Range Report

Auto-Ordnance replica of the Wartime US Model-1911A1 .45 Automatic Pistol.  My first batch of 185 grain semi-wadcutters in a 1950's Remington box.

Uberti replica of a Colt Single Action in .44 Winchester Centre Fire.

Glenfield/Marlin Model-25 .22" Rifle with a 60's era Western Field (Montgomery Wards brand) Scope.

    

     Over the past few years it has become a personal tradition of mine to go shooting on the days leading up to my birthday.  Last Friday on the eve of my birthday I broke down and spent the $25 to go shooting a local indoor range.  Having lived in Alaska I am still in culture shock about having to have to pay to go shooting.  Normal people just drive outside of town and burn up ammo in the local quarry where it is safe, legal and free to shoot.  But living in the big city Lower 48...we have to pay to shoot.  Anyway...enough complaining, because I do not regret spending the cash to pollute the Toledo air even worse than it already is.  Honestly, I need to go back there more often, because I honesty think shooting lowers blood pressure and we all could use that.

     Anyway...about the shooting.  I started off first with firing a rifle I bought several years ago for a cheap price (I tend to not spend a lot on anything...except 1960's Mustangs, but that's another blog episode).  This one is my Glenfield (store brand made by Marlin) Model-25 .22 Long Rifle Calibre Rifle.  I'm guessing this rifle is late 70's or early 80's vintage and somewhere along the line I put a 60's era Western Field (Montgomery Wards store brand) scope on it.  I'm not big on shooting with scopes/optics, etc., I mainly shoot with open sights, but decided to have a go with this one.

    I wheeled the target all the way to the end of the range started to blast away.  I was amazed really, the first five rounds all hit in the black (not one of the 50 shots hit outside the black).  I don't tend to shoot good with scopes, but this one was a nice surprise.  A few minor adjustments and I kept it where it was.  I need to shoot this one more.  I'd love to find another .22 Rifle someday, but for now this one is just fine.

    The next gun that I shot was my .22" calibre Heritage Arms Single Action Revolver.  This is a scaled down version of the famous Colt Single Action Army.  This one is not the most accurate, but it is a nice cheap little .22 Revolver.  

    Up next where my two Uberti made replicas of the Colt Single Action Army.  First was my copy of the Colt Frontier Six Shooter in .44 Winchester Centre Fire (aka .44-40).  I actually shot good with this one.  I sounds counter intuitive really...normally people shoot better with smaller bore, less recoiling cambers.  I shot this one (and also my .45 Colt and .45 Automatic) much better than I did with my .38 Special.

    For some reason I find the Colt Single Action design just a great fit for my hands.  I feel confident with it when I hand it in my hand ready to fire.  It just fits...and with the have recoil of the .44 WCF, the recoil tends to roll back instead of just a violent action.  

   My Colt replica in .44 WCF has a 5 1/2" barrel, my replica in .45 Colt has a 7 1/2 barrel.  The .45 Colt revolver is a replica of the US Army revolver from 1873.  And just like the .44 WCF, I tend to shoot good with this one too.  I actually enjoy the jolt of the .45 Colt Cartridge, it makes me feel alive somehow.  When I loaded the same revolver with .45 S&W Schofield Cartridges, my groups tended to get worse.  I'm not sure what was going on?, as the bullet with the same 250 grain weight.  I'm guessing the powder type and weight might come into play?  I need to work on that one.  But once again, I shot better with a larger, more powerful, heavier recoiling cartridge than I did with a less powerful one.  Go Figure.

    Up next I burned up cartridges with my replica of the famous US .45 Automatic Pistol that generations of US Service Members became familiar with...the Model-1911A1.  I have to say that Auto-Ordnance got it right when they set out to make an affordable replica of this famous firearm.  And it is made in the US to boot and for someone who loves his English ancestry and loves British made firearms to point this out is saying something,  For a decent price, a almost spot on replica of the US .45 Pistol used from  The War on up to at least when I was in the Service (1989-1993) is within the grasp of the regular person.  One of these days I might get a real Wartime M-1911A1, but not anytime soon. In the meantime I love this replica.

    OK...the surprising part about this pistol.  I shot it pretty good, I am amazed!  I've heard so many horror stories about the M1911A1 from the  younger Vietnam era Veterans and from there and how knackered the pistols they had were and best way to actually hit anything was to throw the pistol at them.  I had this impression that the M-1911A1 packed a punch, if you could hit something with it.  I have to keep in mind that my pistol is brand new and not made in 1943 and been shot by countless Service Members, been abused, and rebuilt several times, etc.  Mine is new and been taken care of and shot little (so far).

    I enjoyed the living heck out of shooting this pistol!  This is fast becoming my go to pistol and I might be joining the 1911 cult in the near future.  I shot mostly 230 grain lead ball which equals the weight of the GI Issue 230 grain metal patched ball and hits to the point of aim.  I use lead bullets when I can.  My M-1911A1 replica likes them and it shows.

   I also tried a load load with this pistol.  I loaded a batch of 185 grain lead semi-wadcutter bullets.  These were popular with the Bullseye Target Shooting lot with the Post-War years.  I think I will load this version of the .45 Auto cartridge again?  I was happy shooting the M-1911A1.  

    I also took along my S&W M&P Model 10-5 .38 Special Revolver.  I have no clue what I did, but I shot like total crap with this one!!!  I got a decent group with one box of 148 grain wadcutters, but it still did not shoot as well as I'd like it to... Guess I need to shoot this one a lot more?