David Bradshaw Photos Vol XCIV Safari Silhouette Pt. 4

[Lee Martin]

Setup for SAFARI SILHOUETTE SHOOT at Fusilier Complex range adjacent the great Atchafalaya Basin in south-central Louisiana——Acadiana, otherwise known as Cajun Country. Perspective approximates view the shooter sees while sighting over a handgun. First row of targets is at 50 yards, second at 100, with distant row at left 200 yards.



Closer view shows a mixture of targets at each distance, with 7 silhouettes at 50 yards, and 6 and 6 at 100 & 200 yds. Painted sticks with flagging separate the two banks of silhouettes at each distance. A sighter gong at each distance. Time limit per bank, 2.5-minutes, with no limit on ammo. This allowed persons with little or no experience in silhouette to keep trying. It was “shoot what you bring,” with no score kept. An eye-opener for the shooter who had not shot a handgun at long range.



Looks like a Colt ejector on the old Ruger flattop. A custom basepin, perhaps? Barrel started as a 6-1/2-inch .357; rebored to .41 and shortened to 5-inches



David Bradshaw w/ Les Baer 1911 Super Tac .45 ACP; Joe Hawkins w/ old model Ruger .41 Mag rebore; Paul Robichaux w/ Ruger Blackhawk .357 Maximum



Keith Phillips w/ T/C Contender 7x30 JDJ; Keane Derange w/ Super Blackhawk .44 Mag; Marcel Bergeron w/ Redhawk .44 Mag.



Neil “Foot" McDonald w/ blue Super Blackhawk .44 campaigned years ago in IHMSA (Bowen micro-sight added since); Steve Bernard w/ Redhawk .44 Mag (SBH & Redhawk trigger work by Bradshaw); Garland Frederick w/ S&W M-686 .357 Mag; Dale Prejan w/ Colt Python .357 Mag. All four are Range Safety Officers (RSO) at Fusilier Complex



Bisley Blackhawk----smithed to reflect the Ruger 03——shed its front sight. Crummy solder job. Jim Stroh made the front sight; obviously not a Stroh installation



Customized Ruger Blackhawk in .41 Magnum, a rebored .357 dating to Ruger's adaptation of Colt’s Peacemaker lockwork. Joe Hawkins pulled up, never having shot a handgun past 50 yards. Old-time coaching/spotting got him on, and Joe did very well indeed.



Not to be denied, Les Baer M1911 Super Tac shot steel from the hind leg pose. Remington .45 Golden saber 230 JHP, seated over 8.5/Accurate #5 (866 fps), wheel-barrowed the lead out to 200 yards. Holding a chunk of front sight did the job.



As a stable mate to his Blackhawk .41 Mag, Joe Hawkins brought along his old model Single-Six in .32 H&R Mag. Both guns tasted steel out to 200 yards



Jim Stroh rebarreled this Freedom Arms .44 Magnum to Bradshaw specifications. Shilen 10-inch x .429” groove x 1:16” twist barrel wears a pinch of 11-degree forcing cone. Stroll fashioned rear sling swivel stud from tool grade stainless. Acts as forward trigger guard screw with enlarged threads. Trigger work by Bradshaw, with lightened hammer from Freedom Arms. Drilled hammer should not be put on .454 Casull. SKS T'SOB mount, Leopold QRW medium height quick release rings. Leopold LER 2.5-8x32mm scope with factory target knobs and dot reticle. Clicks very close to 1/2-inch @ 100 yards.



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[Lee Martin]

David - your photo essays always inspire more range time. Safari Silhouette is no exception. This past weekend I clanked chickens at 100 yards with my 7mm International Rimmed. I shot half creedmoor, half offhand in between PPC barrel cleanings. It was a blast.



139 gr Hornady, 20.0 SR 4759



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[bradshaw]

In the old school pose of the man in red shirt holding Les Baer 1911 Super Tac, the pistol points at the sky----not at brainpan of Joe Hawkins. This is a perspective illusion intrinsic to a two-dimensional image, such as a photograph. Persons raised in two-dimensional society may see this as a lapse in MUZZLE CONTROL. Those brought up in the three-dimensional world know better.

Note, also, the "Redhawk" described in cut-lines is really a Super Redhawk!

Lee.... big thanks,
David Bradshaw

[lscg]

great Pictures Mr. Bradshaw!

I especially liked the two old model Rugers owned by Joe Hawkins and your Les Baer. I bet it's a lot of fun lobbing those 45acp's to the 200 yard mark. I've done it at 100 yards and found the short little round can sure get the job done.

[kings6]

I agree with you David on Jim not installing the free ranging front sight. Jim's front sights featured 3 screws for attachment to the barrel but his front sight blade design concealed all the mounting screws. In my opinion, one of the cleanest and classiest front sight base/blade combinations available. When Jim retired I tried to talk him into just making hsi front sights and at first he considered this then decided to retire fully.

[bradshaw]

kings6.... appreciate your note on Jim Stroh and his sight.

lscg.... perhaps Joe Hawkins will throw in with his .41 Mag and .32 H&R handloads. As to the Les Baer 1911 Super Tac, expect a .45 ACP sighted for 50 yards to drop 1.6-feet (below Point of Aim) at 100 yards. And for the 230 grain slug to drop 7-8 feet @ 200 yards. A shot barreled .45 ACP----which, writers are fond to chant, "doesn't give up much to the long barrel"----drops more.

As the Safari Silhouette Shoot tapered down, Fusilier Complex RSO Paul Robichaux introduced our only paid target setter, a young lad from Russia, to an S&W M&P 9mm pistol with Trijicon sight. Doubt the kid had ever fired a handgun. Robichaux put the kid on the sandbag with the 9mm and got him honed in to where the young Russian was punching steel at 50 yards. Mind you, the 9mm Luger is pretty anemic at this game, especially when confronting grumpy targets. And, despite their clean appearance, some of these targets were grumpy. To wrap a fine day of shooting steel we reset the silhouettes, and gathered shooters stepped to the line to clean the rails.
David Bradshaw

[Aeroscout]

It was a pleasure to shoot with you Gents in Arnaudville, LA! I learned a lot and gained a new level of confidence shooting at distance. Hundred yard challenge thread?? Coming right up.
The OM 41 Maggie is wearing a new model 41 barrel cut back to 5 inches, with a cylinder rebored from 357 to 41. Cylinder pin is a new model blackhawk pin from Belt Mountain. Colt ejectors are standard on my guns that I shoot the most. Load I like best In it, so far, is 225 RNFP from Missouri Bullet over 6.6 grains of 700x. Don't have a chrono, but it's reliable and accurate and easy to shoot too. I'd guess it's going about 1000fps, maybe a tad less.

[bradshaw]

geezerd.... you’re looking for a blank to carve up an octagon barrel with integral front sight ramp. Among these photos of our Silhouette Safari Shoot in Louisiana last year, there is a shot of the Jim Stroh installation of a 10-inch 1:16 Shilen barrel on a Freedom Arms Model 1983 .44 Magnum. Cannot at this moment measure diameter; believe the blank was 1.25-inch. Seems to me you would have sufficient meat for a ramp. It is better to affix a somewhat tall blade, than to have a nubbin blade that hides in a 5 o’clock shadow.

The barrel pictured, which Jim Stroh turned and finished in collaboration with my desires, reflects Shilen barrel stock diameter, turned the minimal amount necessary to create a smooth bull contour from ejector housing to muzzle. The barrel tapers .011-inch (as I recall) from frame to end of ejector. Which raises ta question: is your octagon to be straight, or tapered? The answer determines the angle of and clearance for the ejector rod as it enters & exits each chamber.
David Bradshaw