We had a shoot

[gcrank1]

This past weekend a friend hosted a casual shoot back in the hidden valley he lives in. We've been going for some years for (mostly) single shot rifle shoots, buffalo, schuetzen, and 22 Sil. out to 200yd., with the properly scaled critters for that field. A couple of years ago he thought up a 'Boys Rifle Match, with those same critters at 12.5/25/37.5 and 50yd, all offhand, with traditional, open sighted boys 22 rifles and CBs only (they will barely topple the rams at 50 with a hit in the upper 2/3s). Then the light bulb blinked and he tried that same course of fire with a handgun and 22LR ammo and it is a challenge!
So we did it, and nobody cleaned the rails, we all made some dang good shots, some blunders, a lot of close misses and had a ball; put the fun factor wayyyy up there.
BTW, I ended up using the Ruger SS 3 screw I picked up last fall, and hadnt shot much. It has the optional undercut patridge target front blade, and it performed wonderfully. I thought my trigger was pretty good until I tried the host's 1949 Colts Officer Model Special, when I again used mine it just didnt want to go off (ya gotta love those old, broke in actions!).
Lots of good iron, good weather, food, friends and fun......nothin' better in my book.

[Graybeard]

We used to shoot the rimfire rifle silhouettes with iron sighted handguns at the same distances but in meters not yards at my friend Billy Doss' house. Billy is now deceased and much missed as are the shoots we used to hold.

For sure they are a challenge with iron sighted handguns. Billy mostly used his Ruger Single Six with 9.5" barrel but had an old High Standard he had a local gunsmith replace the barrel on. He used an 11" section of Marlin M60 barrel. I think that was the most accurate handgun any of us shot and several of us used it from time to time. My primary gun was a S&W M17 with 8-3/8" barrel that I thinned the front sight on.

We also had a chicken swinger we shot at 25 meters with the iron sighted rimfires. Most times it took six of six to win those matches and hardly ever did less than five of six win. We might do that match from ten to twenty times in a day.

We accumulated a five gallon bucket full of emtpy 22LR brass one summer just from the revolvers used. I also had a Ruger MK I or II don't recall which with 10" barrel I used sometimes.

Lots of good memories from those days.

[gcrank1]

Great minds think alike, Bill  !
I should also mention that since this was for fun and, at best, braggin' rights, we didnt get hung up on rules (other than safety). It was any 22LR (no Mags), any hold and any sight. A lot of handguns were tried but mostly it came down to revolvers, those mostly single actions, with bulk 22 LR ammo and shot 'standing up on your hind legs shootin' like a man', with one hand. Most of us are crowdin' 60, so the old adage,'old age and experience overcomes youth and enthusiasm' proved true.......but my bifocal eyes sure envy those young'uns!