The joys of people and shooting recoil

I finally made good on my comments from last week and got out and did some stuff unrelated to house and yard work, doctor visits, and everyday living!

We made the Hatcher Pass loop in the RV on one of the prettiest days of the summer. It was hot, but with clear skies and unlimited visibility, the views over Hatcher Pass did not disappoint! I noted a few things on this trip. First, on a beautiful, sunny day, even if it’s in the middle of the week, there will be crowds of people all over the top of the pass.

I don’t know what was going on, but everybody seemed to congregate near the top and parked such that the road was almost blocked off. There was one spot where I had to stop, back up and reorient so the on-coming traffic could get by. Once the four cars were through, I could drive our 22-foot RV down the greatly condensed road width to get between the double row of parked vehicles.

The other thing I was reminded of and further learned about were the switchbacks on the narrow gravel road. Some of the nearly 180-degree turns required the entire width of the road surface for me to make the turn in the RV. And, of course, all these turns were on steep and narrow sections of the road. On other parts of the road, my wife got nervous as we drove along, and she looked out her window at the shear drop down the side of the “mountain” on her side of the road.

Despite all that, the trip was enjoyable, and we both actually had a good time. We will make the trip again, only this time in a smaller vehicle. We’ll rely on the State Parks outhouses rather than carry our own. I was just reminded that driving an RV off the main roads in Alaska can be a challenge to maneuver and cover the territory.

The second thing involved attending the monthly Mt. McKinley Mountain Men monthly blackpowder rifle shoot at the range south of Palmer. I brought the 69-caliber rifle I have written about before to check on sight adjustments and get some practice in before hunting season. My intension was not to necessarily compete but rather to just get some shooting in.

I learned some lessons here as well. First, I still have some work to do raising the group to point of aim. At 50 yards, the rifle was shooting on, windage wise, but was still about 6 to 8 inches low. I can see more filing on the front sight in my future.

Second, I was shooting 100 grains of powder behind a round ball that weighs between 450 and 500 grains – that’s right around an ounce. I knew the recoil would be uncomfortable, but it ended up being downright nasty! And, to put things into perspective, that powder charge is on the lighter side. If I was “loading for bear,” I could easily have loaded 150 to 200 grains of powder behind that same round ball.

This is where the “lead sled” I recently picked up will come in handy. I can finish getting the sights adjusted while letting the lead sled take the recoil beating. I can take the recoil for one or two shots, which is what I would expect if I was hunting with the gun. However, shooting a 30-shot match is definitely out of the question!

Now for my final gripe! Both my wife and I have been viewing items on the Facebook Market. We have purchased several items each, depending on what we were looking for. That’s where I got the lead sled I mentioned earlier. The only downside is meeting to make the exchange of cash for item.

My wife hasn’t had this problem, but I have. After the arrangements are made, time to meet and location set, the other party changes something. Twice now, after telling the seller how long it takes me to get to wherever, that person sends me a message right before the meeting time to see if things are still a go or to change the meeting time. The guy selling the lead sled decided to contact me maybe 45 minutes before we were to meet with me having over an hour to drive. Luckily, he showed up on time and everything went well.

This last time, the seller never showed up, even an hour-and-a-half after the agreed time.

I hate that!