1911 day at the 100 yard range, a good result, 4 min video

[Joe L]

I bought a Desert Eagle 1911G maybe 10 years ago, for gun hobby educational purposes, that is, I thought every responsible gun owner should at least be familiar with a 1911, a .308 bolt gun, and an AR-15, so I acquired one of each over a few years' time. 

This 1911 was a really good middle of the price range model and was a good pistol out of the box.  But I had some challenges adapting to the original grip width, so I didn't spend much time with it.  After shooting the CGW 97B"E" last week, I decided to get the 1911 out of the safe, finish fitting the Kart match barrel and bushing, and take it to the range today, Tuesday.  I checked the 25 yard zero after putting a fresh battery in the Burris sight, and then went up 1/2 turn (not clicks) to get what I hoped to be a close 100 yard zero.  It was a very windy day, but overcast and not too hot at 10am, so I had fairly good conditions.  No one else was on the 100 yard range. 

Here is a 4 minute video of the first and last targets.  I almost shot too many rounds, as my eyes and patience were fading.  But the overall results were excellent, ie, the gun and Kart barrel are perfect with the Atlanta Arms 185 gr JHP ammo.  I don't like how I left the trigger and I need a thicker and softer grip if I plan on shooting this pistol much in the future.  A little more roll and some rubber grips and the gun would probably suit me almost as well as my 97B"E".  Almost. 

https://youtu.be/-NvTnvNAjsk

I also suffered from a flinch due to unfamiliarity with the trigger pull.  That hasn't happened to me in a long time. 

Gun and ammo are fine.  Shooter needs work. 

Joe L

[NEKvermont]

I absolutely love your videos.

[M1A4ME]

I haven't shot a 1911 in over 20 years.  Unless I put a few rounds through the old Colt 1911 when we did the old gun day with my oldest son about 9 years ago.  I know the boys shot it for it's 98 birthday but I don't remember if I shot it.

John Browning was a very smart man.

Glad you had a good day at the range.

[Joe L]

Glad you had a good day at the range.

Every day at the range is becoming a "good" day.  And the "bad" days usually fall in to the category of shooter problem or lack of attention to the details.  I get more frustrated with the video equipment than I do with the firearms these days.  Even forgetting to put a fresh battery in the 1911's red dot didn't bother me too much, since I had a spare in the 97B bag I brought in case the 1911 had issues. 

The only thing that was a little irritating on Tuesday was the flinch, usually first shot after a new magazine.  It was like learning the trigger all over again after each reload.  That's probably why I quit shooting it much in the first place--the trigger needs some work to tailor it to my trigger finger and mind.  Most folks would love this 1911 trigger and dislike my CZ triggers.  Most folks don't shoot from a wrist rest.

This is fun.  This isn't easy. 

Joe L

[AZ_CZ]

Once I switched to RDSs My 1911s have been sitting in the safe for a few years now. Guess I’m going get a dovetail mount now just to play at the range. Not at 100 yards 

[Joe L]

AZ_CZ --
I still have dovetail mounts on P-09, 75B, and 97B"E" pistols in addition to this 1911.  I used to worry about them not being tight enough to maintain zero.  There is a lot of variation in the dovetails on various pistols so I got pretty good at fitting them, crudely, using files and brass shims.  I moved one mount from a 75B to and from a P-07 and one other pistol.  As long as it was tight enough to require a punch and a hammer to fit then tighten the set screws, they have been fine. 

But I don't think I'll buy another pistol that isn't optics ready like the P-10F and P-10S.  That makes for a slick installation plus co-witness.  Definitely preferred but not a necessity. 

Except for the flinch, I don't think it will be possible to improve on the 100 yard session I was lucky enough to have with the 1911 on Tuesday, so I may just put it back in the safe for now.  Not sure yet.  The two flinch shots are embarrassing but educational, but five 10 ring hits at 100 yards out of 10 shots?  Three x-ring hits out of five shots?  That's a good day, another "statistical aberration", I think.  Some of those were balanced out by a not-so-hot target 2, which I excluded from the video above, by the way. 

Joe L