Today in pictures

[davemac]

Part 1. Today in Pictures, a third go at Hapton Quarry, to walk the paths I missed before.

1. Start point with my back to Hameldon Woods.
2. Up through the woods.
3. More of the same.
4. Still more.
5. Almost at the top of the woods.
6. Left turn.
7. Over the muddy style.
8. Sideways glance at the new quarry on Kings Highway.
9. Heading towards the old firing range.
10. Look back at Hameldon Woods.

[davemac]

Part 2. Today in Pictures.

11. I'm on my belly for this one.
12. Moss on the damp ground.
13. More moss.
14. Looking towards the range.
15. Sideways look to Pendle Hill.
16. We arrived at the old shooting range.
17. Checking out the Nooks.
18. And the Crannies.
19. Quick look down the hill.
20. Look at us, we are on the top.

[davemac]

Part 3. Today in Pictures.

21. A few spent bullets an a quick mooch, these never hit the target they went in the mound in front of the target.
22. I think one might be a mummy long legs, unless its a civil partnership?
23. Further up the hill and looking back.
24. Still further up the hill.
25. Across to the generators.
26. Up the hill with a dirty dog.
27. If you think your getting in my car.........
28. Looking towards Huncoat.
29. Up at the rockface.
30.Further round but still looking to Huncoat.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by davemac

Part 2. Today in Pictures.

11. I'm on my belly for this one.
12. Moss on the damp ground.
13. More moss.
14. Looking towards the range.
15. Sideways look to Pendle Hill.
16. We arrived at the old shooting range.
17. Checking out the Nooks.
18. And the Crannies.
19. Quick look down the hill.
20. Look at us, we are on the top.

16, 17, 18 & 20, are of the old butts and target frames, spent some hours there in the 1950's & 60's until it got closed. Must be over 50 years since I was last there, when were were informed that it was to close, I put 5 rounds of tracer down the range, when we saw the effect, no wonder they closed it, the back stop was so eroded it no longer stopped bullets.
I would have thought the ****** would have stripped all the metal out years ago.

[Margaret Pilkington]

did you put Bob in a bag to take him home Dave?
I bet he needed a bath. Lovely pics again.

[davemac]

Part 4. Today in Pictures. the final push.

31. Stuff over the edge as useless.
32. A hidden watering hole.
33. Open wide and say AAAAAAGH.
34. Don't know what it is yet but its an orange one.
35. Looking up at the road we came down.
36. Looking forward to the way we are heading.
37. Back in the woods.
38. Its a bit small, the branch was pencil thick.
39. Heading out.
40. Almost out.

Thats your lot, might not be any tomorrow, I'm on gardening duty. Its only a postage stamp, but its got away from me.

[davemac]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

did you put Bob in a bag to take him home Dave?
I bet he needed a bath. Lovely pics again.

We both got mucky and smelly as well, that marshland is a bit stagnant, so yes it was bath time for both of us, but not at the same time, he wouldn't get in my dirty water.

[Retlaw]

[quote=davemac;1004003]Part 3. Today in Pictures.

21. A few spent bullets an a quick mooch, these never hit the target they went in the mound in front of the target.

If you found them in the mound in front of the targets, then those are ricochets, they are all deformed, so have will have gone through the targets, I do know of one person who was up there digging bullets out recently, he posted some pics and info on another web site.
It became very dangerous on that range, you could hear ricochets often, some times louder and closer than we liked, as I said in my other post, tracer showed the problem.
I think the Army were the last to used that range, getting rid of surplus & outdated ammo.

[davemac]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

16, 17, 18 & 20, are of the old butts and target frames, spent some hours there in the 1950's & 60's until it got closed. Must be over 50 years since I was last there, when were were informed that it was to close, I put 5 rounds of tracer down the range, when we saw the effect, no wonder they closed it, the back stop was so eroded it no longer stopped bullets.
I would have thought the ****** would have stripped all the metal out years ago.

I think the majority of the metal work has just rusted down, the safety sheets are mostly in place. The bullets I found never hit the target, but this area. Or stuff bouncing off as you say.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by davemac

I think the majority of the metal work has just rusted down, the safety sheets are mostly in place. The bullets I found never hit the target, but this area. Or stuff bouncing off as you say.

Sorry Dave, but those bullets never hit those plates, those bullets in your picure have been struck many times by other bullets, you can see that from the deformation, I've dug 1000's of bullets out of backstops at Diggle, melted the lead out of them, for reloads, proper bullet metal has a 5% antimony content for hardness, so I added 2% tin which helped to lubricate my cast bullets down the bore & prevented fouling. That mix of bullet metal worked really well in my old black powder Remington Revolver, most of it ended up in the back stop on the pistol range back up at Diggle.

[DaveinGermany]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

I think the Army were the last to used that range, getting rid of surplus & outdated ammo.

Look like 7.62's & 9mm standard SLR, SMG & Browning rounds all prior to the introduction of the SA 80, mid 1980's using the standardized NATO 5.56mm round, Mind you the jimpy (GPMG) still used as a fire support weapon & is 7.62mm.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by DaveinGermany

Look like 7.62's & 9mm standard SLR, SMG & Browning rounds all prior to the introduction of the SA 80, mid 1980's using the standardized NATO 5.56mm round, Mind you the jimpy (GPMG) still used as a fire support weapon & is 7.62mm.

The army did fire a lot of the early 7.62's up there, some of it was made by Greenwood & Bately, but they lost the contract.
7.62 cartridges made by Greenwood & Bately are now collectors items.
If your lucky you might find some .280's, that was tried as the new British calibre, before Churchill went along with the septics, who wanted the 7.62 to be the standard round, which was a shortened version of their 30-06, known as the .308 Winchester.

[shillelagh]

Originally Posted by susie123

Thanks - haven't got any this year... they usually self seed. Wouldn't mind some of those peaches too... amazed to see those considering the cold winters you get. And the watermelon - okra - chilli -aubergine - all growing outside quite happily! Though I guess your soil is good, being in the Po valley.

susie .. tomorrow my gardener is supposed to be doing my garden for me .. in otherwords my nephew who is on uni break will be weeding my garden with me supervising ... and after hes done it (i hope) .. i threw a packet of sunflower seeds in .. late (middle of June) and theyre coming up ... i'll post a pic of em ... lets put it this way i didnt expect em all to come up ... at last count i had 34 coming up .. out of 35 ...

[susie123]

Originally Posted by shillelagh

susie .. tomorrow my gardener is supposed to be doing my garden for me .. in otherwords my nephew who is on uni break will be weeding my garden with me supervising ... and after hes done it (i hope) .. i threw a packet of sunflower seeds in .. late (middle of June) and theyre coming up ... i'll post a pic of em ... lets put it this way i didnt expect em all to come up ... at last count i had 34 coming up .. out of 35 ...

Lucky girl! I normally get them coming up under the bird table where the birds have dropped them from the feeder. Haven't seen any this year - think the birds have been too greedy.

[mobertol]

Tried to capture that Mantis a bit better - he is very photogenic, brilliantly camouflaged against the bark of the tree and doesn't move but the camera seems to focus better on the leaves than him. Don't know if the problem is man or the machine...