On the previous trip, I started with a dead battery in the SIG ROMEO Zero Elite riding the slide on the SIG P322. I’d intended to shoot this before. Having to get a battery and actually receive the B-6 targets and repair centers, I’d shot the S&W M617 instead.

Now, the battery had been replaced, following the factory instructions. The first order of business was to rough out a zero. I did that at 25 yards, standing, two-hand unsupported. The gun printed a nice group at 4:30. A quick adjustment brought it up and over and I confirmed at 25 yards.

I don’t shoot a handgun well enough for there to be a huge difference at 50 yards or so I thought.

I went back and printed the first string of fire with the SW22 Victory/C-More RTS2/Volquartsen, still using the Winchester Super-X ammo the gun seemed to like. 

I had one high, off the rings, at 11 o’clock. There was likewise a high 9, 6 and 5. The second string produced a 10 at 9 o’clock, a 9 at 5 o’clock another high 7 and a 6 just left of the bull.

The 65/100 was depressing. I elected to cheer myself up with the Ruger Mark IV Target, a 5.5” gun with factory iron sights from 2016. The only change was the stocks, from Hogue, Inc., their “G-Mascus Green” color G10 units. These are “diamond” checkered.

Unlike the lamented Ruger Mark IV Competition Stainless, this gun weighs in at only 35 ½ ounces. The longer gun – with the stainless-steel frame instead of the aluminum frame of my Target – was over 42 ounces empty.

The heavy barrel keeps the front end from wagging about and I can see the excellent irons. I shot the long line with Remington Golden Bullet ammo. I had one off at 6:30, one off the paper (I felt that one go at let-off; that was all me), a “5” at 5:00, a 6, and a 7.

Don’t bother counting it up. I took the time to adjust the rear sight up.

The second string had a five, a seven, a nine, a 10 and an X. That’s five hits, with four on the repair center, yielding 41/50. That took care of my low hits.

Instead of moving up to acquit myself with irons at the short line, I marked and repaired the target and got the SIG P322 back out. My idea was to shoot it on the long line, then do the timed and rapid-fire strings at 25 yards on B-8s.

From fifty yards, I posted a 75/100 with three off of the repair center. That was more like it. At 25 yards, shooting on repair centers, I shot a 97 on timed fire and a 94 rapid. I crowded the time on the rapid-fire strings; I still need work. I ended with 266/300-4X.

That’s not national class, it’s not even a great local score. It does reinforce something I’d let slide: if you want to shoot well at 25 yards, you need to work on your scores at 50 yards. 

What’s this got to do with tactics? It’s in no way training for personal protection, is it? 

I intend to continue down this road and see what happens when I go from bullseye to various defense courses of fire.

Finally, I got back out for another long line attempt in muggy July weather. I’d shot the long line five times to this point. The first pair of attempts featured the wrong target. Now, with the B-6 and repair centers, I had shot it with three guns – the SW22, the SIG P322 and the Ruger Mark IV Target.

The Mark IV was coming back out to acquit itself and me. I added the GLOCK G45 Gen6, still stock with plastic sights.

My first string with the GLOCK saw me putting hits uniformly low. I adjusted my hold and lost a point anyway, yielding a miserable 61/100. I had a hit out of the scoring rings that didn’t help. 

At 25 yards, my timed fire was likewise mediocre, 73/100, with a pair off the repair center to the left. Thus prepared, I posted an 82 on rapid fire. 

The 22 gave good service, giving me an 80 on the long line. This bullseye-rookie was happy to see that. There’s room to improve, but the targets were solid. The first string had every hit on the repair center – I’m working to make that a 100% on-demand situation. 

The close line saw me post an 88 on timed fire and, with a seemingly normal-for-me slipup, 80 on rapid fire. That 248/300 is not what I’d like to see, but I’d take it this day. 

Next, we’ll check fifty-yard prowess on a different target as well as shoot some defense work with the re-sighted GLOCK 45.

– Rich Grassi