Geoff is a shooting and reloading enthusiast who would rather be at the range, but is content to write about it. He is a member of Waiuku Pistol Club, and shoots rifle, pistol and shotgun in various disciplines, occasionally, managing to get out for a hunt.
The DOC land in the Hunua Ranges is one of the most convenient places for Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton residents to get out and do some hunting. While it’s not exactly teeming with life, it’s a good wander through the bush and you might spot an animal worth bagging.
If you were planning on going for a walk through the DOC land or parklands, you might want to hold off on that for a half year or so… The planned 1080 drops have gone ahead and signs are up at the entrance to the track, warning of the dire consequences of touching or eating anything that’s got in touch with this stuff.
Local landowners gave us a ‘friendly’ warning not to go further into the bush. And fair enough, they’ve got a lot to worry about. They’ve got their dogs, water run off onto their land, and all sorts.
Anyway, off for a hunt or a walk? You’re going to have to look a bit further afield. The Kaimais are looking good about now…
Warnings to protect your pets and yourself abound…
As long as there have been firearms, there have been people trying to improve their performance. Quicker, quieter, lighter, more accurate – these are the motivations of the backyard tinkerer, qualified gunsmith, field armourer and firearms designer alike.
A suppressor, otherwise known as a silencer, sound moderator or sound suppressor, has always been a favoured project for the budget-minded or mechanically curious. One such person recently listed a “V” can suppressor on Trademe, and I couldn’t help but get in touch.
Alan from Hamilton took it upon himself to build a “can suppressor”. The term can suppressor came about as sound moderators tend to look like a beverage can, especially the thicker muzzle-forward variety. This example is literally made from a V can.
The Trademe listing humorously asks;
“Do you want to give your bullets “A guarana and caffeine charged V energy Woo-Hoo”?”
And the answer should be, “Yes, yes I do.”
The tech specs
The top (the end that you drink from) is cut out, and has been replaced with a moulding of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). If you just got totally lost, replace UHMWPE with plastic and you’ll get the general idea. This is then drilled and tapped to accept a male 1/2x20UNF thread, the most common thread for rimfire rifles. There’s always the exception, like the Ruger 10/22 anniversary edition, but hey, what can you do?
The exit hole is cut with a subsonic hollow point.
The other end of the can is a blank canvas, waiting for your first round to punch a perfectly lined-up exit hole. Two things about this. Firstly, it does produce a jagged edge. You could deburr this if you like, but realistically, because it sits below the rim of the can, you probably won’t get your fingers anywhere near it. Secondly, use a subsonic round to do this.
Not only is there less chance of developing too much pressure in the contained environment, but the hollow point should help you create a slightly oversize hole for the following rounds to fit through easily.
The good and the bad
Well, on the positive side, it’s dirt cheap to make if you’ve got the skill. And if Alan chucks a couple more up on Trademe, they are pretty inexpensive to buy – not that economy rimfire suppressors are hard to come by. Also on the plus side of the list is the novelty factor. If we’re honest, everyone’s going to want to check it out and have a go. Lastly, it’s very, very light.
Does it reduce sound? Remarkably – especially when compared to not having a suppressor on at all. In a follow up post, I will do a proper test with a sound meter. The test will be done with two barrel lengths – 16″ and 22.5″ – and with three different sized cans, compared to a regular suppressor and a bare muzzle.
Unfortunately due to technical difficulties, we weren’t able to capture all five rounds I put through the can on video, but we did get the last one. For comparison, listen to how loud it is when I work the bolt afterwards.
On the negative side, you won’t be able to try this trick with a centrefire rifle – you’ll likely end up with a pretty, green mess at the end of the barrel. Also, because this is a relatively simple construction without baffles, the sound is “tinny” – excuse the pun – even if it is reduced.
Of course, being made out of a drink can means that it isn’t the sturdiest object in the world, and if you whack it into a tree or drop it on the ground, you’ll probably end up with a very skew and unusable suppressor. Of course, you didn’t think it was going to be a hardy, hunting-ready solution, did you?
At the end of the day, for a very reasonable cost, you get a novel sound-reduction solution that will help you keep the noise down at the range or in a field full of rabbits or possums. If you do plan on taking it out in the bush, take care of the muzzle end of your rifle – which is much easier with a short or cut-down barrel. For bush use, you should probably think of this as a disposable option. And at such a low cost – why not?
The top right target is 5 CCI SV rounds put through the V can suppressor, showing no loss in accuracy. The bottom left is the initial HP Sub through the bottom of the can.
I’ve never had good luck with a shoot at Waiuku. I’ve been to the range twice before and both times been hit torrential rain and gales, making shooting uncomfortable, if not impossible. Well, third time was the charm as I attended the Waiuku service rifle shoot this Saturday past.
Firstly, let me say that Waiuku has great facilities that enable a wide range of shooters to enjoy themselves. It’s also one of those rare clubs where pistol, rifle and shotgun are all welcome. However, I’ll leave a review of the range for another post. For clarity’s sake, this isn’t the same Waiuku range were ASRA does their winter shooting (The Farm).
On to the shoot itself. Well, it’s a 45 round shoot which I was hoping to do with my .303, until I realised that morning that I only had 20 rounds in the safe. With an abundance of 7.62×39, it turned out that the trusty SKS would get a work out this morning.
Service rifle shoot
If you’re into your military surplus rifles, going along to a service rifle shoot should definitely be top of your list of things to do. With everything from WWI Lee Enfields, through to Mausers and AK47s and AR15s, every major armed conflict in recent history was represented.
The shoot was run in two details and as previously mentioned, was 45 rounds. This consisted of a Trinity and Action M match and a 10 round sniper shoot.
The Soviet weaponry and rusted casings are reminiscent of the Nicholas Cage movie Lord of War.
The trinity shoot is 5 rounds each in the standing, kneeling and prone positions. With no sighters or spotting scopes, you’ve got to know you’re rifle well. The SKS performed well, but was shooting low – which was more me than the rifle, as my wife was shooting too high with the same gun. One thing I may consider doing in the near future is replacing the front sight post with a skinnier one that doesn’t blot out the entire target. Those rifles that were scoped were limited to a magnification of 4x.
After those fifteen rounds, targets were checked, which is when a few of us actually got to see where our rounds were going. For myself, another shooter with an unsighted SKS and another with a new suppressor on his AR, the results were less than stellar.
The next ten rounds allowed us to compensate where we needed to, but the faster pace and movement involved in the Action M shoot means you can’t spend too much time trying to compensate, especially with open sights at 100 metres.
An Action M is usually shot in 60 seconds (at least it was when I last shot one at the Auckland Service Rifle Assn), and consists of 2 rounds prone, 2 rounds standing, one kneeling – reload another 5 round mag or clip – one kneeling, 2 standing and 2 prone. It’s 75 seconds for bolt actions, which is okay if you have a removable box magazine or stripper clips. However, when I shot this last with a Swedish Mauser and no stripper clips, it was certainly challenging. The rules for different types of matches are made by the NZ Service Rifle Association.
In light of the range of rifles and abilities present on the day, and the generally non-competitive nature of the shoot, no strict timing was done, although everyone went as quickly as they could.
The sniper shoot allowed for rests or bi-pods. Handy hint; your car’s floor carpeting can be used if you forget your shooting mat.
The last ten rounds was a sniper shoot which allowed shooting aids, such as rests, bi-pods and spotting scopes – this is where many people were able to turn the tables – despite the smaller targets. Having someone spotting for you is also very helpful when you’re on iron sights.
Although I didn’t place highly, I did enjoy the day and seeing all the old relics shooting (and their rifles too). About a third of the shooters were from HSSRC, so there were some friendly faces, and a few us enjoyed shooting some silhouettes with the rimfires on range 2 afterwards. All-in-all, for $20 and the cost of ammo, a good day was had all round.
Finishing the day off with some silhouettes at 25, 50, 75 and 100 metres was good fun.
If you’ve gone through the effort of getting your firearms licence, you’ll have come across seven neat rules that should dictate the way you handle guns for the rest of your life. These are the foundation of the arms code and are as follows:
Rule 1: Treat every firearm as loaded Rule 2: Always point firearms in a safe direction Rule 3: Load a firearm only when ready to fire Rule 4: Identify your target beyond all doubt Rule 5: Check your firing zone Rule 6: Store firearms and ammunition safely Rule 7: Avoid alcohol and drugs when handling firearms
You’ll notice, not one of these is “apply the mechanical safety on your firearm”. Why is this? Mechanical objects fail due to wear and tear, extreme conditions and pure bad luck. If you’ve read the instruction manual that comes with your new rifle or shotgun (highly recommended activity), you’ll notice that while new and improved safeties are always created for weapons and mentioned in these manuals, they usually discourage you from relying solely on these little switches.
How does a safety work?
There are two ways that most safeties work. The first is that they block the trigger from being pulled back, or even disconnect the trigger mechanism. The other is that they block the striker or hammer from moving forward and contacting the firing pin. There are many, many other types of safeties, and they can be in different places on your firearm, but they all have one thing in common – they are small bits of material upon which a large responsibility hangs.
That is why you never rely solely on a safety. Now – this my preference – I prefer not to use the safety at all. Some ranges will require your safety to be applied, and that’s fine. But, I personally don’t want to build up a reliance on a little switch.
What do I do instead?
When on the range and not using the rifle, I have it pointed in a safe direction with the action open, magazine out (or empty) and a breech flag in the chamber. This indicates to everyone that firearm is unloaded and safe.
When carrying a firearm to or on the range, same applies. Magazine out or empty (if fixed), and safety flag in or thumb in the chamber – muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
When firing on the range – well, you’re firing. What good is a safety when you want it to go bang?
When carrying a rifle in the field… This is where it gets a bit tricky. I leave my ammunition in my pocket, as well as my bolt if it’s a bolt action, until I’m near where I want to be shooting. When I am in the area in which I want to shoot, I fit the bolt (or close the action on a semi), and load the ammunition.
At this point, I do not chamber a round. I close the bolt on an empty chamber by pushing the top round down with my thumb or inserting the magazine on a closed bolt. When you’re ready to line up your shot, rack the bolt and get ready to squeeze the trigger.
If your quarry eludes you – drop the magazine out and remove the chambered round. Double check to see there’s nothing in there and close the bolt on an empty chamber before inserting your magazine again. Or, push the top round down on your bolt action.
This is just my personal procedure – you may have different feelings on the matter, or experience to the contrary. Leave a comment below with your tips on firearm safety.
Sporter barrels on .22s are usually long and thin. This means they’re lighter when carried in the field, but they can also be whippy and harder to control than bull-barrelled rifles. Another way to achieve that relative stiffness in the barrel is to reduce the length of it.
I’ve had two Norinco JW-15s, and while the 22.5-inch barrel is okay, the 16-inch barrel is a real shooter. If you head on over to nzrimfire.com you’ll find plenty of people who have taken full length Norincos and cut them down to as little as 13 inches with great success. I guy I used to shoot with cut his down to 14 inches and found no drop off in accuracy.
Thankfully in New Zealand there are no minimum barrel length laws, just minimum overall firearm length rules – which means you can take full advantage of this, and make your rifle more manoeuvrable, easier to get in and out of your truck and pretty accurate to boot. In the video below I’m shooting an old Voere that I bought for parts – the barrel has been cut down to 8 inches and lets out a little burst of flame with standard velocity CCI.
So, what is the trade off with cutting down your .22? Well, you can burn off all the powder in your average .22LR case in about 12 – 13 inches of barrel. However, you still won’t have achieved maximum muzzle velocity. You’ll also get more variation in muzzle velocity, as the longer barrels allow for a more consistent burn, resulting in a more consistent muzzle velocity. While you can still gain a lot more speed out of a longer barrel, 16 inches is often said to be the “sweet spot” for .22s.
The humble .22LR doesn’t need too much barrel to burn it’s full powder capacity.
After that point, muzzle velocity still increases, but in much smaller increments per inch, and your follow through becomes much more important. I suppose if you wanted to teach yourself excellent shooting habits, a target rifle with a 28 or 30-inch barrel would be ideal. However, if you just want a nice shooter, go for a 16-inch tube, or do it yourself if you have the confidence/competence. Some manufacturers do release 13 and 14 inch options for their rifles (Anschutz has a 14-inch sporter), however, if you’re doing the job yourself, give it the extra couple inches to be on the safe side. I guess I should put my money where my mouth is and trim down that 22.5-inch Norinco… Oh well, add it to the list.
It can be hard to find the perfect gift for someone. It can be harder if they’re into shooting and you’re not – harder still if you don’t have a firearms licence and can’t legally purchase the things they would like. However, there are a few go-to things you can consider, and they won’t break the bank either.
Things made out of ammo that aren’t ammo
Shooters like things that go bang. However, the next best things might be something that looks like it goes bang. However, not all mementos are created equal. Ask any golfer, and they’ll tell you every year they get terrible golf-club or golf-ball shaped items to bury in a draw somewhere. Every now and then they get something that’s actually kind of cool. It’s pretty similar for hunters.
It’s hard to find a cooler bottle opener than this .50 cal case from Gunworks.
A barbecue lighter shaped like a shotgun may not get someone’s juices flowing, but a bottle opener made out of a .50 cal. case with a 750 gr A-MAX projectile seated in it might just get the right reaction. Yeah – 750 grains – that’s four to five times the average .308 projectile weight. My wife and I got one for my father-in-law last Christmas – and I liked it so much I got myself one too. The brass is obviously softer than bottle caps and will mark after use, but hey, it looks so freakin cool. You can get them from Gunworks in Christchurch, and because it’s not live ammo it can be sent anywhere. They have other options too.
Another cool ammo-looking option can be cuff links. These can be done poorly or very well, so be selective. The imitation 12-gauge cuff links my wife got me are not only well made, but look pretty damn good too.
A magazine subscription
If you’re significant other or best friend has a hunting magazine lying around but they don’t have a subscription to it, that could be a great option. Look for the subscription page and photocopy or scan it, or find the magazine’s website. It’ll be pretty obvious if you tear out the page…
Make sure to take a picture of the product code so you can find what you need at the store.
While everything and anything can be found on the internet, gun magazines are a great way for shooters to enhance their knowledge of local shooting spots, new equipment or competition results.
Reloading supplies
Well, you can’t buy ammunition for your partner if you don’t have a licence, but if they reload, you can buy them everything they need to make their own. You’ll still need to have ID, as primers and powder are explosives.
How do you know what to get? Go over to their shooting bench and see what’s running low. Make sure to take a picture of the item or the product code to show the guys at the gun store. Also, make sure to shop around. When you’re spending near a hundred bucks on projectiles or a box of primers, looking at different websites or stores can save you around 10 per cent.
