Shed Building Plans

In 1911 the U.S. Government adopted John M. Brownings .45 caliber automatic pistol as the issued sidearm for the U.S. military.  After 70 years of faithful military service and a hundred and thirteen years after its inception the design is still wildly popular.  Probably the most recognizable handgun in the world it has been produced by many manufactures from all over the globe.  Currently the 1911 and its variants are available from a greater selection of manufactures and price ranges than ever before. 

   

In the year 2011 Ruger introduced their very own version of the classic centerfire pistol.   Back then I knew it would be nearly impossible to get my hands on one so I just bode my time and recently my friend at the local gun shop tracked one down for me.  For a while demand outstripped supply and pistols were selling for a couple hundred over the suggested retail price.  

The pistol is constructed from stainless steel with the slide and barrel machined from forged steel while the frame is investment cast stainless in Rugers foundry.  The design closely follows the original colt "Series 70" guns in that it does not have any firing pin safety disconnect like later "Series 80" and most contemporary pistols and revolvers.  The reason for a firing pin disconnect is to prevent the pistol from firing in the event it is dropped and impacts a hard surface.  The SR 1911 uses a lightweight titanium firing pin with a heavier spring to guard against accidental discharge from impact.  

I like that Ruger chose to build their pistol remaining true to the original configuration of Brownings design.  

  

Modern features like a lightweight aluminum trigger, skeletonized hammer and Novak 3-dot sights bring the platform up to current specs demanded by todays 1911 shooter.  Ive been shooting guns since I was a boy and as an adult Ive mostly been a revolver enthusiast but I have to admit there is just something very satisfying about operating a semi-automatic.

For the initial test firing I brought a box of Aguila 230 grain full metal jacket cartridges. This is the standard ammunition consisting of a copper jacketed round nose bullet seated over the powder in a brass case as used by the armed forces for the seven decade tenure of the pistols service.  I thought that would be as good a place to start as any.

I shot a combination of standing two handed fire and shooting from sandbags.  Right away I noticed that the SR 1911 with its 5" barrel and longer recoil spring shot much smoother than my 3 1/2" Rock Island Arsenal 1911A1.    The RIA was my first 1911 and it is a handful when it goes off.  I was very curious to try out the Ruger in its full size configuration.  The recoil is bit softer and the gun just feels better in my mind than the shorter version.

     

I shot on the pistol range at a distance of 15 yards.  The black bulls eye (7, 8, 9, and 10 rings on the target) measures 4 inches in diameter.  At this distance that black dot would be completely obscured by the front sight blade and after the first few shots I noticed that I was hitting high.  Adjusting my point of aim to make the top of the sight blade even with the row of numbers brought my shots down just about right.  The following targets show my hits impacting a little to the right so on my next trip out Ill remember a hex wrench so I can adjust the rear sight a bit to bring me dead on target.

Judging by the targets I look to be shooting as well off hand as I did from the steady rest of the sandbags.  Im very happy with my results and I cant wait to get back out and fine tune sights and try out some different loads.  

After a range session cleaning and proper lubrication of firearms is a must for continued safety and long service life of a weapon.  What I really like about the 1911 is how quick and easy it can be field stripped for cleaning.  

Stainless steel makes cleanup so much easier than blued or blackened guns.  Without a doubt all the grime can be removed from the nooks and crannies and you can tell by sight things are ship shape.  

Check out this interesting article on the history of the 1911 on the Browning website.

My son has been wanting to shoot the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle in .223 caliber for a while and he has been asking lately with increasing frequency.  After lunch today I quietly gathered up our shooting gear and told him to get his shoes on and get in the car.  I thought I would surprise him with a trip to the range and besides its been many years since Ive put any lead down the barrel of this handy little carbine.    Ive been a Ruger fan ever since my dad took me shooting when I was young lad so it was natural that I would end up with the Mini-14 when it came time for me to own a center fire carbine.  In the gun world the AR-15 platform is all the rage and has been for a while now.  While it is a very good system the AR rifles just dont dont appeal to my eye and sense of style.  As a history buff and a gun guy I can appreciate the design of the Mini-14 directly taken from the military M1 Garand rotating bolt gas operated action.  Like the later M14 military rifle the Mini-14 feeds from a magazine loaded from the bottom instead of the top loaded stripper clip system of the earlier M1.  In fact that is how the little carbine got its name; It is really a scaled down M14.



After a quick stop at the local gun shop for some ammo we headed to the sportsmans club and set up on the  40 meter range.  This trip was Wyatts first time shooting a full power center fire weapon and he was loving it.  The bang from the Ruger is quite loud but the recoil from the .223 cartridge is very manageable and he shot well.


As well as trying out some new ammunition this was also an opportunity to test out a couple 10 round magazines that I picked up a while back.  The Mini-14 comes with a 5 round mag that fits flush with the bottom of the stock and is ideal for hunting situations but when out punching paper I like to shoot 10 shot strings.  In all we shot about 70 rounds and feed and function was flawless with two brands of ammo.  I had some older Remmington soft point 55 grain loads that Wyatt burned up first.  The new stuff pictured above was American Eagle brand 50 grain with a poly tip designed for varmint hunting.
  


The Mini-14 is not a tack driver; It wasnt designed to be, but instead a handy and lightweight carbine and I am happy with its performance as such.  Its a fun little shooter and very satisfying to stand to the side and watch the open bolt work back and forth as it cycled the rounds.  40 meters steps out to about 133 feet and sighting with a ghost ring and front blade iron sights Im pleased to keep ten rounds inside the 8-ring.

I got into the reloading hobby around 1991 when I bought a revolver from a fellow service member who was set to ship out on an overseas assignment.  As a package deal the gun came with a set of reloading dies and several hundred rounds of empty brass cartridge cases.  I had seen a reloading bench before as a kid visiting a friends house but I never saw the actual process of assembling the individual components into complete ammunition.

At the time I was stationed in eastern Washington state so there was a well stocked sportsmans supply not far from base so I headed downtown one day and picked up a reloading starter kit that got me off and running.  Im still using that single stage press and most of the other stuff that came in the kit.  Over the years Ive added a few more die sets for other calibers and other odds and ends to make the reloading process easier or more accurate.

Because Im fascinated by mechanical things and working with my hands I quickly found reloading a great activity to exercise the attention to detail I learned in the military and the satisfaction that comes from setting up a small manufacturing process and making it work.  It is a hobby within a hobby and I can honestly say that I enjoy the reloading part almost as much as taking the rounds out to the range and firing them off.

     

Recently Ive taken an interest in center fire semi-auto pistols in particular the .45 caliber 1911 pistol.  After shooting just a couple boxes of  ammo I fell in love with the cartridge and John Brownings venerable service pistol design.  I knew Id have to try my hand at reloading the stubby yet powerful round.  The opening picture above shows the first 100 reloads of .45 Auto that the Roadqueen and I assembled earlier this winter.

Here is the recipe:

Case:  Once fired Blazer
Powder:  Bullseye  5 grains
Bullet:  Hornady Jacketed Round Nose 230 grains
Primer:  CCI 350 Large Pistol
Seated:  1.260"

It was still chilly this weekend but not too cold for a shooting session so we took off to the range and gave them a try.

Like many shooters I know she has been around firearms all her life.  This cool little .22 semi-automatic rifle her dad bought for her when she was a young girl just old enough to learn to shoot.  Made for the Sears, Roebuck and Co. by High Standard the rifle was manufactured in November of 1963.  High Standard is most famous for a line of .22 target pistols they began manufacturing in 1932 and have been producing ever since. 

I had an old "Made In USA" Weaver rim fire scope that I wasnt using for anything so we mounted it up for her to try.  Scopes make .22s even more fun and I thought the Weaver would be a perfect match for the old classic American rifle.  Here are some groups she shot as we adjusted the elevation and windage of the scope bringing the point of impact in line with the cross hairs.