A Backwoods Bum Gun...(Part One of a Series)

Any Backwoods Bum worth his salt has tramped field & forest with a handy rifle slung over the shoulder. I am no exception though whether or not I am worth might salt might indeed be open to debate. While there's always the classic deer rifle during hunting season, the gauge during duck season, each season there is a calling I guess. Still, there's always a use for a .22.

The .22 LR, low cost, virtually no recoil, relatively quiet and abundant, it is one of if not the most popular cartridge in the world. Its origins can be traced to 1847, and commercial production in 1857. Pest control, plinking, firearms introduction training, small game hunting, the list of uses is quite extensive.

I've had one since I was young boy, the models and types have changed over the years but there's always one in the cabinet. Most recently a Marlin 925 became a pet project, new glass, bipod, DIY paint, and a trigger job. It's fun to shoot and quite accurate if I do my part.

In the process of zeroing the rifle, I was intrigued by the vast assortment of ammunition types available. I'd read in multiple locations about how some rifles were more or less accurate across the ammunition spectrum, I decided to try several different types of ammunition in order to figure out what my 925 liked best.

Part one of this multi-part series is primarily focused on initial accuracy out of the box, reliability, and consistency. Having read quite a few articles on the various types I settled on sixteen different types, I know, that's a lot but I didn't see a reason not to test as much of what's out there as possible. Some are by the same manufacturer, just a different flavor.

Ammunition types pictured above, CCI Stinger was left out of the picture by accident.

Four types from Winchester, five types from CCI, four types from Remington, two from Federal and one from Fiocchi.

**I am not a scientist, and I don't play one online, my tests are probably not following any kind of established criteria. I'm also not a professional firearm or ammunition tester, nor a ballistics expert. I'm a guy who likes to shoot and reload ammunition. I figure that needed to be said before we get started in order to avoid all the commentary that will come regarding how I should have done it differently etc. **

For phase one all I'm doing is shooting prone at 65 yards. I'm not trying to squeeze any extra accuracy. Just holding on the same spot and shooting four rounds of each ammunition type. Again, these are four shot groups, each set fired relatively quickly.

*There was one exception to this, the first set of CCI Stinger ammunition, a total of twelve rounds were fired instead of the four.

The targets are pretty simple.

Phase One Results are below, again, this set was not geared towards maximum accuracy. This is just a quick and dirty load 'em up and shoot them.

 CCI Stinger 32gr copper plated hollow point, claimed muzzle velocity of 1,640fps.

CCI  Segmented Hollow Point, 32gr copper plated hollow point, 1,640fps.

CCI Segmented Copper Plated Hollow Point, 40gr Subsonic, 1050fps.

Winchester 40gr copper plated hollow point, 1435fps.

Winchester Varmint HE 37gr, 1435fps.

Remington Viper, 36grs Truncated Solid Cone,  1410fps.

Remington Yellow Jacket, 33grs truncated cone hollow point, 1500fps.

 Fiocchi 40gr round nose copper plated.

Remington .22 Subsonic,38grs 1050fps.

Remington Golden Bullet,  36grs 1280fps.

CCI SGM (Small Game Bullet)  40gr lead flat nose, 1235fps.

CCI Blazer 40gr lead round nose.

 Winchester X22LRPP 40grs lead hollow point, 1235fps.

Winchester 40gr Power Point 1280fps.

Federal 38grs copper plated hollow point.

Federal 31grs copper plated hollow point.

There were no fail to fire cartridges in the bunch. Some of the groups are a little wide and I know if I was taking my time they'd all have tightened up. The Remington subsonic had a really nice group, as did the CCI Stinger and a couple of the Winchesters weren't too bad.

In the upcoming segments we'll be reviewing the specific uses of each type, hypersonic vs. high velocity, why subsonic, and the various projectile types, penetration, expansion and why you don't want to use certain types in certain circumstances.

Sometimes, you gotta indulge...

It's no secret that I'm spending a lot of time on the road, and any reader of this blog probably figured out a long time ago that I've got a weakness for road food.

Sometimes, you just have to indulge, so, if you ever find yourself in Menomonie Wisconsin, drop by Sparx Sports Bar and take a shot at the Monster. It's a quarterly stop for me, and I enjoy one of these every time.

Damn fine burger, though not for the faint of heart, it's 36 ounces of Angus beef.

An update of sorts...

As some of you know, there was a bit of a change in my life in early February, work related. I've committed myself to that and it's taking a considerable chunk of time out of my regular life. As a result I've not been able to get as much field time as I used to, and definitely not enough from my perspective.  I sincerely appreciate the messages and well wishes that I have received since my hiatus began. Sometimes as we tumble through life we don't realize how we are affecting others, truly rewarding when we become aware of that.

I hope to be back at it in the near future, with some new angles of approach. Bushcraft will remain the forte but several non-common articles are now in the works. I hope to bring them to light soon!

Thank you again to everyone who reached out, I really appreciate that.

See you in the woods...

Turkey Turkey Turkey

Down from the house today, tried imitating the hens and got them to gobble some. Turkeys are not supposed to be this far north, and this bunch might as well be tame for all the fear they showed for me.

Where's the validation? An Opinionated Observation...

January is never easy for me to find field time, in fact the first month of each new quarter is always very busy at work. This one was especially bad in light of an unexpected promotion which is intensifying the amount of time my focus is required for work.

When this happens and I find little opportunity to get out I turn to others, those who spend time outside, to live a bit vicariously through them. I appreciate the ability to do this, especially when there's actual field time that validates opinions, which brings me to my point.

Look around, it'll become glaringly obvious as to which 'opinion' is worth hearing or reading. I've got nothing against opinions, I do find it comical however, when there are hundreds of reviews of outdoorsy products and zero validation of said opinions through actual use. I know others have written about it before but it's now at a fever pitch. If you're going to review products, espouse opinions, do your readers a favor, at least get outside from time to time and validate your opinions.

You might be able to turn a phrase, and take a nice picture from time to time, but if you're formulating your opinion from behind your desk, you're just a poser. Where are the trip reports? Where's the field time needed to validate the experience or the opinion? Five minutes outside with a product you are reviewing does not constitute real field time.

I'm not saying you can't formulate an assumption based on prior experience, I am saying don't hand it down like gospel unless you have actually done it.

The end goal is the experience of a thing. The overall experience of an endeavor is what we're all after, an experience is either bad, okay, or good. Experiences become memories. How we choose to do something can be just as important as the doing in and of itself. Opinions vary as to what's practical and what isn't practical, largely those opinions are based upon having done it. When one hasn't done it, the opinion as to whether or not something is practical is an opinion without merit.

Did this need to be said? Maybe, maybe not, after having spent the last several weeks getting my 'field time' by way of reading about others, for some it stood out like a sore thumb. There are doers and there are posers. If you're going to speak as if you're an expert on something, you should at least be able to show your 'expertise' in the field. Everything else is just hot air and wasted digital bandwidth.

Yes, that's the opinion of this Grouch.