Nitro Therapy
Today (well, technically yesterday), I got my first dose of nitro therapy (went to the range) in almost 3 years. I can’t believe it’s been so long. You know you’re getting old when 3 years goes by and it doesn’t feel that long.
I’m on the hunt for a new carry gun and I’m highly focused on .45acp as being my new round round of choice. That certainly narrows the field of choices quite a bit and my natural first interest is the venerable 1911. With 100 years of history, there are a lot of options. Through a lot of reading and question asking of my local expert I started narrowing down options I thought I might prefer, but I was missing a key component in my evaluation — I’d never fired a 1911 before, or even a .45. So, today we went up to Range USA to rent one. I brought along a trusty old Makarov to get back into the shooting groove. I was certainly a little rusty, but I quickly re-acclimated to the Makarov. Range USA had a couple of 1911′s and I chose the Kimber Stainless Pro Carry II (with Crimson Trace grips, although I didn’t realize it before making the pick). It’s a closer match to the options and size I’m considering than the full size Springfield they also had.
What did I think? Well, I’m not sure. Recoil and muzzle flip weren’t really a problem, but I certainly shot different with it than the Makarov. It alleviated my concerns about an aluminum frame. Reliability wasn’t a problem, but I wouldn’t think an unreliable gun is good for a rental anyway. The sites were horrible — not that the sites on my Makarov are any better. Actually, before coming out here to Memphis, I had no idea that the plain sites on my Makarov were that bad (although I’d read it many times on forums). They seemed fine to me, but back in Oklahoma I always shot outdoors and during the day. Indoors with poor lighting is a very different thing and makes a huge difference. The bottom line is that I’ll still be pursuing the 1911 and now I’ve got more of an idea what I’m getting into.
