A Great Day at the Range!

Hello Again.

Back with a range report after a long absence. In fact, I hadn’t been to the range for several months—I ran for and was elected to office, 50 hour work weeks, etc. This past weekend my sons dragooned me and we went for a boys’ day out. So here is my report: no science, just observations.

I took my .44 Magnum Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 7-1/2 inch barrel, my Colt Series 70 1911, my S-9 and M-9, my PPK and my NAA .32 ACP. The ammo for the 9 mil Steyrs, the .44 and the .45 were all gun show remanufactured stuff. The .380 was UMC and the .32 was S&B. My sons took their toys, so we were ready for a serious good time. Some interesting results.

The award for the most accurate shooter goes to (ta da)—the .44 Magnum. One series of 6 rounds resulted in a 4-round hole with a couple of close flyers.

The award for the most sensually-satisfying goes to the Colt .45 ACP. There is just nothing to compare to the pleasure of holding a model-1911 in your hand and feeling it go boom (although a Sig 220 comes close).

Comparing a Makarov to my PPK was fascinating. I have shot the PPK a lot. It is stainless and has withstood a bunch of abuse, including multiple dunkings over several years when whitewater canoeing (I should say whitewater swimming). I have a great deal of respect for its ability to take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’, but the Makarov turned out to be a more pleasant shooter.

The award for the most comfortable shooters goes to the Steyrs. Little recoil, good fit in the hand, easy target acquisition, go boom when press trigger, mostly hit what you’re aiming at. What more can you want? They performed flawlessly. They are far more comfortable to shoot than either of the lower-power .380s (PPK & Makarov).

The award for the hand-buster of the year goes to the little NAA .32 ACP. It’s a beautiful piece of work, is completely reliable, and it’s usually in my back pocket in case I need it, but if you run more than 4 or 5 magazines through it, your hand feels like you closed it in the car door.

All of the guns operated perfectly, no FTF, FTE, stovepipes—nothing! The weather was cool and fresh. Good company. Lots of brass on the ground and lots of paper with holes in it. A great day at the range. May you all be so blessed.

Doc