Gun-a-Day 41: Seeing a Sweet 16 w/My G19C

On a whim, I decided to make it a one magazine day — plus one in the chamber. With 16 shots to spend, I set up a sheet of Birchwood-Casey paper and my time-lapse rig and went to work from my increasingly well-worn and cartridge-covered position out beyond the 20-foot line.

I keep forgetting to pause longer between shots to allow more time for the camera, but I liked the results just fine even though they went off pretty quickly. But the pictures do show that my first two shots shared part of the same hole, and I’m very glad to see that the practice IS producing improvement.

By actual width, the total spread is smaller than the 9-ring and all shots are 8s or better. The LaserMax light was plain to see today, so those old batteries are still cookin’ after all.

I may have to watch this video a few times to get the most out of the sight of one of my best ever center-of-center shots. That is definitely shot o’the day, and it may rank as shot o’the week and/or month …

This practice session was fun, fast and fulfilling. Just the right way to wrap up my Glock week and turn my attention to another “thunder-stick.”

For what it’s worth, this is the first post that I’ve developed and completed using only my iPhone and the WordPress app. The video upload didn’t take for some reason, so I grabbed the URL from my YouTube channel (onegunadayguy) and sent the whole post out into the digi-world.

Gun-a-Day 40: The Fearsome Glock’L’Max is Spotted in Broad Daylight

I guess 40 consecutive days of shooting is some kind of milestone, and I feel very blessed to have gotten this far into this project. Here’s to the hope for at least 325 more days’ worth. Dei gratia & Dei volente

My goal today was to test the laser in the light of day (albeit in a mostly shady spot), and the mission produced good intel. The first magazine was emptied with laser targeting, but when I reloaded I couldn’t relocate the red beam and spent the last 15 rounds with regular sighting. This loss of signal could be (probably is?) a function of old batteries about to go out after an impressively long tour of duty, or the sun could have just been too bright for my eyes (not as good as they used to be) to distinguish the red dot and black target field from the red light … or both.

Either way, the record now includes another 25×25 and “7’s or Better” session, and I got to try out a new set-up with the camera. I like the proximity very much, but the target hits are mostly too hard to see in the shade from the morning light. The new particle board target back worked well enough that I’ll use it every day until there’s not enough left to hold the paper.

I’m glad the time lapse caught some of the flying debris. Those cedar trunks are getting chewed up pretty heavily, but they are doing good work with no pass-throughs.

Shot o’the Day is of the gear I use to make time lapse videos with my iPhone 4.

First and foremost: the app is iTimeLapse, and if I can make it work with only user-image issues and edit-errors left over after just a couple of tries, then it can be used to good effect by almost anyone.

Also important is The Glif. My web-biz partner came across this at kickstarter.com while it was still in design/development/pre-production, and we got our orders in “on the ground floor.” We both like the simplicity and versatility, and I’ve used it like crazy with the tripod screw mount.

Lately, my stand-of-choice is this mini UltraPod rig that I got from an Eddie Bauer outlet store years ago. The position-control is very, very adaptable, and the lock-down is solid. It balances well and supports/distributes weight well.

The top section of this slide-on iPhone cover by Great Shield allows me to use the Glif and helps me pretend that I’m “protecting” my little “golden Apple-item” from possible debris and fragment damage– at least over most of the phone’s surface. The lower section doesn’t quite fit the Glif, and I don’t want to stress/stretch that little gadget out of shape.

All told, this set up costs about $35 today (that’s less than I spent), and it’s about as crucial to the Gun-a-Day blog as the guns and ammo themselves.

Gun-a-Day 39: Beware the One-Eyed Glock’L’Max!

Before buying my Glock 9mm, I decided that it needed to be equipped with a guide-rod-installed LaserMax sighting system in order to be complete.

Today’s shooting session was fresh proof of the wisdom of that decision (hey, my good choices come few and far between, so I have to celebrate the lonely little fellas on those rare occasions when they happen).

The LaserMax homepage recommends annual battery replacements, but I have to admit that I haven’t changed the batteries since the day I put it in– that’s at least eight years, and I think it’s more like 10+ (I’ll have to dig out the receipts and double-check the dates). Pretty impressive lithium-life.

Today’s shots o’the day are seen in the time-lapse. That’s a big, ragged hole next to center-red, and that’s where the bullets went when I open-eyes-fired with the laser on the bullseye. No squinting, no long-arming, no rigid positioning– just a sideways stance and a firm hold and an effort to squeeze and not jerk the trigger.

There were no Brown Bear jams or misfeeds, and I think the four or five shots farthest from center were all due to user-aim issues. I noticed that I was pulling a bit on a few …

Just when I thought maybe my tests were becoming redundant and the the Glock was about ready to be rotated out for practice time with another gunI get this result and see that the pistol and the laser work, and they work well when I give them half a chance. There’s more to do and more to learn here, for sure.

It’s obvious that I’m going to have to get a real and reliable target support system in place. There’s been way too much jumping around in the past few days while I’ve been scrounging to scrap together backing boards.

The angle is not great on this video, so the full-screen view really helps.

With shots like these today, I am very interested to see if I can do better tomorrow … and to see how well the laser does in daylight down my shade-covered firing lane.

I’d love to find out that I can improve to the point of consistently hitting inside the 8-rings at 20+ feet away in a one-handed, right-shoulder-forward stance.

Gun-a-Day 38: “Taking Lapse” with My Glock 19C

A bit of box tape, an empty dishwashing detergent box, and a Birchwood Casey target were mounted on a yard sign holder (yes, that one) today, and 25 more Brown Bear bullets went downrange. Once again, the wood chips were flying.

The time-lapse images seem to show a 25 out of 25 result, but my after-session count suggests that one shot had to be using the same hole as a previous slug if, in fact, I got them all in the black. I don’t think I missed the target altogether with any of them, so that deduction makes the most sense, I guess.

I’m still finding it a bit funny that the sideways, one-handed position is giving me more overall accuracy than my two-handed stance, but I’m not complaining!

I had one ejection-catch on the 8th round of the first magazine (tried to edit out some of the delay in the time-lapse, but the gap is still obvious).

The purpose for these multi-mag target sessions is affirmed almost every day, because I keep noticing that there is a loss of focus in the middle of the pack. That’s not okay with me!

Shot 25 took quite a while because I had to find the dropped, unspent cartridge from the re-rack earlier. When it finally went, the target jumped like … uh … like it had been shot.

That last bullet hit the yard sale sign inside the box and mangled it up quite seriously. Mounting the box on the wire stand didn’t provide the stability I want and need, but the results were interesting. That wire is nothing but conceptual, abstract sculpture now, and the hit on it is the official “shot o’the day.”

Watching some shows and movies this weekend, I noticed a “hold-high-and-point-down” position for weapons held by police and soldier characters. Is this a muzzle-rise-control method that I haven’t known about (or is it a continuity problem common in procedural-fiction where dynamic image is more important than technical accuracy)?

I’m going to try a bit of that tomorrow to see if I re-acquire the target more quickly.

Gun-a-Day 37: Glock 19C-n-Me

I’ve switched to one-handed sideways. I forgot to specify that in yesterday’s entry. If I were ever to actually be in a fight for my life, I’d be trying to skinny up, I’m sure (though some days, I’m about as wide standing sideways as I am facing straight on …), so this is my practice position for the time being.

I also hope that I’d get behind the nearest solid cover, too, but maybe I’ll get to that later this year …

For today, the 20-foot line was warmer and brighter than it’s been in several days, and the target was dry and easy to see in the mid-afternoon, winter light bisected by pine trunks.

Everything is summed up in one photo today because, once again, I’ve got a lone bullet hole outside the 7-ring. 24 of 25 in black is alright, and the multi-round straight vertical line in the center-red is a very welcome sight indeed. There are steady signs of progress and also clear evidence that there is still plenty of room for tangible improvement!

Speaking of skinny, though, this is an improvement in terms of total hit width. Dimensionally, all the shots are inside the horizontal distance of the 9-ring, and that’s the positive I’m taking from today before I think too long about the one very low and one kind of high marks on the paper.

Shot o’the Day is the low ball round. It’s a good reminder as long as I don’t obsess on it. I’m seeing it as incentive for a visualized achievement of my “clean sheet” goal. Plain and simple, I’m going to do a little dance or something if I ever get a “7’s or better” set on paper.

I had one short-load receiver jam today. I think it was the 3rd round. For whatever reason, the slide didn’t close all the way over the receiver.  That was in the 10-round mag, and I’ll have to be conscious of which mag I’m using when the glitches happen. If there is no pattern, I’ll just accept that part of the price of this bargain-basement Brown Bear ammunition is the occasional failure to fully feed.

No such issue exists with the Hornady Critical Defense rounds I load in a magazine or two for home defense (when the pistol is put away, locked and unloaded but handy).

Gun-a-Day 36: Let the Glock-Shine In!

A hint of morning sun was a preview of afternoon clearing. By 1 pm, the wind was gusting again, and I couldn’t get over the “waves” of the treetops rising and falling under the big skies.

Beautiful, beautiful day.

The pond is overflowing, and I’m feeling the same. There is so much abundance to be thankful for. The luxury (and hard work) of pursuing my goal of shooting one of my guns every day this year is only a small part of the many, many blessings in my life.

One of the best parts about this project is that I don’t easily come back inside once I get out and empty some shells. A walk around the property almost always follows, and while I have to make sure that I manage to keep my real job, there is nothing like the sense of peace and calm that I feel sitting out at the pond by the weeping willow trees, and I’m glad for the “excuse” to take and make time for it all. Life is too valuable to wish it away while over-timing and over-working day after day, year after year.

Also, as the song says, “Happiness is a Warm Gun.”

I happily warmed the Glock up just fine today with 24 of 25 Brown Bear slugs in the center-mass rings. These new targets aren’t adhesive, but the size is right for home defense practice shooting.

It would have been nice  if all of the shots had been in the black, but I’m not gonna beat myself up about the one high stringer. It’s actually still in the area of “upper center-mass,” but I am always trying for a 25×25 day with this pistol. In the meantime, this is, I think, a tighter bundle– side to side– than the past couple of practice sessions, and I haven’t even turned on the LaserMax yet.

Speaking of add-on accessories, I’m also glad I have the “Klip” (seen in the top picture) installed as an alternative to wearing a full holster. Even I couldn’t mess up the installation too much, and the LaserMax actuator still works (actually this makes it easier to turn off– nice unexpected benefit). It also works just fine with the regular holsters I have– no worries either way.

I was going to call the high hit my Shot o’the Day, but that can begin to be a bit self-indulgent.

Instead, this “moving target” is the image that grabbed me the most today.

I saw it down at (on!) the pond, and it is just begging to be shared. The run-off rush evidently took this colony of ants by surprise. They were making a life-raft of each other a few feet from the water’s edge when I spotted them swarming in the floodwash debris. This writhing mass of bug-life was about 6 inches across, and it seemed to be “swimming” for the shore. Kinda really creepy (pun admitted), but a fascinating bit of nature at work, for sure.

Gun-a-Day 35: Forecast? Good Weather for Thirsty Ground & Trusty Glocks

One of the things I’d forgotten in the months since last shooting my 19C is just how well– comfortably, securely, solidly– it fits my hand. The Hogue rubber slide-on accessory has been in place since shortly after I bought the pistol itself, and I thought at first that it might add too much circumference for my grip, but, rather, it helps give the piece a very secure imprint in my palm and under my fingers.

Even on a day like today (the kind that Andy Griffith might call a “frog-strangler”), there was no hint of slip or slide. Gun-wise, anyway. The footing situation is another story altogether, but there were no false moves. Just lots of drips, rivulets, and puddles.

There was no serious temptation to put Glock’s reputation to the test. I was happy just shooting rounds as usual without burying my gun in mud to see how it would fire after slopping it out. That being said, there were none of the normal concerns I might have with most of my other guns about exposure to 100% humidity and full-on rain. Glock’s claim to perfection is most clearly and convincingly supported when they are put to use in anything but perfect conditions.

Eight long strides from the target had me over 20 feet from the target, and I assumed my personal version of a modified Weaver, tw0-handed stance, and tried to keep a steady trigger rhythm and re-acquire the target quickly after each shot.

I definitely do intend to find out what this “fade-left” issue is. More practice with additional concentration (and a time-lapse to break down the sequence?) is called for …

I was glad I remembered to try the “early” magazine transfer idea again. After my 14th round was fired and the 15th was chambered, I swapped out the empty magazine for a full 10-rounder and was able to fire all 25 rounds on one rack of the slide.

There were no jams, misfires, or stovepipes. The only hiccup was the slide’s failure to lock open after the last round. Not much of a problem, but I’ll try to be more conscious of that detail in future sessions. Maybe it’s a recurring problem I haven’t been noticing.

Shot o’the Day is one of those ephemeral nature moments. I’m not sure how well it turned out, but I couldn’t let the image of those water-tipped pine needles end up just a memory. Beautiful and peaceful.

Gun-a-Day 33: Glock 19C, 9x19mm

The rain has gone and the sun has come out over clearing skies and heavily-gusting winds. I’m thankful for the sun, the early-bug killing chill in the air, and I’m very thankful for all of the precipitation.

The day’s major discovery came when I noticed that our pond was full from the heavy rain and quick run-off– more than a foot of regained depth over more than 2500 square feet of surface area.

It’s been down for well over six months, and it went from having a 36-inch dirt ring around it to being up to the rim in just one day. What a fantastic blessing– so much more than I could “ask or imagine.”

That’s much more important than any target practice results, but I had the added pleasure– privilege!– of spending a few minutes of my morning with a faithful old friend, my Glock 19C.

It’s one of the first firearms I bought back in the early days of the 21st century (sounds like a long time ago in a way). I shopped it hard and chose it carefully, and I’m reminded every time it fires that I picked the right one.

Today, I grabbed three mags I’ve kept partially loaded for months and went out to spend 25 rounds on another pizza-cardboard perforation project. The tools were up to the challenge. It’s just Brown Bear ammo (but I got it cheap!).

The first round stove-piped in mid-ejection, and that’s actually something I was testing for. I wanted to see how the mag springs and the gun’s cycling action would do after many weeks (months, I think, is more like it) of sitting idle. That first glitch was the only one, and the results from 20+ feet are just fine for the first day of refresher training.

Like most every Glock I’ve ever heard tell of, this gun is big-fun to shoot, and I had even more fun than usual today. I think it might be due, at least in part, to the fact that I spent so much time last month working with the higher caliber cartridges. The 9x19mm is so much more manageable that today’s recoil is almost not worth mentioning.

As always, the 4th generation (3rd? I’ll have to double-check that) design grips easily. It’s comfortable and target-settles naturally. My hold control is definitely stronger and my re-acquisition speed are both better than I remember. The Kimber time paid off in more ways than one, it seems.

Shot o’the Day is that ragged, multi-shot hole just inside the 2 o’clock position. That is the picture I’m visualizing for the rest of the upcoming groups. I want to see that dozen or so outside the center target,in future attempts, all moved in and bunched up in little cluster-groups like that one. I’m positive that the gun is up to the challenge of that goal, and I want to be up to it as well.

And after today’s session, I have some ideas about how to be even faster and more accurate. The white dot sights line up well, and I was finding the “lollipop position” more easily quickly as I went along.

This group is nothing heroic, but it works well as a baseline measurement. I know how to shoot the gun, and I can manage some level of general-vicinity accuracy and the occasional 10-ring hit. I got to the Shoot-n-C fairly late in the set (except for one or two of the first 10). My technique and repeatability in sighting placement got better– came back to me– as I went along.

The next few days should be equally fun and instructive as many more rounds are spent on a variety of defensive scenarios and at greater distances. One will be a “just do your best, son” session at a full 25 yards, but 30 feet will be the regular practice spot.

The Glock itself will, of course, do just fine– that’s almost literally guaranteed. If the Lord tarries, and I’m physically able to pull the trigger, I have no doubt that the Glock will go.

There is real intention behind these plans. If I’m ever blessed with the time and money to do any competition shooting, this is the gun I’d like to use.

The comparison point is established, and the opportunity to learn and improve is waiting out there for me. For me and my 19, that is.