Turns out, closer to me is a different range, Magnum Range in Rancho Cucamonga, so figured it was worth a try. Also figured it was worth a shot (ha) to try a different 9mm. I go up, asked to try the Beretta 92FS, and— pout— it was out of service. Like a sommelier recommending a fine vintage wine, the RSO reached into the vault and produced a Sig Sauer P320 and suggested that I try it. After all, this is what the military switched to when they retired the Beretta M9. Sure. Let’s go. Quick safety demonstration later, husband and I were headed down to our alley.
Polymer guns are misleading. No, hear me out. When you pick up a steel gun, you feel the weight of the gun and you instinctively hold it with a solid hand. The polymer ones? They’re light. You know it’s about to hurl a projectile down range at supersonic speeds and that requires an explosion that causes recoil, but when you are a super newbie? You don’t get that instinctive grasp that grip super securely. And you get targets that look like this.
That, dear google and YouTube would tell me later, is the result of having a poor grip. Super light guns recoil like it’s the latest trend because the gun itself doesn’t counteract the explosive force and newbie hands didn’t hold tf on properly.
I was at least hitting the paper better. Small progress! You may have noticed though there are a few rounds right in the middle of the target. Here’s where things started clicking about weight and grips— because that’s after hubby traded in the 9mm for the .40 Sig P226. That was a metal, heavy gun. And it went where I asked it to better. I didn’t know why it was working right then, it was just nice that it was, and when I got home and got to work on troubleshooting (ha) my target it was nice to have the back to back in a single session experience to draw on.
(Imagine used with permission from the most helpful local shop, AmmoBros and if you’re interested in getting one, you’re in luck because it’s available for preorder at P320 Presale at Ammo Bros