Rain, rain, come and stay...

T

ThomasH

New member
Rain, Rain, come and stay,
If I get to shoot all day! :-)

Ya know, on a rainy Saturday, if ya hang around the living room on the LCD. surfing shooting forums and firearms manufacturer websites long enough, you might eventually hear, "Why don't you go down to Markley's and shoot?"

Okay, so to my local indoor pistol range I took my lovely 3" 66 and my damn 646 along with some "free targets you can print right from the web".

I shot the 66 first with some cheap FMJ .38 specials.

Shooting08Jan05_66_Web.jpg
 
I shot standing off-hand, two handed, with the targets run down to about 25 yds. I haven't shot in ages, so I was a bit rusty, and the lighting isn't like outdoors, but I did okay.

Shooting08Jan05_38_Web.jpg
 
Even with the nice Houge grip this darn thing twists around like a big lizard, but I wasn't shooting too badly. Again standing off-hand, two hand, at about 25yds. (The light is best just ahead of what looks like the full 25 yds, but I might be wrong! :-)

Shooting08Jan05_40_Web.jpg
 
I was having so much fun I rented a Glock 21, a fairly large .45 Auto, to shoot some more. I have a small family of revolvers and I really want to get an auto or two. I find the .45s so easy to shoot! For some reason (for _me_ at least) the recoil comes straight back in a big soft push compared to .40 autos and even .357 Magnum revolvers, which "buck up" more.

g17.jpg
 
I can shoot many more rounds respectively in .45 before I feel tired. I had a blast with the dirty range rental 21. The Dbl-Action trigger was short and fairly crisp, the three dot sights were easy to use. Again, off-hand, two-hand, blah, blah...

Shooting08Jan05_45_Web_01.jpg
 
But, man oh man, how do you get ten rounds in the magazine? Maybe the two I got were messed up, but one I gave up on, after getting eight in, any others would just pop out. The other mag I could only get ten in twice, the other times I gave up at nine. And I've loaded plenty of magazines before. Here's a nine-shot group I liked...

Shooting08Jan05_45_Web_02.jpg
 
Hey Tom , I'll shoot with you at Markley's some time! The light is about 22yards , right at the end of the travel is almost 25yards (few inches short!) . I was shooting ALOT there Friday , like you because of the rain. I ran about 400 .45acp thru all 7 of my .45's and only the Gold Cup did better than your Big un at 25yards. If I was buying a New .45 or most any new pistol I would prolly buy a Mod 21 Glock. They are very reliable and lots of big slugs. I have NEVER had a problem with my almost 20 year old Model 17 Glock. My Model 26 .40 Glock is real small and intimidating BUT the Model 21 , in the hands of a Hot Shot like Scott Reitz IS THE HEAT IMHO. Any way cheers Home boy! :)
 
Fun, fun fun!! :-) :-) The place was packed too! I'm sure everybody will die a lot sooner for all the propellant fumes we inhaled, but I had enough fun to consider it a fair deal! Rain, Rain, come and stay...

Ooooo, and I have to be responsible and clean some guns now that I'm home! Where's my Hoppe's #9 inhaler...

- Thomas
 
I own a 3 inch 66 also...and let me give you a little tip...take the trigger rebound spring out and slip it over a bit of coat hanger wire...and turn the thing on a little hobby-type belt sander..and remove maybe 10% of its diamater...it will be hot as a firecaracker so to save temper drop it off the wire into a little oil to cool (use a dial caliper to insure an even grind of spring along its length)....in interim on the rebound slide, break edges just a bit with a fine file or stone and lightly stone its shelf..and file a bit ( not too much) off the mainspring tension screw and buff it slick with a stone..re-assemble..and test fire your revolver...the difference is surprising..just be sure not to over-do it ...too much off the rebound spring and the trigger is screwed up...and too much off the maintspring tension screw and the hammer may fall too lightly to ignite some primers...good news is that if you mess up a new tension screw or rebound spring is a phone-call away from brownells...and try again...the difference is amazing! SLIIIICKKK>..if done right. AND...ask a gunsmith to stick you a glow in the dark front sight on the thing...( can do all sights, but front is good for combat work)....finally, add the old style pachmaryr grip (no finger grooves)...and man, this is one real nice handgun!...
 
Hey gordo b.!

Sounds good. Is that 21 hotshot "Scotty" behind the counter? (I'm bad with names...)

I thought the dirty range-rental 21 shot _sweet_! And that was after shooting my G*d-D*mn $1000 Performance Center revolver. (I've had a few problems with my S&W 646!) The trigger travel on the 21 was so short (compared to my revolvers I guess I should say) it helped keep the double-action shots flowing. The boys at Markley's have a new one for $600, if I just hadn't spent so much at Xmas!!

Let's go shooting sometime, although I'm usually too busy playing disc golf, taking photos, and posting inane crap on internet forums, but if the rain keeps up... :-)

- Thomas
 
I forgot about Scotty the owner (with Ward) a very nice guy but I meant Scott Reitz , the training officer for LAPD SWAT and the honcho of International Tactical Training Seminars out of Los Angelos who gives seminars more locally-sometimes. He loves the Glock 21 and I think alot of Swat teams have gone to it over the 1911. In high cap form it gives twice the firepower of a single stack 1911 and it is a VERY robust and accurate piece!
 
Thanks for the clarification gordo b., it'll keep my foot out of my mouth one less time!

Does Mr. Reitz load his own magazines!?! I need the most help with that! :-) MKS must make a tool for this... :-(

Looking at the weather, I think I'll be back to Markley's again today. Too bad I have to wait until Noon! Now, what .45 should I rent today?

[ ] The Springfield 1911?

[ ] The S&W 4506?

[ ] The H&K USP?

[ ] The SIG 220?

Ahh, decisions, decisions....

- Thomas
 
I hear you on the rain... we went and braved it at the rifle range anyways this morning. Had a couple hours of dry weather :D

Santa Cruz has to be way worse than Sac does... I love it down there though :D
 
Tom,

Pardon my ignorance, but what caliber is a S&W 646? From the target photos it looks like the holes are 44's, though I could be mistaken. Besides it "twisting around" what problems are you having with it?

Did Markley's close their Scotts Valley range? I presume you're shooting on the Blanca lane range in Watsonville.

No offense to trespass but I'd suggest getting a Wolff spring kit before trying some shadetree grinding and tempering of springs. Smoothing up the inside of the gun with a hard stone does work as long as you don't polish it mirror smooth. Usually smoothing the contact surfaces on the frame works pretty well, including the hammer slot to prevent drag on the hammer.

Regards,
 
Hi BillCA!

The 646 is titanium-cylindered L-framed six-shooter in .40 S&W with a 4" barrel. The Ti cylinder has been problematic with brass either sliding back and jamming the cylinder rotation or sticking in the cylinder so I have to hammer them out with the extractor.

Mine was sent out originally in horribly defective condition and took a couple of trips back to Springfield to get even in acceptable condition. Then pierced primers, then light-strikes, then the jamming/sticking brass issues once I started shooting it enough.

But now-a-days, if I shoot the right factory-fresh ammo, actually just avoiding most reloads and a few of the hotter factory loads, the gun functions well, so I shoot it. The shells usually stick a little, but only just so you'd notice. No hammer required...

I beleive the Scottt's Valley Markley's has been closed for a while.

- Thomas
 
The .45 search continues...it was raining again so I went and rented more .45 autos. I started with a S&W 4506, a full sized duty-type pistol. I shot all these guns at 15 yds today, the lights were dim at the longer distance line. I probably could have turned them brighter (there are controls on the wall behind us) but I just shot standing off-hand, two-handed at 15yds instead. :-)

I had a very difficult time getting a good sight picture with this gun, but it was mostly because the front white dot was full of dirt, so it was a kind of grey. Along with the rounded rear sight edges I had a difficult time getting a crisp post-in-notch sight picture. And the magazine was as hard to fill with eight as the Glock mag was to get ten into! My poor thumbs! I'm sure the nice old gun was more accurate than I shot it.

Shooting09Jan05_SnW_Web.jpg


Next I tried a SIG 220. The magazine was easy to fill with eight .45 cartridges! What were they thinking? :-O I'm sold already!! And it's smaller than the S&W 4506 and the Springfield 1911 that I try next, which both also hold eight cartridges. Sure the Glock 21 is larger but it can hold 13 in normal places, and ten (if you have thumbs of steel) even in CA. I like the sights on the 220 and once I got used to how it worked it was _very_ accurate! I shot all of these single-action, having loaded the magazine with the slide back and chambered the first round by releasing the slide.

Shooting09Jan05_SIG_Web.jpg


Lastly, before all my fingers went numb from loading these damn magazines, I shot a Springfield 1911. It wasn't a Target or Loaded model, just a Mil-Spec "improved" 1911. The damn magazine wasn't too hard to fill compared to the 4506, but it still wasn't as easy as the SIG 220's had been. The sights weren't quite as good as the SIG's but not as bad as the 4506's either. The trigger had a fair amount of slack but once you got used to were it went off, you could take the slack up quickly and predictably. I think this nice gun was also more accurate than I shot it, but I don't think it or the S&W was as accurate as the SIG 220.

Shooting09Jan05_SA1911_Web.jpg


Hmm, do I like the SIG 220 or the Glock 21 better? Eight rounds of .45 isn't bad, although 10- 13 isn't bad either. I really liked the shape of the 220 when I was shooting it, but I liked holding onto the 21 a lot too. Believe it or not I liked the short double-action Glock 21 trigger as much as any of the single-action triggers, but I liked the SIG 220 trigger as much as the Glock 21's.

But I still haven't shot any of the Para-Ord LDA pistols yet! And I missed a Target model Springfield 1911 that someone else had out on rental and I think there's a S&W 1911 in the rental group too! So I shouldn't try to decide yet, right? Or maybe I should just get the new $600 Glock 21 _and_ the used $650 SIG 220 they have at Markley's and shoot them while I'm "deciding"!?! Yeah, that's the ticket, yeah...

- Thomas
 
Tom: I had a 220 .45 when Browning first imported them 20 years ago. It was a really nice gun that I had 0 problems with. I sold it 12 years ago for more than I paid for it to a Salinas Police officer. I saw him a couple years ago and he said "what a great gun" !! I am a 1911 fanatic. I personally have no use for DA pistol, although I love DA revolvers! In short I'd get the 220 SIG, they always seem very accurate. Shoot the used gun before you buy it, it's probably more accurate than the rental! Forget Para LDA ! Unless you like the kinda deal you got with the S&W! :)
 
ThomasH said:
The 646 is titanium-cylindered L-framed six-shooter in .40 S&W with a 4" barrel. The Ti cylinder has been problematic with brass either sliding back and jamming the cylinder rotation or sticking in the cylinder so I have to hammer them out with the extractor.

Mine was sent out originally in horribly defective condition and took a couple of trips back to Springfield to get even in acceptable condition. Then pierced primers, then light-strikes, then the jamming/sticking brass issues once I started shooting it enough.

But now-a-days, if I shoot the right factory-fresh ammo, actually just avoiding most reloads and a few of the hotter factory loads, the gun functions well, so I shoot it. The shells usually stick a little, but only just so you'd notice. No hammer required...
Click to expand...

Query: Does this .40 S&W revolver require some kind of moon clips or is the extractor modified for a rimless cartridge?

As for chamber problems... the cartridge heads shouldn't bind up on any part of the recoil plate (breech face) when the cylinder rotates. There may be a high spot or something else at play here. :confused:

For sticking brass... first question is are the chambers very smooth? They should be smooth as possible. Next would be checking to see if they are bored to the correct depth for .40S&W. Unless it uses moon clips, the round headspaces on the case mouth and too short of a chamber could cause sticking.

Sorry to hear of these problems as a .40S&W wheelgun sounds like a fun shooter to me.
 
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