Challenge Yourself

I didn't realize until it was posted on Facebook that my best friend had taken the above photo of me shooting his Stacatto (formerly STI) C2 9mm 2011 at a range of about 55 yards. We were out at his property for the first get together since too long before COVID came along and ruined everyone's year shooting a little bit of everything. He brought along his brace of very nice 2011s (3 Stacattos and a Chambers Custom), and I brought along some .22s and my Glock 30. We had been shooting mostly at 10-20 yards just knocking the rust and cobwebs loose. Somewhere along the way, he decided to walk things back a good bit. I decided "Why not?" I had never, to my recollection, attempted serious target shooting with a handgun at ranges beyond 25 yards. 

Much to my surprise, I was ringing the green, half sized, steel silhouette target without any real trouble at all with both my Glock and his Stacatto. To be honest, getting hits with a commander sized 9mm 2011 can be done more consistently and easier than with a compact .45 ACP Glock, but it CAN BE DONE! Even though I have had access to ranges longer than 25 yards for many years, it had never occurred to me to practice at distances longer than that. I mean, I've read articles about it. It just never dawned on me to give it a try for myself. 

So, why would anyone in their right mind want to try and shoot a handgun at that distance or further? Well....1) 'cause 'Merica dang it, 2) as far as 55 yards sounds, it's still close enough to be "in imminent danger and in fear of your life" in the self defense context should someone point a weapon in your direction with intent to do you harm, 3) handgun hunting is a thing or so I am told, 4) smoke...noise...do the math.

I think shooting on public ranges (indoor or outdoor) tends to ingrain certain limitations on our perceptions about what is/is not possible with a certain firearm. So, this year, I intend to make a concerted effort to step outside my comfort zone and stretch the boundaries of my thinking and abilities when it comes to firearms. I may never have a chance to drop a deer at 600 yards with a ,44 Magnum (as Elmer Keith claimed to have done), but it'd be nice to be able to say that I COULD make that shot if it presented itself. 

What are your goals for the new year (besides finding ammo)?

Range Night and Other Odds and Ends

I just realized I never got around to posting part 3 of the Caliber series of posts. Oops. I'll get around to it eventually. Maybe. No one's been sending me hate mail asking where it is. So, maybe not.

I had an opportunity to get out to the range this evening with my best friend. It was my first chance to go pistol shooting since we attempted to simulate a small war in Hill County on Mother's Day. Much fun was had by all; but, sweet barbecue sauce, it was monkey melting HOT that day. We took turns shooting and sitting in the shade of carefully positioned canopies while drinking plenty of water, and it was still hot enough to marinate in your own juices. I didn't take many pictures that day because...it was just too dang hot to be bothered.

I did get to play with several toys that were brought by others including:

Ruger SR9 - my brother in law's Christmas gift from my sister. It's a polymer 9 made by Ruger. You could do a lot worse. Trigger is nothing to right home about, but I went bang every time.

Savage Mark II bolt action .22LR rifle with a suppressor - my cousin's friend Alex brought this little number out to play. It came nestled into a Boyd's At-One Adjustable Stock and propped up by a bipod. This thing was a frikkin' giggle factory. You've not heard quiet until you shoot subsonic .22LR ammo out of a suppressed bolt action rifle. Savage makes a really good trigger. However, their little stamped steel magazines, while functional, could be used to shave in a pinch.  I guess I'm just spoiled by Ruger 10/22 mags.

Sig P226 and P229 - Best friend brought both. I still don't shoot DA/SA triggers worth a flip, but I didn't embarrass myself quite as badly this time. Both of these guns are very nice with SRT triggers, upgraded suppressor height sights, etc. Maybe one day I will invest the time, energy and money into learning DA/SA triggers to make it worth it to add one to the collection. In the meantime...there's always 1911s to play with.

No name,  homegrown, AR-15 chambered in 9MM. My cousin's friend is a budding machinist in addition to being a gun nut. He made the lower receiver himself. Not hogged out an 80% lower on a jig made it. He took a block of aluminum, a mill, some measurements and went to town. This one uses stick mags, but he has another one he made which takes Glock mags. He's single and still lives at home with mom. So, he can get away with making his own toys.

AR-15 with a CMMG .22LR upper and a Franklin Binary trigger system - This is another giggle factory. It's as close to full auto as you are going to get this side of a tax stamp, and very controllable. I was able to put 25 rounds of standard velocity CCI onto a 3x5 note cards at 25 yards as fast as I could pull the trigger using a red dot optic. Like I said...giggle factory.

Tried out a 16 inch .300 Blackout AR upper on my Aero Precision lower. I might just have to get one as a short to medium range hunting option. Roughly the same power as a 7.62x39 or a .30-30. Not much more recoil that a 5.56/.223 AR.

There was my best friend's Sig P320 X-Carry with the Romeo1 red dot on it. He's had a lot of  stuff done to it including a flat faced trigger and a Norsso slide. I would need to spend a lot more time with it to give a fair opinion, but the trigger is really nice for a polymer striker fired gun. I need more time on a red dot equipped pistol to be anywhere near comfortable with them. It fed the rounds down range with reasonable accuracy. Further, affiant sayeth not.

There was a lot more stuff out there, but I didn't get to play with all of it.

Tonight was pistol night though.

We started off with DOT TORTURE. Again.

43 out of 50 at 5 yards with a Ruger Mk3 22/45

The hardest part of Dot Torture is learning to take your time. Once you learn how to control your gun and clean to drill, you can add a time element in...if you're a masochist. I probably should have run a magazine through the gun before starting the drill just to knock the rust off. But, sometimes you just have to see if you can perform the dancing bear routine cold.

Same distance - Sig P320 Carry 9mm

I'm not even sure how to score this target. If I'm being generous, that's a 42 out of 50. If I'm being honest, that's a sub 40 circus of mediocrity.

Learned something new tonight. Well, not really new per se. I already sort of knew it. I had just never thought about it in the context of a pistol before. When you shoot a bullet, it flies in a parabolic arc. That means that it leaves the barrel and "climbs" a little bit above the line of sight until evil, old gravity sucks it back to earth at which time it drops back below the line of sight and keeps going until it hits pay dirt. What this means for the pistol shooter is that your point of impact will "rise" as range increases for a constant point of aim to a certain point (the top of the parabolic arc). Rifle shooters already know this stuff and have serious, poo slinging arguments over what the best distance is to zero their weapons or maximum point blank range and other silliness that pistol shooters typically ignore.

My friend suggested I give this a whirl with the Sig P320 and the Ruger SR1911. The way you do this is put a 1" paster on the bottom of a piece of paper or 3x5 note card. Heck, any target will do. The key is to use the same point of aim. Fire one shot at 3 yards. Move the target back to 5 yards. Fire one more shot. Keep doing this at 7, 10, 15, 20 yards, etc. out to whatever range you can realistically center your sights on the same 1" paster point of aim reference. You should see your point of impact "ladder" vertically at each distance. With the P320, I shot a 3 round cloverleaf at 3, 5 and 7, but the 10 yard shot was definitely above the others. With the SR1911, the effect was more noticeable with each round stringing vertically with distinct separation between each shot. The shot at 3 yards was at least 2 to 3 inches lower (maybe 4) than the shot at 10 yards.

It's something everyone should do with any gun/ammo combination you intend to rely on for self defense. Not every self defense situation occurs at the same distance at which you practice, and you need to know where your gun will shoot for a given point of aim at a given distance. As a general rule of thumb, lower your point of aim as distance to target increases. Know yourself. Know your gear. Because you never know when you will have to hit the light switch on an intruder's CNS...in the dark...with your pulse doing twice the speed of light.

Last but not least, we did draws from concealment shooting two rounds on an A zone target at 5 yards. This was to put to bed a bit of smack talking that took place some months ago when my friend mentioned he'd picked up a shot timer and was working on his draws. He had started out in the 4 second range for 2 shots on target from concealment. I allowed as how he was a ham handed, gormless ape with no thumbs and two left feet. He questioned my parentage and allowed as how I could put up or shut up. I challenged him to same gear/same distance, and he suggested loser buys a box of ammo. So, I put on his Deadpool Kydex holster along with the previously mentioned 9mm Sig P320 Carry and gave it my best draw from concealment.

According to the timer, I threw down a 2.23 second time landing both hits in the A zone at 5 yards. Frankly, I'd never timed myself specifically on draw to double tap before...ever...much less using this gun and holster. So, the result was news to me. If I were to practice more with that gun and holster set up, I'm pretty sure I can bring that down in the sub 2 second range. Probably. Maybe. I'll just keep telling myself that.

Now, though, it was my best friend's turn. His time....drumroll please....2.40 seconds. Huge improvement over where he started in the 4 second range.

After all was said and done, we agreed that we were both in the same ballpark and the contest was a draw. It was all smoke and noise, and we had a great time.

Oh, one last thing, I ran 10 rounds through my friends Sig P365. This is Sig's new sub compact carry pistol which manages to stuff 10 rounds of 9mm in a package roughly the same size as a Glock 43 or a S&W Shield. The things shot amazingly well for a gun that size. I put all 10 in a head shot grouping of about 2 to 3 inches from 5 yards. I'll just say I wouldn't turn one down if it were given to me.

What the Dot Torture has Taught Me

People are probably sick of me going on and on about the Dot Torture. It dawned on me, after talking to my mom, that while I've talked about the Dot Torture for years, I've not explained what it is recently or why I'm so in love/hate with it. This is a drill, shot at close range, that tests a shooter's fundamentals: sight picture, trigger control, transitioning between targets, one-handed, and weak-handed shooting. The instructions are available online (see link above), or you can find a target pre-printed with the instructions.

I shot it first back in 2012, but haven't been shooting it regularly until this year. It has always been a humbling experience, and often quite frustrating.

First time ever shooting Dot Torture 10/26/12 (GSG 1911-22)

10/26/12 (Para LTC 1911 .45 ACP)

When I came up with my shooting goals for the year, shooting more frequently was one of the goals. I plan on shooting at least 200 rounds a month, and it's easy to do if you know what you're going to be doing each time you go to the range. I knew if I shot the Dot Torture twice with my right hand and twice with my left each month I'd hit my goal easily.

The Dot Torture has frustrated me for a long time. I've never been a precise shooter - I'm what some would call "combat accurate", but I very rarely have been able to shoot nice tight groups on purpose. My groups fall in the 1.5 - 2" range, not bad, but hardly worth bragging about.

While I was expecting to improve my Dot Torture scores, I was not expecting to see the drastic improvement in my group sizes.

1/31/17 GSG 1911-22

2/7/17 G42

2/10/17 G42

2/14/17 G42

I'm still not shooting one-hole groups, but they are much better and I know the moment the trigger breaks whether or not I've thrown a shot. The shrinking group sizes has helped build my confidence, which has been sorely lacking. I know it's weird to say my confidence is improving when I've only shot the drill clean once, but it has. I'm beginning to feel like the shooter I used to be, and that feels really good.

Further, I've seen vast improvements in my left-handed shooting as well. I've always been fairly proficient with my left-handed shooting because I work at it, whereas most people don't. I make a point to shoot as close to 50% of the time with my left hand. I dare say that my current left-handed shooting ability is far better than my first right-handed go at the drill. (I thought I had more pictures of my left-handed targets, but I must not have uploaded them.)

2/7/17 G42, left-handed

With my confidence renewed, I'm looking forward to shooting my first match of the year.

... And Starting 2017 with a Bang!

After Saturday's happy day at the range, I was hoping to get out again, but the weather didn't look like it was going to cooperate on Sunday. I did some horse chores, then decided it was warm enough to take the dueling tree for a run. I texted my brother to grab his wife and their guns to join me.

(Okay, I had to invite them, because the dueling tree doesn't fit in my car, but don't tell them that.)

If you don't follow us on Facebook, you might be a bit behind on the dueling tree saga. I've had this tree for a while - years - but back when I was in the running to audition for Top Shot I accidentally shot a hole in one of the plates with a 45-70. I say accidentally, because though I was aiming at the plate, I didn't actually think I'd hit it. I was shooting from the Bosu and the tree was out there a ways. In fact, I think I have video of it somewhere - I'll have to look for it.

Anyway, I went to the lowest bidder to fix the plates and the fixes were bad, Bad, BAD, so the tree has been sitting out of commission for about five years. In talking to one of the shooters at my local match, I found that he is a welder and he offered to make new plates for me. I jumped at the chance!

Mez took the tree frame to his place to clean up the rust and re-paint it. I got all mushy on Facebook about how I'd found my "tribe" and how lucky I was to have people in my life who were willing to pitch in and help. I got a picture of my new plates and they were beautiful.

So shiny and pretty.

A few days later, Jay and I were pulling into the driveway and Jay just stopped the car for a moment and turned to tell me, "looks like Mez dropped off your tree". I had my nose buried in my phone for some reason and looked up to see my pink, sparkly tree. Yes, pink. With sparkles.

Pink.

With sparkles.

*sigh*

So my "new" dueling tree has been sitting outside of my front door for a month, it was time to take it for a spin. My brother was kind enough to pick it up and haul it to my friend's house. She was kind of cute with her bright white plates (well, three of them anyway) and her sparkles.

Besides being plain fun to shoot, I love the instant feedback. I've been struggling with my Big Dot sight on my Para. And by struggling I mean, I hate the damn thing! I've spent the better part of two years trying to learn to shoot with it because I'm too cheap and stubborn to switch back to my factory sights. It took three shots to figure out how to use the stupid Big Dot.

I had been lining up my sights to cover the target, as instructed when I switched to the Big Dot. I never felt comfortable with that, because it's so big that I couldn't really see what I was shooting at. My first couple of shots on the dueling tree were misses and when I asked my brother for feedback, he told me I was shooting over the plates. I adjusted my sight picture so that the target was sitting on top of the Big Dot sight and got my first hit. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke I did it again and again. Shooting at steel was just what I needed - I needed the immediate feedback on my sight picture. When shooting at paper, it's not always easy to see if you've impacted where you were aiming.

We took turns shooting at the tree and had a blast. Finally, as it was getting colder, my brother and I went head-to-head on it. It was a draw, with each of us winning a round.

The tree lost some of its sparkles (I think each of the three of us managed to hit the frame at least once), and the shiny new white plates are no longer shiny and new.

I made a good dent in my goal of 200 rounds/month, shooting 60 rounds through the Para. Only 140 rounds to go this month and 30 days left to do it.

Full Circle

Tara and I met many moons ago when she was a student in a class I was assisting with. We worked together most of the day, because she needed a lot of individual attention. She was not comfortable with the gun, she was not comfortable with the process, and she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

Fast forward years and thousands of round later, and she is one of my dearest friends and one of the most solid, competent shooters I know. Handguns will never be her passion - she's a long-range, long-gun girl at heart - but she can run a handgun very well.

A few weeks ago, she and I were assisting in a concealed carry class and there was a student who needed a whole lot of individual attention. I'm not going to lie, my throat got a little tight when I looked over and saw Tara working with the student, just as I had done with her almost ten years ago.

It got me right in the feels and made me so proud of the hard work she has put in since she was the uncomfortable, unsure student. I'm not sure there's a better feeling than seeing your students excel.

Girls' Day Out

Tara and I try to get out to the range every Friday. More often than not, we don't make it. Lives get in the way, don'tcha know. When we do get out, its fabulous, but this last time was even more fabulous than usual. We had five guns and no time constraints. I'm not sure it gets better than that.

Choices. Lots of choices.

Since we haven't done much shooting, and since the last time we went out we both shot like we'd never held a gun, we worked on the basics. I didn't bring enough dots for the Dot Torture, so I made up my own drill.

3 2" targets and 5 1" targets at 7 yards.

I forgot to take a "before" picture, but you can see my dot set-up.

Using a normal shooting stance, one shot at each target T1-T8. Next round, strong-hand only, one shot at each target T1-T8. 3rd round, weak-hand only, one shot at each target T1-T3, then T8-T4 (reverse order). Last round, weak-hand, two hands, T1-T3, then T8-T4.

I was a bit high on each of the targets T5-T7. And who the hell knows what happened on T8.

After I finished my round (and felt pretty good after my performance with the Dot Torture a couple of weeks ago), I played with some of Tara's guns. Boy, I love those cowboy guns. Love them. Unfortunately, they're an expensive habit I don't need to take up.

And just for shiggles I emptied my last magazine at the middle of the target and called it a day.

Not the best target of my life, but I'll take it.

Remember when I said we had a fabulous day? Tara mentioned that she needed some work with the AR to get more familiar with it and I remembered that Double Tap had the sim up and running, so to make our day even more fabulous, we headed to FiTS.

Double Tap put her through her paces with accuracy drills before running her through some scenarios.

When she got tired, I took a turn. I did pretty well. The two tactical rifle skills classes I took were helpful. It's been a year or so since I took my last AR class, but the repetition in class helped build some muscle memory that I was able to tap into. There's another class coming up that I want to take, but it conflicts with an event I'm in charge of, so I can't attend.

It will be another couple of weeks before our schedules match up and we can hit the range again, but I'm looking forward to it.

Presbyopia

I had a very rare free night last week that enabled me to go blow off a little steam at the range. It had been a while since I had had a chance to play with my Ruger 22/45. Several months, in fact. I had upgraded the sights to the fiber optic front/v-notch rear sights that come standard on the Mark III Hunter sometime since the last range trip, and I was anxious to get it zeroed and see how they performed.

More importantly, I was anxious to see how I would perform. And not just because of the cobwebs that accumulate on the skills from lack of use either. The reason for the anxiousness (and the upgraded sights) is that my eyesight has been slowly getting worse, and I needed to see if the new sights would help or make things worse.

After reveling in perfect to near perfect eyesight all my life, I was slightly dismayed a few years ago to get the verdict from the eye doc that I was now farsighted with 20/25 vision. Okay, that's not the end of the world and well short of being legally blind. What he didn't tell me (or, perhaps, I didn't hear) was that presbyopia comes with the aging process.

Why is this important to shooters, you might ask? (you really should be asking, by the way)

For those not yet initiated or familiar with this "harmless" condition, presbyopia "is a condition associated with aging in which the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects." (source Wikipedia) See where this is going yet (no pun intended)? Yep, for me, everything inside of arm's length (and I've got a pretty generous wingspan), more or less, is a blur. That includes the front sight on most weapons.

Yes, my love affair with parentheticals marches on gleefully unabated (I would seek therapy, but where's the fun in that?)

Anywho, the sight upgrade was an experiment to see if the fiber optic front sight would stand out better to my, now less capable, eyes than the standard black front blade sight since focusing on the front sight is one of the cornerstones of proper marksmanship fundamentals.

And the short answer is...not so much.

In fact, if anything, the bright red front fiber optic sight was BLURRIER than the standard, black, front blade sight. Of course, that could just be my perception/memory from the last range trip many moons ago.

The blurriness made sighting in a chore until I bowed to the inevitable and put my cheater readers on under my safety glasses. It was a little awkward, but man was that front sight SHARP with the cheaters on. Of course, with the cheaters on, there was no distinguishing the point of aim at the target except in the most general sense of the word. There was a target shaped blob down range. Beyond that, it was put the front sight in the general middle and hope for the best.

So, no, there will be no photos of targets today.

I will, gratefully, tell you that all rounds found the target. I could manage a quarter sized hole at 3 yards. At 7 yards, the dispersion was not hideous with some rounds touching and others at least in the same zip code. At 15 yards, things were starting to really open up a bit (though not quite to shotgun pattern status), and I didn't press my luck at 20 yards.

That brings us to the $64,000 question of what do I (or anyone else with a similar problem) do about it.

The most expensive option is Lasik surgery. Not in the cards for me right now.

Next up is eyewear. Progressive (i.e. bifocals and no line bifocals) lenses are supposedly a viable workaround for the problem. I will be discussing this with my eye doc the next time I see which will be after I get a full time job again with the associated health and vision coverage.

Another option is to go with optics. The 22/45 has a rail on it which Ruger thoughtfully included in the box. I have a cheap red dot that I bought for it. Let's just say I was underwhelmed (perhaps I need to revisit it again with a renewed interest).

Red dots have their pluses and minuses like any other system. All but the best can be prone to washing out in bright sunlight. They require batteries (unless you want to drop over $1000 on an ACOG). Depending on the dot size, they are less precise than scopes. On the plus side, they put the target and the reticle on more or less the same focal plane which is where they become of interest to me. For a competition or bedside gun, this may not be a bad option.

Since this is not a home defense or low light gun, a handgun scope may be a better solution for this particular gun. Scopes are great for precision. Speed...not so much. Perhaps with practice, speed would improve. Then again, perhaps speed is overrated since the objective is to put rounds on target with precision.

Bottomline, if you are middle aged or getting there as fast as you can, it's probably a good idea to start thinking about how your eyesight is going to change as you age and how it will impact your ability to shoot. There are solutions, but you need to think about which will be the best for you for each application.

It's Been A While

I've been absent from The GunDivas for a while due to selling our house and the resulting move. Now that life has slowed down from warp speed to something more or less sane, I've had some time and opportunity to play again.

First, guess who has a ticket to the First Annual Texas International Firearms Festival? Yep. This guy. My best friend turned me onto it via FaceBook. He and I will both be there Sunday, November 9. Look for a report and photos to follow. Holler if you see me.

Second, Groupon appears to have quietly reinstated deals for firearms as I landed claws on a gun range outing including lane rental, unlimited use of rental guns and one box of ammo for $35. I took the free time afforded by being semi-homeless to indulge my curiosity on the shooting qualities of certain guns.

First up, the Gen 4 Glock 21.

Glock G21 Gen 4

Prior to this range outing, I have not spent any time looking closely at the Gen 4 Glocks. I have handled a few at gun stores and have come away generally ambivalent about the changes between the Gen 3s and the Gen 4s. I have read many opinions about the Gen 4 grip texture. My brief handlings at stores left me with the impression that I could see how others would hate it while not giving me passionate feelings one way or the other. I will say that my preference is still for the smoother Gen 3 texture on a purely aesthetic level; however, having handled and shot one on the range now, I can see the benefits of the Gen 4 grip texture. I had no troubles with the grip texture being too rough for my hands as has been reported by others. I see this as one of those "too each their own" issues. Try them both side by side. Pick the one that works best for you.

The recoil on the G21 shooting pretty standard 230 gr. Federal FMJ ammunition was very manageable. There is more muzzle flip than with a G19 or G17 in 9mm, but it's neither horrendous nor hazardous. Ditto for felt recoil. My biggest gripe is that my thumb likes to ride the slide release which resulted in the slide failing to lock back on the last shot unless I made a conscious effort to keep my thumb off or below it.

Accuracy was decent for a combat handgun considering I was out of practice and not used to the gun.

G21 at 7 Yards 10 rounds (I think) Left Eye Closed

G21 at 7 Yards 5 rounds Both Eyes Open

The lone round in the 6 ring on the first target was a flyer. No excuse. Probably was just not paying attention to what I was doing. I mention the left eye closed vs. both eyes open because my eyesight has turned to pure fertilizer over the last few years (I'm farsighted, and my near vision is to the point that I have to concentrate real hard on anything inside arms length with no guarantee that I can see it then) and focusing on the front sight is a challenge. I thought it might be useful to see if a second eye would help my results. Inconclusive.

G21 15 Yards 5 Rounds

G21 15 Yards 10 Rounds

Not much to say about the 15 yard targets. I think I could get that grouping a little tighter with more practice and standard three dot sights, but I'm not unhappy with that result even with the Glock "dot in a bucket" sight system.

Bottom line: I'd carry it.

Next up: Sig P226 9mm.

I didn't spend very long with the Sig. Long enough to remember why I don't like the SA/DA triggers. The Sig is well made and smooth. I just can't get the hang of the trigger on it for the life of me.

So, the Sig got swapped out for a Glock 17 Gen 4 in 9mm. I've shot a G19 several times and thought I'd see if the extra barrel length did anything for me.

G17 7 Yards 10 Rounds

Again, I may be out of practice, but I won't complain about that group even though I'm pretty sure I should be able to put all 10 inside the small, scoring chart silhouette at 7 yards (and have done so with both G22s and G19s).

In conclusion, I had a good time. 50 rounds of .45 ACP and 50 rounds of 9mm through three different guns made for an enjoyable evening after work. Groupon is cool to be offering these deals again. The P226 is a good gun...just not for me. A Glock is a Glock is a Glock.

Smith & Wesson M&P 40: A Quick Update

Previously, I had reported that the .40S&W magazines would feed 9mm ammo. I found out this past Sunday that such is not 100% accurate. To clarify, during my first range outing, at least one of my mags loaded and fed 9mm ammo with no trouble. Last Sunday, one of my mags would not even entertain the thought of holding just one 9mm round much less feeding it. I suspect that there is a slight tolerance variance in the feed lips that makes one do it and the other not.

In short, if you want to do the multi-caliber barrel swap conversion, you will probably want to go ahead and invest in some 9mm magazines to go with the extra barrel. I'll be doing that soon.

Gettin' Better

I had the opportunity to spend some quality time at the range yesterday with close friends and family. It was not my day on the rifle range; however, the pistol range was another matter entirely.

The M&P is starting to show signs of adequacy if not actual promise.

That's roughly 30 rounds at 7 yards. The top two shots near the twelve o'clock nine are the bottom of my best friend's test drive mag aimed at the twelve o'clock eight. I own the shot near the six o'clock 9 as a called flyer. I would call tearing up the 10 and x rings more than acceptable.

While the M&P trigger is clearly workable as is, I still don't like it as much as I would like to. As a result, we are rapidly reaching the point at which time I order the Apex kit. Borrowing my cousin's girlfriend's Glock 23 (earlier Gen...probably a post AWB Gen 2 based on the plethora of 10 round mags) for 10 shots didn't help especially when I turned out even better accuracy from the Glock without even thinking about it.

The Ruger 22/45 got a work out as well. Ten shots at the x box on the scoring chart at seven yards with five in one hole measuring about a half inch. I can't be happier with that.

My cousin gave me a turn behind his Mosin-Nagant. Ten rounds of 7.62 x 54R later, and I can happily report that I can hit the broad side of center mass at 50 yards with one. That, and my kidney stones have been pulverized sufficiently while my shoulder remains intact.

In other news, BSA reflex red dots do not work in bright light even on their highest brightness setting and even cheap 1911s are freakishly accurate. Borrowed a Umarex made Regent 1911 belonging to a friend of my cousin's for one mag. Six rounds through the same hole punching out the x at seven yards is hard to argue with.

The weather was beautiful, our energy ran out before our ammo did, and any day at the range beats a day doing anything else.

Initial Review/Range Report: Smith & Wesson M&P40 (/9/357Sig)

Cross Posted at Daddy Hawk's Toy Box

It's been a stressful few weeks. Between work, getting ready to be out of the office for work and personal travel, The Queen not feeling well, M&M needing her daily dose of Daddy Hawk, house work, cooking, shopping and generally failing badly at getting the sleep necessary to function as a normal member of the human race, I was getting ready to shoot something. Whether that something turned out to be an animate or inanimate object was rapidly becoming less of a concern to me. So, the other evening, I finally had a chance to sneak away from the house (actually, I just didn't return home as early as I otherwise would have) to visit the local range for the purpose of taking the new M&P out for its first official test spin.

So, before I dive into breathlessly describing how wonderful the M&P is or isn't, I'd like to issue my standard disclaimer and tell the FTC (who I hope are enjoying a restful Obamacation) that I paid my own hard earned, seriously value deflated dollars to buy this particular M&P. Smith & Wesson has no idea who I am and has not offered me any compensation or consideration for this review. So, go suck on your banana punk monkey. These opinions are 100% mine.

Alright, now that my libertarian tendencies have been mollified for a little while, let's get down to business.

Starting with the title of this review, you will notice that I am calling this the Smith & Wesson M&P 40/9/357Sig. The dirty little secret is that M&P saved a whole hoochie load of money developing this pistol by going big for commonality across the platform. The recoil spring is identical for all three calibers. Need proof? Go look up replacement recoil springs on Midway USA's website. Barrel dimensions are identical (a fact we will address in more detail in a bit) which means the slide dimensions are identical which in turn means that the frame dimensions have to be pretty darn close too. There may be (though I seriously doubt it) a tiny skosh bit of difference in the mag well on the 9 as opposed to the 40/357; however, the 40 mags are marked ".40S&W/.357Sig" (or vice versa depending on your perspective) meaning that the frame of those two calibers have the same freaking dimensions.

Now, reading the forums [for a?] (and even watching a few videos from manufacturer reps) you will find many a post that suggests that the slide on the 9 is not strong enough to hold up against the pressures generated by the .40. I've not come across any comment on the .40 slide not being strong enough for the .357Sig, but give it time. Someone will decide that the slides on the .357Sig MUST be stronger to contain the uber high specialness that is the chamber pressure of a .40 case necked to a 9mm bullet. Personally, I call el toro guano. I don't see Smith & Wesson making some slides "stronger" when they are toleranced to the same dimensions as other "weaker" slides when using the same (presumably...I'd be happy to hear a S&W rep confirm that) materials on the same manufacturing line. I'm no metallurgical expert, but I don't think it works like that.

Don't take my word for it though. Proceed at your own risk. Do your own research. I take no responsibility for your own stupidity for something you read on the internet from someone who is a self avowed non-expert in the field.

Here is my personal, anecdotal experience on the subject to close out this portion of the review. I bought the M&P40 as well as a 9mm replacement barrel. I can confirm for you that the 9mm replacement barrel was a perfect, drop in fit. 9mm ammo fed from the 40/357 mags without a hitch (including the last round despite what I've read from other noted internet experts on that point). The pistol fired and cycled the 9mm ammo without incident. I would not hesitate to attempt the same with a .357Sig replacement barrel. Your mileage may vary.

I'm not going to spend much time here on the aesthetics of the M&P. As polymer pistols go, I think it's a good looking pistol. The fish scale slide serrations are unique as well as functional. The black Melonite finish performs its intended function well enough and will serve as a good canvas for a custom coating should I ever decide to get around to doing something to set my M&P apart from the masses. The rounded grip is quite comfortable, and I had no problems hanging on to the gun even during moderately rapid fire (something between .5 and 1 second per shot). A texture job on the grips would certainly enhance that, but I don't see it as a necessity unless you were gifted with exceptionally sweaty palms.

As to safeties, Smith & Wesson wisely in my humble opinion took the “buffet” approach of offering a wide variety of options. Do you live behind the nanny state curtain? They have you covered with 10 round mags, magazine disconnects, thumb safeties and infernal (internal) locks. Do you live in free America where you are trusted to make decisions for yourself? They offer versions without the infernal lock, with or without the thumb safety, etc. My particular model is completely safety free (other than the odd trigger safety which is marginally okay). Call it a point and click model if you like.

From a concealability point of view, I have no problems hiding it in the appendix carry position under an untucked polo shirt. Bear in mind that I am 6'4" tall and heft about 240 pounds on the scale. So, petite folk may have a different perspective on this. Wearing it unloaded, "Mexican" style (as I have not found an AIWB holster for it yet that I like), The Queen did not notice the gun (she was not informed that there would be a CCW "printing" test) over the course of an hour or two. Even without a holster, the gun was comfortable (hardly noticeable in fact) and stayed put fairly well while performing normal household activity (I would try jumping jacks without a good holster). I have not tried it in the 4 o'clock IWB position yet; however, I don't foresee it being any more visible than in the AIWB position. In the 3 o'clock OWB position, I would expect it to bulge an untucked shirt just a bit. But, balance it with a mag carrier at 9 o'clock and it might not be an issue.

Function-wise, I only had time to run 70 rounds of .40S&W, 10 rounds of 9mm (including time for the barrel swap back and forth), and 47 rounds of .22 (through the Ruger 22/45 Mk III which was feeling all lonely neglected in the range bag). I had no failures to feed, fire or extract. The only function issue of any note was that the slide did not lock back after the last round consistently. As a matter of fact, it probably locked back less than 50% of the time. I didn't diligently keep track of the problem. So, I can't say how often for sure; however, it was definitely noticeable. Next range outing I try to see if grip firmness affects that or if there is a mag follower issue.

Speaking of the 47 rounds of .22 as a quick digression, it would have been 50 rounds but for these little treasures.

 

I've never seen anything like that in a box of factory ammo. Not even from a box of cheapo, Walmart, Remington bulk pack.

And, just for GunDiva, a picture of the target.

 

No, I didn't WANT to change the target. That's 47 rounds at 7 yards fired as quick as I could load mags and fire. It was *VERY* satisfying to use the .22 as a bullet hose. Not that I am suggesting that one should EVER skirt the range rules or anything. Fortunately, the dude in the next bay giving his girlfriend her first taste of semi auto (using a Ruger P94 in .40...after letting her shoot .22 and .38/.357 revolvers...with full power magnum rounds no less) and was going all bullet hose with his gat (he was nice enough…so, I won't call him nasty names here) giving me the cover necessary to have some fun unnoticed by the front desk.

Now, digression complete. Move along. Nothing to see here.

In an earlier post, I commented on the quality of the trigger pull. I believe I said something about broken glass. That issue is still there; BUT, I found it much less noticeable when actually focusing on the front sight with the intention of shooting something. Maybe I'm easily distracted. Who knows? That's not to say that I might not still have a trigger job done and/or splurge on an Apex trigger kit. I want at least 250 rounds (preferably 500 rounds) through it before I decide on any substantive changes like that.

A quick note on field stripping: it’s pretty simple. Remove the magazine, clear the chamber, use a tool to push or pull the lever in the mag well that disconnects the sear down, thumb the take down lever down, remove the slide from the frame, remove the recoil spring assembly and remove the barrel. Done. It’s as quick as stripping a Glock though the downside is that it’s not completely tool less unless you have a finger that can manipulate the sear disconnect lever (I don’t). Reassembly was equally unremarkable.

The sights are fine for their intended purpose. This is not a bullseye gun. The rear sight is drift adjustable for windage. For elevation, it’s either learn your hold overs/unders or get a different front sight post. Having said that, I’m 95% certain I will be replacing these sights with fiber optic replacements soon since my 40 something year old eyes don’t focus at arm’s length the way they used to.

Moving right along, let’s talk accuracy. My first shot at 3 yards was in the x ring which, let’s be honest, shouldn’t be that hard at that range. The remaining 4 shots out of my first string were inside the 10 ring (four in the x ring); however, the grouping is not as tight as I would expect of myself at that range. My next string of 15 (one full mag) at 7 yards was even less impressive.

 

I was aiming for the top 8. Other than that, I have no explanation for that pattern or the others that follow. I’d like to throw an alibi out, but I got nothing. It’s certainly minute of bad guy accuracy and will get the job done, but I’m just disappointed because I am used to getting most everything inside the 9 ring at that range.

Finally, the only thing left to talk about are some odds and ends. Recoil was quite manageable for me at least (especially after my recent experience with the S&W M325PD). The 147 grain subsonic 9MM ammo had less felt recoil than the 180 grain .40S&W ammo. Duh. No surprise there. It’s no .22 pistol, but you’re not going to have to worry about digging the rear sight out of your forehead either. No issues with the mag release. It did its job just fine. I was unable to remove the little frame mounted tool that lets you swap out the grip panels. I’m sure I was just not doing it right since I hadn’t bothered with reading the manual yet. The witness hole/loaded chamber indicator worked as advertised. No issues with the mags themselves other than the first round is sometimes a pain in the butt to get in if you’re not paying attention to the follower and the feed lips. Rounds 14 and 15 will be challenging for most people to load without the use of a mag loader which Smith & Wesson did not see fit to include. Some people swear by the Uplula’s, but I’m not sure that a stiff, thin piece of metal wouldn’t work just as good. I may just have to test that theory and report back.

 

So, to sum up, I like the gun. It fits my hand well with the medium grip insert, and I can shoot it adequately as is. There are things I would like to change and probably will. Is it as good as a Glock out of the box? Meh, maybe. Glocks have better triggers out of the box while the M&P has better sights and more options in addition to being better looking (IMHO). After typical modifications (triggers, sights, texturing), they are a wash from price point, reliability, and functionality standpoints. Glocks have a slight edge when you consider accessories and other ancillary items like the fact that there are carbines available that use Glock mags but none that I am aware of that use M&P mags.

Concealed Handgun Class

Back in the 90s, not long after Texas joined the ranks of states that trust its citizens to carry concealed handguns, I took the plunge and got licensed to carry along with many of my fellow Texans. I have to say, my motivation for doing so at the time was mainly because I could as opposed to any well defined awareness of the need for self defense or any other "valid" reason. I am a guy, guns are cool, and I thought "why not?"

Fast forward a couple of years, and I met the woman who would become The Queen. She grew up as a person of tremendous personal religious faith who believes that one should rely solely on God for personal protection. She is not anti-gun. In fact, she enjoys shooting as much as the next non-liberal person. She was, however, very uncomfortable with the idea of me carrying a revolver in my pocket anytime we took a late night stroll or having a gun in the car when we were out and about.  

Along about license renewal time, I was undergoing a bit of a spiritual awakening myself due in no small part to The Queen's example and God's inescapable influence. Let's just say, I have a somewhat better understanding of the Book of Jonah than the average bear. I came to believe, as I still do, that God is a far better protector than I can ever be, and my part in the defense of self and others is to be aware of my surroundings and lead us not into unsafe places. Nonetheless, I took the renewal class; however, I might as well have not bothered as I never sent my renewal paperwork into the state. 

Thus, my license lapsed many moons ago. It is a decision which I have never been given cause to regret. 

Fast forward more than ten years. I find myself married to a wonderful woman who I love dearly and starting a family through the trials and joys of fostering to adopt. The circumstances of life and money have forced me to abandon active pursuit of my first, non-marital passion, flying airplanes. Needing an outlet for my inner man child, I reverted back to a long dormant interest, firearms.

Much has transpired in the world of firearms since I was last really active in the sport. The assault weapons ban of 1994 came and went. Texas has become more firearms friendly by expanding the castle doctrine to include carrying in your personal vehicle. The polymer gun market niche has gone from the Glock and maybe the Glock to a near majority if not an actual majority of all handguns encompassing most if not all the major names in handguns including Ruger (which was into polymers before polymers were cool with the 22/45), Smith & Wesson and Sig Sauer. You can now even print an AR-15 receiver for crying out loud.

And my gun wish list has gone completely and totally out of control. 

The first thing I did when I became active in shooting again was to buy one of my long time wish list items, a 1911, and get involved in the local action pistol shooting club (mainly IDPA with some USPSA matches to boot). It also had me keeping an eye out for deals on other wish list items and setting money aside when possible to purchase some of those items. 

One of the things that has irked me the most about all this is the background checks they are required to do when purchasing from a dealer. Personally, I don't think a form 4473 and a background check should be required to purchase a firearm. I does nothing to combat criminals obtaining guns illegally, but that's a rant for another time. With The Great Firearms Buying Frenzy of 2012 following the election continuing into this year, I've been told, as recently as late February, that wait times of several days are not unheard of when requesting a firearms transfer through an FFL dealer. My last transfer went through in about 30 minutes on a weekday in the evening after work; however, that was before we all jumped off the Fiscal Cliff with Sequestration and the White House's edict to make the budget cuts are felt by you and I as much as possible. What do you bet manpower for NICS checks went under the budget axe? 

There is a ray of sunshine though. You can get around the point of purchase NICS background check (but not the form 4473...that's also a rant for another time) with a concealed handgun license. They seem to figure, rightly so, that some one who has gone through the hassle of getting a thorough FBI background check, taking a class and paying a hefty fee for a CHL will mostly likely clear an NICS check. So, why waste the manpower and resources to duplicate effort? Right? 

It makes so much sense it's a wonder the government allowed it (that too is a rant for another time).

If that weren't enough incentive, there is this. My sister...the devil started making noise late last year about getting her CHL. Around about November, I saw a Groupon deal that was almost too good to be true: CHL class for two including lane rental for $75.  This was obviously before they stopped offering firearms related deals. Around here that's about the bare minimum for a class for one person (and I've seen some places charging up to $125). 

So, I floated the idea to the family. Anyone interested in getting the class out of the way while they're giving it away for free practically? The Queen politely declined seeing no benefit or need to her which is quite alright as I am not the type of husband to force his wife to do anything she does not want to do. My sister...the devil was interested but decided to make her own arrangements despite me offering to cover the cost if necessary (me thinks she might be kicking herself now). Surprisingly, my mother expressed an interest.

There's a bit of a back story there that I will address shortly. Suffice it to say for the moment that Mimi (as mother is known to the grandkids) probably has the best excuse in the family for getting a CHL even if she never totes a heater in her life. I bought the deal for her and I and booked us the earliest slot that matched our calendars which was in late January. 

Of course, Murphy had a few choice words to say about that plan. I got sick the week before the scheduled class time immediately following which The Queen and newly adopted daughter M&M took ill requiring a rescheduling of plans. I was a bit concerned about this development as it was shortly after this that Groupon announced it's decision to no longer honor firearms related deals. 

Fortunately for me, the range where the class was scheduled did honor the deal. So, no harm no foul. The class was rescheduled for a week ago Sunday, March 10. My birthday, in fact, not that it matters a whole hill of beans.

But, here is my first minor gripe. I checked the range's website for the class' start time and was informed that 9:00 AM was when things got kicked off. Of course, Murphy had to screw with things yet again. This day was, as you will recall, the time change ending Daylight Savings Time (yet another rant for another time). Guess who was out until 1:00 AM the previous evening with his wife at the drive in theater? Guess who thought he had slept in too late until he remembered that his phone automatically updates the time?

Yeah. That'd be me. 

Anysnoozer, Mimi and I arrived at the range with what we thought was 15 minutes to spare...only to find out that class had been going for 45 minutes. 

Doh!! Facepalm!

Fortunately, we did not get any grief from the instructor unlike the young lady who came in a few minutes after us. I did come to her defense and tell the instructor of the website misinformation campaign. He promised to check with the range staff about that issue.  Unfortunately, there were no seats left for Mimi and I to sit together and only a couple of seats left period as the class was booked to capacity if not over capacity. Double fortunately, we had not missed anything important as he spent the first part of class going over range commands and safety.

There was a reason for that which we discovered rather promptly. The shooting portion of the class was to be done first. 

That was a little disconcerting because I had been hoping to have the lunch hour to get Mimi and I out on the range for a little warm up and familiarization. Mimi was to be using a rental gun for the test and hasn't shot handguns much and not at all in recent years. I have plenty of handgun experience, but I've been on shooting hiatus due to the situation with the foster kids which, until recently, kept my trigger time to next to nothing. Needless to say, some practice time would have been very welcome. 

In hindsight, the way they handled this makes perfect sense. This particular range only has seven shooting lanes for reasons that I have not yet figured out as they have room for double that amount. The class had so many participants that it was necessary to break the class up into five separate relays to get everyone through. The range does not open for regular business on Sundays until 11:00 AM. So, the sooner the CHL class gets run through the range, the less interference the range has with regular business.

I was in the third relay, and Mimi was put in the fourth relay at my request so that I could watch over her shoulder and provide moral support as necessary (I was not allowed to coach her at all...which turned out for the best as will be discussed shortly). 

I won't spend much time discussing my shooting. I did well enough to pass with a 248 out of a possible score of 250. I am greatly disappointed that I dropped one shot out of 50 especially when it was an "easy" shot at 15 yards with no real pressure. Two things come to mind in hindsight: 1) shooting is a perishable skill, and 2) I need to focus on my own shooting and not let the cadence of other shooters affect my own timing. 

I've always heard that shooting skills degrade over time, and I have experienced that to a certain extent in the past. However, it's something else to pick up your weapon cold after a several month hiatus and have trouble just finding the right grip. We were supposed to get a little range time in over the previous weekend. Unfortunately, Mr. Murphy saw to that be creating a little crisis that eliminated any possibility of a practice session. 

As far as letting what others are doing get inside my head and affect what I am doing, I think that too is a casualty of not getting enough practice time in. Normally, I can tune what others are doing out fairly well; however, I've always had a little jumpiness when I first get to the range. Some of that is excitement. Some is a healthy paranoia that there are people around me with guns that I neither know nor trust. After the first round or two, my jitters settle down, and I can get down to business. Add in a little performance anxiety and "I really want a perfect score" pressure, and dropping a round here or there is bound to happen. 

I've already posted a photo of my target previously, and it's pretty obvious that there was too much/too little finger on the trigger for at least 20 rounds. Most of those would have been at the 7 and 15 yard lines where shooting errors will be more apparent. Still, I can't complain about getting 30 rounds through the same, ragged, inch and a half to two inch hole. That's good enough to ruin any bad guy's day. 

Poor mom though...oy vey!

First, while waiting for our relays to begin, we did some familiarization and gun handling with rental Taurus .380. The Taurus was of decent size that a good grip was possible. Mimi learned how to operate it in short order and all was assumed to be kosher. 

Then, Murphy struck again. The Taurus bit the dust with several malfunctions in the early relays, and a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 was brought in as a substitute rental. Uh oh. No bueno batman. Some of you may be asking why we rented the .380 in the first place instead of a 9mm or other suitable caliber. Two words: AMMO SHORTAGE. The range only had .380 and .45ACP in stock for rental guns. 

Anyone here think turning Mimi loose with a polymer .45 rental gun is a good idea? Neither did I. 

In hindsight, I should have begged or borrowed a solid 9mm (such as my cousin's Kahr) from someone and scrounged the ammo. Oh well. Live and learn.

Back to the shooting. The Smith may be a popular pocket pistol; but, from what I saw of it, I wouldn't spend my money for one on a bet. The sights are non-existent for one thing. The thing is super tiny for another. It makes a Glock 26 feel like a full sized gun by comparison. Next, it too suffered from several malfunctions most of which were of the failure to go fully into battery variety. I will give it the benefit of the doubt and chalk that up to Mimi's gun handling as she was having a difficult time remaining steady for personal reasons. Bottom line: caveat emptor. Don't buy one unless you have tried it personally and know that's what you want. Don't buy one for someone else unless they've asked for it specifically. 

Come to think of it, that's pretty good advice for all firearms purchases. 

I don't have a photo of Mimi's target, but I think she would agree that it looked she had dumped a couple of loads of buckshot at it from over 15 yards as opposed to aimed fire from a .380. Part of this was due to her lack of familiarity with the gun. Some due to her inexperience as a pistol shooter

Some, however, was due to the personal issues I have mentioned previously. You see, Mimi had an encounter several years ago in which she woke up at 6:00 AM to find a naked man on her balcony. She lives alone in a small, country town and this was a bit of a shock to say the least. The man was later identified as a mentally disturbed Viet Nam vet which did nothing for Mimi's state of mind.

With time, the purchase of a Ruger 10/22 for home protection (her choice after several hours at a gun show with plenty of input from unbiased sources), and a major home remodel including elimination of the offending balcony, she gradually came to relax in her own skin and home again. 

She agreed to go to the CHL class with me, as she put it, "...because I think I need to."

I took that at face value until we got to the range for the shooting portion where it became apparent that she was not completely comfortable with things. I assured her she was under no obligation to continue if she didn't want to, but she bravely soldiered on. Even when it became apparent that her shooting was not up to par. 

I will give kudos to the instructor here. He was beyond patient with Mimi, giving her pointers as necessary and helping her clear the malfunctions in the Bodyguard. His scoring of her target was...shall we say...generous. He gave her a 212 out of 250 where 175 was the minimum passing score. I'm not saying he counted some holes twice, but I'm not saying he didn't either. 

For her part, Mimi reported after the fact with a few tears peeking out of her eyes that she was surprised to have feelings from the naked guy incident bubble up during the range time. She told me, wisely I think, that she wants to take a step back and start over with a handgun 101 class and possibly some private instruction before circling back around to take the CHL class again. Even though she "passed" the class, she does not feel she is ready. And that is a decision I respect. 

After the shooting was over, it was time for lunch before the mind numbing class room portion of the class going over the minutiae of Texas deadly force and gun laws. I confess that I had a hard time staying awake and took every opportunity to get up, stretch and get fresh air. Mimi and I both passed the written test with no problems. 

It was a good experience overall. I enjoyed the mother/son bonding time. The instructor did a good job of making the class room material interesting with personal stories from his own experience as well as funny video clips to break up the monotony. 

Soon, I will have a newly minted CHL in my pocket with all the rights and responsibilities associated with that. I anticipate very little change in my current behavior. I still do not plan on carrying regularly. My main reason, as mentioned earlier, is to remove some of the hassles associated with my hobby. In addition to no more NICS checks, I can now also go to and from the range and not worry about taking my gun off if I have to stop for groceries on the way home.  

And, I can now carry a gun when chaperoning my daughter on her first date...when she turns 30. 

Sublime Green

I wasn't quite ready to give up the color thing and admit defeat with my terrible eyes, so I went back to the drawing board.  Way back when I first started noticing I was having trouble seeing my front sight, I complained to L at the shop about it.  He suggested picking up some modeling paint and painting the front sight before dropping a bunch of money on different sights, so I did, and that's how I ended up with my red front sight.

I chose red first, because when we were trying out different colors at the shop, it seemed red was easier for me to pick up.  Obviously, though, red was the wrong choice, so I thought back to the other colors of HiViz sights I'd seen and decided I'd go with one of the neon-ish colors.  Off to the hobby store we went and I picked up a bottle of Sublime Green.

I had some microbrushes tucked away from painting my sight red, so I dug those out of my gun catch-all box.  What I love about the microbrushes is that they fit inside the front sight exactly.

One little dab of Sublime Green on the front sight and viola! a whole new sight to try out.

I took the Para out to the range that afternoon with Tara and I was back on target despite the buffeting winds.  My lousy right eye picked up the green every single time.  My groups were about three inches, which isn't great, but taking into consideration that the wind was literally knocking us from side-to-side as we lined up our shots, I'm pleased.

I'm even more pleased that I've found at least a temporary work-around for my little half-blind problem.  Seeing as how I just bought six month's worth of contacts, I wasn't thrilled about the possibility of having to change them.

The real test will be at the defensive pistol match next Sunday.  Will I be able to pick it up while shooting on the move?

If you have trouble seeing your front sight, what kinds of things have you tried to work around the problem?