Room For Improvement
Along with the oppressive heat, work has been keeping me way too busy to shoot as much as I’d like this summer. However, I did make it out last Saturday (October 8, 2011). I took the Kel-Tec PF9, the Rossi 971, the Beretta 92FS, and the new Beretta 96FS upper receiver. I set the target out at 7 yards.
Did 42 rounds through the PF9 first (6 mags — 9mm), and kept them all in the 10, 9, and 8 rings of the target. This is the gun I carry every single day. I basically fired about as quickly as I could (while still being range legal) and then loaded up a magazine (as fast as I could) then fired again at the same pace.
Then I fired off four magazines from the Beretta 92FS (15 rounds per magazine, for a total of 60 rounds — 9mm). The 92FS is a fun gun to shoot, and I wanted to have its feel fresh in my mind for what came next.
After that, I finally got the opportunity to try out the new Beretta 96FS upper receiver that I purchased in August. It consists of the following new parts: slide, barrel, recoil spring, guide rod, and magazine. I can take the upper receiver, put it on my Beretta 92FS frame and then shoot .40S&W out of it. Trigger and mechanics are all still the same as the 92FS. I put 50 rounds through the 96FS upper. I was still shooting at the center of the target with the 92FS and 96FS. By the time I was done, the center was totally blown out. The 96FS upper receiver worked great. No problems whatsoever. Recoil is just fractionally more than the 92FS, even though one is 9mm and one is 40S&W. It’s really a pleasure to shoot.
Then I switched to the revolver. I had 50 rounds of .357 Magnum and .38 Special on hand. I alternated the rounds in the cylinder, 3 of each (357 then 38 then 357, etc). Recoil was quite different on the .357 Magnum rounds. But since I never knew which the first round was going to be, it kept me on my toes. Plus, I think the alternating of the rounds really helped me focus on my fundamentals with the revolver: stance, sight picture, trigger pull, and follow through. Because the middle of the target was already shot out, I used the bottom and top (gut and head) for my revolver practice. I finished off all 100 rounds that I’d brought with me for the revolver.
Mind you, that I only spent a total of 1 hour at the range while I fired off 252 rounds. Still room for improvement, but I still feel pretty good about it.