Posted: 1/26/2009 1:18:02 PM EDT
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Got to go back to Camp Allen Range today. I gotta say that all their hard work the past two weeks shows. It nicer than ever. And it has always been an excellent range. The range equipment all seemed to be functioning perfectly too.
Sorry to see the old Gunny who ran it for some years has been promoted to runnig the MEX. But the new young man who took over seems very much up to the job. Seriously. I love this place! One of the best benefits of being retired military is being able to use this range as a recreational shooter! I got to set up the 6x psop scope on my home built Yugo M70 carbine. I went all out on this build. Iron Wood teak stock set. I had to make my own sheet steel grip cap too as those are unobtainium for the fat style Yugo grips like this one. RSA two stage fcg. NDS receiver and flash hider. Mag park and moly resin finish. I even rebarreled it with a new Zastava factory barrel from before the ban. With that excellent scope in place hitting nickle sized bullseyes at 25 yards was a breeze. Absolutely amazing for an AK! Pic. (No scope fitted.) 
I got to break in my new CZ75b. That was just terrific for me. That is the most ergonomically perfect pistol I have ever held. I was just sorry I only brought 100 rounds for it. The more I shot it, the better the groups got. This'll be my new CC piece! And it's the easiest to carry full sized pistol I have ever tried too. Got to break in my new Bushmaster A2 target rifle. It ran like a top. Just a few clicks of elevation and one of windage and it prints all over the bullseye at 25 yards. I love that long sight radius! But with my old far sighted eyes that large aperature didn't work for me at all. Not for bullseye work indoors anyways. I used the small one. Amazingly accurate for iron sights in my book! Came with a perfect crisp single stage trigger. Man.... I was there back at lunch time and I am still stoked! I love it when everything comes together like that. That M70 was the most difficult build I had ever done. Started off as a really poor mis matched parts kit too. But after all that work it was just awesome to have it work so well as it did today. Hope you guys have a good week too! |
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In general AKs aren't picky on ammo. Though some will get failures to feed with HP ammo if their feed ramps lack a chamfer on the aft edge. The HP tip can get caught on the ramp edge like a hang nail. Easy fix to chamfer those though.
I have a few hundred rounds through this one now. Both Wolf HP and FMJ and today I used GT FMJ ammo. Typical AK, it cycles perfectly. I was fun to watch the two Marines try it. I could stand back and watch the smooth cycling and consistent ejection of the casings. The RSA two stage trigger offers some great control as well. |
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Not what I meant. Indoor ranges are notoriously picky about what types of 7.62x39 ammo you can use. While the bulk of Wolf and similar Russian ammo are not armor piercing, they fail the "magnet" text so many ranges use due to their steel jackets. So let me rephrase:
What kind of ammo did you use, and did the range express concern over ammo type? |
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Quoted:
Not what I meant. Indoor ranges are notoriously picky about what types of 7.62x39 ammo you can use. While the bulk of Wolf and similar Russian ammo are not armor piercing, they fail the "magnet" text so many ranges use due to their steel jackets. So let me rephrase: What kind of ammo did you use, and did the range express concern over ammo type? I work @ the Camp Allen Weapons Range. We do not allow: Steel Core, Armor Piercing, birdshot, or tracer. For the most part, AK ammo is good to go if it's the usual Wolf, bronze bear, or domestic. If we have any doubts, we'll have you not use it. Nonetheless, we sell AK ammo here at the range if all else fails. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Not what I meant. Indoor ranges are notoriously picky about what types of 7.62x39 ammo you can use. While the bulk of Wolf and similar Russian ammo are not armor piercing, they fail the "magnet" text so many ranges use due to their steel jackets. So let me rephrase: What kind of ammo did you use, and did the range express concern over ammo type? I work @ the Camp Allen Weapons Range. We do not allow: Steel Core, Armor Piercing, birdshot, or tracer. For the most part, AK ammo is good to go if it's the usual Wolf, bronze bear, or domestic. If we have any doubts, we'll have you not use it. Nonetheless, we sell AK ammo here at the range if all else fails. Yep alot of ranges that say they don't allow "steel core" also by default do not allow bimetal jacketed bullets, because they cannot tell these from steel core. The only test they use is the "magnet" test. Even though by looking at the brand of ammo they should know its not steel core. |
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Now I understand.
I didn't before because Camp Allen does not do silly BS tests with magnets. They know that the mild steel core or jacketed bullets are not armor piercing. Their rules say no armor piercing, no tracers. Limted to 30 cal. and 3000 fps. They expect folks to follow those rules. In the past they have sold me Barnaul ammo that had steel in it. But it is not armor piercing stuff. I had asked the Gunny there about the steel core Czech silvertip 7.62x54r ammo I was using in my PSL and 91/30 rifles a couple years ago. I wanted to make sure it was OK to use. He was fine with using it. A mild steel core or jacket is a big difference from a real AP round with a hardened tungsten steel penetrator core! He even gave me a "tour" of the range equipment in Bay 1 once to show me the damage that some fools did using AP ammo and shooting high into the equipment. That was a while back when he wanted to know if I could do some welding repair jobs for him. A real AP round will punch through steel like a hydraulic punch. Not the divot and splatter a regular round makes. I gotta admit it was fascinating to have the Gunny show me some hits to the equipment and be able to describe exactly what was done to it to damage it as it did. That guy really knew his sh**. I can get hard facing sticks for my stick welder. Lays down a very hard cobalt steel layer. Used usually for refacing teeth on earth moving equipment. I honestly don't know if even that stuff would stand up to a tungsten penetrator though! So apparently some shooters there have brought in AP rounds and even used them so badly it tore up equipment. I can only imagine what the Gunny would have done to anyone he caught doing that. I bet their careers would end. But, pissed as he was at the damage, he didn't do stuff like "magnet testing" as other ranges have done. He knew that wasn't a real test for AP ammo. Over the years I ahve used that range, I really came to like and respect that guy. He brought a vast experience to that job. You're right though that many ranges do hassle about that. I don't know if they still sell any Russian steel bullet ammo as I don't buy ammo there anymore. The Armory in Va. beach has much better ammo prices so I buy bulk from them. I tried to buy 9mm HP ammo at CA yesterday and they don't sell any! Very little self defense ammo in stock. Just practice rounds. Ball ammo. They offer good deals on alot of different gear. Targets too. But their ammo prices make me wonder if they are buying from a retailer and then marking it up! Kind of like the Navy Exchange gas station. That has been a joke for years. Usually the higher priced gas in the area! The NEX where I live finally had to stop selling gas. No one bought it! They even tore the almost new tanks back outta the ground. Since I have never gone to a range that made a hassle over that issue (I always go to CA.), I didn't realize what you were getting at at first. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Not what I meant. Indoor ranges are notoriously picky about what types of 7.62x39 ammo you can use. While the bulk of Wolf and similar Russian ammo are not armor piercing, they fail the "magnet" text so many ranges use due to their steel jackets. So let me rephrase: What kind of ammo did you use, and did the range express concern over ammo type? I work @ the Camp Allen Weapons Range. We do not allow: Steel Core, Armor Piercing, birdshot, or tracer. For the most part, AK ammo is good to go if it's the usual Wolf, bronze bear, or domestic. If we have any doubts, we'll have you not use it. Nonetheless, we sell AK ammo here at the range if all else fails. That's interesting. You posted as I made my last post so I just now see this. I see you mention steel core ammo now. Next time I bring a 91/30 there I'll leave my czech LPS ammo at home then. It has a copper jacket over a lead slug with a mild steel core. A couple years ago though the Gunny did say it was Ok to use. It was built with the steel core to lighten the bullet. Not to make it into AP ammo. Many of the Sov designed auto rifles needed light ball ammo (150 grain.) to function well. The PSL is an example. heavier ammo can damage them. They saved the heavy ball ammo (180 range) for machine guns.) Is copper washed steel jacketed ammo with a lead core OK? If is built with a thin mild steel jacket, copper washed to protect bores and prevent corrosion. That, over a regular lead core. I have some Hungarian ammo made this way. Good surplus ammo. The soft mild steels they use in the steel cored and steel jacketed rounds IS some very soft steel. You've seen crappy grade 2 bolts from a hardware store? This stuff is like grade 1 steel. Steel in name only. No strength to it. They did design it to not wear out their barrels after all. |