A Dinosaur at the Range Today

[GatorFarmer]

I have a feeling that scenario has played out in some variation or another for many of us that frequent this forum. I know it has for me - two or three years ago I was picking up a 24-3 3" and the kid who was looking at a G***k at the next counter looked over and said "what's that?" Told him. He thought it looked nice but that it wasn't for him. Oh well, his loss. From a strictly mercenary point of view, let's see what his plastic-fantastic is worth 5 years from now and we'll compare...

I believe certain rare Glocks now fetch a grand.

 

[Geo. T.]

Just lucky I guess!

I belong to a pretty large gun club that has enough old guys to appreciate the few vintage rifles I shoot regularly. I have a near mint M1 Garand a Springfield made rifle from 1942 , a 91-30 Nagant and a M-44.

Most shooters are really surprised that open sights really work. You do get the occasional crazy question about their use in the Civil but after a laugh I tell them about their role in the world as we know it.

More than one has headed off to find the CMP web page!.

 

[vytoland]

I enjoy being a dinosaur..............I took my 1926 S&W model 1905, 4th change and 1945 S&W .38 military & police, both have 6 inch barrels, to a local indoor range this week for some target practice.......everyone else had automatic pistols....after about 20 minutes a couple of guys came over and were curious as to what I was shooting.... I described my revolvers to them and one replied "I didn't think guns that old could shoot like that".....as they reviewed my 8 X 11 target........

 

[Cyrano]

The dinosaur at the range is usually me.

I resemble that remark!

 

[Cyrano]

That happened to me with my kit gun. There was a gong at 100 yards and the first cylinder was used to walk it up to the gong. After that it was fairly easy to hit it with subsequent rounds as it was a very calm day. It was a pretty nice sized gong too! After two cylinders with no miss-I called it a day with the .22-didn't want to push my luck

Caj; that's really good shooting with a kit gun. I remember when I was about 25, shooting on the US Army Air Defense Pistol Team, I shot my S&W 41 at 100 yds; lying sort of supine with my hand on my knee. It was very steady but I only shot about a 12 inch group.

 

[JohnRippert]

With all the tactical AR's out there at the range I like to bring this mostly Colt A1 clone out. That triangle fore end always gets attention.

 

[nutsforsmiths]

I forgot to mention that I have gotten a few looks with this 1909 vintage Single Shot Second Model. What amazes people is that this was at 25 yards and of course, it is a single shot, which means it has to be loaded and re-aim each time before it is fired. One guy at the range shook his head in disbelief that a single shot can shoot this well, and when I told him it was over 100 years old, he was even more shocked!

 

[kbm6893]

I fired 200 rounds of my reloads today through my Ruger Police Service Six. Old timer at the range told me how nice it was to see not only a wheel
Gun, but somebody shooting it in DA.

I shoot my Garand there too. And I ordered another garand this week from the CMP. Nothing like the thump of the 30-06 and the ping of the empty clip.

 

[Rick_A]

My kid has a taste for classic firearms designs, more so than I do.

My favorite guns have origins from the early 1900's to the 1970's, with some being made in the 1950's and 70's. Nobody pays much attention to 'em. I'll get the odd question but I'm more interested in shooting than chit chat.

I'm far from a dinosaur yet...I just have good taste.

 

[Big Stick]

While not exactly a dinosaur, I do take a bit of satisfaction in sitting down in the 50 yd bay, and shooting my open sight Dan Wesson 15 .357 at smaller targets than the mall ninjas next to me are using while shooting their tricked out AR's with optics/glass.... You'd think they'd know about the 100/200 yd ranges, since they have to walk by them to get to the 50, but.........

 

[Sailor29]

The dinosaur at the range is usually me.

Bunch of us dinosaurs agree with your post.

 

[jdlii]

My high-power shooting partner still shoots his M1A at some of our matches and it gets a lot of looks. The best part of it, in addition to his skills and top finishes, is the nick name of the rifle on the walnut stock "T-Rex"!

He recently won the Tennessee 200 yard reduce championship with that rifle! The AR group was still scratching their heads wondering what museum he stole the M1A from for the match.

 

[mauser9]

Have heard of or seen all guns discussed here. Guess I qualify for dinosaur status. Not regrets! Nice to have been around to handle some real quality guns.

 

[LVSteve]

I recall some AR guys at the next station looking nervous after I unsheathed an Argentine Mauser Long Rifle. There were mutterings about how noisy it was about to become. They didn't grasp the simple concept that a 29" barrel keeps the noise further away and is quieter than a 16" rifle with a brake.

Later, I got out an FN-49 and the bafflement reached epic proportions. A semi-auto with wood furniture? Yes, one of them did ask if it was a Garand.

 

[Big Stick]

Later, I got out an FN-49 and the bafflement reached epic proportions. A semi-auto with wood furniture? Yes, one of them did ask if it was a Garand.

I can see it unfold: "But, but, where do you mount your flashlight, laser, and forward grip if you don't have rails on every inch?".......

 

[Aguila]

While I'm more of a handgun guy, my daddy taught me to appreciate the classics. I just love going to the range with my pinned and recessed 36, 19 and 29/629s (the best part is watching and listening to the response when those Remington 180 grains start thundering out of barrel-end at 1,600 fps and the flames are licking down range).

And the pre-war Colt Super and 1903 Pocket Hammerless with their faux-ivory stocks get the occasional inquiry as well.

But I will say that the dinosaur side of me led to a decision that turned out to be quite fortuitous for me recently. I purchased a 1957 Commercial Colt Super(that's how it was sold to me) a few weeks ago. However, when I get her home and open her up, it turns out to be a Jim Clark custom conversion .38 Special Wadcutter done in December '57. How's that for luck?

While I do own some of new-fangled wondernines in the various plastic formats, you can't beat the mirrored reflection coming from the blue of guns of that bygone era.

(I'm having trouble putting multiple pictures in my reply, so I'm going to add them in a couple of successive replies. Hope you don't mind).

 

[Aguila]

Here are the Colts.

 

[Aguila]

And here's the "sleeper" Colt Clark Custom .38 Special Wadcutter conversion.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Caj; that's really good shooting with a kit gun. I remember when I was about 25, shooting on the US Army Air Defense Pistol Team, I shot my S&W 41 at 100 yds; lying sort of supine with my hand on my knee. It was very steady but I only shot about a 12 inch group.

Not really-it was a pretty big gong-maybe 2 feet across

 

[RSBH44]

While I guess I qualify as a little dino I have had one or two puzzled looks at ranges with my wheel guns, lever action and all metal pistols.

The most recent was at a indoor range and the loud boom of the warmer .45 Colt rounds I was shooting got the attention of ua 20 something two bays down. He came over when I was getting some ammo out of my range bag and asked what I was shooting, showed him the Blackhawk and thought it was neat as "You don't see many cowboy guns." and asked what it was chambered in. He never had heard of the .45 Colt!!! Think I might have won him over after letting him shoot it.

We'll take em one at a time too if we have to!
I will always let the younger crowd touch off a few rounds down range if they show any interest at all. Hell, I've had young 20 somethings walking away after shooting my 44 magnum Super Blackhawk saying " I gotta get me one of those" ! !