The short backstory. My brother in law recently texted me asking about what guns I had. I filled him in and asked why. He wants to get into shooting and wants to have something at the house for SD protection. My sister (his wife) who has typically been indifferent to guns has been seeing and reading the stories of home invasion (particularly the young lady in OK who defended herself and her newborn) and I think it sparked the fire to be proactive. all good in my book.
So I loaded up a diverse range bag of my guns and lots of ammo and met him the other night for some shooting. He had shot before but in a very limited capacity. I went over all the basics of gun handling and safety for each handgun. In our discussions, I learned he wants to get a 9mm so I brought at least one.
As some may or may not know, I recently picked up a PC 627 snubbie that I was dying to shoot so this was its maiden voyage. more on that.
I brought with me, two custom 1911s, a ruger gp100, a 9mm XDm, and lastly the 627.
My BIL is a natural shooter. He did amazing in all calibers. In fact, I would venture to say he was shooting the 357 mags best of all.
Now on to the gun. Let me first say how impressed with the 627 I am. This gun is so accurate, I was shocked. At 20 yards, there was zero problem putting all 8 rounds inside the ring. At this time, I still had the factory eagle boot grips on it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how shootable it was with those grips. While they were not optimal for me since I need to get that pinky up on the grip, it was not bad at all. I was shooting 180 grn. and 156 grain magnums with ease. Recoil wasn't overbearing and was very manageable. We followed up with a box or two of 38 special +p and it was like a puppydog. So much so, that I was longing for a few more boxes of full power magnums. It was a hoot to shoot both rounds through this revolver. The trigger is smooth (a tad heavy on DA but smooth) and just killer in SA. Again, the accuracy out of this 2-5/8" barrel was what really impressed. Every round went downrange exactly where POA was. I am a true believer in this revolver and have been carrying it most everyday, which too is a pleasure. I'm still waiting on my Lobo IWB holster for it, but have since put on Ahrend's tactical finger groove grips which are simply the perfect fit on the gun and to my hand. IMO, these are the grips it should ship with. Having the pinky onboard is just the ticket it needs for ultimate comfort in shooting.
Next we shot the gp100. I've had this revolver for some months but only shot it a tiny bit. We put it through the paces and it too reconfirmed why so many people praise the Ruger. As we all know, built like a tank, and feels great in the hand. This 4" gp, is well balanced and actually has a very nice DA/SA trigger right out of the box. we shot the same loads as was in the 627. The trigger has a slightly lighter pull in DA than the smith, but the SA (while nice) was not as nice as the 627s SA pull, which is something to behold.
The gp was also extremely accurate. I will say its a superb gun when you factor in build quality, materials and their stoutness, and moreover, the pricepoint. It's really a solid economical gun. My BIL really liked shooting this one.
Next we shot my 1911s...my favorites. He had never shot a SA only pistol so it was great to watch. I have some sweetly tuned triggers on these and he loved it! Nothing much to report here other than one FTF jam which I attributed to a tired recoil spring. I changed that out and all was back to good. The old spring was about 3/4" shorter than the new one I installed...my own shooting negligence is the reason, I could not even remember the last time I changed out its recoil spring through thousands and thousands of rounds shot. oops!! LOL
Lastly, we shot the XDm. Again, another accurate, reliable, well balanced gun. Shooting 9 mm after shooting magnums and 45 acp is almost anti-climatic. Pure fun, but the rush is gone. ha. Felt more like 22LR. My BIL really liked the 9mm and being that this will be his first handgun, is looking to that round for a couple reasons. First, he wants to shoot it alot to become proficient with handguns. 9mm will allow him to shoot more ammo at a price he can afford. No reloading in his future I'm sure - at least for a long time. Second, there is really a good crop of 9mm guns out there to choose from which leads me to that question.
Anyhow, to sum up, the 627 is now one of my favorite handguns and am working it in to my EDC (that's coming from a true blue 1911 lover). Accurate, reliable, great action, conceals well, and looks so darn nice.
gp100 was rock solid and accurate to boot. just a fun gun to plink with all around.
my 1911s are always a favorite to shoot and carry. Nothing to report other than they are still my favorite gun to carry and shoot due to their laser-like accuracy, superb trigger, and just about the prettiest gun ever made.
the XDm, with its top notch trigger (Springfield sure took these triggers to a new level over the old XDs) its reliability to eat everything, and its dead on accuracy will keep one of these in my stable for years to come.
So my question....with regards to 9mm, and keeping in mind this is a S&W forum, what are your "other" recommendations for securing my BIL a 9mm? He wants to stay in the $600 range or below for his first purchase. So far I have on the table for him:
Springfield XDm
M&P 9
Beretta 92
FNH FNX9
G19
Sig P229/226
I will say we held a few guns after the session. He did not like the grip angle on a G19, and he thought the Sigs were a bit too thick through the grip. He really likes the Beretta and the XDm and the MP 9.....any other recommendations??? For a new shooter such as himself, what would you choose and why? I have my own opinions on the 9s mentioned, but would love to hear yours. sorry about the long-winded post.
So I loaded up a diverse range bag of my guns and lots of ammo and met him the other night for some shooting. He had shot before but in a very limited capacity. I went over all the basics of gun handling and safety for each handgun. In our discussions, I learned he wants to get a 9mm so I brought at least one.
As some may or may not know, I recently picked up a PC 627 snubbie that I was dying to shoot so this was its maiden voyage. more on that.
I brought with me, two custom 1911s, a ruger gp100, a 9mm XDm, and lastly the 627.
My BIL is a natural shooter. He did amazing in all calibers. In fact, I would venture to say he was shooting the 357 mags best of all.
Now on to the gun. Let me first say how impressed with the 627 I am. This gun is so accurate, I was shocked. At 20 yards, there was zero problem putting all 8 rounds inside the ring. At this time, I still had the factory eagle boot grips on it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how shootable it was with those grips. While they were not optimal for me since I need to get that pinky up on the grip, it was not bad at all. I was shooting 180 grn. and 156 grain magnums with ease. Recoil wasn't overbearing and was very manageable. We followed up with a box or two of 38 special +p and it was like a puppydog. So much so, that I was longing for a few more boxes of full power magnums. It was a hoot to shoot both rounds through this revolver. The trigger is smooth (a tad heavy on DA but smooth) and just killer in SA. Again, the accuracy out of this 2-5/8" barrel was what really impressed. Every round went downrange exactly where POA was. I am a true believer in this revolver and have been carrying it most everyday, which too is a pleasure. I'm still waiting on my Lobo IWB holster for it, but have since put on Ahrend's tactical finger groove grips which are simply the perfect fit on the gun and to my hand. IMO, these are the grips it should ship with. Having the pinky onboard is just the ticket it needs for ultimate comfort in shooting.
Next we shot the gp100. I've had this revolver for some months but only shot it a tiny bit. We put it through the paces and it too reconfirmed why so many people praise the Ruger. As we all know, built like a tank, and feels great in the hand. This 4" gp, is well balanced and actually has a very nice DA/SA trigger right out of the box. we shot the same loads as was in the 627. The trigger has a slightly lighter pull in DA than the smith, but the SA (while nice) was not as nice as the 627s SA pull, which is something to behold.
The gp was also extremely accurate. I will say its a superb gun when you factor in build quality, materials and their stoutness, and moreover, the pricepoint. It's really a solid economical gun. My BIL really liked shooting this one.
Next we shot my 1911s...my favorites. He had never shot a SA only pistol so it was great to watch. I have some sweetly tuned triggers on these and he loved it! Nothing much to report here other than one FTF jam which I attributed to a tired recoil spring. I changed that out and all was back to good. The old spring was about 3/4" shorter than the new one I installed...my own shooting negligence is the reason, I could not even remember the last time I changed out its recoil spring through thousands and thousands of rounds shot. oops!! LOL
Lastly, we shot the XDm. Again, another accurate, reliable, well balanced gun. Shooting 9 mm after shooting magnums and 45 acp is almost anti-climatic. Pure fun, but the rush is gone. ha. Felt more like 22LR. My BIL really liked the 9mm and being that this will be his first handgun, is looking to that round for a couple reasons. First, he wants to shoot it alot to become proficient with handguns. 9mm will allow him to shoot more ammo at a price he can afford. No reloading in his future I'm sure - at least for a long time. Second, there is really a good crop of 9mm guns out there to choose from which leads me to that question.
Anyhow, to sum up, the 627 is now one of my favorite handguns and am working it in to my EDC (that's coming from a true blue 1911 lover). Accurate, reliable, great action, conceals well, and looks so darn nice.
gp100 was rock solid and accurate to boot. just a fun gun to plink with all around.
my 1911s are always a favorite to shoot and carry. Nothing to report other than they are still my favorite gun to carry and shoot due to their laser-like accuracy, superb trigger, and just about the prettiest gun ever made.
the XDm, with its top notch trigger (Springfield sure took these triggers to a new level over the old XDs) its reliability to eat everything, and its dead on accuracy will keep one of these in my stable for years to come.
So my question....with regards to 9mm, and keeping in mind this is a S&W forum, what are your "other" recommendations for securing my BIL a 9mm? He wants to stay in the $600 range or below for his first purchase. So far I have on the table for him:
Springfield XDm
M&P 9
Beretta 92
FNH FNX9
G19
Sig P229/226
I will say we held a few guns after the session. He did not like the grip angle on a G19, and he thought the Sigs were a bit too thick through the grip. He really likes the Beretta and the XDm and the MP 9.....any other recommendations??? For a new shooter such as himself, what would you choose and why? I have my own opinions on the 9s mentioned, but would love to hear yours. sorry about the long-winded post.
