3-26-25 Wednesday 100 yards with the good old P-09, 3 min video

[Joe L]

Got to go to the local Hill Country outdoor shooting range this morning, rain in the forecast for this evening and Thursday, so my last chance for the week.  I shot the P-09 last Thursday with good results, left it dirty and in the bag all week, got it out this morning, but didn't clean it or adjust the zero. 

First target indicated that I could back out one or two of the two clicks right from last week.  But I decided to just try holding a little left and a little low and that worked pretty well for Target 2. 

https://youtu.be/1CyfYfjOkTY

Updated video edit with hole circles added, published on 3-27-25:

https://youtu.be/2hiX-TMnQWQ


I shot one more target after the one in the video, but my eyes were getting fatigued, so I didn't include it.  Even so, it was a great day at the range with the old pistol!

Joe L

[M1A4ME]

Joe, you need to read what that P09 is writing.  "Put the striker fired guns in the safe.  Take me instead."

It is hard to hold off the center with an optic that doesn't have cross hairs.  I have an AR15 with a SUIT on it.  At 300 yds., when I'm trying to keep the tip of the pointer in the center of the target I get a 4" wide by 6" tall group.  I believe that "tall" spread is due to the difficulty of putting that pointer tip in the center of the target every shot.

[Whereisit]

What is your camera setup? I see in some vids the hits get circled by green or was it red? Can you see your hits at the bench?

[Joe L]

What is your camera setup? I see in some vids the hits get circled by green or was it red? Can you see your hits at the bench?

I was working on the version with the bullet hole circles as you were typing.  Here is the "final" version.

https://youtu.be/2hiX-TMnQWQ

I have to add those circles, which are really just a capitol letter "o" and add them to the video one at a time.  It is tedious, took about 2 hours this morning to add the bullet circles and do a little additional editing to get the final version done.  I use Davinci Resolve for the edits.  The files are 4k 10 bit mov files from two S5iiX Panasonic cameras with zoom lenses.  Each is on a tripod.  I use a Deity PR-2 pocket recorder for audio, with the lav mic taped under the bill of my baseball cap.   I have short shotgun mics on each camera.

The target camera is on a small tripod, about 8-10 feet back and off to the left of the target.  The shooter camera is on a tabletop tripod on the shooting bench maybe 18" from the pistol, off to the left side to avoid any brass.  I am on the furthest left lane of the shooting range to keep the camera out of the line of fire for other shooters and to avoid other people's brass at the table. 

These particular cameras have internal fan cooling so they can record unattended for over an hour.  The camera battery will last 1.5-2 hours.  I usually shoot 40-50 rounds before eye fatigue becomes an issue, so the cameras will run longer than me. 

Cameras are set up with VND filters and manual focus so that I can maintain 30 fps, 1/60 shutter, f/8 or so aperture, and ISO 100-400 range.  Auto iso on partly cloudy days.  I set up the shooter camera first but leave it off after setup, go to the target and put up the white backer sheet, then the repair center target, then the tripod and then the camera.  Start recording sound on the pocket recorder, start record on the target camera, go to the target, clap 5 times in the frame for sound sync, then leave everything running in record mode, return to the shooter table, turn on the shooter cam, clap 5 times in frame, leave the camera running in record mode, start the dialog and shooting session.  I don't touch the cameras or recorder for the entire shooting session, which will last from 30 minutes to an hour.  When I'm done shooting, I'll stop recording on the shooter camera first, walk to the target, make any comments at the target, shut down the target camera, then shut down the pocket recorder.  Pack up everything at the target location, return to the shooter table, clean up all my gear, collect the brass and sweep the area, load everything in my truck, then go tell the range owner and his wife/manager what a terrible day I had at their range and stomp off to drive home.   

I've been doing these boring shooting videos for over 10 years, starting with a pair of Canon camcorders and eventually getting "good" long run full frame cameras, which are really overkill for this application, but I use them for other video tasks also.

I have several different types of video transmitter/receivers that I can use to relay the target camera real time output to a monitor at the shooting bench.  I don't use the video monitoring equipment as often anymore because it is cumbersome to carry and to set up with additional cables and batteries and weight.  But it is kind of fun, especially for anyone looking over my shoulder, wondering what I'm doing shooting a puny 9mm plastic pistol on their precision rifle range.  I get by with an inexpensive spotting scope or just walk out and look.  I will use the video monitor equipment if I am doing a demonstration or teaching someone else to shoot at 100, so they can see their results easily.   I really like to use the video monitor at the 500 meter rifle range when I am shooting prone. 

Thanks for the questions.  Videography is my second hobby, if you haven't guessed by now, LOL.

Joe L

[Whereisit]

Thanks for the detailed response!

I think... In my case... Ill just buy a good a spotter scope. Lol. I just want to see my hits when shooting at the rifle range. If I was to want to make "boring" videos like you then maybe I would go with your setup.

[Joe L]

A spotting scope works fine, even out to 200 yards, if you have a white target.  It is hard to see 9mm holes in a black bullseye even at 100 yards with an inexpensive spotting scope.  I usually count the holes in the white areas, subtract that from the number fired, and assume the rest are in the black somewhere.  At 200, I don't even use the black bullseye target, I just use the white sheet with a cross on it.  Makes it much easier to see the good shots!
 
I don't go to a public range except in the middle of the week, and even then, I hate to be a nuisance to the other shooters, so I try to minimize my time downrange.  If no one else is there, I have more options.  I even label 2 or 3 targets at home before going to the range and check all my camera settings before walking to the 100 yard berm.  I think I have my setup time down to around 5 minutes at my local 100 yard range, which most other shooters can tolerate.  It takes maybe 10 minutes to set up the 200 yard stuff, not including the drive/walk because I have to set the aim point stick above the lead catcher and I use a taller and heavier tripod for the target camera.   

Joe L