A stunning sunset of the light pale blue behind burnt orange-edged clouds and bruise-purpled treetops was breaking my heart on the way home for at least two reasons. The first was its throat-choking beauty (I took such a quick, deep breath when I saw it that I couldn’t get a word out). The second was the fact that I was 10 minutes from the house, and the darkness was dropping like lead-weighted canvas, so I knew I’d be taking aim well-past sundown and on into night by the time I got out of the truck and out to the range.

A jumbo LED emergency spotlight put a beam of faux-daylight on the line of sight to the target, though, and I was good to go. So was the Ranger. On my way home, it occurred to me that the time between yesterday’s first and second shot was just plain unacceptable for any kind of urgent-response-necessary situation, and it seemed like I should find out what it was like to run 000-buck through my newly-tested, tiny-giant super-Derringer.

It was helpful to pretend that my wrist wasn’t still hurting from yesterday’s initiation into the Bond Arms Click-Bang Club, especially since I need to know that I am comfortable and confident with it in hand.

Maybe tomorrow the comfortable part will improve …

Shot(s) o’the Day can be seen on this improvised, scrap-cardboard and cover-dot target which was almost exactly as big as my chest from neckline to the bottom of my rib-cage. The buckshot patterned left and high, but there were shots on center, too, from my spot about 10-12 feet away. The three .32-caliber pellets in the 000 shell were, as usual, high and left (the uppermost hit at the extreme top of the target material, just above where the shot-shell’s wad went through), but all were “on center mass” … for what it’s worth.

The only real problem (and it is a genuine concern) was that I could barely get the trigger pulled on the second shot. There was no “quick” to that follow-up. The pull-weight was much heavier than I remember from yesterday, but I’m also considering that the awkward hand-hold grip is a big part of the issue, too. There was a long “creep” to the trigger, and the pressure necessary to pull it definitely pulled me off-center, aim-wise.

I really do like the weight and feel and look of the gun, so it’s definitely worthwhile to keep experimenting until I find the right strategy and steps for ease of function and improved target accuracy. I went two-handed and with both eyes open for point-without-precise-aim shots (which seems the most likely method in a surprise-threat, up-close, them-or-me attack scenario), and I think I can do much better tomorrow with this extra-heavy trigger weight in mind.

Once again, I thought I might just fire it one day and move on to something else, but reflection can be educational, and I realized during my mental playbacks today that I want and need to try a few more rounds to know what to expect from the gun and from myself when handling the gun.

Hey, the wrist doesn’t hurt too bad either, so I’m pretty sure I’m good for a few more rounds. That means that it’s not quite sundown on this pistol’s break-in period … come to think of it, I’ll have to try to get a picture of the sunset reflected off that pair of stainless steel barrels, too.

It think that might be right perty.