Range run the other day plus some of my pointless meandering.

FreakGasolineFight · August 16, 2010, 11:39 AM

So this is a little pointless, but hey, it gives me a chance to give my opinions on some guns I haven't really shot a whole lot.

Went out to the range with a couple buddies the other day in preparation for 'The Expendables'. Great movie if you're into brain-dead 80's action flicks, which I am. But anyway, here's what we brought:

Ruger AR of some kind.
My CZ P-01.
My Hi-Point .45.
Buddy's SR9.
Buddy's friend's XD .45.

Excellent day of shooting, though a little marred by not getting to play with the AR, which somehow managed to jam a spent shell in the barrel (on Wolf ammo, so probably the ammo's problem there.) But here's some opinions on the other guns.

My CZ: Great as usual. I was getting about a four-inch group from all the way across the range (thirty yards or so) which I suppose could be bested pretty easily, but I thought it was decent. I was shooting better than anyone else that day, so I came away from the range with a fat head on my shoulders. Also, the trigger on that gun just keeps getting better. One of the guys there, a marine, absolutely loved it.

My Hi-Point: Didn't fire more than fifty rounds through it, but it was business as usual. No issues. Shot great due to the low recoil, though my buddy's buddy really didn't like it (tried to claim I was getting better groups with his XD45, which I wasn't, but more on that later.) I kind of got the feeling that he didn't like having another .45 there. Some people ...

Ruger SR9: This was only the second time I've ever shot an SR9. The first time it wasn't a great experience (malfunctions) but this SR9 was a sweet shooter. High capacity and a very slim grip, but was surprised me most was the lack of felt recoil, even from such a light gun. I can only conclude that it is the result of what appears to be an extremely low bore axis. We didn't have any malfunctions of any kind, and I came away pretty pleased with the gun (more pleased than I remembered from the first time!) It'd be a great gun for any woman, considering the slim grip and barely perceivable recoil.

XD45: Now here's a gun which I have no experience really at all with. I've only just barely shot the XD9, and while I'm not completely in love with the platform, it definitely seemed like a positive experience. I didn't care a whole lot for the XD45, mostly because it seemed to have quite a bit of recoil--enough that making follow-up shots is difficult to do accurately, at least for me. Maybe it was my imagination, too, but the grip felt chunky, almost block-ish, and the 'trigger dingus' was annoying in a way that the SR9's wasn't. Again, not really sure why. My groups weren't terrible, but they were definitely worse than the Hi-Point's, probably because of the lower recoil and the fact that I'm more used to the HP.

Overall, though, a fun time.

On the way back, I got into several different arguments with the buddy's buddy (the XD's owner) over a variety of different, variously stupid topics. He claimed that,

1: The 1911 pistol was originally designed by Springfield. We actually had to stop by a gunshop to resolve this one, because he point-blank refused to believe that Browning had designed the 1911 and that it had originally been made by Colt. No harm done--spent some time browsing the shelves, and picked up a couple bottles of no. 9.

2: His second claim (and this stemmed from an argument about foreign-made pistols vs. American-made) was that the XD was an American-designed pistol. I tried to tell him that it had originally been the HS2000, and made in Croatia. I'm pretty sure it actually said 'made in Croatia' on the XD himself, but we were in a moving car at the time and the pistol itself was in the trunk.

So that was fun.

Anyway, there's some entirely pointless meandering for you. If it's too irrelevant, I'm sure somebody'll lock 'er up. Have a loverly day.

BerettaBuckeye · August 16, 2010, 08:50 PM

"....which somehow managed to jam a spent shell in the barrel "

Is that a squib or something else? Please elaborate.

Also, what part of Ohio and what range? Just curious

FreakGasolineFight · August 18, 2010, 09:58 AM

Sadly enough, I'm not actually sure what a 'squib' is. The round fired but then the spent shell jammed in the barrel instead of ejecting properly and we had to go and beat it out with a cleaning rod, which worked eventually, but it took some time.

I'm in the general sort of Ohio border area, right where Ohio meets WV. The range wasn't an official range of any kind, just a state park where they happen to have a couple firing ranges. It's a nice place.

winkytink · August 18, 2010, 10:44 AM

A "squib" is an under powered cartridge where the bullet gets jammed part way down the barrel. They can be really dangerous if you're not paying attention as a subsequent shot can cause the gun to go kaboom.

azredhawk44 · August 18, 2010, 11:02 AM

FGF: That's a FTE - Fail to eject. Common with steel cased NATO ammo.

I agree with you on the XD grip analysis, and dingus. The dingus sticks out too far in front of the trigger, and the grip on XD's (9, 40 or 45) is blocky. The backstrap around the grip safety is not rounded/blended enough and feels squared-off.

August 16, 2010, 11:39 AM	#1
FreakGasolineFight Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2009 Location: Ohio. Posts: 634	Range run the other day plus some of my pointless meandering. So this is a little pointless, but hey, it gives me a chance to give my opinions on some guns I haven't really shot a whole lot. Went out to the range with a couple buddies the other day in preparation for 'The Expendables'. Great movie if you're into brain-dead 80's action flicks, which I am. But anyway, here's what we brought: Ruger AR of some kind. My CZ P-01. My Hi-Point .45. Buddy's SR9. Buddy's friend's XD .45. Excellent day of shooting, though a little marred by not getting to play with the AR, which somehow managed to jam a spent shell in the barrel (on Wolf ammo, so probably the ammo's problem there.) But here's some opinions on the other guns. My CZ: Great as usual. I was getting about a four-inch group from all the way across the range (thirty yards or so) which I suppose could be bested pretty easily, but I thought it was decent. I was shooting better than anyone else that day, so I came away from the range with a fat head on my shoulders. Also, the trigger on that gun just keeps getting better. One of the guys there, a marine, absolutely loved it. My Hi-Point: Didn't fire more than fifty rounds through it, but it was business as usual. No issues. Shot great due to the low recoil, though my buddy's buddy really didn't like it (tried to claim I was getting better groups with his XD45, which I wasn't, but more on that later.) I kind of got the feeling that he didn't like having another .45 there. Some people ... Ruger SR9: This was only the second time I've ever shot an SR9. The first time it wasn't a great experience (malfunctions) but this SR9 was a sweet shooter. High capacity and a very slim grip, but was surprised me most was the lack of felt recoil, even from such a light gun. I can only conclude that it is the result of what appears to be an extremely low bore axis. We didn't have any malfunctions of any kind, and I came away pretty pleased with the gun (more pleased than I remembered from the first time!) It'd be a great gun for any woman, considering the slim grip and barely perceivable recoil. XD45: Now here's a gun which I have no experience really at all with. I've only just barely shot the XD9, and while I'm not completely in love with the platform, it definitely seemed like a positive experience. I didn't care a whole lot for the XD45, mostly because it seemed to have quite a bit of recoil--enough that making follow-up shots is difficult to do accurately, at least for me. Maybe it was my imagination, too, but the grip felt chunky, almost block-ish, and the 'trigger dingus' was annoying in a way that the SR9's wasn't. Again, not really sure why. My groups weren't terrible, but they were definitely worse than the Hi-Point's, probably because of the lower recoil and the fact that I'm more used to the HP. Overall, though, a fun time. On the way back, I got into several different arguments with the buddy's buddy (the XD's owner) over a variety of different, variously stupid topics. He claimed that, 1: The 1911 pistol was originally designed by Springfield. We actually had to stop by a gunshop to resolve this one, because he point-blank refused to believe that Browning had designed the 1911 and that it had originally been made by Colt. No harm done--spent some time browsing the shelves, and picked up a couple bottles of no. 9. 2: His second claim (and this stemmed from an argument about foreign-made pistols vs. American-made) was that the XD was an American-designed pistol. I tried to tell him that it had originally been the HS2000, and made in Croatia. I'm pretty sure it actually said 'made in Croatia' on the XD himself, but we were in a moving car at the time and the pistol itself was in the trunk. So that was fun. Anyway, there's some entirely pointless meandering for you. If it's too irrelevant, I'm sure somebody'll lock 'er up. Have a loverly day. __________________ "The CZ75 is made of win and longcats."--anonymous youtube comment

August 16, 2010, 08:50 PM	#2
BerettaBuckeye Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2006 Location: In The Heart Of The Buckeye Nation Posts: 558	"....which somehow managed to jam a spent shell in the barrel " Is that a squib or something else? Please elaborate. Also, what part of Ohio and what range? Just curious __________________ (\__/) "I would rather be your friend, but if you are (='.'=) not interested in that, I am prepared to be (")_(") a capable and efficient enemy." - Jeff Cooper

August 18, 2010, 09:58 AM	#3
FreakGasolineFight Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2009 Location: Ohio. Posts: 634	Sadly enough, I'm not actually sure what a 'squib' is. The round fired but then the spent shell jammed in the barrel instead of ejecting properly and we had to go and beat it out with a cleaning rod, which worked eventually, but it took some time. I'm in the general sort of Ohio border area, right where Ohio meets WV. The range wasn't an official range of any kind, just a state park where they happen to have a couple firing ranges. It's a nice place. __________________ "The CZ75 is made of win and longcats."--anonymous youtube comment

August 18, 2010, 10:44 AM	#4
winkytink Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2010 Posts: 104	A "squib" is an under powered cartridge where the bullet gets jammed part way down the barrel. They can be really dangerous if you're not paying attention as a subsequent shot can cause the gun to go kaboom.

August 18, 2010, 11:02 AM	#5
azredhawk44 Junior member Join Date: September 28, 2005 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 6,465	FGF: That's a FTE - Fail to eject. Common with steel cased NATO ammo. I agree with you on the XD grip analysis, and dingus. The dingus sticks out too far in front of the trigger, and the grip on XD's (9, 40 or 45) is blocky. The backstrap around the grip safety is not rounded/blended enough and feels squared-off.