# Bowling Pin Angel?



## Richard (May 8, 2006)

I went to the range yesterday with a friend named Billy Kirkland. Billy is in his mid thirties and in excellent health; he had never shot 1911s. Billy is just starting to do bowling pin shoots and my plan is for me to act as his angel (backer). I will supply the 1911 pistols and clips for Billy to use for bowling pin shoots. The weapons I brought were my #1 Norinco, the Springer I put together, and my Springer Loaded. I brought my Para 14 and 10mm Dan Wesson Patriot Commander for me to shoot.

Billy started with the #1 Norinco and he spent a great deal of time getting used to the format. He certainly mastered my Norinco but he liked and shot the Springer, I put together, better. Billy said the grip setup on the Springer suited him better. He has large hands but not as large as mine, he pointed out that my fingers are 1" longer than his digits. The last pistol Billy fired was my Para 14 and he liked it but not as much as the Springer. Time didn't allow for the Springer Loaded to be shot. My conclusion is we will have to spend some time improving Billy's ability to shoot 1911s.

I spent a lot of time getting the Para 14 to shoot to point of aim. The pistol was shooting about 3" high and 2" wide at 10 yards with 230gr Remington White Box ammo. It is now spot on and I will move it back the next time I shoot.

The more I shoot the 10mm Dan Wesson Patriot Commander the better I like it and the round. I am getting 1/2" groups at 10 yards but at the 150 round level I am having sporadic jams that are easily fixed. If the jams continue, at the 200 round mark, I will take the pistol back for service. I am not sure if the jams are related to an occasional limp wrist or the ammo that I am using. I am shooting reloads by a person I really trust.

The last pistol I shot was Billy's 40 S&W Springer XD. I am not overly fond of the 40 S&W but I did shoot this pistol well. I was able to put three rounds into a ½" at 15 yards. I like the trigger on the Springer a lot better than my Glock 23 but I like the feel of the G23 much better. I hope to shoot Billy's XD and my G23 to do a side by side comparison.

I really want to point out that I did not notice much difference in the felt recoil with any of the pistols fired. I have always described the recoil of the 40 S&W as snappy but this session dispelled that notion. In the end, Billy and I had an enjoyable time at the range. Regards, Richard

#1 Norinco:









Springer:









Para 14:









Dan Wesson:









Springer XD but it was a 40 S&W:


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Nothing like a good day at the range with a friend and some different guns to shoot. You got some nice ones up there Richard.


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