Range Report: Brand new SR9c and Bodyguard 380

[Adam_SDG]

Bought my first and second guns in the past two months. Finally got a chance to take them to the range after giving them a thorough cleaning after purchase.

Ruger SR9c: Fired about 150 rounds of WWB using both the 10 round and 17 round magazine. This was my third time to the range in my lifetime, so I'm a novice shooter. The gun is great to shoot and I was able to keep my shots close to the target at 7 yards. I also shot 10 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 147g. I also found out that this is what my local police force uses. No malfunctions of any kind.

S&W Bodyguard 380: Fired 100 rounds of Fiocchi ammo. This gun will take some getting used to due to the long trigger pull (which I knew going in). I began to get more comfortable shooting it by the 100 round mark but definitely want to shoot a couple hundred more rounds. I also shot one 6 round mag of Speer Gold Dots and these also functioned well. My accuracy was sporadic at times, but I feel I can get more on target with further practice. As a novice, it is difficult for me to keep the gun on target through the trigger pull. Towards the end I was practicing pulling the trigger quick, yet steady and was having good results. More practice and I think I will be very proficient with it.

All in all, it was a great day. No hint of a malfunction with either gun.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JaySkiBum]

Sounds like a good day. My friend is looking at buying his first handgun and he really liked the feel of the SR9c in his hand when he held a bunch of different handguns at the gun shop. I tried talking him into an XD or Glock but he wasn't budging. I'm growing on the Rugers though, excellent reviews!

[gasmitty]

You've just demonstrated the truth in the old axiom that small guns are harder to shoot well than big ones. My pocket guns (snubs and a Kel-Tec .32) all took a lot of practice, and concentration on the trigger press in particular, to be able to shoot them effectively.

Since you're brave enough to proclaim yourself a novice, I hope you won't mind some advice. When you head off to the range, think ahead and have objectives for that session. The one you just described, well maybe that was to do a function check on the new guns. But on your next sessions, having specific drills in mind is a good idea - otherwise, you're just lobbing rounds downrange. Google "One Hundred Rounds" by Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch... he's got a number of suggestions for maximizing your range time and use of ammo. Here's one of them: don't always load your mags full. Want to shoot 10 rounds? Great, load up two mags with 5 each. That forces you to handle the gun and to get used to reloading it. Keep track of your shooting progress - bring your targets home and score them. If you want to get good at shooting, challenge yourself each time you hit the range. And make your last drill one which you do well, so your practice session ends on a high note (that's just a little mental game, but it works).

Good luck!

[billstaf]

My SR9c is my everyday carry piece. The thing has never let me down in any way and the trigger is so good that people don't believe it until they give it a try. It would take one heck of a sales job to convince me to switch to another brand for EDC. To be fair though, I have never fired a Glock, so who knows? Hard to imagine any automatic pistol being smoother than my SR9c though.