Range Trip 6-1-2023

First trip this year with the Ruger American 22LR.  I was very pleased with the results.  I fired a total of 100 rounds on 20 separate 2” targets, 5 rounds per target.  My goals for the trip were an average group size of 2MOA or 1.0-inches and all rounds with the 2-inch target. 

My smallest group was .42-inches.  My largest was 1.3-inches.  The average group size for all 20 groups was .85-inches. 

My first shot – a Clean Bore/Cold Bore shot was outside of the target (#1 on Sheet #1) as well as one additional round on #10 on Sheet #1.  Otherwise, all rounds were within that target.  This yielded a 98% for 100 Rounds, so pretty happy here.

The ammo was Eley Club (Lot # 3122-30072).  This particular round continues to perform well within my desired specifications, so I’ll probably continue to use it.

As could be expected, I did a “deep clean” before the trip considering the use this firearm took last year.  I suspect that had something to do with tightening things up as well.  I’ll make sure it has a deep clean before each range trip this year and see if it holds.

As I explained last year, this is a “trainer” for a Designated Marksman course I teach.  The actual DM rifle is a Savage 110 in .308.  It’s a very good match in physical size to the Ruger America 22LR and both have the Vortex Scout 2-7 LPVO mounted to them with the triggers set to 2.5 LBS. 

Next range trip will push things out to 100-Yards.  The goal again is groups of 2MOA or less but the target changes to a 3-inch target.  We’ll get that done this week.

 

Range Trip – May 25, 2023

 

There are a number of reasons to go to the range.  Here are the common ones.

 Training:  This is participating is a structured set of course work.  Typical examples would be various NRA courses, Rob Pincus courses, Tom Givens, Gun Site, various local instructors, our coursework developed by NAPSI – to name just a few.  These can run from a 4-hour safety course to a 3-day+ in-depth course on an AR, a shotgun or a pistol.  Round counts can vary from a hundred or so to 1,000+.

In these courses you are typically learning a new skillset or perhaps just doing a refresher from a new instructor.  Bottom line – you’re learning something new.

Practice:  Shooting skills – be it with rifles, pistols or shotguns – are perishable.  Left unused your ability to perform with the firearm diminishes.  Rapidly.  My typical rule-of-thumb is that for every firearm you wish to maintain a proficient level of skill – you need to send 1,000 rounds downrange.  Have a carry gun you carry every day?  1,000 rounds to maintain proficiency.  Have a defensive AR you rely on for home defense?  1,000 rounds to maintain proficiency.  Have a home defense shotgun?   1,000 rounds to maintain proficiency.  If you set up a schedule for 100 rounds per month for each platform, it becomes much more manageable to think about and to accomplish.  With a half day at the range each month, you can easily work your way through a maintenance set of drills.

 Zeroing my Rifle:  Man, I hear this one a lot.  “Why you here today?”  “Gonna zero my rifle!”  Ah.  Honestly the last time I zeroed my AR – both optic and iron sights – was probably over 5 years ago.  If your AR or rifle is not holding it’s zero – something is wrong with the scope.  Or, most likely, the way you mounted it.  Once it’s zeroed, short of being dropped, you’re zero should hold.  That’s not to say you shouldn’t check your zero – I do that every range trip.  But adjusting it – nope, should not need to.

 There are exceptions to this.  Should you be shooting precision rifle and you move to a new ammunition lot number – yeah, some tweaking may be needed.  But TWEAKING .  . . not major changes.

 Checking my Proficiency:  Am I maintaining my skill set?  That was the purpose of my range trip on 5/25/2023 and I worked with two firearms.  The first was my “Patrol Rifle”.  I carry this in a vault in my Jeep with two 28 round magazines.  I also grabbed a couple extra boxes as well.  MY second was my carry Glock 17 and I had a box of 50 rounds.  To declare myself “proficient” a minimum score of 80% is required. 

 Let cover the rifle first, they I’ll do the same with the G17.

 The target I shot was LATargets SEB target.  This is THE TARGET I use for all my coursework and Practice.  In this case I added two “splash” targets in the lower left and lower right target.  I bagged my rifle at 50 yards and shot 5 rounds on the left splash target to check the zero on my Vortex Strikefire II and I shot 5 rounds on the right Splash target to check the zero on my Magpul pop-up backup sights.  At 50 yards the Dot in the Strikefire completely covered the target.  It is co-witnessed with my iron sights with the dot resting just on top of the front blade with I look through the irons.  The results were acceptable in both cases so I continued on.  Note, the engagement distance of the AR Rifle is 10 yards or 30 feet.  This is a typical engagement distance equivalent to the width of your home, the length of a hallway, twice the length of your car – just to get some idea of the distance I was working with.  Another thing to keep in mind is that for a standard 55gr bullet, at that distance the POI is just under 2-inches low.  I have my rifle zeroed for 50 yards.

 

Drill 1 – Mount-touch-press (5 rounds)  This is shot on the “1” circle.  The process is that on the beeper you “Mount” the rifle from low ready and establish your aim point, you “Touch” the trigger and the “Press” the trigger smoothly to the rear then perform your follow through and return to the low ready.  You repeat this a total of 5 times.

 Drill 2 – Single Round Engagement on the “2” circle (5 rounds).  The process is that on the beeper you execute a single round engagement on the “2” circle with follow through and then return to the low ready.  You repeat this 5 times.  You do this and all follow-on drills “at speed” with a goal of less that 3 seconds for the first round.

 Drill 3 – Single Round Engagement in the “Head” (5 rounds).  The process is that on the beeper you execute a single round engagement on the “Head” with follow through and then return to the low ready.  You repeat this 5 times.  You do this and all follow-on drills “at speed” with a goal of less that 3 seconds for the first round.

 Drill 4 – “Hammer” on the “4” box (10 rounds).  This is a 2-round engagement on the “4” box.  You do this 5 times with follow through.

 Drill 5 – “Hammer” on the High-Center-Mass box (10 rounds).  This is a 2-round engagement on the “4” box.  You do this 5 times with follow through.

 Drill 6 – “Failure Drill” on the High-Center-Mass box and “Head” (15 rounds).  Two rounds HCM and One round on the “Head”.  You do this 5 times with follow through.

 The total round count for zeroing and shooting the drills is 60 rounds or 3 boxes of ammunition.  That’s a fairly efficient use of your ammo while gaining solid information on how your proficiency is.  I shot my two 28-round magazines so I actually sent an extra 6 rounds down range.  I had 7 misses for a 49 out of 56 or a 87.5%m well within my desired goal of 80%.

 

The IDPA target for the G17 came about because I did not have a 2^nd SEB target in the Jeep.  So, I slapped a Splash target in the upper left and made due with what I had.  All rounds are shot from 7 yards.

DTP Target – Drive Touch Press on the Splash target – 10 rounds.  These were unscored and just used to check out the pistol and the sights.  You start at High-Compressed-Ready.  You Drive the front blade to the target, get the sight alignment and sight picture you want, touch the trigger and then smoothly press the trigger to the rear.   This is a warmup for the rest of the target.

 Drill 1 – Single Round Engagement on the center circle.  10 Rounds.  On the beep you draw from concealment and send a single round with follow through and scan.  The goal is 2 seconds to the round, for the entire drill set I average just under 2.5 seconds for the first-round engagement.

 Drill 2 – “Hammer” 5 ea on the beep (10 rounds).  On the beep you draw from concealment and engage the center circle with two rounds as quickly as you can.

 Drill 3 – Single Round Engagement on the Head Box (5 rounds).  On the beep you draw from concealment and engage the Head Box with a single round.

 Drill 4 – Failure Drill (15 rounds).  On the beep you draw from concealment and send 2 rounds to the center circle and a single round to the Head Box.

 

That is a total round count for all 4 drills of 40 rounds.  I dropped 3 for a 37/40 or a 92%.  More than happy with that. 

 Counting the DTP target’s 10 rounds and the 40 rounds for the 4 Drills, this is a single box of ammunition and provides a good indication of where you are as a shooter.

 The raw reality of Training is that it’s pricey – yet you need to learn a solid set of skills from a trained shooter.  Please, pick a course and go.  You will be surprised at how much  you learn regardless of your current skill set.

 You also need to practice.  If you took a basic course a few years ago and have not been to the range since, please – get to the range.  If you can’t reliable use you defensive firearm – should a bad guy show up, it will not end the way you expect it to.  Remember, 1,000 rounds per year or around 100 per month.

 Finally, use these drills to evaluate yourself.  Be honest with yourself.  Find your week spots and fix them.  We do not get to pick the time or place.  Please, do the work and be ready.

Range Trip - 5/26/2022

A busy range trip today.  I ran through my 4 major platforms today:  22LR Ruger Precision, .223 Ruger American Rifle Predator, Savage 110 Tactical in .308 and my carry Glock 17.  180 rounds total, I was down a total of 9 rounds across all the platforms for a 171/180 or a total of 95%.  I’ll take it!

Let talk about the rifles first.  My intention with the 3 different calibers is to build a viable Designated Marksman program for small police departments.  The majority of the range work is completed with the 22LR Ruger Precision and is used to develop and maintain the basics of marksman ship at a considerably lower cost that say doing all the work with a .308.  The cost difference is $.11 for 22LR vs $2.15 for a Hornady 168 Grain ELD Match cartridge.  The DM can send 19 rounds downrange for every 1 Match cartridge.  Quite a difference. 

 That said, the DM must work through the larger caliber round and the recoil mitigation as well.  To do that, I encourage a substantial amount of work in a .223 Cartridge.  I have chosen the Ruger American Rifle – Predator.  This offers more recoil, offers an “easier reach” out to 100 yards and still costs substantially less that a .308 Match Cartridge.

 Still, the DM must end up at the actual rifle use for the DM function and I’ve chosen the Savage 110 Tactical with a Vortex 7x Scout Scope.  Data shows that the average distance for such an engagement is 51 yards.  This rifle/scope combination is more than up for the task.

 As an aside, for this trip I used either a bipod or a bag for the front rest and a simple palm hold for the rear – no rear bag on this trip.  Honestly, I saw little change in performance for the trip.

 Still, you have to periodically test yourself on the range with these platforms and that’s what I did today.  I began with the 50 Yard, 12-Target, target and a 5-round engagement with the 22LR Ruger Precision on the first 10 targets.  A “hit” is a round within or touching the 2” circle.  Passing is a 90%, I shot a 96 – I’ll take it.  For a DM these targets should be shot weekly – 50 rounds a week.

Next was a switch to LETargets SEB target and the Ruger American Rifle – Predator in .223 with a Vortex Crosfire II scope.  A total of 40 rounds were fired.   Passing is 90%, I shot a 100%.  More than pleased.

 

The final rifle was the Savage 110 Tactical in .308.  I used a front bag here.  A total of 40 rounds were fired.  Passing is 90%, I dropped 1 round for a 97.5%.

 

The last firearm exercised was my Glock 17 defensive carry gun.  I ran a box through it.  The first 5 rounds were fired from a High Compressed Ready position – the remaining 45 rounds were with a draw from concealment.  The first 45 rounds were fired from a distance of approximately 7 yards, the last 5 were from approximately 10 yards into the pelvic girdle box.  Passing is 80%, I shot an 88%.  Again, I’ll accept that.

 

So my take aways from today.  I believe the results verified that consistent and solid work with the 22LR Ruger Precision does, indeed, help maintain a solid foundational skill set.  And, that skill set carries forward to larger caliber platforms like the .223 and the .308.  Either the Ruger American Rifle – Predator or the Savage 110 Tactical in .308 would make a viable Designated Marksman rifle with the final nod being given to the Savage because its larger caliber, the ability to “punch through” more barriers and it’s compact carbine format with a Scout Scope providing good visibility for the DM and his/her environment.

 Maintaining such a perishable skill set simply requires time and consistent effort.  For the officer who chooses this role, given the budgetary limitations many departments struggle with – I believe the use of the 22LR with intermittent confirmation with their actual DM rifle is a solid option.  Of course, the cost of the 22LR rifle and ammunition will typically be on the officer’s shoulders.  That said, at a on going cost of about $11 per box - $44 per month – I believe this falls within the realm of possibility for a DM to fund his/her own training costs. 

 Regardless, let me know with you all think – always looking for ideas to improve things.

Commentary - Fear – the Democrat’s tool of choice

It’s a powerful emotion that can allow a person to recall a single instant in time . . . It can turn them into a quivering mass of flesh . . . It can make them cower . . . It can “change their mind” . . . it can destroy a person.  We all have such moments in our past.  A few of mine would be . . .

 That moment when my teacher said . . . “If you don’t change your behavior, I’ll call your mother!!”

• My very first homecoming dance with Susie and my mom saying something like . .  . “Do you know what you’re doing??” 
• My first rocket attack and the real realization that I was truly “in country”.
• Hearing the doctor say . . . “She has inoperable cancer; I’ll be back in a couple hours.” . . . as I slid to the floor along the wall of the waiting room.
• Hearing yet another doctor say . . . “Bill, the answer isn’t what we wanted – you have cancer!”

 These are just a few of my moments – we all have them.  A few still make me cringe as a small part of my memory curls up into a little ball.

 The raw power of fear . . .

 We have been undergoing a long-term experiment on the part of our government and most around the world about just how long fear can control a population.  We’ve gone from “Two weeks to stop the spread!” to two years . . . and no end in sight.  Rahm Emanual – Obama’s Chief of Staff – coined a fitting phrase to our current situation . . . “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”  So, what has this crisis wrought through the actions of our government?  Here’s a few of things.

         ·       “Mandatory” vaccination with an experimental vaccine.

·       A “get the jab or loose the job” atmosphere.
·       Lockdowns that have destroyed whole segments of the economy.
·       The idea of “vaccine passports”.  Yellow stars anyone?
·       A separation of our population in “vaxers” and “antivaxers”.
·       Mandatory mask mandates with masks that make virtually no difference in our ability       to inhale or pass on the virus.
·       Losses of doctors, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, military members simply                 because they refuse to take the vaccine or because they will prescribe certain               medicines.   Numbers are running as high as 25%.
·       The replacing of science with superstition.  Viable medical mitigation is replaced by a        single, solitary phrase . . . “Get the shot!”
·       In some countries – Australia comes to mind – a true, fascist system of governance       has emerged based solely around trying to “manage” covid that goes so far as to           authorize police to shoot their citizens with rubber bullets should they be found outside their homes and mask-less.

 

What began as a “fear the virus” approach to controlling the populace has evolved into a “fear your government” movement.  If you disobey your government will take away your job, confine you to your home and condemn you to a life of poverty. As Joe said . . . “We’ve been patient, now get the shot!”  The “fear” that we responded to initially has been successfully transferred to our government bodies.  And sadly, our society has been going along with this “we are the mighty and powerful OZ” routine of folks like Biden, DeBlasio, Cuomo, Witmer, Newsome, Inslee, Murphy, Pritzker . . . to name just a few, for nearly two years.  These folks now decide if you work, when you work, where you work, where you eat . . . by simple fiat.

 Large gatherings are carefully monitored as well and “winners” and “losers” are chosen.  In the leadup to the 2020 elections cities burned – Chicago, New York, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta and more.  Billions in damage.  We were told . . . “tut tut, it’s understandable with all the racism”.  Millions in damages to DC were simply justified as being “understandable” and were written off – no arrests.  Then, “magically”, with Trump’s declared loss . . . all the concerns went away and the majority of the “troubles” simply disappeared. Until the infamous January 6^th “insurrection”.  You know the one, where those evil Trump supporters stormed the capital – through barricades removed by the capital police, through the doors opened by the capital police and through windows broken by government operatives.  Amazingly, except for these few broken windows, no damage was done to the capital . . . none, zero, zip . . . yet this has been declared an event greater than 9/11.   Only a single life was lost – an unarmed veteran was murdered by a Capital Policeman.  And yet, the administration has used this event mercilessly to show that if you stand against them, the FBI, the DOJ and every other governmental agency will hunt you, jail you and forget about you.  Have any come to trial?  No.  Have any trial dates been set? NO.  Have they been beaten and abused in prison? Yes.  Just one more lesson of this whole saga . . . OBEY!!!

 So, what does this all mean to us as a nation?  Nothing good.  It means those in power have little to no respect for you.  It means that the words you say, the positions you take, the policies you expect, the Constitution you revere mean nothing to them.  You might gain some traction if you go “all in” with the new regime but only so long as you are “all in”, so long as you are in agreement with their path, so long as you are obedient – otherwise you are just one of the unwashed.

 It means that this administration and its minions across the country simply DO NOT FEAR YOU!  Period.  You are chaff in the wind, a speck of dust to be brushed aside.  All that stuff about a Representative Government guided by the Constitution is a thing of the past.  Our future lies with the rule of an all-knowing and all-powerful central government.  Our future lies in Marxism.

 This path, this direction, this fondness for ultimate and complete power must end!  They must be taught to fear you.  They must be reminded that THEY are in service to YOU, and not the other way around.  They must be confronted, resisted, challenged, questioned and removed and replaced.   As the phrase goes – “We can do this the easy way . . . or the hard way!”

I’m hoping for the best.

Review - Savage 110 Scout Rifle - Evaluation Review

 

I picked up my 110 Scout in March of this year.  I then chose and mounted the “furniture” and did a preliminary range trip to zero it.  That, and the purpose of choosing this particular rifle and it’s “job” were covered in my post -  ” Review – The Savage 110 Scout Rifle in 308”.    Since that time I’ve spent time becoming comfortable with it and coming up with a course of fire to fully evaluate the 110 Scout for its real job – that of a Designated Marksman.

Let’s work through my overall impressions first.  This is probably the “lightest” shooting .308 I’ve ever handled.  Much of that is due to its weight – 9.72 pounds.  That’s well over LtCol Cooper’s desired weight of 6.6 to 7.7 pounds for a Scout Rifle.  And to Savage’s “AccuStock” with an adjustable comb and a “plush” butt plate adds to its ability to reduce the recoil of the 110.  The trigger breaks consistently and cleanly at 3.5 pounds.  While it’s adjustable, I’ve left it at its factory setting.

I installed the Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 Scout scope, a forward mounted, low power variable optic.  While I did notice the oft complained about blurring on full power along the outer edges of the image, it did not affect the effectiveness of the optic at all.  The longer eye relief enhances the ability of the shooter to keep both eyes open to evaluate their immediate surrounds while still being able to quickly and accurately engage a threat.

The bolt was smooth and easy to run and the top mounted safety immediately below the rear of the bolt was simple to operate and allows quick confirmation of the condition of the rifle.

I’ve employed VTAC slings for a number of years and it felt “at home” to me on this rifle.  While most Scout rifles seem to be carried either American or African carry, I carry it slung over my head and with my support side arm through the sling.  My reasoning is that should you need to transition to a sidearm you can simply “drop” the Scout and get on with business.  If a person would choose American or African carry you would either have to engage a threat dominant side only or you would literally have to drop the rifle.  Neither represent a good choice in my opinion.

Next has been simply sending “rounds down range” and getting familiar with “running the gun”.  It has operated flawlessly though admittedly I am just nudging 500 rounds.  Not too high a volume but enough for me to begin to get a feel for the 110 overall.  Frankly, I like it!  It just feels nice in my hand, on my shoulder and it’s just satisfying to experience its accuracy and how it runs.

 

I’m not much for putting holes in paper.  My only exception is my 50 yard “working” target to work on my fundamental shooting skills with my .22 trainer, a Ruger Precision in .22 long rifle.  A box of quality .22 ammunition is always part of a range trip with a goal of around 150 rounds per month.  My main argument for this is that if a shooter can’t shoot a ½ inch-ish group consistently (5 rounds on each 2 inch target) then why waste a $1.50 round for your .308?  Master and maintain the fundamentals and then send a couple 20 rounds boxes of quality .308 downrange per month to maintain the skillset with your .308 – be it a scout rifle or a precision rifle.  Obviously that dynamic can change by going all in on reloading . . . but you can get a tremendous amount of good work done with a good .22 long rifle.  For range work I shoot either Eley Club or Winchester T22 with good results.

 

The use of a .22 trainer is, in my opinion, a great use of time while you continue to refine your position, your use of bags, your use of various support, your standard positions, how you grip your rifle, where you position your trigger finger, your trigger press and follow through.  All the little things that go into making an accurate shot.

 

But, but . . . does all that work transition to a larger caliber rifle?

 

The only way to resolve that is to, again, do the work on the range. 

 

I put together a 40-round course of fire to evaluate just where I am shooting wise with my rifles.  I do this against a LETarget’s SEB target and my primary distance is 50 yards.  Why?? Because a study of police involved engagements by LEO Snipers found that the average distance of their shots was 51 yards.  I did push this COF out to 100 yards as well, I’ll discuss that separately in a bit.  So the following is my recommended COF.

Evaluation Course of Fire

1:  5 Rounds - #1

2:  5 Rounds - #2

3:  6 Rounds - #3 Accelerated Pairs

4:  5 Rounds – Head

5:  15 Rounds – Failure Drill x5

6:  4 Rounds - #4

Total Rounds = 40

 

The limited round count is simply because of expense.  Obviously reloading can greatly reduce these costs yet to simply work on raw mechanics it’s very hard to beat $11 for a 50-round box of Eley Club ammunition.  That allows me to get considerably more range time while keeping my costs down – provided that the skills transfer from the .22 Trainer to the 110 Scout.  Do they?

 

 

While I varied the mix just a tad you can see that for 40 rounds, I was down zero.  In my scoring approach you need to be within a defined target element or touching the element’s outline.  This specific target was my very first “formal” range trip with the Scout 110.  Honestly, I was quite pleased.

 

Again, due to simply the cost of ammunition, I have also integrated a .223 “trainer” into my rotation in the form of a Ruger American Rifle – Predator in .223.  For both the Savage and the Ruger I am fond of PMCs X-TAC round in .308, 147GR and .223 62gr.  I push that rifle out of 100 yards regularly and the following target with the above COF yielded a range trip score of 90%.  I find it’s a nice intermediate step up between the .22 and the .308.  I use the same SEB target for the .223 that I do for the .308.

 

So . . . how did it go with the Ruger Predator in .223?

All of the rounds went to their desired location with the exception of 4 rounds of the head shots.  So, dropping 4 rounds yields a 90% - right at where I want to be.

So how does this 50 yard work with the .22 trainer, the 50 yard work with the Savage Scout 110 and the 100 yard work with the Ruger Predator in .223 translate to 100 yard work with the Savage 110 Scout Rifle?  Let's take a look.

The first 5 rounds went into #1.  The Cold Bore shot and its follow-up are labeled.  I do this on each and every trip.  All 5 rounds fell within a 3 ½ “ circle at 100 yards.  After that, the misses are strictly on me.  I threw two on #2, two on the Accelerated Pairs box - #3 and then five on the head box.  The most difficult rounds on the head were five from the Failure Drill (two rounds high center mass, one head shot) though a photo taken between the original five to the head and the Failure Drill show that I missed three of the first five and two from the Failure Drill.  Total misses – 10 for a score of 75%.  80% is passing from my POV so not real good for my first 100 yard range trip.  Heavy sigh.

 

However, as an evaluation of the rifle, I am afraid I need to split the “fault” at about 1% rifle and 99% shooter which I find is typically the case.  The accelerated pairs and the Failure Drill took their toll which comes down to continued work on my gun handling skills regarding the Savage 110 Scout Rifle.

 

That said, since the data would indicate that the majority of the work that would be done by a Designated Marksman happens at around 50 yards, the first 50 yard target would indicate that the Savage 110 Scout is more than capable of getting the job done should the need arise if it’s in the hands of a trained officer.

 

Am I satisfied with this rifle?  Absolutely.  As I said earlier it’s the “lightest” shooting .308 I’ve encountered.  Its trigger is VERY nice and when combined with the Vortex Cross Fire II LPVO it makes a potent package.  Does it fit my parameters as a rifle for a Designated Marksman for Law Enforcement – again, I find that a firm “Yes!”.  A post from that particular POV is upcoming.

 

Final lesson – there is simply no substitute for range work – realistic, consistent and rigorous range work.  I’ll roll my methods into my DM post that I am slogging through right now.  But, it doesn’t do any good to take coursework, learn a skill and then simply assume that since you “did it” once, you can do it on demand when the need is great.  Do the work.  Every month.  And, score yourself against a consistent Course of Fire so you can pick up any deficiencies that may arise and get them corrected.

 

Simply put . . . Do The Work.

 

Review - Ruger Wrangler .22LR

 

There are many things that, in my mind, I NEED . . . another gun really isn’t on the list.  Yet, there it was, in the case sitting atop its box.  A brand-new Ruger Wrangler .22LR pistol. 

 “WALK AWAY!!!  WALK AWAY!!!”  My mind yelled . . . as I filled out the paperwork and passed across my legal tender . . . going out the door the proud owner of what has quickly become one of Ruger’s most popular firearms, the Wrangler.

 

Its specs are solid and listed below.  It’s fit in my hand was very comfortable and satisfying.  And it’s suggested  MSRP of $249 puts it within the range of virtually anyone.  The pricing I am seeing in stores in my area is right at $200. 

 Grips - Checkered Synthetic

Capacity - 6

Front Sight - Blade

Barrel Length - 4.62"

Cylinder Frame Finish - Plum Brown Cerakote®

Cylinder Frame Material - Aluminum Alloy

Rear Sight - Integral

Overall Length - 10.25"

Weight - 30 oz.

Twist - 1:14" RH

Grooves - 6

 If you compare the finish of the Wrangler to Ruger’s Single Six you’ll notice that rather than a polished and blued frame the frame of the Wrangler - as well as the barrel -  has a Cerakote finish and is made of and aluminum alloy.  This reduces weight as well as cost.  That said, the cylinder and the cold-hammer forged barrel are still made from a carbon steel alloy ensuring the Wrangler’s accuracy and durability. 

 A transfer bar safety and a loading gate interlock ensures a high degree of safety if the Wrangler is dropped and does not allow the hammer to be cocked if the loading gate is open.

 The Checkered grips provides a great surface that provides a solid surface for a reliable grip on the Wrangler.

 There are no adjustable sights.  The rear sight is a groove milled down the top of the frame and the front sight is a simple blade.  The surface of the milled groove and the front sight are the same color and that made picking up a solid “sight alignment” and “sight picture” difficult for me.  It became easier as I worked through my range session simply because I became used to the firearm – but it took real focus to pick them both up.  I’ll see how that goes as time goes on.

 Loading was simple and easy though the fit of the cartridge was snug.  When ejecting spent casings, the ejector rod was necessary for each chamber.  In one chamber for one round, I had to tap on the rod a bit with my Leatherman Juicer to dislodge the casing.  In looking at the casing it was a bit deformed along a part of the rim.  No idea why and it was not repeated during this session.

 The size of the Wrangler is the same as the Single Six so the same holsters can be used.  For me I purchased a DeSantis “Wild Hog” holster and am very happy with the fit.

 So how does this little fella do on accuracy??? 

 I posted one of my custom targets.  It has three 4” targets with a 1” center dot on each.  I shot a total of 24 rounds on each target.  One set of 24 was from 3 yards, one for 7 yards and the final set was at 10 yards.  A “hit” was within or touching the target’s edge.  A total of 72 rounds.  I dropped 2 rounds for a score of 97% . . . I’ll take it.

  

So where does this SA pistol fit in the scheme of things??  I would put it solidly in the “plinker” category.  I don’t believe there would be real value in it for hunting small game – say squirrels or rabbits.  I do not see it as a defensive firearm either though as the saying goes . . . “Any gun is better than no gun!”.  But, if you just want something to plink with – steel, cans, different target shapes, spinners, blocks across the ground – I think the Wrangler fills that square just fine.  In fact, I had originally though I’d just run one cylinder on each target.  But the darn thing was just so much fun to shoot I ended up running 4 on each target.

 It’s a fun and satisfying pistol to shoot.  If you’re looking for just such a handgun, I will gladly point you towards the Ruger Wrangler .22LR