Well today I took my long-planned trip to Nick's Honey Island!
First of all, let me say this is a really nice range. The range officers were all friendly and they were ever vigilant! It was a great experience altogether, and I can't wait to go back.
I first hit the 25-yard pistol range, and shot at the falling metal plates at 25 yards until the range went cold. I then set up a series of targets at about 8 yards, off to the side so that I could still shoot the plates as well. The plates were addictingly fun! I shot my XD9sc, XDM40, and my Buckmark; it was a blast making the plates ring with the .22, and I actually made 2 of them fall over with some rapid bell-ringing .22 action!
I was having so much fun with the Buckmark (and after blowing through several boxes of 9mm and 40) that I went over to the rimfire area, and shot at their pop-up "squirrel" targets. Three rows high and about a dozen or more "squirrels" wide, these metal targets just brought a continuous grin to my face. I really get a kick out of reactive targets.
After that I moved over to the rifle range. I unpacked all the gear, and when the range was cold I set up targets at 25 and 50 yards. I started out with my AR-15, which I had really been looking forward to shooting. I did not get the sights completely set by the end of the first mag, and when I put the second mag in, the rifle stopped ejecting rounds. I had to manually operate the charging handle after each shot. I'm extremely perturbed at this... it sounds like a gas issue, but I'm just not sure what happened. I just packed it back up and tried not to let it ruin my day, and it didn't.
When the range went cold again I set up another target at around 15 yards, and prepared to shoot my Draco pistol. This gun is the reason I came to Honey Island rather than going to Nick's, which has a policy not against unruly shooters, but against the firearm itself. Honey Island has a policy that your shots must connect with the protective berm behind the targets, which makes a lot more sense to me than disallowing a particular firearm.
As I started getting the sights lined up, a couple of people started helping me spot the shots, and soon I had my el-cheapo red dot right where I wanted it. Let me say, I'm so impressed with this Draco! It's incredibly accurate, and the only reason it wasn't bullseye every time is because of my inability to maintain correct grip and trigger control on it. I think with (much!) more time on it, I could maintain a fairly decent degree of accuracy with it. It gets HOT!!! You could definitely cook something on the barrel after a few rounds. Still, I had a fantastic time shooting it and it's not uncontrollable; it is a bit unwieldy and awkward, but I believe time with the weapon would compensate for that.
Lastly I shot my .17 HMR, which was probably the most fun out of the whole bunch. It was unerringly, eerily accurate. Hitting the 100 yard plates wasn't even a challenge. My friend who was with me shot one of the staples off a target I had set up at 50 yards. At 100 yards, I shot a 5-shot group that could be covered with a coca cola bottle cap. Yeah, I love this rifle!!
So 5 hours after I arrived, I left Honey Island with a shirt soaking wet with sweat and a grin that stretched ear to ear. I don't think I had that much fun at Six Flags. I couldn't ask for more out of a range, except maybe air conditioning!
I can't wait to go back.
Now what the heck is wrong with my AR.... ugh...
Peace,
Swami
First of all, let me say this is a really nice range. The range officers were all friendly and they were ever vigilant! It was a great experience altogether, and I can't wait to go back.
I first hit the 25-yard pistol range, and shot at the falling metal plates at 25 yards until the range went cold. I then set up a series of targets at about 8 yards, off to the side so that I could still shoot the plates as well. The plates were addictingly fun! I shot my XD9sc, XDM40, and my Buckmark; it was a blast making the plates ring with the .22, and I actually made 2 of them fall over with some rapid bell-ringing .22 action!
I was having so much fun with the Buckmark (and after blowing through several boxes of 9mm and 40) that I went over to the rimfire area, and shot at their pop-up "squirrel" targets. Three rows high and about a dozen or more "squirrels" wide, these metal targets just brought a continuous grin to my face. I really get a kick out of reactive targets.
After that I moved over to the rifle range. I unpacked all the gear, and when the range was cold I set up targets at 25 and 50 yards. I started out with my AR-15, which I had really been looking forward to shooting. I did not get the sights completely set by the end of the first mag, and when I put the second mag in, the rifle stopped ejecting rounds. I had to manually operate the charging handle after each shot. I'm extremely perturbed at this... it sounds like a gas issue, but I'm just not sure what happened. I just packed it back up and tried not to let it ruin my day, and it didn't.
When the range went cold again I set up another target at around 15 yards, and prepared to shoot my Draco pistol. This gun is the reason I came to Honey Island rather than going to Nick's, which has a policy not against unruly shooters, but against the firearm itself. Honey Island has a policy that your shots must connect with the protective berm behind the targets, which makes a lot more sense to me than disallowing a particular firearm.
As I started getting the sights lined up, a couple of people started helping me spot the shots, and soon I had my el-cheapo red dot right where I wanted it. Let me say, I'm so impressed with this Draco! It's incredibly accurate, and the only reason it wasn't bullseye every time is because of my inability to maintain correct grip and trigger control on it. I think with (much!) more time on it, I could maintain a fairly decent degree of accuracy with it. It gets HOT!!! You could definitely cook something on the barrel after a few rounds. Still, I had a fantastic time shooting it and it's not uncontrollable; it is a bit unwieldy and awkward, but I believe time with the weapon would compensate for that.
Lastly I shot my .17 HMR, which was probably the most fun out of the whole bunch. It was unerringly, eerily accurate. Hitting the 100 yard plates wasn't even a challenge. My friend who was with me shot one of the staples off a target I had set up at 50 yards. At 100 yards, I shot a 5-shot group that could be covered with a coca cola bottle cap. Yeah, I love this rifle!!
So 5 hours after I arrived, I left Honey Island with a shirt soaking wet with sweat and a grin that stretched ear to ear. I don't think I had that much fun at Six Flags. I couldn't ask for more out of a range, except maybe air conditioning!
I can't wait to go back.
Now what the heck is wrong with my AR.... ugh...
Peace,
Swami
