This Old Mauser. . .

I’ve really been wanting to jump on this rifle, but things keep piling up in other areas and sucking away effort and attention. Still the 1972 Interarms Czech Mauser deserves notice, especially since I just bought a Cabelas .243 scope for it apparently or supposedly from the same region.
I’ve read where the fine old Weaver K4 60-B that it currently sports is a dandy and a legend in its time – but also where everyone who owned one older than “a few years” had to be extremely careful and watch-out for condensation and fogging.
So as not to make the local deer (over)population too comfortable, and also to help ensure my hunt is not distilled into layers of disappointment, when I came across the caliber-designated modern scopes I thought “Wow!” – there really is a better way to go. And the (supposed) fact (noted in comments and in answers at the Cabela’s website) indicated the scopes were made by Meopta kinda sealed the deal. So I hope that remains true.
But I want to get detailed and intriguing photos out – and that’s where I’m stymied and backed-up with other chores and a gone-to-hell camera. Age in technology gets ugly.
More Upcoming…
UPDATE: So…with a bit of care and caution, and using my Gun-smithing screwdrivers, I removed the old Weaver scope. First loosening the tight-as-hell little screws (age has a way odff doign that, or Bubba-Mongo the ‘Smith), then the bigger ones with tip-off mounts – and attempted to install the new Cabela’s scope.
No go. What’s up?
There’s not enough room for the forward bell housing to clear the bases. Studying the situation I noticed that the Weaver-base lock-knotch (or whatever you call it in pre-Picatinny times) was offset forward. Brain! So I un-screwed the base (carefully) and flipped it around to allow set-back, cleaned the base-screws of years of crud, and applied a tiny dab of Blue Loctitite and fastened the front back-down again.
Voila! Clearance! Carefully getting the Weaver tops back on without scratching the anodizing, and using a level to get the cross-hairs square and flat, I proceeded in the backwards direction of re-installation. I don’t have a millimeter-gram torque wrench for scopes, so I didn’t crank down gorilla-style on the screws holding the scope. I figure they’re like axle pinch-bolts, firm-enough should be enough. Don’t want to bend and warp the tube or strip the nuts.
Phew! Looks sweet!

Thanks Rendezvousers-X!

Reno Guns and Range has grown considerably since last year when we went to try-out the simulation exercises, and has moved to a huge and spacious building near the Harley dealership. The range walls are .50BMG capable and there is superior ventilation, so much so that being indoors at their location was preferable to being outdoors, especially when the fire-smoke hung in the air and occluded visibility. Rangemaster Kevin Crawford also had some very pertinent advice re: carry – “If you carry one of these (pointing to belt), you should carry one off these (pointing to tourniquet).” While I arrived in Reno there was a big, state-funeral being held for Officer Carl Howell who had been killed a week ago in Carson City, responding to a domestic – the first time a Carson City sheriff’s deputy has been shot and killed on duty since 1963. The suspect emerged shooting and they exchanged gunfire, and while the Officer reportedly killed the suspect, before medical attention could arrive he bled-out from an aortal leg wound and died. So now I am looking for a SOF® Wide Tactical Tourniquet (SOFTT-W) and some Z-Pak, and I’m all for a class offering instruction on the use of these too. So maybe next year we’ll get some hands-on training? If not, I will before then.

I suppose I had the benefit of a fat wallet since this is my main charitable event each year, so I was disposed to paying full-retail on the Raffle, and with the extra tickets was able to score a number of fine items including the one AR receiver that was available, and so in that sense I Won the Gun. Also a couple very nice Sig ball-caps, some Blackhawk! Aviator Flight Ops Gloves that fit well and will be a splendid accoutrement to the Gentleman’s Express this summer as we coast over the high-mountain passes, an AP Custom 3×3 shot-shell belt holder for Three-gun, and a pair of MOA Beast collapsible target stands from Mitch Gerlinger, the owner and designer of MOA Targets.

More later…

Interarms Mark-X & R1100R Battery

The Gentleman’s Express wouldn’t start, so I un-gear’d and made my rounds of the gun-shops by F-150, to talk about hunting with guys who had hunted. Many positive responses and good feed-backs later I was at my local shop looking at an (60’s-era?) Zastava-action Mauser Interarms Mark-X in .243 with a fixed power Weaver K8 UPDATE: Weaver K4 – that had been around the block and out in the field more than a few times but still looked pretty. It’s not as nice as this one at Cabela’s Gun Library, but has the same shape stock and is not nearly as expensive either. The old scope was clear and sharp and had a pretty wide field of view for our short-and-brushy shooting.
Interarms has an interesting history as former Cold-War CIA spook Sam Cummings was sort of the OG Merchant of Death, selling arms around the world and on occasion to both sides. One of his arms shipments to Batista (AR-10’s) was intercepted and captured by Castro. He became a British subject and moved to Monaco while running the HQ out of Alexandria, VA.
Anyhow I don’t have tine with CA’s stupid 10-day wait period to bring it up to Gunblogger Rendezvous-X and sight-it in to my eye-point, so I has a sad. Unless I get it first thing tomorrow morning and pick it up on the morning of the 20th before driving up to Reno – which could still happen…
UPDATE: Not gonna happen.
UPDATE: That’s not gonna happen, but never say never…
Sunday we had a fun time (and great food) at the Gun Club Picnic, and met some very nice people. The fabulous Donna and husband Bob, and Jean and husband ex-cop Bill were a couple of friends who invited us to sit with them, and we had a nice time chatting about all manner of things. I won ONE raffle item, a re-up to my Gun Club membership, but all my tickets on the S&W 9mm Shield didn’t pan-out. Oh well it’s to a good cause, the oldest and longest running gun-club in California.

Meanwhile after three days on the Battery Tender, the juice-pot still showed no signs of buzzy electron life, so I got under the hood and lifted the lid and removed the Yuasa 51913. It took a while because BMW (and all motorcycles, really) packages things tight, but I didn’t have to remove the entire tank, just un-do enough peripherality to lift up the ass-end — which took a while and a few screws and a 2×6 to figure-out. The juice levels are all below par and I want a gel-battery anyhow, let’s see if one can be found locally. NAPA or O’Riley’s are my main choices, or Mike’s Kawasaki might have something. There’s a LOT of small engines around here doing yeoman’s work in the field, from Husqvarna mowers to saws, to Kawasaki Mules and other quad farm-equipment, to watercraft toys, so I expect (hope) it shouldn’t be too hard.
UPDATE: Battery coming Wednesday.

Range Day New Neighbors

UPDATE: Pictures!
It was time to wring-out the Krag and the NATO Ishapore, and learn my local Club’s protocols and intricacies. Dan was the RO at the rifle-range and explained, “no rifles in cases.” It seems a while back too many hunters had showed up with cased, loaded weapons – and they did not exhibit good muzzle discipline handling them at the bench. So now the rule is bring them in singly and rack them.
My neighbors in the other lanes were Bud and Hunter, a grandfather-grandson duo who were prepping for hunt season with scoped, black-polymer stocked rifles, and Roy. Roy had an SKS, a Mosin, a Waffenamt-stamped 8mm Mauser, and a bull-barrel Ruger 10//22 – and he lives down my road in “a big old barn” as he called it. Hey Neighbor! People couldn’t be more friendly.
The max distance was 100-yards. The Krag struck the top of the 10-ring of the SR-1 target, and then gathered its shots around the left in the 8-9 ring-area, and then variously elsewhere on the left out to the 7-ring. Nothing to the right. I made adjustments but they stayed to the left.

Then I brought out the NATO Ishapore and fired on an old Washoe Range target from the last GBR, stapled-up sideways, and hit some in the 10-ring too. When I put on my shooting glasses and brought the front sight into sharp focus I did a better and kept in an even quadrant from 10’oclock high to 5:o’clock low on the right, out to the 7-ring.

So fine. Beautiful break in the heat, with temps in the mid 80’s only. Gorgeous day.
Club-guy Malcolm is running a Hunter Education Course next Tuesday up Pleasant Valley Road, out at the Grange. I’m there.

Rendezvous-X

Been so busy playing real-estate games and yard-work, this is my catch-up post for the Gunblogger Rendezvous – a cut-and-paste from Mr. Completely’s side of the table. As of Wednesday, June 10, 2015 – and I’m sure today too, there was still time to register – something that I still need to do!

It’s going to be a great weekend benefiting a very worthy cause… with a lot of rounds down range!

We’re about two months out from GBR X benefitting HAVA (Honored American Veterans Afield) and if you haven’t registered, time is running out! If you’ve waited to register, for the next week you can take advantage of early-bird registration!

Remember, if you’re a gun blogger and you register between now and June 17, you’ll get a $150 ammo voucher good toward anything Lucky Gunner sells.

To register, head here — where else can you get that kind of ammo for your investment, spend a weekend with some like-minded shooters and help a great cause like HAVA in the process?

GBR X is August 20 – August 23 in Reno, NV

We’re already seeing support pour in from some long-time Gun Blogger Rendezvous sponsors in the form of door prizes and raffle items.

Thanks to Dillon Precision, Allchin Gun Parts, and Front Sight Firearms Training for helping out with some great shooting stuff you can see in the photo above!

Also, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has agreed to once again sponsor a pizza dinner for everyone this year.  That’s great news.

It’s going to be a great time in Reno on August 20 and the more the merrier. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact Anthony at Lucky Gunner or Mike (Mr. Completely)!

In addition, Richard from Special Interest Arms came to last year’s Rendezvous and brought an assortment of very interesting suppressed firearms for us to shoot.  This year he says:

If I can get some help I might drag out the Gardner Gun and ammo.
45-70 twin barreled brass hand-crank fired fun. Not light, original crew was three guys.

C’mon, all we need is some strong backs and willing hands!

Not Wet Yet

The Atmospheric River apparently stopped-off down in Fiji for a Luau and has not yet recovered from the rum-soaked bacchanalia and is stumbling slowly northwards – or something – so the day dawned clear with high overcast.
Maybe rain tomorrow night. Yesterday I went up into the mountains above Pleasant Valley and met Don, the guy from whom I’m buying the .44-40 – and picked up a couple boxes of ammo that he no longer needed.
Also picked up a couple boxes of (really-really) old Krag ammo that he also no longer needed, and something interesting:

Ghost Ring

Got the Factory sight-kit the other evening, and after fiddling around managed to get the rear installed. The front requires silver-soldering and I’m pretty sure I’m not gonna be able to get that done with a soldering pencil. Anyhow it’s looking pretty decent; klicken zum Vergrößerung.


While other photo weenies have returned to the Glories of the Past, I guess I had enough of that. And at the time and having been forcibly moved-on there’s not much un-spent baggage left strewn about the lawn. I am enjoying the abilities of this modest little (albeit obsolete already) camera – but/and as in the not-so-glorious past, I really seriously hate the whole, “it needs batteries” thing. That didn’t fly in the 3rd World where electricity was scarce and weird, and batteries became unglued and weep nasty poop on everything. My old ’67 Nikon-F didn’t even have the (ugly and bulky) Photomic metering-viewfinder, it was all mechanical – like a 12-guage.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

What to take to Rendezvous Eeks for Show-and-Tell?!? I think it may be something smelly…and something that comes apart.

7.62 NATO

Came across this interesting and certainly preiswert ammo at the Kaufhaus Der Kapitalismus last Sunday while out gathering a few things in the 100-degree heat. Seems like it would be fine blasting fodder in the NATO Ishapore. My buddy who had The Ishapore apart and re-parked said it might a few fouling shots to clear the chamber of crud…so this would be in keeping with that. At first I thought the “ZQ” designation was some kind of Zombie-appeal, but it turns out that it’s just foreign. MKE = Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi, (of Kurumu, Turkey)…
However the Interwebz chattering-class reports are varied. Some say that this Turkish FMJBT stuff is very good, other reports suggest it’s loaded hot. Interestingly on the box is the claim, “lot tested to assure less than one minute of angle at 100 meters.”
The Ishapore Arsenal actually uses very good steel and the No. 1 Mk III* was re-designed for the Nato 7.62 round – it’s not a conversion from the .303’s already in existence, so I shouldn’t be too worried… And I have another one in .303 that I’ll bring along to the Rendezvous for comparison purposes.

Meh Doux Blarg – The Reading

Being a bit under the weather is a fine time to do some reading – between naps and old-people stuff – and so far have finished Bobbi’s  I Work On A Starship and then went on to Jim’s The Grey Man: Vignettes (Volume 1)  and after that (yesterday) finished Marko’s Terms of Enlistment before getting into Bill’s humongous tome, Lightning Fall: A Novel of Disaster – really all very well and seriously done works.
Bobbie get’s props for Space Nazis (!) and the very early years of Star-flight (had me going back to The Old Negro Space Program, almost) in such a detailed technical way that even the door-latched close with a realistic clang that even The USOS Seaview never had.  I’m glad to say I have met two out of four of the writers, and hope to meet the rest sometime in a gun-fun situation.

Jim get’s props for being and knowing Real Americans as it were – and the Heart of Texas, plus some double-good take-down scenes as his Gray Man yarn goes from the dusty back-country to the high seas to political with romance and sniper-work thrown in for good measure, “Sling UP!”

Marko‘s works takes us through two military services, and then off-planet away from a dystopian soylent-green scenario to the siege of a space-colony under duress by alien weather-makers…

And Bill is quintessentially Bill – and good at it, weaving together multiple character POV’s, both good-guys and bad-guys and greasy politicians and people in-between, in a Tale of Destruction, as the US sags and collapses under the weight of a terrorist EMP attack. Only *I* have to get over the Beretta Tomcat, but/since he’s worked it well into the plot – and also I’m only on page 139.