Passed (for now) on WC GP100 - got a 442 NL

[deputyG23]

Now at 417 rounds. This past session I fired 50 Speer Lawman 158gr FMJ +P, 20 CorBon 125gr JHP +P, 25 Hornady American Gunner 125gr JHP, and 50 Federal Gold Medal 148 LWC.

The 158 +P were rough. The recoil quickly turned my groups to horrible. This was the target at 10 yards:



My initial “grouping” was in the upper 10 and 9 ring. That was for about 15 or 20 rounds. It went south from there.

I then used the CorBon and Hornady loads to attempt sight tracking. That was a waste. Even with 100% concentration on simply finding the sight at the end of the recoil arc I was unable to do so in any way I would call quick. I didn’t bother getting a pic of the target as I used the same one. I then moved on to the wadcutters.

Starting with +Ps was not a good idea, my anticipation was off the charts. This grouping was at 7 yards using a first round with proper sight picture then the following four rounds point shooting. Again, the +Ps took their toll on my anticipation.



I realized that I was simply throwing lead and decided to try SHO shots. I won’t embarrass myself with those targets.

I did find a new spot for a band-aid:



The upper part of the grip did this.

Take away from this past session:

Extended shooting with high energy ammo is counter productive. Not only did I waste ammo, I created a short-lasting issue that is annoying. Wadcutters are awesome to shoot but do no good if you’ve created an excessive anticipation situation. Sights....maybe a M&P340 would be better.

Next week will be with 130 FMJ, standard pressure, only. Also with a bit more of a regimen on marksmanship and not falling back to point shooting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I painted the serrated portion of my 442's front sight with fishing lure paint. One coat white, then two coats bright orange. It made a huge difference and it is even visible at dusk.

[tanner]

Echo, I did almost the exact same thing way back in the late 90's or early 00's (can't rightly remember). The 360PD was relatively new and I needed one. Scandium! I need Scandium!!! Gun counter guy told me that I wouldn't want to shoot magnum rounds through it, and I just had to prove him wrong. I mean, how bad can it be, right?

Like someone hit my hand with a baseball bat.

I didn't have a firm grasp on the concept of wadcutters or target loads back then (I was issued a P226 in 9mm from day one). So I went from magnums to +P rounds. Still couldn't shoot it worth a lick so I sold it off at like a 50% loss.

Moral of the story? I wish PF existed back then. Keep at it with the lightest loads you can find and work your way up from there. And keep adding to your box of grips (I know, stocks) until you find what works.

[NPV]

I painted the serrated portion of my 442's front sight with fishing lure paint. One coat white, then two coats bright orange. It made a huge difference and it is even visible at dusk.

Yup I did the same, Testors orange paint it perfect for this application.

If I know I'm going to be shooting +p ammo I usually save it until the end of my session (unless I'm just cycling my 5 rounds of carry ammo). That way I still have most of the feeling left in my hand during training.

[leathermaneod]

I used a coat of white nail polish followed by a coat of orange nail polish in the very upper smooth portion of the front sight. I also blacked out the sides of the rear sight with black nail polish. My 642 actually has decent sights now :-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[echo5charlie]

Yep, I have fired the Airlites in .357 Magnum. 5 rounds was my max as I usually ripped my thumb open and bled all over the gun. I have only done that three times, two times bleeding with the third fired with my weak hand to avoid that. I also use the baseball bat analogy to describe the recoil.

I have given up on muscling accuracy out of +Ps in extended shooting sessions - I have learned my lesson.

Grips/stocks - yep, I'm already have a set of Ergo Deltas on order. They look silly but the grip angle is basically how I want to naturally grip the 442 in the pocket. Worst case is I wasted $15 and some ammo.

Echo, I did almost the exact same thing way back in the late 90's or early 00's (can't rightly remember). The 360PD was relatively new and I needed one. Scandium! I need Scandium!!! Gun counter guy told me that I wouldn't want to shoot magnum rounds through it, and I just had to prove him wrong. I mean, how bad can it be, right?

Like someone hit my hand with a baseball bat.

I didn't have a firm grasp on the concept of wadcutters or target loads back then (I was issued a P226 in 9mm from day one). So I went from magnums to +P rounds. Still couldn't shoot it worth a lick so I sold it off at like a 50% loss.

Moral of the story? I wish PF existed back then. Keep at it with the lightest loads you can find and work your way up from there. And keep adding to your box of grips (I know, stocks) until you find what works.

[echo5charlie]

I painted the serrated portion of my 442's front sight with fishing lure paint. One coat white, then two coats bright orange. It made a huge difference and it is even visible at dusk.

I'll be giving a paint job a try!

[echo5charlie]

Yup I did the same, Testors orange paint it perfect for this application.

If I know I'm going to be shooting +p ammo I usually save it until the end of my session (unless I'm just cycling my 5 rounds of carry ammo). That way I still have most of the feeling left in my hand during training.

I may try 5 rounds of +P at the start and end with another 5 rounds of +P, but the nest session is only going to be standard pressure - I don't want to be tempted to try what I think will work!

[camsdaddy]

Interested how you feel about the grips.

[echo5charlie]

Got the Ergo grips. Installed them. Visually, it looks just as dumb as you'd think and as you've seen. Ergonomically, it may be genius. I won't have a real range report until Monday evening. I'm going to try and swing by the public range this morning and run some feeler rounds through it (WC, standard pressure, and +P).

The grip radically changes the way the gun points. I am a Glock shooter and I find this new grip angle to be more natural. The grip also does a great job of filling my hand, my long fingers feel much more at home and a two handed grip is more natural.

So, right now I have very high hopes. But my 442 looks dumb.

[echo5charlie]

OK, hit the outdoor range. There was a steady rain that did quicken my shooting cadence. Not optimal, but this was, mainly, to see if the grips affected felt recoil.

I started with 5 rounds of Federal LWC then 50 Remington 158 LRN then 20 Gold Dot 125 +P followed up with 5 rounds of Federal LWC. Once I had a proper grip (not choking up as high as usual) the recoil became far less uncomfortable and 20 rounds of +P was no big deal. My strong hand did not feel fatigued at the end of the session. My final 5 rounds were fired SHO at the head of a B27 at 3 yards - all rounds were inside of the head (but outside what would be a 3x5 card/T zone). This is a huge plus to the grips overall.

The increased length of pull was very nice. I did not have any issues with my trigger finger hitting my off hand or strong hand thumb - this was a "sort of" issue with the standard grips. This is a plus to the grips.

I was shooting on targets that were already shot up so I only had fleeting shot recognition. Right now I do not feel (feelings lie) that I am any more accurate with the Ergos than the standard S&W boot grips. I did notice a tendency to shoot to the right with these.