The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hello Gents,

I've been out of action and not shooting since about April of last year. My shooting shoulder suffered a torn rotator cuff and other damage so I went under the knife for significant surgery. In September of last year my wife and I relocated out of the Los Angeles area to a small town south of Raleigh in North Carolina. I now have deer and fox in my back yard and my neighbor 4 houses down has a shooting range in his back yard. I like it here.

My shoulder has healed enough that I have joined a shooting club and started shooting again. So far it has been only rimfire and .223 rifles and some handguns but I plan to start some 7.62mm shooting next week.

To celebrate my move to North Carolina I have purchased several firearms. The first I bought is a Colt AR15A4. This is a civilian version of the Military M16A4 minus the full auto feature. It comes with a removable carry handle with the rear sight adustable to 600m.

I added a Burris 332 3x illuminated sight and a Rock River Arms two stage match trigger. It is a real honey of a shooter!

The range I now belong to has steel targets to 550 yards. I was able to get hits on the man size steel plate at 550 yards with no problem with this rifle.

It is pure indulgence on my part but at my age, why wait any longer?



The rifle



The rifle line

There are some serious shooters at this club. A member was shooting his .300 Winchester Magnum with surpressor when I was there recently, something only seen in the hands of law enforcement at my old residence in California. Another gent had some sort of NASA electronic range finder and shot recorder set up with his Ruger precision rifle.

AR15s are just plain fun, aren't they?

Is the Ordnance Corps badge significant (i.e. are you an ordnance man)?

nice to hear you are back shooting again. Age is something you write on a piece of paper, so what wrong with having a bit of fun?
Nice rifle

DaveB wrote:AR15s are just plain fun, aren't they?

Is the Ordnance Corps badge significant (i.e. are you an ordnance man)?

That was one of two of my branches in my Army service, the other being Signal Corps but most of my time was as an Ordnance officer which corresponds to your REME. I held leadership and staff positions for 20 years with the Army/Army Reserve/Army National Guard and another 10 years with a State Defense Force. I got to handle a lot of weapons during that time, from .22 pistols to 105mm howitzers (I guess you don't really 'handle' a 105, you 'man-handle' it!).

Hi mate, great to see you back with us and shooting again


Alan

Welcome back.

Good luck with relocation - I guess place was related to gunlaws and range availability!! Hope shoulder progresses too.

Rifle pics are most welcome, pistol pics bring a lump to my throat and I can't see for tears!! (Keep 'em coming though!!)

JohnG :cornwall:

Thanks all! I've always felt welcome here.

Relo was due to no employment where I was and our grandchildren being in this area. We were able to sell the CA house, pay cash for a nicer place on 1.5 acres and bank a lot of money. Got to love those inflated California real estate prices! Now I have a job again starting in February so no more going to the range whenever I wish. I was ok with being unemployed but the wife wasn't.



The view out the back with yet another purchase, a Remington Speedmaster .22. A classy adult-size .22. I need to scope it though, my eyes are not what they used to be, but then, what is anymore?

Welcome back,it seems like the perfect life to me,

Welcome back, hope all is well with the injury.

rufrdr wrote:

DaveB wrote:AR15s are just plain fun, aren't they?

Is the Ordnance Corps badge significant (i.e. are you an ordnance man)?

That was one of two of my branches in my Army service, the other being Signal Corps but most of my time was as an Ordnance officer which corresponds to your REME. I held leadership and staff positions for 20 years with the Army/Army Reserve/Army National Guard and another 10 years with a State Defense Force. I got to handle a lot of weapons during that time, from .22 pistols to 105mm howitzers (I guess you don't really 'handle' a 105, you 'man-handle' it!).

I started out in the infantry, but when I blew my knee out only a few years in, I changed to ordnance. I was an Ammunition Technical Officer. Spent most of my time in EOD, and of course, ammunition. In most of the British Commonwealth the ordnance corps (among others) was swallowed up by 'Logistics'. In the UK, the Royal Army Ordnance Corps became the Royal Logistics Corps, and here the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps became the Royal New Zealand Logistics Regiment. .I served 22 years in the Canadian Army, then retired, moved to New Zealand and served another 18 years in the New Zealand Army. Then they brought me back as a civilian - where I still remain. Fortunately in the process of testing ammunition, I still get to handle weapons, and explosives.