Post by Misfit on Feb 6, 2005 23:28:15 GMT -5
I just went to the range today (haven't been in quite a while - probably several months) and brought my CZ-75b and my Armscor 1911 clone, which, up to this point, I had been none too pleased with. I've considered many times selling it to tidy up my safe, and rid myself of yet another caliber (.45ACP) I need to stock.
I had stocked up on the cheap, aluminum-cased CCI blazer ammo in both 9mm and .45ACP in anticipation of this range trip.
My CZ, as I've said before, is one of my favorites. It seems that everytime I take it out, it makes me look good. Today seemed an exception - I was all over the place with it (although my lack of recent practice had a good deal to do with that, I'm sure) and I had to concentrate hard to put bullets where I wanted them to go. IN addition to the CCI ammo, I had a box of Fioccis (both loads in FMJ) and shot no better with it.
The main positive of the CZ was, as always - no FTF, FTE, no stovepipes, no failure to return to battery.
My Armscor had been something of a problem child in all these departments. The very heavy firing pin spring had a lot to do with the FTFs, as light primer strikes were common in the first several times I've taken it out, but FTE's, and failure to lock up and return to battery were also commonplace. The most frustrating episode was with the horrible Wolf ammo, where a case got stuck in the chamber, but the slide tried to rack the next round in. A maddening situation, to say the least.
On top of all the mechanical foibles of my Armscor, it didn't seem particularly accurate. When disassembling it, I noted that the barrel-to-bushing fit seemed a tad loose, but compared to other 1911's I've seen, not all that unusually loose. Also, the sights it came with were horrible - they weren't the GI type, but they were unmarked (with no light-colored dots or "square in a box" to line up) and very difficult to line up unless I was outdoors in good light.
The only thing I had done to this gun when I took it to a local smith was to get the sights redone. At first, I was thinking of putting new sights altogether on the gun, but since I felt like I was going to be selling it in the near future anyway, I didn't want to spend the money for new sights only to save the next fellow that money. What I had the smith do was drill some depressions in the existing sights and fill them with white paint - basically your three-dot system, same as on my CZ - which is why I chose that style, as I'm already familiar with it.
Until today, I had not taken out the Armscor since the sight job was done.
Now - I'm glad I did. The gun shot wonderfully well (a very subjective term, I'm sure - but keeping all my rounds in the silhouette's chest ring for 100 rounds was special to me!
) and I was also pleased with it's function. Only one FTF - it went bang after I pulled back the hammer and tried it again, and no other mechanical issues. I felt very on-target with this gun today, and I am no longer considering selling it. The sights made all the difference. Each time, the round went right where I aimed it, and with none of the usual distractions this former problem child gun, I was able to concentrate on getting good strings.
All in all, a happy day at the range - a gun I'd been 'estranged' with is again welcomed with open arms (well - with open safe anyway!) ;D
I had stocked up on the cheap, aluminum-cased CCI blazer ammo in both 9mm and .45ACP in anticipation of this range trip.
My CZ, as I've said before, is one of my favorites. It seems that everytime I take it out, it makes me look good. Today seemed an exception - I was all over the place with it (although my lack of recent practice had a good deal to do with that, I'm sure) and I had to concentrate hard to put bullets where I wanted them to go. IN addition to the CCI ammo, I had a box of Fioccis (both loads in FMJ) and shot no better with it.
The main positive of the CZ was, as always - no FTF, FTE, no stovepipes, no failure to return to battery.
My Armscor had been something of a problem child in all these departments. The very heavy firing pin spring had a lot to do with the FTFs, as light primer strikes were common in the first several times I've taken it out, but FTE's, and failure to lock up and return to battery were also commonplace. The most frustrating episode was with the horrible Wolf ammo, where a case got stuck in the chamber, but the slide tried to rack the next round in. A maddening situation, to say the least.
On top of all the mechanical foibles of my Armscor, it didn't seem particularly accurate. When disassembling it, I noted that the barrel-to-bushing fit seemed a tad loose, but compared to other 1911's I've seen, not all that unusually loose. Also, the sights it came with were horrible - they weren't the GI type, but they were unmarked (with no light-colored dots or "square in a box" to line up) and very difficult to line up unless I was outdoors in good light.
The only thing I had done to this gun when I took it to a local smith was to get the sights redone. At first, I was thinking of putting new sights altogether on the gun, but since I felt like I was going to be selling it in the near future anyway, I didn't want to spend the money for new sights only to save the next fellow that money. What I had the smith do was drill some depressions in the existing sights and fill them with white paint - basically your three-dot system, same as on my CZ - which is why I chose that style, as I'm already familiar with it.
Until today, I had not taken out the Armscor since the sight job was done.
Now - I'm glad I did. The gun shot wonderfully well (a very subjective term, I'm sure - but keeping all my rounds in the silhouette's chest ring for 100 rounds was special to me!
) and I was also pleased with it's function. Only one FTF - it went bang after I pulled back the hammer and tried it again, and no other mechanical issues. I felt very on-target with this gun today, and I am no longer considering selling it. The sights made all the difference. Each time, the round went right where I aimed it, and with none of the usual distractions this former problem child gun, I was able to concentrate on getting good strings. All in all, a happy day at the range - a gun I'd been 'estranged' with is again welcomed with open arms (well - with open safe anyway!) ;D
