Aiming update

I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing differently except aiming a little lower, but it seems to be working.

Both targets at 25', seated.

First 15 rounds at 25'.

Last ten rounds at 25'.

Farby.

I found this picture from 1993.  It was in the newspaper. Shall we list what's wrong?

"Tunnel" hat held on by polyester ribbon.
Bangs.
Wearing stays without a sleeved garment over them. (But hey! At least I was in stays and not the mythical "bodice".)
And ... I'm using a lucet.

I've come a long way.

Aim small, miss small.

I’ve been taking my Crosman pellet rifle out for a little recoil therapy in the eveninigs now that it’s not dark at 5:00. I love that I can be outside shooting less than 10 minutes after I get the urge. Being a n00b, I love that I can practice the four rules without worrying about being *that* person at the range. And in the event of a catastrophic failure of the 4 rules, it’s unlikely I’m going to do all that much damage.

So, I set up along the garage and at a range of 25 – 30 feet I can work on using those strange things called “sights”. (The closest thing I’ve got on my flintlocks is a bayonet lug. The matchlock takes a plug bayonet, so I don’t even have that.) The problem is that my Crosman has a lovely fiber optic sight that appears bigger than the thumbprint sized targets I’m aiming at so I end up having to guess at the last second. My groups at that range are averaging 1 ½” – 2” per 5 shots, but I’d really like to be able to see what I’m trying to hit.

Does anyone have any low cost suggestions?

Manchester Banyan, part 4 - collar

I using the piece I'd pinned on earlier as a pattern, I cut out another collar piece so I had two -- one for the inside and one for the outside. I also cut out some stiff interfacing to sandwich in between do the collar (hopefully) won't collapse.

The interfacing is basted to the collar, and the collar is machine sewn to the neckline.

Next, putting the right side of the two collar pieces together, I basted around the outer edges.

Then I trimmed off the excess interfacing.

Then I turned the collar right side out, and prick-stitched the outer edge.

I still have to sew down the inside, but it's getting there.

A bandolier

Thanks to Michael W., I am finally getting the last pieces together to go with my matchlock. He made this bandolier for me, and is currently working on the last 6 bottles. I need to lay in more powder and ball, and probably little more slow match. It must be my inner pyromaniac that loves holding burning match and a musket in one hand while pouring loose powder down the barrel from a wooden bottle with the other.

Then I need to practice the gazillion steps to the Caliver Drill. (I don’t have a musket rest, and my hands aren’t big enough for holding the musket and rest for the Musket Drill, which is longer, anyway.) That way if a certain blogger who has mentioned an interest in matchlocks hasn’t fired one, I’ll be ready if we ever meet.

The Manchester Banyan, part 3

After setting in the sleeves, I tried to mock up a collar following the proportions of the pattern. It was awful. It didn’t stand high enough, and it appeared that the neckline had stretched out a bit. Even with pinning it together on the sides, it just didn’t sit right. And with the front turned back, it just looked … wrong.

First I basted around the neckline and took up some of the fullness like I did with the sleeves. Then I drew a new pattern, cut it out another collar and pinned it on. Not so great. I slashed it apart to get it to sit properly and he redrew another pattern.

Better, but still not great. So I grabbed a scrap and just sort of winged (wung?) it. This seemed to work a little better. A little trimming and I seemed to get a good fit.

Of course, I forgot to get pictures of it from the back and sides, but that's looking pretty good so far. (Knock wood!)

Why I carry.

This past weekend, Sweet Daughterand I traveled to visit some friends, including a young lady 2 years older than SD.

At one point everyone was in our hotel room, and the other girl looked at the locks on the door and asked if they were there to keep the Bad Guys out. I said yes, and that if they didn’t keep the Bad Guy out, they’d at least slow him down enough so that I could get my pistol (pointing to my range bag) and stop him. Then I told her that, as a grownup, it was my job to keep her and SD safe from Bad Guys, and THAT was why I had a gun.

SD’s friend, who is raised in a liberal, Code White world, cocked her head to one side as a new idea entered her head.
“Sweet Daughter!” I called. “Where would you go if I yelled ‘Wolf*!’”

She looked around the room and said “The closet!”

“Behind the bed against the wall is another good choice”, I said. But, since we’re on the ground floor, we have another option. That grown-up (pointing) could open the window and get you outside while I stopped the Bad Guy.”

And I could almost see the lightbulb start to glow over the head of the other girl.

I grew up in a Code White world, and on my way over to the side of taking responsibility for my own safety, I went through this thought process.

Most good parents worth the title often proclaim that they would die to keep their kids safe. This is noble and selfless and good, but at one point I asked myself why I should die to save Sweet Daughter? Why should she spend the rest of her life without her mother? Wouldn’t it be better if the Bad Guy went down instead? I’m willing to die for my daughter, but more importantly, if one of us is going to take a permanent dirt nap, I’d prefer it not be me.

So, yes. If the threat is there, I’m willing to kill for her. And this past weekend, I found out that I was willing to extend that courtesy to other innocents as well.

* “Wolf” is our code name for Bad Guy.