6/6 with the Malcolm 8X Scope and Malcolm Vintage Sniper Competition Mounts

 It was almost a disaster. We planned to sight in our Malcolm 8X USMC scope with the new competition mounts and confirm our calculated ballistic data.

On the morning of range day, I went to my gun safe and, to my horror, realized that I was completely out of 30-06 ammo.

Due to the recent surge in demand for ammo, all the nearby shops were completely out of 30-06 ammo.

I start combing through my contact list to see if anybody near me has any extra 30-06. Then it dawned on me.

You see, I feel very blessed to have many mentors in the shooting sports. One of these mentors is my Italian "grandfather" Leo, a Korean War veteran. Leo brought me many "firsts" in my journey into the shooting sports.

He taught me how to clean and load a shotgun, coached me through my first round of trap shooting, took me on my first dove hunt among many other experiences.

Of all the people I know, he would have some extra 30-06 laying around.

And surely, he did! 

Leo gave us a few stripper clips of surplus Greek HXP 30-06 ammo.

"Have Fun!" he exclaimed as we pulled out of his driveway.

Oh we definitely will. Off to the range we go!

We quickly get setup on the first available bench at Desert Marksman.

Eagerly, I loaded up 3 rounds into the magazine of the 03A1 Springfield rifle.

As I went to close the bolt, I noticed some resistance. I could not close it all the way, nor could I open the bolt. After trying to force the bolt open to no avail, Scott was able to tap the action open using his trusty Leatherman.

The Range Officer 007 AKA John at Desert Marksman was quietly observing our frantic struggle from the next lane.

"You don't mess with these rifles often, huh?" He said.

"No sir," I replied, "we usually shoot factory ammo, but today we're shooting surplus ammo."

John, a Vietnam War veteran, takes a look at the bottom of the brass.

"Ahh this is good stuff. Greek HXP, you can tell by the markings and the crimped primer on the bottom of the brass" he remarked.

He explained that surplus ammo often has grime and grit on the brass due to improper storage over the years. This can cause the bolt to seize up in the action.

007 advised that dabbing a drop of gun oil on the first and last rounds in the magazine would allow the rifle to cycle the surplus ammo smoothly.

With that, we were back in business.

Our calculated ballistics data were spot on. We were 6/6 from 100 to 600 yards after getting sighted in at 100 yards.

Looking back, this video would not have been possible without the amazing guidance of Leo and John. It's moments like these that endear me to the shooting community.

When you were getting started in the shooting sports, did you have any amazing mentors that showed you the ropes?

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