A gripping evening of changing grips...
I'm in preparation mode for the IPSC State Titles coming up on Australia Day weekend January 26-28 and have been making ammunition, checking and re-checking gear and making sure my gun is running smoothly and trouble free. Tonight a new grip went on which is what you see happening in the images. The picture below is the complete gun, sporting the new grip. Its an ASI semi automatic in 38 Super. You can see the new STI grip installed. (Its the black part on the handle thingy) :) Just a note, the black thing on the top is a little cover covering the optics. I run a red dot sight.
Below is the work space and the gun dismantled. There's a lot of bits: Levers, screws, springs, trigger mechanism, nuts, and other stuff including the frame and barrel of the gun.
In this picture you can see the bits more closely. You can see the frame in the lower right and the new grip just to the left of that. Further up the bench towards the top is the barrel. The longish silver thing. You'll see a small pile of bits on the red mat as well...Loads of bits.
I managed to get the gun back together with no residual bits left over which is a huge a win! The new grip is aggressive and my hand feels secure around it. I think it'll handle the recoil perfectly preventing slippage but will I shake it down this Saturday to make sure I am happy with it. I'm shooting an IPSC match at my club.
So, there you have it, another brief insight into one of my hobbies. I understand that many people don't like guns and even believe they are evil and are the cause of massacres and murders and the like. For me they are a hobby; One that requires patience, effort, precision and discipline. I have never been murdered or massacred by one of my guns, and neither has anyone else. The gun is just a tool, like a car. Cars kill people, as have guns, but I've never seen either jump up and do so. In every case a human has been behind the gun or the wheel. Ban guns? Ok, ban cars and humans too.
My posts are designed to demonstrate to people that normal every-day people have this hobby from 15 year old boys and girls to 75 year old seniors. I shot against that diverse range of people last weekend and will do so again this weekend. We are simply a bunch of dedicated people engaging in our sport. No massacres involved.
Design and create your ideal life, don’t live it by default
@galenkp
I hope you don't mind me saying...But you look just a little bit like a cat. Tacti-cat! :)
Haa Hehe :)
Oky don't worry :)
Lovely write up and big ups on getting all pieces back together, Nicely said , Guns don't kill people, people kill people.
I don't even want to compete wit this gun, it must recoil like .22lr.
Yea, a lot of people don't get it as sport
It’s 38 Super so recoils a fair amount. I can get two rounds down range very quickly though and the gun settles back on target super quick after each shot. A lot of that just comes with practice and the grips help a lot. I also have a more field-oriented pistol, the CZ P09 which I shoot in the production division. The grip is not as positive and so if the hand position is slightly wrong the pistol jumps around a lot. The PO9 is more of a field pistol really but like it though. It works no matter what.
Love guns like this, where can I get one?
I'm not sure where you would get one as I don't know where you live I'd suggest Googling it.
Strong defense of the shooting sports. It’s under pressure everywhere so it’s great to have normal guys like yourself representing firearms on Steemit. But man....I envy your workbench. You really are ocd. I may have mentioned that I plan to begin reloading for my Tikka T3 Tac A1, very similar to your Ruger. Have you worked up a load for yours? I will be using Lapua brass, Berger 140’s, and H4350. At the moment H4350 is unobtainable here. People are hoarding it. As soon as it hits the shelves it’s gone. When spring hits Dennyducet and I will be out at the range, he with his RPR in 6.5 and me with the Tikka. Looking forward to winter being over.
Hey man, thanks for your comments. Guns get a bad wrap and so I try to show that not everyone with a gun is a crazed-idiot! That work bench is off the chain OCD though right? :) Can I own up? I tidied it up prior to taking the shots...It doesn't always look so good. :)
So, the Tac A1 is a nice rifle. I've shot one a bit and have gotten great accuracy. (Out to about 1300m). I've had my RPR out further but that's simply because the opportunity didn't present itself to shoot the Tac A1 that far on the day I was shooting it. I'm a big fan of the Tikka 's. I think both are probably quite capable to 1900m or so. (2077 yards).
So for a load for my RPR: I use Sierra HPBT 142gr pills and Hornady brass. (can't afford Lapua ) and fuel them with AR2209. 43.4 grains is my load which develops an MV of 2850fps. I don't do much to my brass but the usual resize (FL) and weighing, trimming etc. I do get them annealed after each firing though. I have a Rebel 17 (STM) tumbler so my brass looks sexy-shiny man! I got a second node at 38 grains when doing my load development but the MV was too low.
I have shot the rifle to 1551m (1696 yards) over and over in up to 12mph full-value wind and I get good impacts on target. I have been using Applied Ballistics for my field firing solutions (FFS) however have gone across to Strelok Pro now as it connects to my Kestrel Drop nicely and populates environmental's like Density Altitude etc. My mate is one of the Directors of Kestrel AU so he'd kill me if I used anything else.
I would expect your load (and @dennyducet's) to be a little different depending on powder and pill but it shouldn't be too different. I'd like a better MV but it's getting quite "hot" at as it is so i don't push it. No pressure-signs, but I'm not really an MV-chaser. The round works and so I load and shoot. Simple.
I think you'll get great results from your Tikka and the RPR to be honest @dissfordents. They are both equally good. The finish on the Tac A1 is better in my opinion but other than that I reckon they'd shoot side by side and punch gongs all day without skipping a beat and with very little to set them apart.
Can I ask what glass they wear? I have a Kahles 624i on mine.
C'mon man (or mate), if you can afford Kahles glass, you can afford Lapua brass. I put a straight 10X SWFA on the rifle via Seekins rings. The scope gets rave reviews for optical quality and turret accuracy, and is perfect for a "learner." Reading your comment it becomes clear that you're way ahead of us in the art of precision rifles and LR shooting. We'll keep you updated on our progress. The only reloading I've done is a lot of .45 acp on a Dillon 550 when I was shooting a 1911. I've loaded some .270 Winchester, but for hunting not precision LR stuff.
You're right @dissfordents I can afford Lapua brass but to be honest I am not convinced it will make enough of an improvement to my shooting to warrant it. Sure sounds like you have made a great start to LR and I look forward to hearing about your load development and initial outings with your rifles. Reloading can be a pain in the ass but I try to make it fun. Stick some Tim McGraw or Keith Urban on the Ipod and fall into the OCD-ness of the task.
I can get 100 pcs. of Lapua for $99 USD; that's about a buck apiece. The Hornady is a little less than half that. Beside price difference there is the small rifle primer versus large. BTW, you said you anneal before each reload. Yourself, or do you have someone else does it for you? This fellow Aussie makes a damn good annealer. I'm handy with tools but not electronics or I'd make one. Check this out.
That's a pretty dope gunsmith workbench. Looks like you have most everything you would need, though I have no clue.
And that gun... Woah.. that thing looks wild, with all the holes and rivets.. looks badass! That is one hell of a hobby.. to build guns like that.
Good luck at that upcoming Competition. You sound very determined and professional about it.