Range Reports

[Imcrazy]

Took my new Kimber to the range. I only shot about 60 rounds of white box Winchester because I was also shooting my new Sig and got tired. Still weak from surgery I guess. I had two FTF. One was real rapid fire and considering it's not broken in I'm not concerned and the other I believe my son limp wristed. The gun is extremely accurate even out to 20 yds. Very nice trigger and the recoil was nothing like I was expecting. It's gonna be a great HD gun. Wish I could afford to put the 400 to 500 break in rounds that Kimber recommends fairly quickly. I'm definately going to buy better quality mags than the factory one.

The only time I had issues with my custom II was with the supplied 7rd magazine.

I bought some chip mccormic shooting star mags (less than $20 from midwayusa.com), a Kimber tac mag, kimber 8rd mag, and a CMC Powermag 10 rounder and all those run great.

[cledro711]

Ruger GP100 4in SS in .357mag

Shot at my buddy's indoor range last night. It was a pretty productive shoot, I shot 48 rounds, my best 6 shot grouping was at 15 yrds (the minimum distance I shot that night) and it was about a 1.5 inch grouping, two handed aggressive defense stance, double action of course. I shot 3 groups at 25 yds and the best I had there was about a 5 inch grouping, I'm hitting low and left usually at the longer distance, which seems to be me considering I have shot from a rest and its dead on. I would love to put 200 rds thru my ruger but with ammo so expensive its turned into a luxury just to hit the range.

[NavyChief]

. . . ammo so expensive its turned into a luxury just to hit the range.

And ain't that a cryin' shame... I know exactly the feeling.

[Brian D.]

Just recently purchased a Sig Sauer model P238 semiauto, caliber .380 acp. First a bit of explanation.

I've tried out a bunch of different 'subcompact' size handguns over the years. Many just didn't suit me for one reason or another. One of my favorites was Colt Mustang Pocketlite in .380, really shouldn't have traded that one off. And now they are found priced as "collectors' items" when found on the secondhand market. For those of you unaware, the new Sig P238 is an updated version of the Mustang series, I reckon Colt let patent rights expire and Sig jumped right in.

Mechanically the guns are very similar, single action 1911-ish design. The P238 has better sights, in fact the variant I bought has tritium inserts front and back, and the sight bodies are dovetailed in. The Sig can use old OEM Mustang magazines, at least mine operated okay when I tried a leftover Colt mag from my stash of "forgotten" gun parts.

Tried the Sig out at the range within a day of purchasing it--something I'm seemingly compelled to do, just gotta make sure it works right. It ran fine with both FML and JHP in a range of bullet weights. Benched accuracy was as good as anything else I've fiddled with in the subcompact genre. And offhand that single action trigger, although maybe needing a skosh of break in or polishing, let me turn in some quick, close-together double taps, better than I'd be able to do with a DA semiauto or even J-frame revolver.

There are several finish and other options available, I bought the two-tome w/tritium, here's a link to a picture:

http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCa ... ductid=265" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

FYI to fellow SW Ohioers: Got mine at One Shot in Newtown, they received a big batch of 238's in at once and have a pretty good price on them.

[carmen fovozzo]

..I looked at that gun when it first came out, very nice. The only thing I did not like is the 6 rounds only. Well built and pretty. Over 15 oz.
I did decide though on a Kahr PM9, I thought 7 rounds of 9 would suit me better. But what do I know....?

[carmen fovozzo]

....I went to Stone Wall yesterday and took my Kahr PM9 and my Skyy CPX-1.
As you guys know the kahr cost over 6 hundred and the Skyy around 3 hundred.
....My PM 9 is shooting about 4 inch. low from center. I am having a tuff time with the sights. When I line them up correctly it shoots low, when I line the front sight up higher then the rear, it is on target.
..Taking it apart in a PITA for me.
...As for the Skyy, it shoots on target better then the Kahr, it breaks down easier and I can get 11 rounds in her. For a low cost gun I think it is a very reliable firearm. I do carry it when I can and I trust it to fire everytime, I proved that at the range. It's grip is great for my hand, where the Kahr is a bit small.
..The Kahr is also very reliable and conceals a little better, but it is short on accuracy and ammo capacity.
I like the Skyy a lot better then the Kahr, go figure, at twice the cost. The Kahr is much better built then the Skyy and a little heavier.
I think the Skyy PM-9 is under-rated, it's a great little 9 MM.....IMO

[autismlt]

Recently decided on the PM9 from Kahr. Wanted to streamline carry, comp, winter, summer etc..... into the 9mm. Had been carrying the S&W 642, which was very nice also. From reading and advice about the Kahr, knew to follow the break in directions to a T. I have huge hands and opted to extend the smaller of the two grips with the Pierce grip extension as soon as I got it. Today only did 150 rounds. Not a single hitch. The micro size lead me to anticipate more of a recoil, but of course it's only 9mm, I have huge hands and grip extensions. I was amazed by the trigger! Light and smooth. If it wasn't for the long reset, I call it one of the best triggers I've used. The smoothness contributed directly to an accuracy I couldn't have expected. I am admittedly not the most accurate shooter, but I was on point with this gun. The sight was great, first "dot the I" type I've ever used and I was pleased. I know this model has been the subject of many discussions, and I went into it with an open mind. I am hugely impressed with this gun and look forward to further range time.
Oh yeah, my wallet is more noticeable to me than this gun when carrying.

BTW, A message for all you 1911 freaks out there!! My buddy brought by his three inch blacked out Kimber "something" II the other day. By simply holding the thing, I started to understand your sickness. I might be infected, THANKS WILL!

[Brian D.]

Bought a nice low miles used Beretta Model 85 lately. This is a single stack .380, capacity 8+1. Decent set of sights, white dot up front, single white dot beneath the rear sight notch, like some versions of the Beretta 92 family. It is a double/single action semiauto, with a slight twist. This gun features a frame mounted (versus up on the slide) ambidextrous safety/decocker lever. After loading, if you push the lever UP, it decocks the hammer to a sort of half-cock postion. If you then wish to fire it, push the lever DOWN (like a 1911) and your first shot will only require a shortened double action trigger stroke, subsequent rounds will be fired in single action mode.

It is possible to (instead of the above) manually lower the hammer all the way down for that first shot if desired, but I don't see the advantage in that. Manually lowering the hammer on such guns is kinda dicey, plus you'd have to deal with a fully double action first shot.

There is a double stack (13+1) version of this gun, the Beretta Model 84. Beretta also manufactures the 'Browning BDA' in .380, which is like the Model 84, but with a slide mounted safety/decocker that is not ambidextrous, and doesn't allow the "short throw double action" first shot like the Berettas do. Plus, the Browning BDA has a small black half-moon front sight which is skinny and hard to see compared to the Berettas.

I've had the Model 85 out for a couple of range sessions now and it's been flawless. Plus, it's large enough to hang onto, and shoot decent groups with at speed. In fact I will admit that some may find it "too large" for a .380, the way some would say that a Beretta 92 is "too large" for a 9mm parabellum.

But overall the Model 85 suits me so far. Always wanted to own either the 84 or 85 but quite frankly they new ones have always been kinda spendy compared to many other carry choices. Right now both those models retail for well north of $700.

[Sevens]

I'm no kind of fan of .380s, but I've always wanted to shoot one of those pistols. It's a locked breech design (not many .380s are) and as such, it should be a really soft shooter for the overly recoil sensitive among us. I don't fit that description at all, but I have worked with folks who are, so I've really wanted to try one. It certainly is one of the more expensive .380 pistols you can buy.

In fact I will admit that some may find it "too large" for a .380, the way some would say that a Beretta 92 is "too large" for a 9mm parabellum.

Compared to the role that most .380 pistols are currently filling in the world, it certainly is too large for it's caliber. However -- if you are talking about someone who is horribly recoil sensitive, then what you end up with is a pistol that certainly smaller than a 9mm or .40 cal, so I think it fits very well in it's unique role -- not a pocket pistol, but a small-caliber primary for someone who otherwise can't work well with a larger caliber.

Oh yeah -- I also believe that a Beretta 92 is too large for a 9mm. It's got a monstrous-wide grip. Fun to shoot, though.

[Brian D.]

Sevens, if we're ever in the same area at the same time you can try out my Model 85. But let's try to stick with the original intent of this thread and not clutter it up with cross-chatter.

[cpt137]

rock island armory tactical 1911, bought used from a board member. Sold a bunch of guns on a layoff and now that I'm back at work building up the inventory. Unknown round count. What feels better in your hand or has a better trigger than a 1911? This comes with an ambi safety, "memory" backstrap safety, novak type sights, target trigger. This has a nickel finish. Shooting handload and some factory ammo, never a ftf. Ate all my swc 185 gr to my 230 ball. I don't shoot that much any more but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. And a very resonable price, even new.


Thats 25 yards off hand

[KahrGuy]

Well I finally found a Glock model 19 with the RTF2 frame. Ever since Glock announced that they were going to quit selling these to civillians they have been harder to find. I found my new G19 on gunbroker and the seller was here in Ohio. BMT firearms in Seville. I have to say it was nice meeting Todd of BMT. He sold me my new Glock at a good price and had great communication with me. I would suggest BMT firearms to anyone on this forum.

Ok, so as soon as I got home with my new G19 I installed a set of XS BigDot tritium nightsites. These were a very very simple install. No special tools, no sight pusher needed. I was a little skeptical once I had them on the gun, but really liked the idea of a bigger front sight. Especially for a carry gun. So after the threadlok set it was off to the range.

I set up a target at about 10-12 yards out. I ended up shooting only 200 rounds of WWB and 20 rounds of Cor-Bon DPX +P, just to make sure it would feed as the DPX is my carry load of choice. First off I LOVE the RTF2 grip on my G19. Now I never had a problem with Glocks other grip textures of other Glock generations, but with the RTF2, the gun usn't going anywhere! As far as tge Glock goes, it was like any other Glock pistol I've had, zero malfunctions whatsoever! Thats what I've come to expect with Glocks. Now shooting with these XS BigDot sights was a little different than what I am used to. They are by no means a target sight. From a quick draw, and bringing the gun up to the target quickly, the front sight did seem to appear in my line of sight faster because of that big white dot. Even with fast double taps on the target, There was a hole wherever I placed that big dot on target. I was very pleased with the groups I was getting. They were perfect for a defensive handgun(at least in my book).

Well this is my new carry gun as it is getting colder out it will be easy to conceal this G19. So all in all I am really happy with my G19 RTF2 w/ XS BigDot sights. And very pleased with BMT firearms.

[jmorman]

Picked up a keltec PF9 from a forum member yesterday and headed to B&T in Lorain. I am quite amazed at what this single stack 9mm can do. The pic is from 7 yards. I am a lefty. This grouping was me shooting right handed and was the best group I had (minus the one stray, I flinched). Put over 100 rounds through it of various ammo. The only ammo it did not like was Speer 115gr FMJ and WWB 147gr JHP. Both were definitely hotter loads compared to the Blazer and Federal I was shooting. Anyone have a theory why hotter ammo would have trouble? It was a mix of FTE and FTF. I thought originally it was because I had already shot 100 rounds of Federal and Blazer and the gun was dirty, but once I switched back to Blazer the problem disappeared.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixft ... .jpg[/img]
keltec pf9 by jmorman, on Flickr
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[Brawulf]

Anyone have a theory why hotter ammo would have trouble?

Limp wristing? I had a PF9 that had a big problem with that.....

[Imcrazy]

I picked up a Sig Sauer P238 Due Tone w/ Blackwood grips.

If you didn't know already to me shooting a 1911 feels like an extension of my body and like I was born with one in my hand so this little mini 1911 patterned pistol seemed like it would really fit the bill for a pocket carry pistol.

I picked this up NIB from B&T shooting supplies in Middleburgh Heights, on Saturday 10-9-10, paid $619+ tax, got an extra mag $41 dang sig mags being soo pricey, some Fed. Hydra Shocks, and PMC ball ammo. I've been pining over one of these since they hit the market, and after being less than satisfied with a Taurus TCP I was hesitant to go with a pocket .380 again, wow I AM GLAD I DID!!

I hit up B&T's range in Lorain tonight after dinner.

Put 100 rounds of PMC Ball down range and 13 rounds of Fed. Hydra Shocks and not a single failure.

@ 7yrds I kept 90% of the shots within the 9 ring and 70% in the 10 ring.

Recoil was hardly noticeable, and compared to shooting an LCP or TCP it felt like a pellet gun, I felt less recoil than I do with my Kimber Custom II.

I really have a strong preference for cocked and locked carry as I feel its the safest way to carry, so this fits the bill there too.


Click for a larger Image.

I'd gladly buy another one if my Wife ever gets her act together and gets a CHL.

If your a 1911 guy/gal looking for a tiny pistol look no further, its worth the extra $$ over a LCP, or TCP 10x over.

I liked shooting this so much I may get dies and a shell plate for the Lee Pro 1k and load my own .380's

Thanks for looking, If I left out some details lemme know!