Frustrated!!

[COSteve]

Due to the extreme hot and dry weather for the last 6+ weeks triggering a Stage 2 fire ban (read no outdoor shooting in the whole county) our range has been closed. Add to that a wild fire close to our range last week keeping it still closed even today and it's been forever since I've been able to go out and make smoke.

So I've been relegated to cleaning and prep'ing brass, inventorying my components, and ensuring I had the proper quantity of the various calibers I need loaded and ready to go.

Inventorying and weighing my powder kegs I found that I had 2 lbs less of W-748 than I thought but had 1½ lbs of Unique and 1 lb more TAC than I had listed on my charts. As I use more of the TAC and Unique by far than W-748 I consider that a win!

I also found I had a loose wire to the LED taillight bulb on my custom $6.18 center toolhead light I made in 2018 caused by constantly pulling it out of the center of the toolhead to swap calibers so I re-soldered it and secured it with some silicone so it's GTG.

In addition, I found a box with 198 Speer 180grn .40s&w Gold Dot HP, packaged under Vendor STK No. 953962B and sold in 250 rd lots back in 2004 for $30 as they had the wrong primer for the LEO contract they were produced for. I thought I'd shot all of those decades ago.

Then I weighed my stock of ammo for count and found I had 53 more Hornady FMJ 62 grn 5.56 loads but 19 less 255 grn .45 Colt than I had recorded. I know that all sounds boring but I've been relegated to these as they are the only things I have left to do.

[earlmck]

Thanks Steve -- you make me realize how fortunate I have been so far. Plenty of fires burning in Oregon these days but they haven't closed off our shooting access (yet). We have our annual BPCR Buffalo Shoot coming up in weekend after next. Hope our fire bureaucrats don't get nuts and close us down (as they did a couple years ago). So far the smoke haze has just been about right to soften the light for better target visibility through the iron sights.

[samsi]

I don't recall that our range has closed during fire season, but during a particularly bad one in recent years we were restricted to the first 100 yards only. It has closed for extended periods twice during monsoon seasons when the road washed out. My main use of the established range tends to be during fire restrictions when I can't just go shoot on BLM/USFS land.

In component news, earlier today I discovered 165 R-P 44 mag cases in a coffee can in the garage. No idea how many times they've been fired but they'll be fine for medium loads, which is the bulk of what I shoot these days anyhow.

[COSteve]

Jefferson County issued the Stage 2 Ban and it is located at the eastern base of the Rockies and west well into them. East of the Denver area is mostly farm land. So, there aren't many places left to shoot within an hour's drive from here except indoor ranges where they're mostly short pistol length or private ones where I'm not a member. I shoot mainly out at 200+ yds so I'm sort of out of luck until the ban is lifted.

[Bill in Oregon]

Understand your frustration, Steve. This business of wildfires and weeks to months of acrid smoke is not a "new norm" that I care for one bit.
You sure keep detailed records!

[Bronco]

Air gun !!
I know I know it does not make smoke ! But it is shooting nonetheless.

[Paladin]

The Firebans here are only for National Forest shooting on private property not a problem. I built an impact pit for the targets.

Targets test.jpg

[COSteve]

Air gun !!
I know I know it does not make smoke ! But it is shooting nonetheless.

The problem with an air gun for me is that you don't need to handload to shoot it. For me, handloading my ammo is a big part of why I enjoy shooting now.

[Bronco]

Huh !
What kind of air rifle you got ??
Every time I shoot my spring piston air rifle I have to cock it and reload a pellet!

JK I know what you mean! Trying to make lemonade out of lemons!