GearheadExplorer85
Member
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2018
- Messages
- 45
So I have been wondering for a long time what kind of handguns I would like to own. I have also been lurking on here for a long time reading about people's experiences with different handguns. I found out there was a rental range in Vancouver called DVC Ventures. So I stopped reading and went out to try them for real this past weekend. I have a summary at the bottom of this post for those that are short on time.
The Long Version:
Just for a bit of background, I am not experienced with handguns at all. I trained with a Sig 9mm a couple of times in the military, fired my friend's Jericho 941 and TT33, as well as a Glock 22 40 S&W. But I have never had any consistent practice with anything. It has also been about a year since I have shot anything.
I was only planning on renting a full-size 1911 and a 6" .357 Magnum. However, they also rented .44 Magnums. I wanted to wait and see what the 357 was like first before renting that monstrosity. Since I wanted to try bigger calibers, I was not expecting to shoot well with any of these and was wondering what the recoil and blast would actually be like. After I was given a brief safety tutorial, I was paired up with an instructor and went to the range. All of my targets were about 15 feet away. Below are the guns I shot in the order that I shot them in.
Remington R1 1911 5" Full Size
45ACP
50 Rounds
Blazer Brass 230 grain FMJ
I was really surprised at how much the gun jumped in my hand. I was expecting it to be milder since it is a full size service handgun. It always seemed to jump out of my weak hand no matter how strong my grip was. But it was definitely manageable and I eventually got used to the kick. What surprised me even more was how small my groups were. They were grouped together so tight it became one hole. Unfortunately the next magazine didn't work very well. I loaded another 10 round mag in and pulled the slide back to release it. Then I experienced a jam. The shell was not going into the chamber. So I cleared it and tried again. On the second try the same thing happened but we couldn't get the magazine or the shell out. So we switched to another Remington R1 that was blued with a black grip. We used the other 10 round magazine. Jammed again!! The instructor was totally dumbfounded. Fortunately we were able to get the 10 rounder out and switched to the 7 round magazines. Zero problems after that. As far as feel goes, I would say that the recoil of the 1911 took some getting used to since the muzzle flips up quite a bit. It beat up the palm of my hand a bit too. My palm was red when I was finished.
S&W 686 International 6"
357 Magnum/38 Special
25 Rounds/25 Rounds
Blazer Brass 158 Grain JSP (357) and 125 Grain FMJ (38)
Before doing anything, the instructor gave me some coaching on how to properly grip the revolver. I LOVED how big and heavy the 686 was. I also liked the manual of arms of the revolver better. I have short stubby thumbs so I had an easier time reaching the cylinder release. I have always struggled to reach the mag release on semi-autos. It was strangely satisfying loading the shells in one at a time too. So then came the moment where I was aiming and squeezing the trigger (double-action only). As I expected, the trigger was really heavy. Despite that, I liked how smooth it was. I noticed that the first half of the trigger pull was heavy but got lighter the further I went. Then I encountered that final 'wall' before the sear breaks. Then....BOOM! The 686 didn't flip up was much as the 1911 did but came straight back instead. The recoil was definitely stronger and more brisk than the 1911. But the 686 didn't leave my grip though. It never felt like it was getting away from me. I definitely noticed the blast as well. It was definitely louder than the 45 and the other guns firing in the other lanes. There was a bit of an orange flash and I could feel the concussion wave hitting my face. To my surprise it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. On the contrary, I liked the blast lol The only gripe that I had was the trigger guard was hitting the knuckle on my middle finger. But I figured that it was just a matter of practicing more. My groups with the 357s ended up being really good. The 38 specials were really easy to shoot. Since they had so much less recoil, I shot them faster. So my groups with the 38 specials were not as good as the 357s. At this point, my trigger finger was starting to get fatigued so I am sure this contributed to the groups opening up. Overall, the 686 is an outstanding revolver! It felt like it was made for me when I picked it up. Below is a picture of my results.
S&W M629 Classic 6.5"
44 Magnum
25 Rounds
Remington 180 Grain JSP (1600 fps!)
So after finishing up with the 686, the instructor asked if I wanted to try something else or call it a day. While my trigger finger was getting a break, I decided that I wasn't done yet. So I checked out the S&W M629 Classic 6.5" 44 Magnum full-under lug with rubber grips. The ammunition was 25 rounds of Remington green/white box 180 grain JSP at about 1600 fps. Pretty hot stuff! I think at this point I had more cause for concern about the recoil/blast. I went into this fully expecting my groups to be terrible. I didn't care though. I really needed to satisfy my curiosity lol I have had a strange fascination with this cartridge ever since I watched Dirty Harry as a kid. So anyways...I loaded up the cylinder and did everything the same as when I was shooting the 686. I knew this thing was going to be a handful. But I concentrated on my sight alignment and trigger control. I don't think I have ever been this focused. I hit that wall in the trigger pull again. Then all I saw was a giant bloom of white flash. Then the sound of the blast rocked the entire room. There is no way I can put into words the experience of that gun going off. HOLY S&^%. It reminded me of the days when I was working on the 57mm gun on the frigate. Another thing I noticed was that all the other shooters in the room had stopped. No surprise there. I'm sure it is hard to shoot with a cannon like that going off next to you. The blast and recoil was definitely intense, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. The gun was very manageable and never felt like it was getting away from me. I actually made it through all 25 rounds. When I was firing the second cylinder, I had to use my left and right trigger fingers because my right didn't have any strength left. It is like when you have been bench pressing a bunch of sets and can't lift the weight no matter how hard you try. That is what my right trigger finger felt like. I actually shot some pretty good groups with this monster.
Summary:
I was really surprised by how well I shot all three guns, especially the revolvers on double action. My groups were mainly 1"-2.5" at 15' away. All my groups ended up slightly left of my point of aim. 1911: I got the best groups with this. Found this beat my hand up the most believe it or not. Also, I felt like it was getting away from me no matter how firm my grip was. 686: Shot pretty good groups considering that it was my first time shooting a double action revolver. The bark and recoil didn't bother me as much as I expected it would. My trigger finger started to get fatigued after 50 rounds. Trigger guard was hitting the knuckle on my middle finger a few times but it wasn't too bad. 629: Amazing gun! Considering how much blast and kick this gun had, I shot groups that were almost identical to the 1911 (I had to use both my left and right fingers for the trigger pull though since my right finger was done for at this point). Definitely a ferocious gun but it was much more manageable than I was expecting.
Overall, this was such a fun trip and was well worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed shooting all the guns. It answered a lot of questions that I have been asking myself for a long time. Considering how restrictive handgun ownership in Canada is, I consider myself lucky that I have had a chance to be exposed to so many different handguns. At this juncture, I think I am leaning toward revolvers more. They just feel right in my hands and I like their manual of arms better. I think a 357 and a 44 Magnum are in my future lol
The Long Version:
Just for a bit of background, I am not experienced with handguns at all. I trained with a Sig 9mm a couple of times in the military, fired my friend's Jericho 941 and TT33, as well as a Glock 22 40 S&W. But I have never had any consistent practice with anything. It has also been about a year since I have shot anything.
I was only planning on renting a full-size 1911 and a 6" .357 Magnum. However, they also rented .44 Magnums. I wanted to wait and see what the 357 was like first before renting that monstrosity. Since I wanted to try bigger calibers, I was not expecting to shoot well with any of these and was wondering what the recoil and blast would actually be like. After I was given a brief safety tutorial, I was paired up with an instructor and went to the range. All of my targets were about 15 feet away. Below are the guns I shot in the order that I shot them in.
Remington R1 1911 5" Full Size
45ACP
50 Rounds
Blazer Brass 230 grain FMJ
I was really surprised at how much the gun jumped in my hand. I was expecting it to be milder since it is a full size service handgun. It always seemed to jump out of my weak hand no matter how strong my grip was. But it was definitely manageable and I eventually got used to the kick. What surprised me even more was how small my groups were. They were grouped together so tight it became one hole. Unfortunately the next magazine didn't work very well. I loaded another 10 round mag in and pulled the slide back to release it. Then I experienced a jam. The shell was not going into the chamber. So I cleared it and tried again. On the second try the same thing happened but we couldn't get the magazine or the shell out. So we switched to another Remington R1 that was blued with a black grip. We used the other 10 round magazine. Jammed again!! The instructor was totally dumbfounded. Fortunately we were able to get the 10 rounder out and switched to the 7 round magazines. Zero problems after that. As far as feel goes, I would say that the recoil of the 1911 took some getting used to since the muzzle flips up quite a bit. It beat up the palm of my hand a bit too. My palm was red when I was finished.
S&W 686 International 6"
357 Magnum/38 Special
25 Rounds/25 Rounds
Blazer Brass 158 Grain JSP (357) and 125 Grain FMJ (38)
Before doing anything, the instructor gave me some coaching on how to properly grip the revolver. I LOVED how big and heavy the 686 was. I also liked the manual of arms of the revolver better. I have short stubby thumbs so I had an easier time reaching the cylinder release. I have always struggled to reach the mag release on semi-autos. It was strangely satisfying loading the shells in one at a time too. So then came the moment where I was aiming and squeezing the trigger (double-action only). As I expected, the trigger was really heavy. Despite that, I liked how smooth it was. I noticed that the first half of the trigger pull was heavy but got lighter the further I went. Then I encountered that final 'wall' before the sear breaks. Then....BOOM! The 686 didn't flip up was much as the 1911 did but came straight back instead. The recoil was definitely stronger and more brisk than the 1911. But the 686 didn't leave my grip though. It never felt like it was getting away from me. I definitely noticed the blast as well. It was definitely louder than the 45 and the other guns firing in the other lanes. There was a bit of an orange flash and I could feel the concussion wave hitting my face. To my surprise it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. On the contrary, I liked the blast lol The only gripe that I had was the trigger guard was hitting the knuckle on my middle finger. But I figured that it was just a matter of practicing more. My groups with the 357s ended up being really good. The 38 specials were really easy to shoot. Since they had so much less recoil, I shot them faster. So my groups with the 38 specials were not as good as the 357s. At this point, my trigger finger was starting to get fatigued so I am sure this contributed to the groups opening up. Overall, the 686 is an outstanding revolver! It felt like it was made for me when I picked it up. Below is a picture of my results.
S&W M629 Classic 6.5"
44 Magnum
25 Rounds
Remington 180 Grain JSP (1600 fps!)
So after finishing up with the 686, the instructor asked if I wanted to try something else or call it a day. While my trigger finger was getting a break, I decided that I wasn't done yet. So I checked out the S&W M629 Classic 6.5" 44 Magnum full-under lug with rubber grips. The ammunition was 25 rounds of Remington green/white box 180 grain JSP at about 1600 fps. Pretty hot stuff! I think at this point I had more cause for concern about the recoil/blast. I went into this fully expecting my groups to be terrible. I didn't care though. I really needed to satisfy my curiosity lol I have had a strange fascination with this cartridge ever since I watched Dirty Harry as a kid. So anyways...I loaded up the cylinder and did everything the same as when I was shooting the 686. I knew this thing was going to be a handful. But I concentrated on my sight alignment and trigger control. I don't think I have ever been this focused. I hit that wall in the trigger pull again. Then all I saw was a giant bloom of white flash. Then the sound of the blast rocked the entire room. There is no way I can put into words the experience of that gun going off. HOLY S&^%. It reminded me of the days when I was working on the 57mm gun on the frigate. Another thing I noticed was that all the other shooters in the room had stopped. No surprise there. I'm sure it is hard to shoot with a cannon like that going off next to you. The blast and recoil was definitely intense, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. The gun was very manageable and never felt like it was getting away from me. I actually made it through all 25 rounds. When I was firing the second cylinder, I had to use my left and right trigger fingers because my right didn't have any strength left. It is like when you have been bench pressing a bunch of sets and can't lift the weight no matter how hard you try. That is what my right trigger finger felt like. I actually shot some pretty good groups with this monster.
Summary:
I was really surprised by how well I shot all three guns, especially the revolvers on double action. My groups were mainly 1"-2.5" at 15' away. All my groups ended up slightly left of my point of aim. 1911: I got the best groups with this. Found this beat my hand up the most believe it or not. Also, I felt like it was getting away from me no matter how firm my grip was. 686: Shot pretty good groups considering that it was my first time shooting a double action revolver. The bark and recoil didn't bother me as much as I expected it would. My trigger finger started to get fatigued after 50 rounds. Trigger guard was hitting the knuckle on my middle finger a few times but it wasn't too bad. 629: Amazing gun! Considering how much blast and kick this gun had, I shot groups that were almost identical to the 1911 (I had to use both my left and right fingers for the trigger pull though since my right finger was done for at this point). Definitely a ferocious gun but it was much more manageable than I was expecting.
Overall, this was such a fun trip and was well worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed shooting all the guns. It answered a lot of questions that I have been asking myself for a long time. Considering how restrictive handgun ownership in Canada is, I consider myself lucky that I have had a chance to be exposed to so many different handguns. At this juncture, I think I am leaning toward revolvers more. They just feel right in my hands and I like their manual of arms better. I think a 357 and a 44 Magnum are in my future lol
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