Dude, I got a Glock!

I mentioned in this post some time back that I might consider getting a Glock. Well, I did. I am no the (proud?) owned of an ever so slightly used gen. 3 Glock 19. I traded in the Ruger LC9 for the Glock that was so sparingly used/well taken care of that the gun shop (Shooters in New Milford, CT) could have told me it was new and I would have believed them.

After having put a few hundred rounds through it my impression so far is (and I’m comparing it to my Springfield XDM Compact 9mm) that it is a crudely made gun (and I say that in the best possible meaning). The XDM feels like a much more finely engineered and tuned pistol. While you’re holding it in your hand and just checking it out. But from the very first shot I fired with it, I was much more accurate than with the XDM. For all its “crudeness” – the Glock trigger has a “rough” feel to it, but it also breaks cleaner and more predictable than the XDM – I am just better able to place the shots where I’m aiming than with the XDM.

I think the main problem with the XDM is the trigger. While it is very smooth, it also has very long pre-travel, an unpredictable break, and a fairly long reset. I ordered and installed (I’m a gunsmith now!) a trigger kit from Powder River Precision in Oregon that greatly improved the feel of the trigger, and also, my groupings at the range, but still not as good as the Glock.

So at this point my heart is with the XDM – I really like the feel of the gun – but my head is with the Glock; I simply shoot it better. I still have some ideas on how I might improve the XDM, though, and haven’t given up all hope. I’ll keep y’all informed.

Range Report

I took a trip to my friendly neighborhood shooting range today, Bridgeport Shooting Range, to put some holes in paper. I brought along my trusty SA XDm 9mm Compact and the newly acquired, not-so-trusty, Ruger LC9. While I was there I decided to rent a Glock just to see what all the hoopla was about. Personally I think Glocks are ugly, so I never considered them, but they’re everywhere and many shooters seem to have an unnatural loving relationship with this particular brand of firearm.

They're ugly as fudge, but after having shot one I may very well join the crowd of fanboys. Sweet!

They’re ugly as fudge, but after having shot one I may very well join the crowd of fanboys. Sweet!

The one I rented was a Glock 19, a mid-sized 9mm, so the comparison to my Springfield would be as fair as possible. First of all, let me say that the gun was filthy (note to BSR, maybe clean the rentals more often?), it didn’t lock back on the last shot, and while chambering the first round it jammed consistently throughout a box of 50 reloads bought at the range for $22 (the policy is you have to buy the ammo there if you rent; I know, they have to make their money one way or the other, but 22 bucks for 50 reloads?!?).

All this aside, the gun was sweeet to shoot. I liked it a lot! I shot it much better than my XDm, not to mention the Ruger, which I can’t seem to get a grip on at all; I’m lucky to hit the paper at all with that one, so I cleaned it out good once I got home and will leave in the box until it gets time for a trade-in. And guess what? Chances are it’ll be a Glock. But don’t tell my wife.

A Day At The Range

With the Superbowl (sorry about that Patriots, didn’t mean to rub it in) and all today, the wife and I figured it would be a quiet day at the range. Well, it wasn’t as quiet as I expected, but we didn’t have to wait more than a couple of minutes before we got a lane.

We had packed the Smith & Wesson model 66-1 .357 Magnum, the wife’s Bersa Thunder 9mm, and my new toy (yeah, I know they’re firearms and I’m not supposed to call them toys), a Ruger LC9.

We started off with the S&W, shooting a box of .38 Sp. just to warm up before going bang with .357s. I’m amazed at how easy that gun is to shoot. Hardly any recoil worth mentioning, no doubt due to the gun’s considerable heft and the new Hogue rubber grips I had installed to replace the original wooden stocks that look good, but make the grip very thick and a bit hard to handle. Both wifey and I did well, placing our shots in the general vicinity of where we aimed. We also ran into Frank Pinto, a retired cop and shooting instructor we had taken some lessons from, and he offered us a clip of +P .38s to try out, and they went “BOOM” almost louder than the .357s with little felt recoil. No doubt too expensive to shoot for target practice.

Next we pulled out the Bersa Thunder 9mm. Wifey loves this gun, but her “groupings”,  if I can even call them that, were a bit all over the place. I shot fairly well with it for the first time ever, and even managed to get some decent groupings (for my skill level) at 15′, semi-rapid fire.

The Ruger LC9

The Ruger LC9

Last, and least, was the Ruger LC9 (Light Compact 9mm), which I had only put about 50 rounds through on Tuesday when I got it. It’s “only” a 9mm (try taking a hit from it and see how “only” it feels), but is very snappy due to it’s light weight (about 17 ounces). It’s also double-action only, with a fairly heavy trigger pull, so both wifey and I were all over the place, lucky to even hit the paper. At the end of 150 rounds my hits very getting closer to where I aimed, though. I guess it’s one of those things you just have to get used to through practice in order to gain proficiency. Right now I gotta say I don’t care for the gun at all. It’s sleek and cool and excellent for concealed carry and all that, but right now there’s no love. I’ll just have to give it some more time, since wifey has put her foot down and no trade-ins or new guns until my birthday. Damn woman.

Did I offer my condolences to the Patriots? I think I did. Whatever.