John Wayne
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1,133
On a whim, I decided to make the 45 minute drive to a local indoor gun range. Since there is a DNR range (read: free) 15 minutes from my house, I have never bothered to pay to shoot at an indoor range, but this place happens to rent several pistols which I am curious about. Long story short, I grabbed an ammo can, picked up my girlfriend (who has just started shooting with me and has been going to the range with me for about a year, once every month or so), and off we went.
Once I got there, I found the staff very friendly, signed the waivers, etc. and rented a Kahr P-40 pistol for $10/30 minutes. I had my eye on the Kahr CW-9 for a concealed carry piece, but I had 250 rounds of .40 S&W with me and no 9mm.
My first impressions of the pistol were that it was well-designed. For being a small, light, slim pistol it really sits in the hand well...or about as well as it can. I set up a target, reeled it back to 15 yards, and loaded a mag with 165 gr. WWB FMJ rounds. Inserted the mag, dropped the slide, lined up the sights and squeezed off a round. I must say, the muzzle flip, flash, and blast are quite impressive out of such a short barrel. I fired off the rest of the mag without a hitch and was quite impressed with its accuracy. I loaded another mag and decided to see how well it functioned when fired quickly. I lined up the sights and squeezed off rounds as soon as I could bring the front post back on target. Bang, bang, bang, click! went the Kahr. I looked down to realize I had accidentally pressed the magazine release with my thumb and dropped it into the palm of my supporting hand. I racked the slide and fired the remaining rounds.
I then loaded one mag full of Remington Golden Saber 165 gr. HP's to see how well it functioned with defensive ammo. Not much more perceived recoil, but almost no muzzle flash. I did have one FTF with this ammo; a round chambered but the slide failed to go into battery. A quick bump to the back of the slide ran it the rest of the way forward, and it functioned normally after that.
Well, after shooting about 50 rounds through the pistol, I came to the conclusion that it was about all I cared to shoot through it. I think the 9mm is about the largest I'd go in this platform if I planned to do any shooting with it. The one FTF with defensive ammunition (out of 6 rounds) is a point against, as well as the dropped mag. With the small grip, my thumb is too close to the mag release for my liking. I would have liked to see this pistol with a heel release, or at least a stronger mag release spring.
Went back to the counter and swapped it out for a Glock 22. After all, I'd brought a lot of .40 ammo, and had considered the Glock to compliment my Kel-Tec carbine, which uses the same magazines. I ran approximately 50 rounds through the Glock, all of which fed, fired, and ejected flawlessly. One magazine full was Golden Saber HP's, the rest were WWB FMJ rounds. I found the recoil much more pleasant and controllable through the full-sized pistol.
The Glock trigger was a lot different than what I'd expected. I found it to be a smooth pull which did not affect my ability to keep the pistol on target. The pistol was well-balanced, and managed recoil well, but was not the most ergonomic gun I'd ever held. I didn't have any problems dropping the mag with this pistol, as my thumb had plenty of room away from the release. I have a Hogue hand-all grip on my Kel-Tec, which helped tremendously--though I don't know if it will fit the Glock because of the finger grooves.
My girlfriend wanted to do some shooting too, and being new to pistols, was intimidated by the recoil of the .40. I swapped out the Glock for a Kimber 1911 with a .22 LR conversion. First impressions were that the pistol had good sights, but felt a little light and "whippy" for a full-sized gun. The magazine wobbled a bit too. Well, out of a total of 4 rounds, 3 failed to go in the damn chamber. The first got stuck when the slide was dropped. The second, which went in the chamber after racking the slide, fired and ejected, hitting about 8 inches below point of aim. The next 2 failed to make it into the chamber. I was using CCI Mini-Mags, which have been the most trouble free for me in a variety of .22 handguns. Well, range time ain't cheap so we said the hell with it and swapped it out for a 9-shot Taurus revolver.
First impressions of the Taurus were that it fit the hand well and was of an appropriate weight for a gun its size. It balanced well and everything was easily in reach of the hand (hammer, cylinder release, trigger) in firing position. The DA pull however, was hard and long. Cocking the small hammer was also harder than it should have been for a .22 revolver. My girlfriend found it a pleasure to shoot in SA, though the DA pull was too heavy for her to even bring the gun on target. We put around 200 rounds through this gun between us, with no failures of any kind. I was quite impressed with the accuracy of this pistol; my best offhand SA groups had 6-7 shots within a 1" circle at 15 yards, with the rest within 3." My DA groups averaged about a foot in diameter at the same distance. The majority of the shooting was done with Remington Golden Bullet (wal-mart bulk pack) HP's.
In summary, here are my opinions of the four pistols:
Kahr P-40
A very small pistol, perhaps too much for this caliber. The pistol sits well in the hand, but places my thumb too close to the mag release for my liking. Good accuracy and good sights for a pistol this size. The trigger is very smooth all the way through, with no noticable creep or let-off. A side note--I am not sure this gun has had the 200 round break in period recommended by the manufacturer and therefore will not count the one FTF against it.
Glock 22
A pistol more appropriately sized to the .40 S&W round. Excellent reliability, similar accuracy (probably my fault it wasn't better) and the trigger's not bad either. However, it is rather utilitarian and well, blocky.
Kimber 1911 .22 LR conversion
I love the 1911 design. With that said, this is a very poorly-designed conversion. The magazine wobbles in the well, rounds are fed with uneven tension and pop up too soon when fed, causing them to hit the top of the chamber. This conversion will no doubt save you lots of money over the .45, since you will never be able to shoot the pistol once it's in place.
Taurus 9-shot .22 revolver
Well-balanced, nice weight, good sights, grips were comfortable. Hammer spur could serve to be a bit larger and less abrasive. DA pull was extremely heavy, SA pull was quite short and pleasant with no creep. Cocking the pistol did prove to rub the thumb raw quite abruptly. Excellent accuracy, though I'm not sure of the barrel/cylinder gap--I didn't check it, but noticed a LOT of powder fouling around the cylinder and barrel housing. Flash was visible in between cylinder and barrel when firing, and debris was expelled during firing--not enough to deter me from shooting it, but enough that I would not fire this pistol without eye protection, even at arm's length.
Revolvers have always had the advantage of being able to shoot a wide variety of ammunition at the expense of carrying less rounds. However, this particular gun carries only one less round than most of its semiautomatic counterparts and is much more reliable with the rimmed .22 LR case. I believe this pistol runs $350 new, which I believe is a bit much. However, the RO told me that he's planning on selling off the rentals for new guns in a few months. Depending on the price, I might have to pick it up.
Once I got there, I found the staff very friendly, signed the waivers, etc. and rented a Kahr P-40 pistol for $10/30 minutes. I had my eye on the Kahr CW-9 for a concealed carry piece, but I had 250 rounds of .40 S&W with me and no 9mm.
My first impressions of the pistol were that it was well-designed. For being a small, light, slim pistol it really sits in the hand well...or about as well as it can. I set up a target, reeled it back to 15 yards, and loaded a mag with 165 gr. WWB FMJ rounds. Inserted the mag, dropped the slide, lined up the sights and squeezed off a round. I must say, the muzzle flip, flash, and blast are quite impressive out of such a short barrel. I fired off the rest of the mag without a hitch and was quite impressed with its accuracy. I loaded another mag and decided to see how well it functioned when fired quickly. I lined up the sights and squeezed off rounds as soon as I could bring the front post back on target. Bang, bang, bang, click! went the Kahr. I looked down to realize I had accidentally pressed the magazine release with my thumb and dropped it into the palm of my supporting hand. I racked the slide and fired the remaining rounds.
I then loaded one mag full of Remington Golden Saber 165 gr. HP's to see how well it functioned with defensive ammo. Not much more perceived recoil, but almost no muzzle flash. I did have one FTF with this ammo; a round chambered but the slide failed to go into battery. A quick bump to the back of the slide ran it the rest of the way forward, and it functioned normally after that.
Well, after shooting about 50 rounds through the pistol, I came to the conclusion that it was about all I cared to shoot through it. I think the 9mm is about the largest I'd go in this platform if I planned to do any shooting with it. The one FTF with defensive ammunition (out of 6 rounds) is a point against, as well as the dropped mag. With the small grip, my thumb is too close to the mag release for my liking. I would have liked to see this pistol with a heel release, or at least a stronger mag release spring.
Went back to the counter and swapped it out for a Glock 22. After all, I'd brought a lot of .40 ammo, and had considered the Glock to compliment my Kel-Tec carbine, which uses the same magazines. I ran approximately 50 rounds through the Glock, all of which fed, fired, and ejected flawlessly. One magazine full was Golden Saber HP's, the rest were WWB FMJ rounds. I found the recoil much more pleasant and controllable through the full-sized pistol.
The Glock trigger was a lot different than what I'd expected. I found it to be a smooth pull which did not affect my ability to keep the pistol on target. The pistol was well-balanced, and managed recoil well, but was not the most ergonomic gun I'd ever held. I didn't have any problems dropping the mag with this pistol, as my thumb had plenty of room away from the release. I have a Hogue hand-all grip on my Kel-Tec, which helped tremendously--though I don't know if it will fit the Glock because of the finger grooves.
My girlfriend wanted to do some shooting too, and being new to pistols, was intimidated by the recoil of the .40. I swapped out the Glock for a Kimber 1911 with a .22 LR conversion. First impressions were that the pistol had good sights, but felt a little light and "whippy" for a full-sized gun. The magazine wobbled a bit too. Well, out of a total of 4 rounds, 3 failed to go in the damn chamber. The first got stuck when the slide was dropped. The second, which went in the chamber after racking the slide, fired and ejected, hitting about 8 inches below point of aim. The next 2 failed to make it into the chamber. I was using CCI Mini-Mags, which have been the most trouble free for me in a variety of .22 handguns. Well, range time ain't cheap so we said the hell with it and swapped it out for a 9-shot Taurus revolver.
First impressions of the Taurus were that it fit the hand well and was of an appropriate weight for a gun its size. It balanced well and everything was easily in reach of the hand (hammer, cylinder release, trigger) in firing position. The DA pull however, was hard and long. Cocking the small hammer was also harder than it should have been for a .22 revolver. My girlfriend found it a pleasure to shoot in SA, though the DA pull was too heavy for her to even bring the gun on target. We put around 200 rounds through this gun between us, with no failures of any kind. I was quite impressed with the accuracy of this pistol; my best offhand SA groups had 6-7 shots within a 1" circle at 15 yards, with the rest within 3." My DA groups averaged about a foot in diameter at the same distance. The majority of the shooting was done with Remington Golden Bullet (wal-mart bulk pack) HP's.
In summary, here are my opinions of the four pistols:
Kahr P-40
A very small pistol, perhaps too much for this caliber. The pistol sits well in the hand, but places my thumb too close to the mag release for my liking. Good accuracy and good sights for a pistol this size. The trigger is very smooth all the way through, with no noticable creep or let-off. A side note--I am not sure this gun has had the 200 round break in period recommended by the manufacturer and therefore will not count the one FTF against it.
Glock 22
A pistol more appropriately sized to the .40 S&W round. Excellent reliability, similar accuracy (probably my fault it wasn't better) and the trigger's not bad either. However, it is rather utilitarian and well, blocky.
Kimber 1911 .22 LR conversion
I love the 1911 design. With that said, this is a very poorly-designed conversion. The magazine wobbles in the well, rounds are fed with uneven tension and pop up too soon when fed, causing them to hit the top of the chamber. This conversion will no doubt save you lots of money over the .45, since you will never be able to shoot the pistol once it's in place.
Taurus 9-shot .22 revolver
Well-balanced, nice weight, good sights, grips were comfortable. Hammer spur could serve to be a bit larger and less abrasive. DA pull was extremely heavy, SA pull was quite short and pleasant with no creep. Cocking the pistol did prove to rub the thumb raw quite abruptly. Excellent accuracy, though I'm not sure of the barrel/cylinder gap--I didn't check it, but noticed a LOT of powder fouling around the cylinder and barrel housing. Flash was visible in between cylinder and barrel when firing, and debris was expelled during firing--not enough to deter me from shooting it, but enough that I would not fire this pistol without eye protection, even at arm's length.
Revolvers have always had the advantage of being able to shoot a wide variety of ammunition at the expense of carrying less rounds. However, this particular gun carries only one less round than most of its semiautomatic counterparts and is much more reliable with the rimmed .22 LR case. I believe this pistol runs $350 new, which I believe is a bit much. However, the RO told me that he's planning on selling off the rentals for new guns in a few months. Depending on the price, I might have to pick it up.