Shooting vintage "Gas" guns...

[Adam Helmer]

Our semi-auto rifle matches start up on April 23, 2006. It is a 100-yard course similiar to the National Match course with slow fire, standing to sitting rapid, standing to prone rapid and prone slowfire. I have several old militaries that get a day at the range as we fire a match each month. The Garand gets first dibs and then various FN ABL Model 49s in .30-06, 8x57mm and 7x57 go to the line. One of my favorites is the 8x57mm Hakim. I found a fine accuracy load with 150 grain spitzers and IMR 4895. We are not allowed to hunt with semis in PA, so my "gas guns" are target guns, only.

Most new shooters do not know the old guns and they shoot the AR and are interested in my "warhorses." We only field 10 or 12 shooters per match, but it is a congenial group and a fine way to spend a Sunday at the range. If I can find some non-corrosive 7.62x54R ammo, I will shoot the M40 Tokarev. Who else likes shooting the old gas guns?

Adam

[BILLY D.]

i have an m1 springfield that is my favorite rifle. it always makes me look good. it loves 47.2grs of 4064 and a sierra 168gr hpmk.

i even hunted with it ...............once. i'm entering my 7th decade of life and not quite as strong as i was 20 years ago. it plumb tuckered me out lugging that artillery piece around. so when i got back to the truck i went and got "osa" out of the case. she is my 7mm mauser, 09 argentine, and a svelte 7 1/4 #. osa is named after osa johnson the lady big game hunter. and what a lady she was. she and w.d.m. bell were what gave the 7mm mauser it's great reputation in africa. of course they were both excellent marksmen.

i understand the strange looks you get at a range when you uncase a relic gas gun. my m1 gets the same treatment......until i start shooting. then the kids drift over and start checking it out and stare in amazement.

it is quite different than their tactical, led, digital rifle. the first question they ask is, "how can you hit anything with that"? and i tell them "quite well" , thank you. then i take a seated position on the ground and pop a 4" gong at 200 meters and their teeth fall out. it is comical in a way.

i heard one fellow telling how in the army and other combat units nowadays the most important soldier there is the guy/gal who issues the batteries for all the electronic equipment. reckon that kinda makes sense.

i like all the military gas guns and the bolts from the wars. most of the guns in my inventory are rebuiolt mausers though. i guess my grandfather filled my head with the mauser legacy. the only self loaders i own are the m1 and a ruger 10-22.

i think even now the m1 and others in it's class are underated. after all it won a war.

best wishes and good shooting. let's keep the kids aware of the old days.

[Gil Martin]

The gas guns are a lot of fun. I have the old M1 Garands and carbines, FN49s, Hakims, SVT40s and M1As. Very few shooters at the range know what comes out of the gun case and stare at the old war horses.

I am willing to bet that the ARs turn in higher scores. At 100 yards, folks just seem to shoot them a lot better than the old gas guns. All the best...
Gil

[Adam Helmer]

Gil,

Some guys shoot the ARs well and others are just so-so. The offhand stage is the great equalizer and I have seen the vintage gas guns outshoot ARs because of the shooters, no doubt.

Adam

[gumpokc]

excellant post Adam!

I had "bertha" (hakim) out a couple of weeks ago at an outdoor range, and as usual she draw some looks

It still halfway amuses me, and halfway worries me that some of the younger crowd, what with their geewiz-doohicky-laser sighted ar's and such, have no idea what came before.

I got fairly amused at a couple of them, from this quote " you mean that was made in the 1950's? wow i never thought they had autoloaders way back then" chuckle.

Of course they've had history but it's so remote to them that i think their brain just disconnects thinking about it

I need to go get a membership at the local range they do all the CMP and other stuff at, hopefully can get to it soon.