Catch Up

Things have been a bit busy around Attila's yurt lately. Number two son was married a week ago, and his older brother has been home on leave. Between that and the general pace of events in the world, I just haven't had much time to post.

I'm hoping to get to the range again today. Ammunition supplies are opening up a little bit more, and I've been able to find enough for a fair practice session. I shot a little yesterday with my P-64 and XD-40, but wasn't very happy with my performance. I discovered a long time ago that if I don't practice a physical skill at least every two weeks, I start to lose my proficiency, and it'd been well over a month since I've been to the range. While I hit the target every time, the results really weren't pretty. So, back I go this afternoon for a bit more practice. I think I'll take along the AR too.

One thing that did go well yesterday was shooting my "new" Mosin-Nagant M44. There was a gun show in Yakima Saturday, and I went over looking specifically for an M44. There was exactly one in the building, but it was/is in very nice shape (an Izzy built in 1946) with a nice stock, and crisp rifling. It was marked $235, but I got it for $200. I've seen much worse going for $150 on gun broker these days, so overall, I'm happy with the deal. Anyway, I took it along yesterday and found that I've got a very nice shooter. After a little bit of practice on my part, I was able to consistently hit the 250 yd gong, and shifting the sights, was able to hit the 450 yd gong as well. Given my lousy rifle skills (one of the reasons I wanted to pick up a handy, cheap to shoot piece in the first place) I feel pretty good about it.

Withdrawal

That's what I'm feeling today. I would REALLY like to go to the range today, but my stock of ammo is so low, that I'm not comfortable letting it go any lower. I did manage to pick up a couple hundred rounds of WWB FMJ for my XD-40, but that just puts me back in barely comfortable territory for that load. At least dry firing is good cheap practice, and I can do some of that this afternoon instead of getting out.

QOTD

FYI - if you've never heard the gastronomical symphony caused by a platoon of people eating MRE's twice a day, well... I'd say you're missing out, but being awoken at 0200 hrs. by the sounds of twenty people farting in the style of Bach's Tocata and Fugue in D Minor, while amusing as hell, isn't something I would recommend for the faint of heart.

Found here.

P-64 Project

Last week I replaced the mainspring on the P-64 and took it shooting. Wow, it's actually got a half-way decent double-action trigger pull now. The single action pull is quite nice now.

Today, I replaced the firing pin spring and the recoil spring with heavier models. The recoil spring is now a 22 pound model from Wolff along with the matched firing pin spring. I may get it out for another spin this weekend, but my main goal is to begin rebluing. I've watched the Brownell's cold bluing video and have the right products on hand to get the job done. I've chosen to use steel wool to apply the finish, which should give me a very nice satin finish similar to this. In fact, when my new grips arrive, it should look VERY similar to that photo.

So far, I've really enjoyed my first foray into home gunsmithing. I have, however, developed a dislike of small springs which try to launch even smaller parts into the stratosphere.