When You....

[Lawdog]

When you take your favorite “smoke pole” to the range for a bit of practice what is your normal routine?

My routine usually starts out with shooting a couple of groups from the bench just to make sure the rifle/scope is hitting where it should be.  Then I move to various hunting positions using shooting sticks and without.  On an average I go through about 100 rounds per practice secession per rifle.  What is your routine like?  Lawdog
 

[Steelhead]

No routine. Sometimes I fire 10 rounds sometimes 50 etc. I generally start at the bench, especially if it is spring or early summer.

This time of year it is about hunting so I try at different distances, and I spend a fair amount of time shooting from a standing position, the rest from a sitting position, no sticks. I don't generally shoot past 250 yards, and I also concentrate on "close" shooting, since in 20+ plus years of hunting I have only shot at big game past 200 yards on 3 seperate occassions.

I usually spend a fair amount of ammo "snap" shooting. Bringing the gun to shoulder, alinging sights and fireing fairly quickly.

[jvs]

As a blackpowder purist, I only shoot a .50 cal 1:66 patch and roundball Flintlock with open sights.

I make sure  that all of my patch material is the same weave and thickness.  I make sure my flints are in relatively good shape.  I check the angle of strike against the frizzen and the easy of strike operation.

Then I go to the range where I let one fly from a rifle rest at 25 yds.   If I can hit a 2 inch circle at 25, I then move to a 4 inch circle at 50, which is where hopefully I will sight in at the top of the circle at 50 yds.

I usually shoot between 25 and 40 shots between using only the front part of the rifle rest or standing in a off-hand position.

Then I go home and get a bucket of scalding hot soapy water and plunge the inside of the barrel with the ramrod, patches and jigs until the water is clean.  Which usually takes more than one bucket of hot water.

The routine stays like that until about the week before blackpowder season starts, then I just go and fire one or two shots at the range and leave the barrel as it is.  

Mine shoots better dirty on the first shot.

Although I will unload during the season, I do not clean it with soapy water until after the season is over.  In between days in the woods, a light peanut oil patch is run thru the empty barrel.  After the season the rifle is disassembled and cleaned, then stored clean with a light coat of peanut oil inside until the following year.

[RaySendero]

Don't have any routine - Most of the time the plan is different.  Usually have several reloading experiments loaded up and ready.  They could be check for max. or a search for tight group or a groups at several different ranges to either check trajectory / scope clicks.  For fun may shoot silhoutes, gong, tin cans or shotgun shells.  Sometimes range has a "fun shoot" scheduled.  Other times some of us get together and just make something up.

[Don Buckbee]

Our range here in the small town of Grayling, MI has two covered benches with each shooter sitting at fixed seats next to eachother. Not the best set-up, but you make do.. The bench serves both shooters, and is made with a 3/4" plywood top. So, when two are shooting, if one moves his arm, the cross wires of the other shooter's scope move up and down...
I use Frank Murphy's set-up procedure as outlined in Percision Shooting a couple of years ago. His procedure establishes the front and rear rest locations. Most of my shooting is 22 Rimfire, so I then shoot a number of rounds to warm up and season the barrel with the ammo I'm using. I then shoot record targets. Most of the time, I shoot 100 rounds total and call it a day. I try to stay away from the range from now till Nov 15th when our Deer season starts; the range is a real zoo with guys standing in line to get one of the two seats to check their Deer rifles..
Don Buckbee

[jvs]

I think Lawdog should distinguish between a "SmokePole", and what we call here in the Hills, a  "Suppository Gun".

Nary the two shall mix in script.