copaup
Member
I made a trip to the range today and finally got around to breaking in a few recent purchases, with mostly positive results.
We'll get the bad news out of the way first. I fired 50 rounds of Geco 124 gr 9mm ball through my new Taurus 905. First, a disclaimer, I am not a Taurus hater. I think in the last few years their quality control has improved dramatically and that they provide a good amount of quality for money spent. That said, the 905 was a mixed experience at best. The recoil from the (rather warm) Geco ball was stiff, and the accuracy at 7 yds was mediocre at best. All hits were in the upper torso, but they were scattered fairly randomly about it. Groups of around 3 inches were the best I could do. I'd like to blame the trigger, but really it was a fairly smooth DAO pull. I can live with this level of accuracy given this pistols intended role of BUG since all the rapid fire strings were in the kill zone of the target, but my keltec 3at shoots better groups at 10 yds than this does at 7, and the KT doesn't have sights. What I can't live with is the fact that the gun totally tied itself up after round 3 of the first cylinder fired. After much cursing and grunting I muscled the cylinder open and found that the trigger was somehow stuck. Apparently profanity works magic because it suddenly started working again for no clear reason and other than 1 light strike (Due I believe to a slightly bent stellar clip) the gun worked fine thereafter though the cylinder rotation occasionally felt stiff. Oddly, the gun appeared to function much smoother when fired without the clips, though of course cases had to be individually flicked out of the cylinder with a thumbnail. Overall, its a neat little gun but with the mechanical problems I experienced I doubt I will trust it enough to fulfill its intended role as a BUG.
Next up I fired 50 rounds of rather sedate reloaded 240 gr JHP through my new SW M21 (without the garish "Thunder Ranch" decal on the sideplate). Its been a long time since I shot a 44 spl and I had forgotten just how much I liked it. Double action was heavy but smooth. Single action was very crisp and easily cut ragged 1 hole 6 round groups at the 10 yd line. Head shots were easy at 25 yds once I figured out where to hold on the target, as the gun shot aprox 6 inches high at that distance with the very low velocity reloads. I intend to try it with a bit faster loading before doing any filing on the front sight, as 12 rounds of Silvertips shot considerably closer to point of aim, and the 200 gr silvertip is hardly a barnburner. This is the gun that will probably make me start doing my own reloading, as 44 spl is high around these parts and the gun is begging for some Keith SWCs at about 1000fps. But for now the 240 gr pills at about 750fps are certainly pussycats to shoot, easy on the ears, and scary accurate.
Final peice of new business was a stainless SW1911 full size. 100 rounds of winchester white box 230 gr ball were fired with absolutely no malfuntions of any kind. Incidentally, has there been a recent change in WWB? I don't remember the last batch being quite this smoky and smelling like used gym socks. The gun ran flawlessly and is far more accurate than I am, firing 25 rounds into one ragged hole aprox 1 inch in diameter centered on the bridge of the targets nose at the 10 yd line. I got a 4 inch 25 yd group, but that is all me. I can't shoot any better than that at 25 yds off hand with any handgun. I have absolute confidence that a better shooter (not particularly hard to find) would easily cut that group in half. Trigger was very crisp, slide cycled very smoothly, and again, no malfunctions at all in the first 100 rounds fired. I couldn't be happier with the SW1911 thus far. Did I mention the sights were perfectly regulated out of the box in both elevation and windage? A first for me with 1911s.
Thats all for now, I'm off to ice the tip of my trigger finger. That 905 beat on me a bit.
We'll get the bad news out of the way first. I fired 50 rounds of Geco 124 gr 9mm ball through my new Taurus 905. First, a disclaimer, I am not a Taurus hater. I think in the last few years their quality control has improved dramatically and that they provide a good amount of quality for money spent. That said, the 905 was a mixed experience at best. The recoil from the (rather warm) Geco ball was stiff, and the accuracy at 7 yds was mediocre at best. All hits were in the upper torso, but they were scattered fairly randomly about it. Groups of around 3 inches were the best I could do. I'd like to blame the trigger, but really it was a fairly smooth DAO pull. I can live with this level of accuracy given this pistols intended role of BUG since all the rapid fire strings were in the kill zone of the target, but my keltec 3at shoots better groups at 10 yds than this does at 7, and the KT doesn't have sights. What I can't live with is the fact that the gun totally tied itself up after round 3 of the first cylinder fired. After much cursing and grunting I muscled the cylinder open and found that the trigger was somehow stuck. Apparently profanity works magic because it suddenly started working again for no clear reason and other than 1 light strike (Due I believe to a slightly bent stellar clip) the gun worked fine thereafter though the cylinder rotation occasionally felt stiff. Oddly, the gun appeared to function much smoother when fired without the clips, though of course cases had to be individually flicked out of the cylinder with a thumbnail. Overall, its a neat little gun but with the mechanical problems I experienced I doubt I will trust it enough to fulfill its intended role as a BUG.
Next up I fired 50 rounds of rather sedate reloaded 240 gr JHP through my new SW M21 (without the garish "Thunder Ranch" decal on the sideplate). Its been a long time since I shot a 44 spl and I had forgotten just how much I liked it. Double action was heavy but smooth. Single action was very crisp and easily cut ragged 1 hole 6 round groups at the 10 yd line. Head shots were easy at 25 yds once I figured out where to hold on the target, as the gun shot aprox 6 inches high at that distance with the very low velocity reloads. I intend to try it with a bit faster loading before doing any filing on the front sight, as 12 rounds of Silvertips shot considerably closer to point of aim, and the 200 gr silvertip is hardly a barnburner. This is the gun that will probably make me start doing my own reloading, as 44 spl is high around these parts and the gun is begging for some Keith SWCs at about 1000fps. But for now the 240 gr pills at about 750fps are certainly pussycats to shoot, easy on the ears, and scary accurate.
Final peice of new business was a stainless SW1911 full size. 100 rounds of winchester white box 230 gr ball were fired with absolutely no malfuntions of any kind. Incidentally, has there been a recent change in WWB? I don't remember the last batch being quite this smoky and smelling like used gym socks. The gun ran flawlessly and is far more accurate than I am, firing 25 rounds into one ragged hole aprox 1 inch in diameter centered on the bridge of the targets nose at the 10 yd line. I got a 4 inch 25 yd group, but that is all me. I can't shoot any better than that at 25 yds off hand with any handgun. I have absolute confidence that a better shooter (not particularly hard to find) would easily cut that group in half. Trigger was very crisp, slide cycled very smoothly, and again, no malfunctions at all in the first 100 rounds fired. I couldn't be happier with the SW1911 thus far. Did I mention the sights were perfectly regulated out of the box in both elevation and windage? A first for me with 1911s.
Thats all for now, I'm off to ice the tip of my trigger finger. That 905 beat on me a bit.
) shoots to POA with 200gr Gold Dots at about 980fps with 8.0gr of Unique. I believe because Black Hills quit making their limited run of 240gr Keith SWC production was changed and the 21 was regulated for 200gr bullets instead. My reloads are great and CCI Blazer with the Gold Dot hits about right as well. For practice I'm loading a lead RNFP 200gr with the same powder charge as above, but it is yielding about 75fps more velocity.
