Target shooting can be fun. Whether it is punching holes in a target, sighting in a gun, or breaking clay targets, it is an activity that is a great way to spend some time on.
What makes it even better is being joined by interesting people. Julien Hugo-Webb, who is relatively new to the area and a White Pond neighbor, messaged me about doing some shooting last week. We had been talking about it for over a year, and were able to finally get together at the Orange Gun Club on Monday. He was motivated by a visit from his friend Jude Ward, who is here from Manchester, England, and really wanted to do some shooting.
We met at the club and Julien wanted to shoot his M1 Garand rifle. The M1 Garand is a historic firearm. It is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Canadian-born engineer John Garand at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Adopted by the U.S. Army in 1936, it became the standard infantry rifle during World War II, replacing the bolt action M1903A3. Both were chambered for 30-06 ammunition, which was the military standard caliber. The M1 was known for its high rate of fire, reliability and the distinctive “ping” sound of its eight-round block clip being ejected. It was used in every major conflict from World War II through the Korean War and was eventually phased out, though versions remained in service for ceremonial purposes, such as firing the salute at military funerals.
We set out a target at 25 yards and put my Caldwell Lead Sled to work. The Lead Sled is designed to hold a rifle in place and allow the shooter to adjust the gun’s aim point minutely, while also virtually eliminating recoil. The open sights of the M1 were adjusted after the first group was fired and soon it was shooting tight groups.
The three of us fired the classic rifle and Julien hit his target at 100 yards and also did well at distance shooting offhand. After that, my Thompson/Center Omega .50-caliber inline was fired and it grouped well, but still needed some adjustment, and it was my choice to save that until later as we had other activities in mind.
Next stop was the trap field where my Champion Wheelybird target thrower was put to use. Utilizing a new 25-foot jumper cable, it was connected to the Silverado’s battery and the boys “had at it!” Julien brought a 12-gauge pump gun and my 28-gauge Ruger Red Label over/under and my 20-gauge Franchi over/under were all used. A lot of targets were broken as Jude took to it quickly.
Next stop was the pistol range, where Julien’s Glock compact semi-auto handgun and my Smith & Wesson M&P, both 9 mm, went through some ammo shooting at the metal targets. Jude noted that doing any shooting in England is much more difficult and recreational ranges are virtually non-existent while the upper class enjoys driven bird shoots.
Sporting clay shooting is, however, the most popular recreational shooting and some of the most famous shotgun shooting coaches are British. This writer is familiar with Neil Chadwick and Jack Mitchell from my Ducks Unlimited days. The Orvis shooting schools teach the English style of wing shooting, but the reality is that shooting is much more restricted in the United Kingdom. We had a great time, and the ranges at the Orange Gun Club are outstanding.
This week also provided a really enjoyable opportunity for me to spend time with a young Brittany and his master, who was interested in training the dog for bird hunting, an activity that he had never tried. He got my name from a co-worker and our conversation led to my meeting him and the pup. Since this writer has been blessed with many experienced “dog people” giving me advice since my early teens, it was a chance to give back.
The dog is 12 weeks old and still very much a puppy. We took a walk, but the first order of business was putting on the dog what yours truly considers the most important tool in dog training – a 40-foot length of parachute cord with a copper snap. With that cord you can always control a dog and guarantee it will do what you ask.
My advice was to do what is called “yard training.” That is teaching the dog the basic commands such as “come,” “whoa” and “heel.” The most important thing is to make sure that the dog understands what the commands require. With the cord, you can make sure that the dog complies every time. With a puppy you repeat and repeat and lavish praise, treats or both every time the dog does what you want. That repetition, if done consistently, will lead to habits that become learned behavior. That is the foundation that is needed to get to the level of training required to produce a good pointing bird dog.
Speaking of bird dogs, Tessie’s master finally got off his butt and undertook a search for some birds to do some training. Before heading to covers to work wild woodcock, the plan was to use some planted birds for steadiness training. With Hedgerow closed, that valuable training resource was gone, but they did have a few chukars left. That gave me tools to train and Tessie, over four days, did some really nice pointing work – scenting birds from a distance, holding firm and then remaining steady as the birds flushed and the blank gun was fired.
On ensuing sets, the birds were dropped and she waited for the command to fetch. Her retrieves are not always perfect but more than adequate, and now we can move to the next phase and look for some woodcock. With it being so dry, that will be interesting, but it is also part of the next conditioning phase for both dogs and hunter.
Laney, meanwhile, is good to go at age 9 and just needs a few outings to get tuned up. Now the challenge is to redo my entire fall schedule, which has been disrupted by the uncertainty the wildfires have created in Nova Scotia.
Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.