Pinnacle Mountain State ParkA view of Pinnacle Mountain from Arkansas 300 (the last photo of the day, as the weather begins to change):  The price hikes in ammo over the summer are prompting me to either start handloading or switch to an economical caliber. I consider investing in a reloading setup to produce my monthly 600 rounds of 40 and 38 -- or changing over to a 9mm 1911. Little Maumelle river at the western trailhead of the Base Trail (altimeter reads 290 feet):  At first, I decide to buy a 9mm 1911. I'll keep the 40 auto to shoot Cherokee IPSC major occasionally and sell the 38/357 revolver. But a funny thing happens. Along the Base Trail:  I take the revolver and my remaining 38/357 ammo to the range and set up the IDPA classifier: might as well get an SSR classification before selling it. The 38 ammo is gone in 2 runs of the classifier (162.23 MM, 142.58 SS). I still have the 357 ammo, which I've never tried. It's late, and I'm tired -- do I want to shoot up the ammo or give it to the next owner? The Base Trail is a mile-long warmup to the East Summit trail (around 570 feet here):  I decide to just shoot the first 3 strings and see how the 357 ammo performs. During the first string, a smile creeps across my face: this caliber is too much fun to abandon! The revolver's sights almost track like my 40 auto's. I shoot the whole classifier (143.44 SS) -- and keep the brass. Put away the trekking poles, do some light stretching, squeeze out the GU and wash it down with Gatorade, then follow the trailblazes, which have moved from the trees onto the mountain:  I shoot because I enjoy it, and the throaty recoil of the 357 and 40 calibers is more enjoyable to me than that of a 9mm. I like the boom. So I'm stuck handloading. Last modified: 10/24/2006 |