Range Reports

[Jake]

Yeah...I kind of like reusing my brass.

[Brian D.]

Hello again. I was fortunate enough to acquire a limited run Springfield Armory 'Night Light Standard' 1911 in .45acp pistol recently. These were made for Lew Horton Dist. back about 1996-7. This gun has a 5" bbl lightweight frame, non-glare black finish, and night sights--more about that in a second. These guns feature a crescent moon logo with 'Night .45' stamped next to it on the slide. Everything else is more or less standard 1911 stuff.

Naturally the tritium is about dead in the night sights (round dot up front, horizontal bar below the rear notch) but that was easy enough to fix on the cheap. I went to Jo-Ann fabrics and bought a tube of glow in the dark green paint, and applied some on the front sight atop the recessed tritium vial. So far the paint has stayed put and shines very bright for 2-3 hours at a time after hitting it for 30 seconds or so with a flashlight beam.

Two other changes I made:
1) Switched out the arched steel mainspring housing for a flat plastic version.
2) Applied 3M brand Safety walk tape to the front of the grip frame.

It shoots as good as most any 1911 I've played with, and is 8 oz. or thereabouts lighter than an all-steel Gov't. size model.

(JA Beatty, aren't you glad I tried to bring this thread of yours back to your original vision? )

[pleasantguywhopacks]

Just a quick range report on what could be my favorite rife, my new STAG 2L carbine.

Picked it up tonight and drove home like a bat out of hades trying to beat darkness.
Jumped out, ran into the garage and lamped the bore to check for obstructions.

Distance=30 meters
Sights= BUIS
7 rounds of 55gr Remington FMJ from kneeling position.

First five rounds hit approx 4 to 5 inches right of a Gatorade bottle that was a handy quick target set against my backstop.
I then looked a the rear small aperture and noticed it wasn't even centered. Three clicks left and then two rounds dead center 1/2 apart. I was surprised I shot it that well, I never fired a AR before. The trigger was clean but I would assume typical. I wonder what a target trigger would be like as this was pretty darn good for OOTB semi.

Put the rail on and the battle grip afterward.

I'm going to shoot it from the bi pod this weekend at a 100 yds at actual paper. I don't have front sight tool so I hope it's as flat shooting as I know it should be.

[Jake]

Nice!
If you don't mind my asking, what would something like that set me back??

[pleasantguywhopacks]

Nice!
If you don't mind my asking, what would something like that set me back??

$950 +tax, but I couldn't wait and I'm sure if you wanted to build one it would be substantially less.

I sold two pistols to thwart Osama nation. I'll miss that M629 most.

[dclaarjr]

Pleasant,

Congrats on the new family member.

In the army we used a nail for a front site post tool. Use the tip to push down the spring loaded detent in the notch of the post and use the nail to turn it. I've zeroed A1's A2's and A3's like this.

[pleasantguywhopacks]

Pleasant,

Congrats on the new family member.

In the army we used a nail for a front site post tool. Use the tip to push down the spring loaded detent in the notch of the post and use the nail to turn it. I've zeroed A1's A2's and A3's like this.

That what my laborer told me today. He is a sand box vet. He should be getting his Bushy AR this weekend and is supposed to come up to my place and shoot it.. He brought in his UTG quad rail to day and I was envious, I offered to try it out for him while he is waiting on his EBR.

[Jake]

I've been looking forward to hitting the range with my G30 (.45 acp) for some time.

I was concerned about the reputation the G30 has for being "chunky" in the grip.
All I can say is I love it! No malfunctions at all.

Carries well in an OWB holster. Took a day to adjust from carrying the G19 (9mm) to this, but it's all good now.

The first few got away from me, but then I settled down. I was shooting doubles.

[sabalo]

Jake,

Is there some reason you can't seem to hit the bullseye ?

[Jake]

Jake,

Is there some reason you can't seem to hit the bullseye ?

Anti lead force field I think.

[relic]

Glock 36 (subcompact .45 ACP)
Purchased new.

In reading a review of a subcompact pistol the size of the reviewer should be taken into account. I am 6'0”, 185lbs and wear an XL sized glove. If you are much larger or smaller, or have a much different hand size, you will need to consider that while reading. I am also left handed, but that makes no difference with the Glock 36. Firing and manipulating the controls with either hand or both was quite simple and spent cases ejected up and right not back or down into a left handed shooters line of sight. The ejection was quite energetic and in rapid fire I sent a rain of brass onto a friend 3 stations over.

All firing was done at a measured 21 feet, a distance I feel is appropriate for a subcompact defensive pistol, 230gr standard pressure FMJ ammunition from several manufacturers was used. (I can't afford to shoot 500 rounds of defensive loads every time I practice)

After years with a 1911, the Glock felt very different. It has a smooth uninterrupted exterior that slides smoothly out of my Uncle Mike's nylon IWB holster and would be unlikely to snag on clothing. There are no levers, knobs, or other projections except for the magazine release and sights. The grip angle seemed different to my 1911-loving hands and the natural point of aim appears to confirm this. Groups printed 2-3 inches lower with the Glock than the 1911 I was using for comparison. This is not a problem, simply an adjustment.

The 20oz Glock's recoil is noticeably more substantial than the 38oz 1911, as would be expected. I noted that the bottom of the Glock's trigger guard “slapped” my second finger, causing a bit of discomfort after 50 rounds. Adjusting my grip to be a bit tighter resolved that problem. It was a cold and rainy day, and the slap would probably have been much less noticeable in warmer weather. After adjusting my grip I fired another 350 rounds through the Glock 36 and had no further issues with comfort. For it's size the Glock 36 gets very high marks for comfort and ergonomics. So much for the myth that the .45 ACP is too much for a light subcompact.

The 36 was easily controllable during fast, alternating-target, double-tap firing. I would rate controllability as excellent. Recovery was rapid and this little polymer-framed pistol was actually very enjoyable to shoot. Accuracy was only acceptable, hampered by poor sights, more on this later. The double action trigger is reasonably light and easily managed, not match grade, but it's not supposed to be. I didn't even notice the 1/2” of travel after the first few magazines, I was enjoying putting hundred of rounds through a half-weight, polymer-framed, subcompact .45.

Reliability was perfect. A total of 400 rounds were fired through the Glock in one sitting, with zero malfunctions, and this during the pistol's break in period. It was cold and rainy, everything was wet including the magazines and the pistol, my hands were quite cold and my grip probably suffered, but the Glock 36 just didn't care. Later, I will put a few hundred Gold Dots through it to test my preferred self defense round, but so far the rumors of questionable reliability aren't substantiated by my testing. I pressed the trigger, the Glock 36 fired, period.

The 3-dot, white outline, tritium night sights were my least favorite part of the package. The front post is far too wide and there is no daylight on either side when aligned with the rear notch. The three dot, white outline system was easy to acquire, but alignment was hampered by the overly-wide front sight. I found these sights awkward and slow. They are marginally acceptable for the short range work for which this weapon was designed, but a disappointment when compared to the rest of well conceived design of the Glock 36. I suspect they are designed for another pistol with a longer sight radius, they just don't fit the short barreled 36.

Dry-fire vs the mirror in a darkened room showed that these factory sites were on par with other quality 3 dot systems for low light use. However, I strongly suggest that if you purchase a 36, you opt for basic irons, or install your own after market night sights.

Breakdown and cleaning are about as simple as can be imagined, no tools or fancy manipulation required. After 400 rounds fouling was light and seemed to collect in areas where the factory applied, copper anti-seize compound was heavier.

Options/Accessories:

Several accessories are available for the Glock 36, but I will refrain from mentioning those that add substantially to the pistol's bulk. This is a CC pistol, it needs to be light, compact and have minimal print. Most of us won't be adding tactical lights or other rail mounted equipment. An internal LaserMax LASER sight is available replacing the recoil spring guide and several recoil reducing accessories are available as well. Sadly all are installed in the same location requiring you to choose between an internal LASER or an internal recoil reducer. As recoil just didn't seem to be much of an issue, go for the LaserMax if you want one. Crimson Trace LASER grips would be a great option, if they become available.

Specs:

Caliber
.45 ACP
Magazine Capacity
6 rounds
Overall Length
6.77" / 172 mm
Height (Including Mag)
4.76" / 121 mm
Width
1.13" / 28.5 mm
Length Between Sights
6.18" / 157 mm
Barrel Length
3.78" / 96 mm
Barrel Rifling
Right, Octagonal
Length of Twist
15.75" / 400 mm
Weight (Without Mag)
20.11 oz / 570 g
Empty Mag Weight
2.40 oz / 68 g
Full Mag Weight
~6.88 oz / ~195 g
Trigger Pull
~5.5 lbs / ~2.5 kg
Trigger Travel
0.5" / 12.5 mm

[Jake]

Wow...THAT is a range report!

[relic]

Tec-9
Purchased used - unfired

This unsophisticated lump of steel looks more like a farm implement then a firearm. The sights appear crude and it weighs enough to
anchor a small boat. The factory 32-round magazine could easily be used as a club. After a quick field strip, I noted two things: First, this was a very simple firearm, easily cleaned and reassembled. Second, the blow-back bolt alone weighed more than most complete semiauto's in the same 9mm caliber. This thing was a beast.

Range Lesson one; the heavy bolt does not cycle reliable with light loads. This crude hunk of iron is a worshipper of Newton's Third Law. If you feed it little baby 115gr loads it will not even bother to acknowledge your existance. You will be clearing jams every other round. But feed it a diet of 147gr FMJ RN or FN and suddenly the unruly beast settles down nicely and functions flawlessly.

The crude sheet metal sights seem an afterthought, but, much to my surprise the pistol was far more accurate that expected. I was able to hit 25 yard 6" steel plates without fail and I could easily "ding" the 50-yards targets even though the wide bent-sheet-metal front sight was wider than the plate.

Rude, crude, and social unacceptable...yep...but it is a blast to shoot. Even my "thin-as-a-rail" wife ran several magazines through the ugly beast with good accuracy and no complaints about recoil. After reloading 3 magazines the loading effort was her only complaint...she was actually giggling while she hit the 25-yard targets again and again. One-hand, off-hand, whatever, the massive weight tames the recoil and make this pistol no more effort to manage than a .22lr.

Reliability was perfect if you feed it right. We had 33% failures with 115gr loads and 100% reliability with 147gr loads. Or if you are the glass half empty sort: We only had 33% reliability unless you used special ammunition.

This is not a CC pistol.
This is not a self defense pistol.
This is not even a decent "gang-banger" pistol (as the press has labled it) ...at night the matte black sheet metal sights are completely worthless and you have to feed it right to get it to function reliably. It's big, ugly, finicky and has no night sights or rail.

The Tec-9 is about as tactical as a cinderblock. The trigger has all of the finesse of a Ford f150 3-on-the-tree manual transmission after 200,00 miles and that same F150 is just as concealable. But is is fun to shoot? Heck yeah it is. Everone at the range took a turn with it and I received nothing but surprised compliments.

For a cheap plinker the Tec-9 is a crowd favorite. Everone loves shooting it and the mild recoil allows even inexperienced shooters to enjoy the experience. We have a family friend who loves shooting sports but is wheelchair bound with limited control of his hands, the Tec-9 is the only firearm he can manage. He can chamber and fire the Tec-9 on his own. We do need to load the magazines for him, but to allow a disabled vet the opportunity to shoot again is more than enough incentive to keep this Tec-9 around.

The tec-9 is not a thing of beauty, nor is it a "business" firearm. The strength of this ugly duckling is in it's simplicity and ease of use. It may look intimidating, but it is really a a sheep in wolf's clothing. After they put a few rounds downrange, I had a lot of fans for this "9mm boat anchor".

Specifications:

Manufacturer Intratec
Produced 1985 to 1994
Weight 1.23 kg–1.4 kg depending on model
Length 241 mm–317 mm depending on model
Barrel length 76 mm–127 mm depending on model
Cartridge 9x19mm Parabellum
Action Blowback-operated, semi-automatic
Muzzle velocity 1100 ft/s (335 m/s)

[NordicRX8]

Wow...THAT is a range report!

No doubt! But a very thorough one and much appreciated.
I had a Lasermax in my G23... a tad harder to manipulate than the CT grips, but didn't interfere with the lines of the gun like the CT grips tend to.

Tec-9
Purchased used - unfired

The factory 32-round magazine could easily be used as a club.
This is not a CC pistol.
This is not a self defense pistol.
This is not even a decent "gang-banger" pistol

LOL... but the homeys sing about the tec almost as much as the glock! I had a tec-22 (should kept it) that would go full auto after the soot built up enough in it.

32 round magazine would make that a MACHINE GUN in Ohio wouldn't it?

[relic]

32 round magazine would make that a MACHINE GUN in Ohio wouldn't it?

I believe anything over 31 is classified as an "automatic weapon" unless it in .22 short, long, or long rifle.
I use the 20-rnd mags. The original 32 was mangled (badly bent) before I purchased the pistol and was discarded. (Probably why I got it "unfired") But as I said it would have been a quite useful club.
I'd hate to have to load one of them or one of the 50-rounders that are available...the 20s are enough work for my sore thumbs.