Almost Perfect Range Day

2020 has been such a dumpster fire that when a friend called and invited me to meet him at the range yesterday, I didn't hesitate to dip-into my ammo stash and grab a few boxes of 9mm and .45 ACP. The weather in Frederick could not have been any better: low 80's, zero humidity and a light breeze. It was one of those days that I wistfully fantasized about during that string of ungodly hot, 95+ degree weeks back in July and August.



If you had told me on New Year's Day 2020 that it would be September before Fidelity and I got together for another range trip, I would've said you were crazy. Unfortunately, 2020 has been nothing but a bunch of crazy and it was awesome to finally get back to something normal in the way of weekend routines.



Among the oddities shot yesterday: Detonics Combat Master 45, Archon Type B and a Glock 32(?) in .357 Sig. Fidelity's reaction to the Detonics CM cracked me up because it was exactly the same as mine the first time I saw one back in the early 1980's: there's no way something that small in .45 ACP works but, it did and it did extremely well, even with some (nasty) Cor Bon 165gr JHP+P that I wasn't sure would work or not. Surprisingly, it shot those big JHP's without any problems. It also chewed thru 100 rounds of Geco 230gr FMJ without any problems.

But, what really upset me yesterday was how well Fidelity shot the Archon Type B. He's either been secretly practicing somewhere or it was beginner's luck because he couldn't miss with it. 10 yard plate rack, Texas shooting star, etc. He was on it. We used a box of Speer Lawman 124gr FMJ. Not the cleanest-shooting ammo I've ever used but, damn, it sure shot great.

And as much as it pains me to admit it, Fidelity's Glock 32(?) in .357 Sig was the star of the show. I had never shot anything in .357 Sig and normally, I wouldn't hit a dog in the ass with any Glock but, that thing was very impressive. It's easy to see why people who love .357 Sig really love it.

Overall, it was almost a perfect day at the range and it was great to spend it with someone I hadn't seen all year. Can't wait to do it again!

Zzzz it was indeed a beautiful day. I woke up Friday and felt the very first hint of fall on horizon. I’m glad you had fun.

BTW how is Fidelity doing. His commentary in the early stages if CV19 was quite informative, but we haven’t had the pleasure of his presence recently. I hope he is doing well.

ToolAA said:

Zzzz it was indeed a beautiful day. I woke up Friday and felt the very first hint of fall on horizon. I’m glad you had fun.

BTW how is Fidelity doing. His commentary in the early stages if CV19 was quite informative, but we haven’t had the pleasure of his presence recently. I hope he is doing well.

Click to expand...

He's doing great but his work schedule, as you can imagine, is very demanding right now. He told me to say hi to everyone!

Nice write up! This is inspiring me to drag my sorry butt to the range (I've been invited out several times by friend but I keep having other obligations pop up). Gotta prioritize range time.

crudmucosa said:

Nice write up! This is inspiring me to drag my sorry butt to the range (I've been invited out several times by friend but I keep having other obligations pop up). Gotta prioritize range time.

Click to expand...

Thanks! The only things that have been keeping me from the range lately are work and ammo prices. I began hoarding 9mm and 45 back in May-June once all the protest/riot nonsense started and I wish I would've started sooner. Doesn't do much good to have it if you don't use some of it to practice and share with friends, though. Hopefully, things will settle down once we get thru the election and pandemic craziness.

The only Glock I own is a 357sig. If I wasn’t for the caliber i would have sold it off years ago..

...you should have taken a few more guns.

I think he took his EDC

Damn...is that all that's left after the boating accident...? Glad you had a good day. Were you shooting somewhere close to Frederick?

Well, Fidelity makes me shoot all his pistols, each with 2 or 3 different types of ammo, like I'm his personal pistol accuracy valet. I'm flattered everytime lol next time he only brings 3 pistols. That's it!

LOL Well, they weren't all mine but I figured it might be a while before I could afford to take em out again. It was totally worth it. Conditions were absolutely ideal for shooting: no humidity, light breeze, excellent optics. Great company. Three hours came and went like it was 15 minutes.

Blaster229 said:

Well, Fidelity makes me shoot all his pistols, each with 2 or 3 different types of ammo, like I'm his personal pistol accuracy valet. I'm flattered everytime lol next time he only brings 3 pistols. That's it!

Click to expand...

He wants some of that Blaster229-mojo to rub-off on them, that's all. LOL

You're a good baseline for accuracy-testing because you're more consistent and less-susceptible to bad habits: flinching, adrenaline shakes/trembling, tea-cupping, shooting too fast, etc. Spastic gun nerds, like me and him, would almost pay someone, like you, to just touch our guns let alone actually shoot them.

That sure would have been fun. I occasionally get to shoot handguns at Hap Baker but haven't been able to shoot any of my long guns there in years due to few stations and an abundance of range squatters. I may have to start making the drive down to Cresap and get there an hour or so before opening time to get a better spot in the queue. I haven't been able to be so relaxed and spread out like in the pictures since college and shooting at the USA Corps of Engineers range across from ol' Pandapas Pond.