Categorical Archives Advanced - (5) Monthly Archives August 2007
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Melissa has never shot a gun before, so I offered to take her to the local pistol range, Guncraft Sports, which I've blogged about before. This is a wrapup of her first time shooting, and a review of the Browning Buckmark Camper and Ruger 22/45 pistols. I had Melissa practice handling and firing the gun before loading it. Then we worked on firing live ammo. Her grip was awkward at first, and a little scary. It's a bit frightening to watch someone handle a loaded gun for the first time. I showed her how to wrap her fingers around the thumb grooves on the grip, and she did much better. Once she understood how sights are supposed to line up, she did great, hitting 9 out of 10 times. That's really impressive when you consider that she forgot to bring her glasses (she's slightly myopic). Initially, I loaded and unloaded the magazine for her, and worked the slide to chamber the first round. By the third box of ammo she could do it herself, and only needed help when a gun jammed. (I kept an eye on things just to be sure. She tried to load a magazine with the bullets facing the wrong way, which was kind of cute.) She also caught on to using the target trolley and taping over holes in the target so she could count the hits for the next magazine load. Browning Buck Mark vs. Ruger Mark II 22/45 This was Melissa's first time shooting, so .22 target pistols were the natural choice. They're lightweight, have very little recoil, and the ammunition is inexpensive. We chose two guns from the rental counter at Guncraft: the Browning Buck Mark and the Ruger Mark II 22/45. Melissa was excited about the Browning .22 because one had played a role in an episode of NBC's Law and Order. Similarities Differences Both guns weighed about the same, though the Browning balanced much better. The Ruger seemed muzzle-heavy, which resulted in the front sight wandering around. After two boxes of shells Melissa developed a preference for the Browning, and shot it the rest of the evening. The Buck Mark's controls were much easier and more definite to operate. (I could only find right side pictures of the Buck Mark, which unfortunately don't show the controls.) The 22/45's slide release was a little finicky for me, and very finicky for Melissa. One design nitpick: all of the Ruger's controls look like buttons, but in reality only one of them (the magazine release) can be pressed inward. The other two are switches that must be thumbed up and down. Not only is the design confusing, it's poor ergonomically. Controls that are moved by sweeping motions need broad, flat surfaces, not conical buttons. The biggest difference was in the trigger. The Ruger trigger was just OK. The Browning trigger was a delight. It required just a short, light press, which is what you want in a target pistol. I could easily touch off a round using the pad of the first digit of my index finger. Conclusions Of the two, the Browning was our favorite by far. At just $309 for this mid-line model, it's a steal. Both guns are available in higher-trim versions. Another pistol in this same price range is the SIG Hammerli Trailside, which has been the subject of rave reviews. Melissa had lots of fun, and I think she's trying to talk Allison into going with us one night. Next time we may shoot a larger caliber, like a .380 or 9 MM. A night out at the pistol range was relatively cheap. We didn't pay any range fees because I'm a member and Melissa is a lady (and Tuesday is Ladies Night). Rental fees for two pistols plus 200 rounds of ammo totalled just sixteen dollars. That's cheaper than two movie tickets and a trip to the concession stand. |