More Ammo or New Gun?

Finally reviving this thread with a range report …

The indoor range I normally frequent has been under renovations for a long time now. The estimated reopening is 2 weeks from now every time I call to check. It’s getting close to cooling down enough to go to the outdoor range(s) in Okeechobee, but not quite yet. So, I got my stuff together and drove 45 minutes to another indoor range to give it a go. I took the Browning 1911-22 4-inch barrel Black Label, an AR with a brand new Labor Day special VG6 Epsilon muzzle brake to try out, and a pair of Wiley-X Sabre yellow tint shooting glasses my son just bought for me.

Upon arrival they wanted to discuss and inspect what I brought to shoot. Specifically, they were concerned about my AR ammo because they have had problems in the past with green tip 5.56. I showed him my magazine(s) loaded with 55 grain FMJ. He said his insurance would only cover ammo procured from them. The cheapest they had was $15 for 20 rounds. Not wanting to unload a magazine and pay that price to try out a muzzle brake, I took the AR back to the car.

Upon return from the parking lot, they asked if I needed target(s). I said no, my son gave me a 50 pack of Splatterburst for Father’s Day. He looked at them, shook his head and said you can’t use those here. They don’t meet the minimum size we require, we can sell you Silhouette target(s) that you can shoot the bottom only, our motorized target system has been shot too many times, so we don’t let anybody shoot anywhere near the cable/target clips. You can flip the target upside down and shoot the head to have 2 bullseye to shoot, just not both at the same time. If it had not been for 1-1/2 hour round trip of driving, I probably would have gone back home, but I persevered. I asked if there was an RO – “no RO, we use cameras to monitor the range” – Okee-dok-kee.

I put on eyes and ears and went to the Lane 1 shooting line, clipped on my “correct” size target, and started looking around to figure out how to send the target out to 5 yards. I spotted a toggle switch just above knee height – push it left and target returns, push right and target moves away. No distance marks on the floor, ceiling, nor floor, so I just took a WAG and got ready to try out the Browning 1911-22. I brought 100 rounds each of CCI Mini-Mag 40 grain CPRN, CCI Mini-Mag 36 grain CPHP, and Remington 36 grain CPHP. Both CCI flavors are new, the Remington ammo is at least 40 years old. I shot a 10+1 magazine of each ammo with zero drama. This is a photo of the target after the 1st three magazines:

One stovepipe on the 2nd magazine of the 40+ year old Remington ammo was the only hiccup the Browning had. Bottom line is I am very pleased with the handling, the trigger, and performance of the Browning 1911-22. :+1: I’ve just got to get a couple more magazines!

I had brought a Springfield 1911-9mm, just in case, and decided to flip the target over for an upside down head shot. The three white dot sights on the Browning were easy to see with the Wiley-X glasses. The Springfield has a red fiber optic front sight. The lighting was dim enough I could not see the front sight at all. I changed to a clear pair of glasses and could kind of pick out the outline of the front sight. Not to miss out on a training opportunity I decided to practice instinctive shooting, i.e. don’t look for the sights, just shoot where muscle memory tells you to. I was happy all shots landed inside the head silhouette, but predictably (for me) there was a greater distribution to the left side. One more comment about the range, I have always liked the smell of gun smoke, but the fragrance was a bit strong, even for me. :slight_smile:

Edit: One unexpected part of shooting the Browning was a muzzle flash - not enough to be distracting, but noticable just the same. Maybe the combination of dim lighting and smoke made it noticeable? Maybe it is because the 22LR is designed for a rifle barrel and this is common with the shorter barrels of 22LR pistols?

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