Author Topic: Range Report for new pup  (Read 3567 times)

Offline JR956678

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Range Report for new pup
« on: December 31, 2010, 09:24:33 AM »
Yesterday (one week after I bought it) I was able to get my new pup out to a range for the first time. For those impatient souls - it went great! For the more patient ...

My son and I went to Vandalia Range and Armory in Dayton, OH (first time we'd ever been there) and I was very impressed. It's a busy range with 15 indoor pistol and 5 indoor rifle (up to 50BMG) lanes and we had to wait 15 minutes or so for a lane - time well spent in the showroom drooling over more guns than I think I've ever seen in one place. Out on the range there were at least 2 and usually 3 RSOs for each 5 lanes and they were friendly and helpful and watchful (and armed) - I really felt safe that the only thing that was going to get shot there was targets.

My son and I each grabbed one of the magazines and started off with practice ammo - MagTech - which I know isn't one of the most preferred brands but it's what the store where I bought the pup uses and what they sold me. The pup seemed to like it well enough and it seemed to shoot accurately.

On the 3rd magazine my son had a stoppage; I was watching him shoot and could see he was limp-wristing the pup and knew he was going to have a problem and sure enough he did. I don't blame the pup for this problem and neither does he - he wasn't used to the grip nor the long double action trigger pull and had to sort of re-grip the pistol and didn't give it a solid platform to recoil against. He tap-racked and got the gun running in short order and the rest of his magazine and the 4th magazine I fired ran perfectly.

I knew we were pushing things a bit (we'd just put 4 magazines through the pup and it was starting to get a little warm) but I broke out some Gold Dots and we each shot a few.

Quite a difference between the Gold Dots and the practice ammo - both in noise and sharpness of recoil. I had found the pup to be quite comfortable to shoot with the practice ammo - less recoil than I was expecting and I could easily have shot a box or two with no ill-effects on me. The Gold Dots were a bit more sincere but I actually found them comforting. I didn't buy a pup looking for a more expensive 380 - I wanted a quality and reliable firearm with some effective firepower and with Gold Dots you know you have exactly that - this is not my mother's mouse gun!

We shot my son's 22 for a bit and I finished the range session with some more Gold Dots. Boy this thing likes Gold Dots and they are very accurate in it;  surprised me - a lot - just how tight the group was. Also - how well it shoots to point of aim - I put shots on target as well with the pup as I can with anything else I own (including my favorite carry gun - a H&K P2000SK). Very comforting.

Back home I stripped the pup and did a minor cleaning (I don't have everything I need to do it properly with me). Internally things look just fine - the expected polishing along the rails and where the barrel contacts the frame in recoil but no burrs, no brass shavings, and rather less carbon residue than I would have expected - just a little in the top front of the magazine well and on the feed ramp. Reassembly is a bit more difficult than disassembly - I had to resort to the Channel-Lock trick to get the recoil spring back in which made my son go wide-eyed but worked like a charm. Have to get some tools ...

I am totally satisfied with my purchase; I feel that I have a weapon that delivers the pride of ownership of a fine firearm along with reliability, accuracy and firepower to defend myself should the worst happen. My search for the perfect pocket pistol is finally over - the grail gun found.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2010, 11:46:32 AM by JR956678 »

Offline yankee2500

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Re: Range Report for new pup
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2010, 10:07:30 AM »
JR,  Great range report, sounds like another totally satisfied pup owner.
I can help you out with the tool, plenty in stock.

John
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Offline kjtrains

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Re: Range Report for new pup
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2010, 10:22:43 AM »
JR.  Glad to see the excellent range session.  The takedown tool will make things easier and don't forget the mag extensions John sells.  Could make the grip easier for your son.

Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.  Abraham Lincoln

Offline JR956678

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Re: Range Report for new pup
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2010, 05:17:46 PM »
Quote
and don't forget the mag extensions John sells.  Could make the grip easier for your son.

That could be dangerous - aside from that one problem he shot the pup very well - if I made it TOO easy for him I might find that I needed to buy another one ...

Actually how well he shot it was interesting in and of itself - he doesn't have as much time with handguns as I do and I typically out shoot him. I knew he'd enjoy shooting it but did not expect him to be nearly as accurate with it as he was. I think it speaks a lot for the weapon that someone with not a lot of trigger time - especially with small pistols - could pick an R9 up and shoot it so accurately.

There's a lot of good ergonomics in the pup - it points about as instinctively as your finger and "defensive accuracy" comes very easily.

Offline kjtrains

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Re: Range Report for new pup
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2010, 05:21:31 PM »
The mag extensions also make the R9 look even better!    ;D
Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.  Abraham Lincoln

Offline Richard S

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Re: Range Report for new pup
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2011, 08:28:41 AM »
JR:

I like a good range report in the morning!  Thanks for posting it. 8)
(1963-1967) "GO ARMY!"

Offline theirishguard

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Re: Range Report for new pup
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2011, 11:03:42 AM »
What a good deal, family fun Welcome   Tom
Tom Watson, DVC , Quis Separabit ,  Who dares wins, Utrinque Paratus