak the gas like a tire with a big hole in it. I was very concerned; this is a very accurate little air pistol, and I always enjoyed shooting it. I contacted the company, and they directed me to some local folks who repair air guns.

By the way, this is a Benjamin Sheridan E9 Series CO2 Pistol; either an EB17 or E17. It shoots one .177 caliber pellet at a time.

Anyway, I put this gun aside for a while, until recently on YouTube I watched a man discussing CO2 cartridges. He recommended putting a drop of air gun oil on the tip of every CO2 cartridge before inserting it into the gun. I had never heard of this, so I gave it a try with my nonfunctional air pistol.

It worked. After shooting once, CO2 continued to leak, so I kept on shooting, and after three more shots the leaking stopped. Now, off to conduct the House Blessing!

But first, here are some videos from the Advent/Christmas Season. Enjoy!

Let Us Break Plastic

A few videos of our afternoon adventures. One of Yours Truly, one of Noisykid #5.

This is a .20 caliber pellet air rifle. The target is about 10 paces, or 30 feet from the shooting site.

This air rifle is made by RWS Diana, and is powered by compressed air. The mechanism for compressing the air is called a side lever. By pulling the lever all the way back, and placing a pellet into the chamber, air is ready for release when the trigger is pulled.

Let us watch Noisykid #5 first:



Note the safe handling of the weapon, with no finger on the trigger until ready to shoot.

Now join me after I loaded the weapon:



My shot is rather unimpressive after watching Noisykid #5 blow his target away.

This is one of the things I enjoy doing with the boys and girls(the younger ones, at least). I shall post more videos after I upload them to Youtube.