Rangetastic!!

Ian 'rifle yoda' Spicer points to our handy work at Rangetastic.

I don't know what everybody else heard, but I distinctly heard him say

'Text book shooting here, by the bushwacker of course"

Modesty forbids me from saying more.

Sorry, I really will stop gloating/bringing conversations that readers aren't party to into the blog very soon. 

I've got a few Leeds based posts on the way but camera problems mean they're not ready yet.

For those of you who are interested; plumbing school is going well, I've remembered just how much I love going to see punk bands, it's so cold that I must have shivered off a few more pounds, TNM is in fine fettle and we're hatching plans for another road trip this coming summer.

Thanks for sticking with the blog despite my tardiness.

Your pal

The bushwacker

PS For those of you with an interest in rifle and stalking skills, Ian is holding some one day deer stalker's courses this year, and when you think of what he can achieve with a lummox like me, how good could he make you? Dates TBC contact him at Red-Deer. 

Maybe even see you there. SBW

I Want One - A Not So Occasional Series Pt5

This time it's a rifle. Seeing as the Tikka T3 (£700ish) i shot at Rangetastic was so good strait out of the box, it set me wondering. As Sako and Tikka are both part of Beretta. What are Sako offering for the extra £600 ?

The current offering is the 85 series, a refinement of the highly rated 75 and available in the usual range of calibers, stocked with a choice of wood, laminate or synthetic (£1300ish). The most obvious difference is that the actions are caliber-specific; cartridge length determines the length of the action. Giving new meaning to 'use enough gun'. This looks far nicer, saves a few grams, and means the bolts travel is matched to the effort needed to cycle your cartridge.

Worth the extra cash? Depends how many sewage pipes you had to clear for it, I suppose.

Off up north
Your pal
SBW

And Modest Too!

6.5x55 on the left and .243 on the right

For any of you who weren't in the Kentish Town region of north London on Saturday, and so haven't been told [boasted to] personally. I would like to draw you attention to the paperwork pictured above. Having not touched a rifle in just under three years i was delighted to print these two out.

On the left i was firing a moderated 6.5x55 and on the right an un-moderated .243, the 'Swedish' belonged to Ian Spicer the Yoda of rifle shooting and the .243 was a Tikka that belongs to the West London Shooting School.

In case you were wondering about the errant third hole on the target, i would like to refer you to rule 5.3.2.2 of the National Small-bore Rifle Association's competition rules.

When a card has on it fewer shot holes than the number specified in the competition, the shots deficient shall be deemed misses, unless the Range Officer and/or a witness certifies that the shot or shots have been placed in error on the card of another competitor. In which case the shooter who has fired on the wrong cards shall receive a hit or hits of the lowest value from the target with the extra shot or shots upon it,(subject to Rule 5.3.2.3) less two points penalty for each shot he placed on the wrong card. The shooter whose card has on it the extra shot or shots shall receive the full value of the remaining shots on his card.

At my party i told Johna (amongst others) about the afternoons fun and showed him the excellent hat the WLSS gave me. "Really! They had one that big in stock?"

Your Pal
Suburban 'sniper' Bushwacker

He's A Handsome Fella That SBW

It's me init with a .270
SBW

Know Target Shooting

Very exited about next week, James has invited me to the prestigious West London Shooting School for a days rifle tuition. If that wasn't enough to drive me into a fever pitch of excitement, we'll be starting with.22 and working our way through .243, .308, 6.5x55, and .270.

It's certainly taken some of the sting out of turning 40.

Not many people can claim a 100% success rate with a rifle, but I'm prepared to put my record on the line! Seriously I've only ever fired one round (.300 win mag), out of one rifle, and killed one deer. So it'll be, err, interesting!

Meanwhile at the other end of the experience curve, I've been reading some really great writing and some truly mouthwatering recipes posted by Brigid on her blog; mausers and muffins - home on the range.

There are loads of great posts but this one is a good place to start, it's a review of her Interarms Mauser in .300winmag and her recipe for a truly kick-ass Yukon Maple-Bacon quiche.

Yummy
SBW