Who shoots what?

FelixD

FelixD

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Where Soy Beans are King
What do Illinois shooters shoot? Trap, skeet, sporting clays, combat pistol, IPSC? Who does what? I'm an old fart who started shooting in 1960. My mother would drive me to Fox Valley range in Carpentersville so I could shoot my single shot, JC Higgins .22. Sixty five years later I'm still at it, but the guns have changed as well as what I shoot. Today clay target sports, along with general recreational pistol and rifle shooting are my interests. I also collect to a small degree. But, retirement has curtailed some activities. What do you shoot?
 
I'm shooting game... In the off season I do a lot of load development with Muzzleloaders of the inline variety. I try to get to the range at least 3 times a month to keep that trigger finger dialed in.

I did just pick up a shotshell reloader. Will fuss with it to come up with a good do all load for Public Lands requiring Non Toxic Shot. I'm think about 4 or 5 bismuth alloy sized shot. Should be dynamite for a do all non waterfowl related probably be a fine wood duck load too. squirrel, rabbit turkey and maybe even dove but it'd be overkill there.

I'd love to get into a club to shoot clays but Silver Springs down in yorkville is free of charge just throw your own. fits the bill just right!
 
I'm a life member of the ATA but haven't shot trap in a couple of years due to arthritis in my shoulder. Now, most of my shooting is with vintage S&W revolvers or with my Ruger MK IV 22/45 Lite that's been upgraded with the Volquartsen accuirizing kit.
 
Paper targets at the pistol club that I belong to. I don't go very often; just enough to feel that I didn't waste money buying any of the small number of guns that I own. I've never had any real desire to shoot competively, and with age has come decreases in visual ability as well as the ability to hold a gun steady for very long. With rotator cuff damages in both shoulders, long gun shooting has become totally a thing of the past and it would take world ending SHTF situations for my Mossberg 500 to come off the rack in the closet.
 
Flintlocks and cast bullets in rifles for me. Currently on a plain base powder coating kick in the 30/06 and 7.62x54. The Windhill range out by Aledo holds monthly Cast Bullet Association benchrest matches and the Bonfield Muzzle Loaders holds monthly shoots at the ISRA range. I like pistols but can't see the sights anymore. I love shooting competitively with both the flintlocks and cast bullets.
 
Pat,
How fast are you driving your .30 cal bullets? I'm using gas checks, but they're hard to find and expensive. I've been shooting coated pistol bullets for a while, but not rifle bullets. I use SNS casting near Flanagan.
 
FelixD said:
⁹Pat,
How fast are you driving your .30 cal bullets? I'm using gas checks, but they're hard to find and expensive. I've been shooting coated pistol bullets for a while, but not rifle bullets. I use SNS casting near Flanagan.
Click to expand...
.Right now I'm playing with a 175 grain powder coated plain base 30 caliber bullet cast out of wheel weights in a 30/06 Winchester 670 and it shoots pretty good at 1575 fps using Accurate #9.
 
There's no unusual fouling that I've seen and I've shot a lot of these things. Leading hasn't been an issue with the load I'm shooting. I use mold dropped WWs with 16 grains of #9 for a chronographed 1575 fps with a plain base bullet. I don't know what the velocity limit is with plain base or checked bullets because I haven't tried pushing it any faster.
 
I keep a membership at Wisconsin Sportsman's .. located on Route 11 in Union Grove. They have lanes for pistol & rifle, as well as various clay disciplines, and an archery range. I stick to the pistol/rifle side of the club.
https://wisconsinsportsmansassociation.com/
If anyone has interest in the club, send me a private message ...

I shoot mostly 9x19 (s&w shield plus, ruger pcc9 carbine, sometimes Canik TP9sa) and .45acp (1911 - Duh !!). Every once in a while I'll haul out the Marlin 60 (for .22lr) and very occasionally I'll bring out the Mosin Nagant M44 carbine for some 7.62.54r shoulder realignment. The carbine is fun .. makes a BIG fireball. I only shoot mil-surp ammo from the M44. No, I'm not bothered by corrosively-primed ammo. I clean the same day as shooting and start with patches cut from windex wipes. From there some Hoppe's #9 and I finish with a good coating of oil. Been doing this for a decade and a half, never had a problem with the barrel.
 

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