Yup, now I’m a pistoleer.
There’s no telling what foolishness a person might get up to when cabin fever reaches critical stages. (Of course, we had a late onset of cabin fever this year since the official clock starts at the end of football season, and our season ran extraordinarily long this year. ;D) In my case foolishness was exhibited in the sudden urge to have a 1911 type pistol. All I know about handguns are revolvers, and mostly SA ones at that; but, it is the anniversary year, yada yada, so shouldn’t I have one? And all the threads/posts detailing Lonerider’s quest didn’t help one little bit.
So, I decided I’d get one. I’d get the Taurus ‘cause it’s lefty friendly, and by all account a lot of bang for the buck.
All would have been well and good, except I was discussing this life change from revolver to pistol and one of the guys says, “You need any 9mm ammo?” (He’s not a gun guy so he can be excused.) Turns out that even though he’s not a gun guy, he was REALLY worked up over Y2K. (Remember that?) He laid in a ton of ammo and a wonder-nine to see him through the end times. So he offered me a bunch of his stash for 1999 prices. You can’t buy empty brass at that price today. So, figuring that it’d be too good a deal to pass up if I only had a 9mm pistol, I further figured that there was such a deal to be had that another pistol would be -- well free. (A lot of figuring there, but sanity is a thing of the past when cabin fever has struck.)
So, I thought I’d get TWO Taurii; the 1911 and a 92B. And then I did. And now I’m all set to relive the eighties and re-run the XM-10 tests and all that foolishness. Want to revisit the eighties and can’t afford a time machine? Simply fill your back seat with ammo and come visit me.
Both my new 1911 and 92B were pleasant surprises. The fit on both is excellent, the parts move around with the feel of fine machinery (which is what guns are SUPOSSED to be) and the machining of the slides and rails is so smooth that I couldn’t snag a q-tip on either one. I took them apart and cleaned them out. (The oil shortage is probably due to all the petrochemicals that Taurus packs their pistols in.) Then I took them apart a couple more times until I REALLY understood what all is going on in there. Then I just carried them around the house (EMPTY) becoming familiar with the grips and controls. Finally, today the snow had melted enough that I could find the range and I function tested the two. Both worked just swell. Both put their first 15 shots offhand into less than 5 inches at c. 10 yards. That was without even trying very hard, I’ll wait to shoot without mittens for that, I just wanted to make sure they went ‘bang.’ I got about 50 rounds through each today; I could envision HUNDREDS on a warm summer afternoon. Today I also learned that cleaning sure goes fast compared to a revolver.
I’d heard a lot about the fussy eating habits of 1911 pistols. Can’t prove it by me. I had three handloads that I feed my M1917 and .45 Blackhawk convertible and it liked them all just fine. (I’ve loaded an awful lot of 45 ACP for a person who never owned a pistol.) They’d be a Ranier plated HP, an XTP, and a cast SWC, all at 200 grains. I was sure there’d be problems with the SWC, but no such thing, just very neat holes in the target. I was previously concerned about the whole ‘cocked and locked’ thing, but isn’t that how anybody who does still hunting with a bolt rifle is going about business? I used to be equally concerned about the half cock safety of lever guns, but outgrew that, so I figure I’ll become increasingly at ease with the proper handling of a 1911.
The 92 just empties brass in a hurry. No problems with vintage UMC hardball anyway. There’s something to be learned with the DA/SA style action, but the Taurus 92 CAN be carried cocked and locked if a pressing need was imminent. For me, that DA shot was the one familiar feeling shot of the bunch. As much as folks love to hate the big blocky grip on this and the M9, I must have been the person they had in mind when they designed it. I’ve got big palms with stubby little fingers and I like how it fits my hand. (Dare I say, maybe more so than the 1911.)
Why are Taurii much less expensive than other guns? I don’t think it’s because they lack the ability to perform, and to keep doing so for as long as the others. You don’t get one more padlock, or a fired case. Big deal. You get a fairly generic manual, but then again the manual that came with my last Marlin didn’t even admit to the configuration of the gun I had in hand as existing. The biggest thing that will keep gun cranks away is the finish. The “bluing” is matt and not very deep at all. For anyone who grew up lusting after Colts or S&Ws back in the day, these will never be the models in hot gun porn. They’re not safe queens new out of the box. So you can shoot them, drop them, and use them as an adjunct to life instead of using them only for certain specific shooting related activities.
My 1911 will be a range gun for quite a while, until I feel I’ve really mastered the drill for this configuration. The 92 might (after another hundred rounds or so) find a home in my nightstand. I know that 9mm doesn’t ‘start with a 4,’ but neither does the 38 that’s there now. Currently my theoretical response to a bump in the night is to grab the phone, grab the 38, and grab a speedloader. Trouble is, I run out of hands before the third step. My 9mm with a magazine that holds as much as a 38 and TWO speedloaders has got to be an upgrade. In fact, a 9mm Golden Saber isn’t much below the .357 Golden Sabers at the other end of the house. (.357 Golden Sabers are admittedly downloaded for HD, but still well above a 38 +P.) The 92 might be the only handgun I ever own that won’t need a holster since, except for trips to the range, I don’t see it ever “stepping out.”
I imagine that as the weather improves, and I work on technique, that I’ll be chasing cans back to the berm in no time. (Especially, at this first try, I found gripping a pistol to be way different than gripping a revolver.) Maybe I should load MY backseat with ammo and head down to the St Louis area for a total immersion course.
And, finally, a thought I thunk: Sure you can shoot faster with a pistol than with a revolver, UNTIL you’ve emptied your magazines. If you go to the range with one magazine, you’d be hard pressed to keep up with most revolver shooters. And, if you figure doing the Easter Egg hunt thing for all your brass as part of the process, I imagine I could be getting lead downrange in greater quantity per unit of time with my Blackhawk than with either of these new puppies. Obviously, that only pertains to range use as a toy, and not when using the guns, and their pre-filled magazines, in their role as a tool.
While I said that Taurus doesn’t make subjects for gun porn, I know that nobody will ever believe a word I’ve said if there isn’t a picture...
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--scott
There’s no telling what foolishness a person might get up to when cabin fever reaches critical stages. (Of course, we had a late onset of cabin fever this year since the official clock starts at the end of football season, and our season ran extraordinarily long this year. ;D) In my case foolishness was exhibited in the sudden urge to have a 1911 type pistol. All I know about handguns are revolvers, and mostly SA ones at that; but, it is the anniversary year, yada yada, so shouldn’t I have one? And all the threads/posts detailing Lonerider’s quest didn’t help one little bit.
So, I decided I’d get one. I’d get the Taurus ‘cause it’s lefty friendly, and by all account a lot of bang for the buck.
All would have been well and good, except I was discussing this life change from revolver to pistol and one of the guys says, “You need any 9mm ammo?” (He’s not a gun guy so he can be excused.) Turns out that even though he’s not a gun guy, he was REALLY worked up over Y2K. (Remember that?) He laid in a ton of ammo and a wonder-nine to see him through the end times. So he offered me a bunch of his stash for 1999 prices. You can’t buy empty brass at that price today. So, figuring that it’d be too good a deal to pass up if I only had a 9mm pistol, I further figured that there was such a deal to be had that another pistol would be -- well free. (A lot of figuring there, but sanity is a thing of the past when cabin fever has struck.)
So, I thought I’d get TWO Taurii; the 1911 and a 92B. And then I did. And now I’m all set to relive the eighties and re-run the XM-10 tests and all that foolishness. Want to revisit the eighties and can’t afford a time machine? Simply fill your back seat with ammo and come visit me.
Both my new 1911 and 92B were pleasant surprises. The fit on both is excellent, the parts move around with the feel of fine machinery (which is what guns are SUPOSSED to be) and the machining of the slides and rails is so smooth that I couldn’t snag a q-tip on either one. I took them apart and cleaned them out. (The oil shortage is probably due to all the petrochemicals that Taurus packs their pistols in.) Then I took them apart a couple more times until I REALLY understood what all is going on in there. Then I just carried them around the house (EMPTY) becoming familiar with the grips and controls. Finally, today the snow had melted enough that I could find the range and I function tested the two. Both worked just swell. Both put their first 15 shots offhand into less than 5 inches at c. 10 yards. That was without even trying very hard, I’ll wait to shoot without mittens for that, I just wanted to make sure they went ‘bang.’ I got about 50 rounds through each today; I could envision HUNDREDS on a warm summer afternoon. Today I also learned that cleaning sure goes fast compared to a revolver.
I’d heard a lot about the fussy eating habits of 1911 pistols. Can’t prove it by me. I had three handloads that I feed my M1917 and .45 Blackhawk convertible and it liked them all just fine. (I’ve loaded an awful lot of 45 ACP for a person who never owned a pistol.) They’d be a Ranier plated HP, an XTP, and a cast SWC, all at 200 grains. I was sure there’d be problems with the SWC, but no such thing, just very neat holes in the target. I was previously concerned about the whole ‘cocked and locked’ thing, but isn’t that how anybody who does still hunting with a bolt rifle is going about business? I used to be equally concerned about the half cock safety of lever guns, but outgrew that, so I figure I’ll become increasingly at ease with the proper handling of a 1911.
The 92 just empties brass in a hurry. No problems with vintage UMC hardball anyway. There’s something to be learned with the DA/SA style action, but the Taurus 92 CAN be carried cocked and locked if a pressing need was imminent. For me, that DA shot was the one familiar feeling shot of the bunch. As much as folks love to hate the big blocky grip on this and the M9, I must have been the person they had in mind when they designed it. I’ve got big palms with stubby little fingers and I like how it fits my hand. (Dare I say, maybe more so than the 1911.)
Why are Taurii much less expensive than other guns? I don’t think it’s because they lack the ability to perform, and to keep doing so for as long as the others. You don’t get one more padlock, or a fired case. Big deal. You get a fairly generic manual, but then again the manual that came with my last Marlin didn’t even admit to the configuration of the gun I had in hand as existing. The biggest thing that will keep gun cranks away is the finish. The “bluing” is matt and not very deep at all. For anyone who grew up lusting after Colts or S&Ws back in the day, these will never be the models in hot gun porn. They’re not safe queens new out of the box. So you can shoot them, drop them, and use them as an adjunct to life instead of using them only for certain specific shooting related activities.
My 1911 will be a range gun for quite a while, until I feel I’ve really mastered the drill for this configuration. The 92 might (after another hundred rounds or so) find a home in my nightstand. I know that 9mm doesn’t ‘start with a 4,’ but neither does the 38 that’s there now. Currently my theoretical response to a bump in the night is to grab the phone, grab the 38, and grab a speedloader. Trouble is, I run out of hands before the third step. My 9mm with a magazine that holds as much as a 38 and TWO speedloaders has got to be an upgrade. In fact, a 9mm Golden Saber isn’t much below the .357 Golden Sabers at the other end of the house. (.357 Golden Sabers are admittedly downloaded for HD, but still well above a 38 +P.) The 92 might be the only handgun I ever own that won’t need a holster since, except for trips to the range, I don’t see it ever “stepping out.”
I imagine that as the weather improves, and I work on technique, that I’ll be chasing cans back to the berm in no time. (Especially, at this first try, I found gripping a pistol to be way different than gripping a revolver.) Maybe I should load MY backseat with ammo and head down to the St Louis area for a total immersion course.
And, finally, a thought I thunk: Sure you can shoot faster with a pistol than with a revolver, UNTIL you’ve emptied your magazines. If you go to the range with one magazine, you’d be hard pressed to keep up with most revolver shooters. And, if you figure doing the Easter Egg hunt thing for all your brass as part of the process, I imagine I could be getting lead downrange in greater quantity per unit of time with my Blackhawk than with either of these new puppies. Obviously, that only pertains to range use as a toy, and not when using the guns, and their pre-filled magazines, in their role as a tool.
While I said that Taurus doesn’t make subjects for gun porn, I know that nobody will ever believe a word I’ve said if there isn’t a picture...
--scott
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