I finally made the trip out to the local range today. It was simply too hot, and shooting large caliber weapons in air conditioning seemed to beat the idea of golf. Well, it took a coin flip to decide the issue, actually. Much fun was experienced. And I still went and hit balls, so I guess I received the best of both worlds.
Since 9mm is so darn cheap to shoot, the elected firearm was a Sig 229r. I tend to do well with the compacts and sub-compacts. I can get them on target quicker, and they seem to fit my hands pretty well. I've always liked the design of the 229, but never really liked the 40 caliber version, which has been the most prevalent. The .357 Sig is an even worse round in my opinion, but it's always a personal choice of the shooter. 9mm works for me nicely, and I like the platform.
I sent about 200 rounds down range. No failures to feed whatsoever. The gun went bang every time the trigger was pulled. And the sucker shot quite well. Nothing out of the 10 ring at 7 yards. Nothing out of the 8 ring at 15 yards. In terms of the silhouette, every shot would have done the job. So that's not too shabby.
I am noticing a problem. The longer I shot, the more I seemed to pull to the left. I shoot from a modified Weaver stance, with the right foot back in sort of an l-stance. A reader on yesterday's post indicated that trigger squeeze is the problem. I think they're right. It wasn't a bad pull, but enough to annoy me. The first 25 rounds were pretty much dead on target. The rest started to drift 1/2 inch left, every shot. That's not a bad pull, but as I moved the target farther out, the problem magnified (of course). Otherwise, the groupings were tight, and pretty much where they were supposed to go height-wise. One problem is a lack of practice, which is my own fault. Another problem might also have something to do with the fact that I've been dry-firing a single-action in practice, and shot a double-action with a longer trigger pull in live fire. I think more fundamental practice is needed, one way or the other. Trigger squeeze will be practiced this week. And I simply need to shoot more.
The range is one of the nicer ones that I have been in. It was clean, well-lit, and had very nice shooting bays. It's always more pleasant to shoot somewhere clean and well-maintained. I'll certainly return.
As I was settling my bill on the way out, there were a group of obviously foreign gentlemen waiting to get on the range. I caught a glimpse of their drivers' licenses, and all were Jamaican nationals. The movie MARKED FOR DEATH leapt to mind. None of them had any apparent exposure to guns, whatsoever. The range attendant was renting them a Glock 17 to play with, and they were pretty much clueless as to its operation. More scary was the fact they didn't seem to know basic gun safety. I was muzzle-swept by one of the nimrods while he was playing with the pistol, and it hacked me off.
The attendant had recommended the Glock to them, probably for ease of operation. I just don't think the Glock is the safest option for somebody who has never shot before, but that is debatable. I can see the pros and cons. Pros might be the simplicity of operation. Cons might be the simplicity of operation. These guys really needed intensive supervision and education. Otherwise, their cool runnings might end in tragedy. At any rate, I was glad that I was finished for the day. I didn't want to be on the same range with these guys. I hope the attendant was able to work with them. They needed it. I was glad to see some new shooters getting into the sport, but I hope they are taught a few safety rules.
I definitely need to shoot a bit more, both for the practice and the pure fun of it. I had almost forgotten what fun it is. Sad, isn't it???
1 comment:
Will do, man. Thanks for reading, I'm glad somebody out there reads that actually knows a lot of the stuff I'm talking about. Hope things are going well up there.
I haven't thought about porting the 9mm, just because it seems to generate more flash than what you really get out of it as a recoil reducer. Especially at night, the thing seems to just ruin night vision. I was somewhat concerned about the barrel heating up, because I put 200 rounds through it within 30 minutes or less. So that makes me feel a bit better. The long distance shooting was done at the end of the session, so the barrel was definitely hot. It might make a difference with the porting. I've never thought about it in those terms.
I have wanted to reload for years, but haven't found the time, the right equipment, or the money. That's why I've been shooting 9mm, because I can get decent ammo for around 4.00 a box. Reloading isn't just a whole lot cheaper. I just want to have the skill. I usually have someone in the know handload my rifle stuff, and it does seem to work better.
There are theories about bullet effectiveness and whatnot, but the realities can be much different, as it seems you have experienced.
Good to hear from you as well.
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