Riomouse911
Member
I went back to the local indoor range on Friday, this time taking the Ruger MkII Government Target Model .22LR and what was left of a 500-count box of Remington Thunderbolt 40 gr LRN, a Springfield Loaded 5” 1911 .45 ACP and a box of Winchester white box 230 gr FMJ, and the newly acquired Glock 17L 9mm and a couple of boxes of Winchester 115 gr FMJ. I figured that I would see how I could do with these three truly different semi-autos fired one after the other.
Ruger MkII:
I started with the .22, and fired about 150 rounds through it at 15 yards. All shots were fired in ten-shot strings, standing-two handed, with all ten fired one after the other in about a 2-seconds between shots cadence. The center orange dot is 1” across, and all of my shots were a touch low at this distance. I will need to benchrest this pistol at some point and adjust the sight to bring the impact up a touch. My best two 10-shot groups are shown, the 13 “worse” ones were a bit larger (The larger groups were 100% my fault, not the gun or ammo’s fault). Despite the spotty reputation of recently manufactured Remington-branded.22 LR ammo I had no misfires, FTF or other issues with the 150 rounds I put through the gun utilizing 4 different Ruger-factory magazines. Clearly the MkII G.T.M. is a LOT more accurate than I am, and I really have no excuses for my occasional anticipatory flinch that pushes respectable groups into so-so ones.
Springfield Loaded 1911 .45
I bought this gun about 18 months ago, and I have only shot about 300 rounds through it since I brought it home. I like the 1911 platform, finding the fit to my medium-sized hands is almost perfect. I brought along 2 stainless-steel magazines, one is a Colt 7-shot product and one a Ruger 8-shot mag. For some reason I only grabbed 50 rounds of .45 ACP, and I was a bit ammo-limited. I fired 20 to get acclimated at 8 yards and then I fired 30 shots for score at a B-270 silhouette at 15 yards. (Like the .22, they were two-handed with about a 2-second cadence between shots.) My tally was 299/300 with what looks like 17x. I really found the recoil to be minimal with this pistol, and it just stuck in my hand like it was glued. The trigger pull was grit-free, but it felt like it was a tad heavier than I would like it to be (Someday it’ll get a bit of trigger TLC!).
The only issues I had were last-round FTL’s with the last round in the Colt-marked magazine. For whatever reason the last round in the mag (Shot #7) would stand straight up out of the top of the mag and would jam with the bullet-end poking up out of the ejection port like a periscope. This happened two straight times with this mag, so it was retired and the Ruger mag finished the day without a hitch. Another good reminder why we should bring more than one mag for each gun when we hit the shooting range!
Glock 17L
I bought this a couple of weeks ago, and this was the first time that I have had a chance to shoot it for score. I took it out for some informal plinking two weeks ago, and even let a few others run some rounds through it. We did have one guy who had a few fail-to-load jams. He wasn’t really “limp-wristing” it per se, but he did leave a visible gap between the "beavertail" at the top of the backstrap and the web of his hand when he shot. I could see that the heavier slide of the 17L was having trouble reciprocating due to the rocking motion that this gap in his grip allowed. Once he was shown to have a “high and tight” grip on the Glock, the FTL issues went away. I keep a high grip on all of the semi-autos I shoot, and after a long session with a Glock I can suffer from the “Glock knuckle”; worn skin and a really sore spot on the side of the first knuckle on my right hand middle finger where it pushes up snug under the trigger guard.
At the range I first fired 100 rounds of Winchester 115 gr FMJ to make sure all was “broken in.” I recalled the first time I fired this gun it seemed to be shooting really high, requiring a pronounced 6-o’clock hold to have the rounds hit the targets. The first few bullseye targets I shot at 8 yards confirmed that it still liked to shoot high. Knowing this, I perched the 10 ring about an inch above the front sight and fired a full 50-round box at the B-270 at 15 yards. (The mags were loaded 17, 17 and 16.) I fired all shots standing two-handed with the same 2-second cadence between shots that the other guns used. This gun has about a 4.5 lb factory-spec let off, which is less than the 5.5 I have in my stock G19 and G34 duty guns. Take up was typical Glock, with a bit of creep before the bang. I threw 7 shots into the 9-ring (all to the left, that darn flinch again!!) for a 493/500. All of the shots in the magazine were fired non-stop, I didn’t stop or put it down as I went through them. I must say that even with the 6-inch barrel and long slide, the lightweight Glock 9mm platform makes even 17-shot strings of fire easier to hold than the heaver pistols I own…of far less capacity.
My only gripe with this gun, other than the high POI even with the rear sight adjusted all the way down, is the trigger “blade” safety protrudes through the grooved trigger face to the point that I can feel it annoyingly on my trigger finger. My G19 Gen 3 and G34 Gen 4 don’t seem to have this issue, but the 17L sure does. I may be looking into an Apex trigger to fix this ill, it’s that annoying. Also, despite being a new purchase the frame on the 17L looks like a Gen 3; the checkering matches the Gen 3 G19 I have and there was no backstrap groove in the grip area nor were extra backstraps supplied with the gun. The G34 has these present, so I will draw a conclusion that the G17L is still using that older-style Gen 3 frame.
I was happy with my results, especially with the Springfield 1911 .45 ACP. That thing was just on for me that day, which is pretty cool because I don’t shoot 1911’s or the .45 ACP round nearly as much as I shoot Glocks in 9mm. I guess it’s a bit like riding a bicycle, and once you fire the 1911 a bit you can always return back and have good luck when you do.
I recently fired some .38’s and then some .380’s here at this range, and I am starting to like this place a lot. It’s not very large so it can get a bit loud and crowded inside, but it’s close to home, clean and really well-run. I think I am going to join the range on an annual basis, as it runs me about 20 bucks a visit for range use and a few targets. Annual membership fees would be repaid in about 12 visits, so this certainly makes sense if I keep on going in.
Stay safe!
Ruger MkII:
I started with the .22, and fired about 150 rounds through it at 15 yards. All shots were fired in ten-shot strings, standing-two handed, with all ten fired one after the other in about a 2-seconds between shots cadence. The center orange dot is 1” across, and all of my shots were a touch low at this distance. I will need to benchrest this pistol at some point and adjust the sight to bring the impact up a touch. My best two 10-shot groups are shown, the 13 “worse” ones were a bit larger (The larger groups were 100% my fault, not the gun or ammo’s fault). Despite the spotty reputation of recently manufactured Remington-branded.22 LR ammo I had no misfires, FTF or other issues with the 150 rounds I put through the gun utilizing 4 different Ruger-factory magazines. Clearly the MkII G.T.M. is a LOT more accurate than I am, and I really have no excuses for my occasional anticipatory flinch that pushes respectable groups into so-so ones.
Springfield Loaded 1911 .45
I bought this gun about 18 months ago, and I have only shot about 300 rounds through it since I brought it home. I like the 1911 platform, finding the fit to my medium-sized hands is almost perfect. I brought along 2 stainless-steel magazines, one is a Colt 7-shot product and one a Ruger 8-shot mag. For some reason I only grabbed 50 rounds of .45 ACP, and I was a bit ammo-limited. I fired 20 to get acclimated at 8 yards and then I fired 30 shots for score at a B-270 silhouette at 15 yards. (Like the .22, they were two-handed with about a 2-second cadence between shots.) My tally was 299/300 with what looks like 17x. I really found the recoil to be minimal with this pistol, and it just stuck in my hand like it was glued. The trigger pull was grit-free, but it felt like it was a tad heavier than I would like it to be (Someday it’ll get a bit of trigger TLC!).
The only issues I had were last-round FTL’s with the last round in the Colt-marked magazine. For whatever reason the last round in the mag (Shot #7) would stand straight up out of the top of the mag and would jam with the bullet-end poking up out of the ejection port like a periscope. This happened two straight times with this mag, so it was retired and the Ruger mag finished the day without a hitch. Another good reminder why we should bring more than one mag for each gun when we hit the shooting range!
Glock 17L
I bought this a couple of weeks ago, and this was the first time that I have had a chance to shoot it for score. I took it out for some informal plinking two weeks ago, and even let a few others run some rounds through it. We did have one guy who had a few fail-to-load jams. He wasn’t really “limp-wristing” it per se, but he did leave a visible gap between the "beavertail" at the top of the backstrap and the web of his hand when he shot. I could see that the heavier slide of the 17L was having trouble reciprocating due to the rocking motion that this gap in his grip allowed. Once he was shown to have a “high and tight” grip on the Glock, the FTL issues went away. I keep a high grip on all of the semi-autos I shoot, and after a long session with a Glock I can suffer from the “Glock knuckle”; worn skin and a really sore spot on the side of the first knuckle on my right hand middle finger where it pushes up snug under the trigger guard.
At the range I first fired 100 rounds of Winchester 115 gr FMJ to make sure all was “broken in.” I recalled the first time I fired this gun it seemed to be shooting really high, requiring a pronounced 6-o’clock hold to have the rounds hit the targets. The first few bullseye targets I shot at 8 yards confirmed that it still liked to shoot high. Knowing this, I perched the 10 ring about an inch above the front sight and fired a full 50-round box at the B-270 at 15 yards. (The mags were loaded 17, 17 and 16.) I fired all shots standing two-handed with the same 2-second cadence between shots that the other guns used. This gun has about a 4.5 lb factory-spec let off, which is less than the 5.5 I have in my stock G19 and G34 duty guns. Take up was typical Glock, with a bit of creep before the bang. I threw 7 shots into the 9-ring (all to the left, that darn flinch again!!) for a 493/500. All of the shots in the magazine were fired non-stop, I didn’t stop or put it down as I went through them. I must say that even with the 6-inch barrel and long slide, the lightweight Glock 9mm platform makes even 17-shot strings of fire easier to hold than the heaver pistols I own…of far less capacity.
My only gripe with this gun, other than the high POI even with the rear sight adjusted all the way down, is the trigger “blade” safety protrudes through the grooved trigger face to the point that I can feel it annoyingly on my trigger finger. My G19 Gen 3 and G34 Gen 4 don’t seem to have this issue, but the 17L sure does. I may be looking into an Apex trigger to fix this ill, it’s that annoying. Also, despite being a new purchase the frame on the 17L looks like a Gen 3; the checkering matches the Gen 3 G19 I have and there was no backstrap groove in the grip area nor were extra backstraps supplied with the gun. The G34 has these present, so I will draw a conclusion that the G17L is still using that older-style Gen 3 frame.
I was happy with my results, especially with the Springfield 1911 .45 ACP. That thing was just on for me that day, which is pretty cool because I don’t shoot 1911’s or the .45 ACP round nearly as much as I shoot Glocks in 9mm. I guess it’s a bit like riding a bicycle, and once you fire the 1911 a bit you can always return back and have good luck when you do.
I recently fired some .38’s and then some .380’s here at this range, and I am starting to like this place a lot. It’s not very large so it can get a bit loud and crowded inside, but it’s close to home, clean and really well-run. I think I am going to join the range on an annual basis, as it runs me about 20 bucks a visit for range use and a few targets. Annual membership fees would be repaid in about 12 visits, so this certainly makes sense if I keep on going in.
Stay safe!
. I guess I coulda even tossed in a DA/SA to really make it a day, maybe I'll do that next time. 
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