Over the last several years I've shot thousands of rounds at a range that has a slow fire rule. During that time, I've accumulated a small collection of guns for various purposes, some of which were bought for carry use. I recently joined MCFG where there is no slow fire rule and have been able to test guns in a way that is much closer to practical use. The results have been pretty interesting (to me at least).
Some of the guns I bought with the idea that they'd make a good carry gun have not fared so well, where as others that I wondered about have done pretty good. The first surprise was my Sig P238. It's a great pocket gun and is fun to shoot at the range but I never thought it would be something that would work well in a fast shooting situation. It turns out that this little gun loves to work fast. It comes down back on target very nicely and should work well in a high stress situation.
My CZ 75 Compact was no surprise at all though. I always thought it would work well in a quick shooting situation and I was right. I'm amazed at how quickly I can accurately shoot that gun. The long trigger reset is not an issue at all when fired quickly. I love shooting that gun. I'm guessing that if I ever make it to heaven, I'll find that a CZ 75 is the gun that God carries (when he's not sporting his 1911s).
My Kimber Compact was a surprise. I used to worry about the stronger recoil of the aluminum framed gun when combined with a fairly light trigger and short reset. I need not have worried at all. That gun is very controllable and is much easier to fire quickly than I had imagined it would be. It's not as fast coming down as the CZ 75 Compact, but is quite nice to fire at my limits. It's a keeper for sure.
My RIA Compact was also a surprise, but not in a good way. For some reason, it's not working that well for me and I have not been able to fire it as quickly as the Kimber. It might be the tiny sights or the balance. I had assumed that being all steel, it would be much better to shoot rapidly but it's not. I still like the gun a lot, and think that it's most likely just needing to get used to it.
My CZ 97B was the biggest disappointment though. I really like shooting that gun, but cannot comfortably shoot it very quickly. It may be the size, as it's the biggest gun I have. It's a wonderfully accurate gun to shoot at a measured pace though. At the SKS shoot this spring, I was able to ring the steel target at 50 yards 8 out of 10 times. It really does not matter with this one though, as I really doubt I'll every try to carry it. It makes a great gun for long distance plinking.
One of these days, I'll take my Ultra Carry out to see how well that one comes back down on target after firing. I don't expect that one to be as nice as the Kimber Compact, but who knows... It might just surprise me too.
Some of the guns I bought with the idea that they'd make a good carry gun have not fared so well, where as others that I wondered about have done pretty good. The first surprise was my Sig P238. It's a great pocket gun and is fun to shoot at the range but I never thought it would be something that would work well in a fast shooting situation. It turns out that this little gun loves to work fast. It comes down back on target very nicely and should work well in a high stress situation.
My CZ 75 Compact was no surprise at all though. I always thought it would work well in a quick shooting situation and I was right. I'm amazed at how quickly I can accurately shoot that gun. The long trigger reset is not an issue at all when fired quickly. I love shooting that gun. I'm guessing that if I ever make it to heaven, I'll find that a CZ 75 is the gun that God carries (when he's not sporting his 1911s).
My Kimber Compact was a surprise. I used to worry about the stronger recoil of the aluminum framed gun when combined with a fairly light trigger and short reset. I need not have worried at all. That gun is very controllable and is much easier to fire quickly than I had imagined it would be. It's not as fast coming down as the CZ 75 Compact, but is quite nice to fire at my limits. It's a keeper for sure.
My RIA Compact was also a surprise, but not in a good way. For some reason, it's not working that well for me and I have not been able to fire it as quickly as the Kimber. It might be the tiny sights or the balance. I had assumed that being all steel, it would be much better to shoot rapidly but it's not. I still like the gun a lot, and think that it's most likely just needing to get used to it.
My CZ 97B was the biggest disappointment though. I really like shooting that gun, but cannot comfortably shoot it very quickly. It may be the size, as it's the biggest gun I have. It's a wonderfully accurate gun to shoot at a measured pace though. At the SKS shoot this spring, I was able to ring the steel target at 50 yards 8 out of 10 times. It really does not matter with this one though, as I really doubt I'll every try to carry it. It makes a great gun for long distance plinking.
One of these days, I'll take my Ultra Carry out to see how well that one comes back down on target after firing. I don't expect that one to be as nice as the Kimber Compact, but who knows... It might just surprise me too.