Pistols- Range Report

[Dusty44]

Took 4 handguns to the range Monday.  First shooting session since that surgery in July 2010.  Surgery & complications ran over a year,  then there is always 'something'  ??

I promised in another thread to give a review of result of the new slide stop in the Taurus PT 1911.  The OEM part would hang up in the spring of the magazine somehow,  under the follower.  The magazine was difficult to extract after a string of shots and the slide would not lock open.  On Monday I ran three 5-round strings and everything worked properly.  The magazine I used is a stainless Springfield Armory that I bought used in a gunshop and it is friction tight after dropping about a half inch in extraction.  I only shoot casual target,  no biggie,  may eventually try to figure out what to do to fix it.  On a good day I can keep the holes in the target within 2 inches at 25 yards with this gun.  I was having a very bad day,  at least starting out and the PT 1911 was first up.  I wanted to evaluate the guns so I was using my range box sitting on the benchtop as a rest for my forearms,  two-hand grip with the guns and my hands in the clear.  My legs are not doing well lately so I was perched on a stool while shooting. 

Second gun was my new Ruger New Vaquero.  357 Mag,  4 5/8 inch,  aftermarket Rosewood grips that are duplicates of the factory grip design.  Fired some 110 gr HP factory ammo and some handloads done with 158 gr SWC's.  The factory rounds went first,  first ammo ever put through the revolver (except factory proofs).  25 yards,  all holes in the target to left of POA,  badly scattered except a general tendency to cluster  on the 11 O'clock vector in the 5 and 7 rings.  Needs more dedicated shooting time and  sight adjustments.  Holes all over the paper and two missing holes.  This one needs practice,  adjustment,  more evaluation.  In its time the SAA was probably fine but after shooting this one I am much less than impressed. 

Third gun restored my faith.  The 6 inch L-frame 357 Mag Smith was fed the same 158 gr SWC's as the New Vaquero but the Smith put them all in a decent cluster in the red disk of the target.  Some factory JSP's did well,  too.  My eyes do not do well and iron sights are almost a lost cause.  I put the white glimmer of the front blade insert on the white golf ball target center and am happy with the result.  Lighting conditions and the sunglass safety glasses take away all the red/orange of the blade insert.  The loss of color seems to be a specialty of the lighting conditions at the shooting range.  Outdoor,  bright sun,  deep shadow under the firing line canopy.

Last up was the 4 inch N-frame 44 Mag Smith.  It started as a disaster.  I loaded 300 gr WNFPGC's.  I did not know where the rounds went.  At least I could see dust clouds on the backing berm.  After two shots I got another shooter who was taking a break to spot for me.  I had four targets in a square format on the backing board; was aiming at a bottom target and was hitting the top target.  8 to 11 inches high.  Spread of the holes was atrocious.  I switched to some 44-Special-equivalents I had loaded;  240 gr Hornady SWC over light Unique:  2 cylinders all within the 9-ring disk and strung vertically more than laterally.  Just a couple of fliers.  Restored my faith --  again.  Then some Remington 240 gr JSP's I had loaded over full amounts of 2400:    Vertical stringing pretty bad but the holes were otherwise as tightly grouped as I can usually manage with most of my handguns.  The OEM front sight was a blade with an orange/red insert that proved invisible last time I fired this revolver.  I now have a fiber-optic red front sight.  It still turned white but was a clearly visible tiny white disk that was very easy to put on the target.  Some of my vertical stringing was in deciding where to hold that little disk.  It works best with this JSP ammo if superimposed on the white golf ball center of the target. 

Summary for the Monday shoot:

The Taurus PT1911 is fixed.

The New Vaquero needs work on the sights and shooting practice.

The L-frame Smith is fine.

The N-frame Smith is fine.  Needs work on the dedicated Bear/Feral Pig Killer ammo.

Notes: 

--FWIW:  My Marlin 1894 lever gun,  44 Rem Mag,  with micro-groove barrel does not cope with any bullets under 240 gr.  240 Gr JSP factory or handload generates a loose & ragged (10 - 15 rounds) pattern of 6 to 8 inches with fliers at 50 yards (the last try was factory ammo).  The 300 gr WFNGC Cast Performance bullets over a load of IMR-4227  that is as heavy as I am comfortable with has given a 14-round pattern filling a 3 inch disk at 50 yards.  I have those targets in my files.

--The N-frame Smith in 44 Mag was purchased specifically to be a backup for hunting Feral Pigs with the primary weapon to be my LR-308.  My health makes such a hunt almost just 'an apple dangling from a pole' to chase.

--Almost all of the targets I have used at my current shooting range are in my files.  Those targets are for my own reference and review.  Original targets & documents tell it like it really is.  They document almost all of what I say in this forum.  The only guns and shooting not covered are the T/C Hawken in the black powder  era of my life,  decades ago.

--Had not seen any 44 Mag factory ammo heavier than 240 gr. until this calendar year.  Found some on the shelf at Cabella's or CTD in late January or early February but will not/cannot pay that asking price.

[Tripledeuce]

  For the last 40 years I'v used 2 loads in many 100's of .44's, Mostly Rugers and smiths.

    8.5 of unique with a 250 Kieth bullet, and 240 Sierras over 24g of 296.  If the gun's gonna shoot, it will shoot one or both of these really well.

    If the gun didn't shoot eathier, it just would not shoot.  I'v had more than one gun that had problems and had to  go back to the factory.  Both Smiths and Rugers.

  In the 70's and 80's I worked on many guns for the then "new" sport of Handgun Metallic Sillouett.

  Also, new guns need to be broken in, and when switching from jacketed to lead, or the other way around, it takes at least 10 to 15  rounds befor you start seeing the gun shoot with the different bulletts.

  Respectfully

  Terry

[imschur]

and you had fun right?

[Dusty44]

Fun!!!!!!!

Two and a half hours of gen-nu-wine live fire!!!  Needed that fix real bad!!  Been away from it too long!

Next,  soon as the parts-on-order get here and I get the AR put back together,  the AR and two bolt guns (all in 308 Win) and I are going to go back to the range!  I think I will take a few boxes of the German sport ammo and get a real comparison with all-the-same ammo.  I have a bunch of handloads to shoot,  too.  Call the roll-your-own "warmups!"

Then,  when the need arises again,  it will be the "Odd Couple."  The 7 MM & the 10/22 & the Marlin Lever Gun.  Roll-your-owns for the centerfires and various brands and types for the 22.  The most recent trip to the gun stores:  the price of new factory 7 MM Rem Mag still gives me cold shivers.

Maybe we can post some pictures of targets on the 22 cal forums.  Would like to see (sort of) first hand what other guys are doing.  Targets like mine with the 1 inch grids or with a ruler laying across the paper?  Images big enough to see the holes clearly.

For Tripledeuce:  In my 44 Mag the 240gr Hornady SWC's were sitting on 8.5 gr Unique.  I got the load from one of the Reloading Gurus in one of the reloading forums.  The Rem JSP's were over 18.0 gr of 2400.  Both loads use a CCI 300 LP primer.  Recoil is always strong.  These JSP loads went off with a sensation new to me:  felt like the gun had been lightly bumped with a 2x4.

Disclaimer:  for casual readers,  my loads are certified unsafe for your gun (and maybe mine) for a thousand reasons.  Obtain and verify your own data from reliable sources.

Yes,  I am aware of need for break-in of a new gun.  On Monday I had a lot to do and not a lot of time.  I was happy with the results,  overall.  Eventually I will develop a standard load or a few standard loads.  I started with 200 of the Hornady SWC's and have used most of them.  I still have most of a box of 500 Rem JSP's.

My reloads depend on what components I can find.  Bullets mostly on sale at MidwayUSA,  some new brass but mostly my recovered fired cases.  Primers and powder at local gunshops.  Specific powders can be easy to find or impossible. I have a whole lot of supplies,  small quantities and one-pound cans of powder.  I have cases of 1000 primers but only one brand of each size because that is what the gunshop was selling.  There is a certain thrill to using only what 'you' have.

[hobbesgunner]

Ow ..!!!Hand and wrist still operable..??? ....that's a lot of shooting for being away from it for a while...

[Dusty44]

Maybe my hands and wrists have just lost too much ability to 'feel,'  but the recoil does not hurt at all during shooting or later.  The other thing is that I only fired a total of 27 rounds of 44 and 47 rounds of 357 (counting the fired cases) plus the few (factory) 45 ACP's and most of those were light power target loads.  I did use up all the time I had available that day.  When the range goes green it is for both the rifle and handgun sides and there's lot's of time to put notes on my handgun targets,  change targets,  put that blue tape on target backs so different groups do not get confused.

AHhhhh. .  .    .        I am cheeep,  but the blue tape is usually quicker than changing a target and also I do not want to waste a target that only has 2 to 5 (new?) holes scattered across it when I am zeroing something like a scope (rifles) or experimenting with handloads.  Taped holes do not confuse the issue and it is very interesting when I find a new hole through the tape where there was a hole from a prior series.  I am amused by the expressions around me when I put 4 targets on a backing board.  Initially I know they are wondering if it is so I can even hit all that paper;  then when I put decent groups in the middle of each target with different guns there is something else.  I don't think it is respect,  but something.  I cannot walk fast and on the rifle range I am always the very last to get back to the firing line.

I did go back to the range with all my 308's and a pile of handload and factory ammo to shoot.  There is an anti-gun harassment lawsuit in progress;  EPA is involved;  rifles 30 caliber and larger may not be fired by court order.  I was sent home quite unfulfilled.  I have acquired a 5.56 AR and will be taking it to the range soon.  If you are interested in that story and can stand a lot of 'noise,'  go to "Plunging In" in Tactical22.net (the small-caliber sibling to this forum).

[Jgun]

First off, don't know what your problem was that kept you from shooting since 2010, but I can just imagine how good it must have felt to get back to it, congrats. I have been scaling back my shooting since the fall, for many reasons, finances being among them, and I'm feeling the lack, really missing it. I may be out of my relm here, but I've got a bunch of revolvers (don't reload for any of them) but I find that, because of their unique grip configurations compared to the 1911 type guns that just point naturally to me, I really need to practice with a revolver in order to shoot it well, especially the SA's. I've got a Freedom Arms model 83 and I know it's accurate, but unless I shoot it often, I don't get consistant offhand groups.

[Tripledeuce]

    For those of us with "older" eyes, I reccomend the Merit eye device.

  Its a roating device, like the lens of a camera.  It helps to focus the eyes.

  Respectfully

  Terry

[Dusty44]

Several years back I was poking around the internet for gun information and came across some good videos in the S&W site.  Mainly it said the key to good revolver shooting is to hold the grip as high as your hand can manage (staying clear of the hammer spur).  Smiths are made for that and doing it improved my shooting a lot.  A grip like a SAA is mostly hang on and good luck.

I will check out the Merit eye device.  Thank's for the tip.