Well, the last time my son and I went to the rifle range, we met a very interesting guy. He was at the position next to us, and was shooting a beautiful M1 Garand. I asked him where he got it, and it turns out it was one of the CMP "Select Grade" rifles. It was originally made in 1940, but had been completely Arsenal Refurbished, with all select grade parts, new wood, and looked like it just came out-of-the-box.
It was beautiful!
I told him I was interesting in getting into the CMP program, and he gave me a bunch of flyers, explained the entire program to me, and then told me about the Appleseed Project.
Since they go through so much ammo during the two day program, he said they strongly encourage people to use a 22, although you can use a different rifle if you have one.
Since this is basic training, I figured I go with a low-recoil 22 auto-loader, and hopefully "unlearn" any bad habits I may have picked up over the years. I've had a LOT of pistol training over the last 5 years or so, but getting proper rifle training is something I just haven't done....YET!
So, I ordered a little Marlin 60, which should be here in a few days. It'll be delivered to the indoor range I buy all my guns through, so even though I have to wait the 10-day period, I can at least fondle it a bit, and shoot it if I want.
That looks almost exactly like the one I got in 6th grade 30ish years ago. I still have it.
ReplyDeleteYep, it's been in production for a looong time, and Marlin claims it's the "Most popular 22 EVAH"!
ReplyDeleteOne nice thing about training with a .22 is that poor techniques are magnified because it's so light - like jerking the trigger can really pull you off the target. You have to concentrate on being smooth and deliberate - even more so.
ReplyDeleteOh, and congrats and wear well, yer gonna have fun!
I never thought of that, but I can see your point, Jeffro.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the gun blogs and websites I read always seem to say "everybody" who's a serious shooter should own a 22 rifle, so now I'm going to own one.
Cheap to shoot, good for practice, and like you say, great for training.
And I'm really looking forward to the Appleseed shoot. They have them twice a month at places that are close enough to drive to, so after I run a few hundred rounds through the little Marlin, learn about it and how to keep it clean and fed, I'm going to sign up for one.
Excellent. I am saving for land and home construction so keeping the new purchases down to a minimum. Fortunately my friends have a wide assortment of firearms and they do share while at the range.
ReplyDeleteNice little rifle, you'll enjoy that one!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just got the shipping notice, so it'll be at the range tomorrow afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI'll go fill out the paperwork, pay for it, and then the 10-day wait starts.
Brigid, I hope your knee is feeling better. I had that done to my right knee back in 1968, and it was pretty medieval back then. They kept me in the hospital almost a week, and I wasn't even allowed out of bed for the first FOUR DAYS! The first time I went to PT, I got out of the wheel chair, took one step, and went out like a light. They tell me my hand prints are still there on the grab rails!
Looks like a sweet little rifle. We're still planning on adding a .22 or .223 to the collection but recent events ($1400 in vet bills) have us strapped for a while.
ReplyDeleteWell, if I had to make a choice to pay some hefty vet bills, or buy another rifle, the dogs would *definitely* come first!
ReplyDeleteStopped by the range tonight, checked it out, paid the balance on it, and thanks to Kaliforniastan's 10-day wait, I can pick it up the 15th.
BUT....I can go shoot it anytime I want to, and I already have the manual downloaded and just about memorized.....
My daughter & I just got matching Model 60s, and the factory sights are pretty coarse. The front bead completely obscures a 2" target at 25 yards. I recommend either a 2X scope or military-style peep sights, which I found at www.tech-sights.com. Not very expensive, either; I wrote about them on 12/26 at my sight, which you visit from time to time.
ReplyDeleteAhhh...that's the post where we talked about changing the depth-of-field on your camera!
ReplyDeleteI was so 'focused' (pun intended) on the camera issue that it never registered these new sights were on a Marlin 60!
I'll look into getting some better sights for it.
All else considered, how do you like the Marlin 60? Seems like all the other semi-autos that are currently out there use detatchable box magazines, and I've always read a tubular mag worked better for a 22LR rifle, so that's why I went with the marlin 60 instead of a Savage or Marlin 7xx.
I usually shoot the bullseye out at 100 yards with my OLD Winchester Model 190 and a 4 power Redfield scope!
ReplyDeleteThose rifles are fun and cheap - relatively speaking - to shoot.
Have fun.
Diamondback