Author Archives: Finch
World War Two Practical Match at LRGC
I went a little out of my comfort zone on this one. A friend of mine talked me in to signing up for a Garand “practical rifle” match at Langhorne Rod and Gun.
It was a sunny, unseasonably warm day in the forties, with a foot of snow still on the ground.
Several different courses of fire at different distances. All based on 8 round clips so lots of pinging.
16 rounds standing 16 round kneeling at 100 yards at steel from the top of their 100 yard berm.
16 rounds standing to kneeling at 50 yards at a reduced IDPA target
16 rounds prone at steel plates at 200 yards
I did terrible, but it wasn’t really about “winning” or at least that’s what I told myself.
A couple things I need to think about from what I learned at this match. I think my 6:00 hold held me back a bit, I should keep a dope for both 6:00 and center mass. I wasn’t prepared to use hasty sling and they have a “muzzle down” rule that threw me off a bit. I’m a little ashamed to admit, I have no idea how to rig up with the barrel down without dropping my rifle.
My excuses aside it was fun, well run match. It has gotten me thinking a bit about my shooting style a bit, and perhaps I should spend some time practicing transitioning and hasty sling.
In unrelated news a fella there had a Mini-G, and I want one!
A little video of me shooting.
A Cold Afternoon of Practice
The temperature finally rose above freezing here in PA and after way too long i was able to squeeze in some range time with the Garand. I also brought along my another new toy (Gopro) to take some videos.
5 rounds with slow motion ping.
Looking up from the mat.
Surefire x300 Ultra and MR07 1911 Rail
Amazon recently had a sale on Surefire x300 Ultras (aka U-boats) that I couldn’t pass up. It’s a duel CR123 500 lumen weapon light. I’ve been carrying a 500 lumen Fury for a few months now so I was excited to try the U-boat. However, the only railed handgun I have is a Glock 19 that I carry daily and I don’t want to give up my crossbreed supertuck which is not light compatible. I have a Springfield 1911 that doesn’t get carried too often so I decided to try out sure fires MR07 rail adaptor.
MR07
The MR07 comes as simple kit, a rail, a new slide stop and a shim in case you need to tighten it up.
Install is easy.
– Remove the slide stop.
– Put the rail in place.
– Insert the new slide stop, be careful not to scratch anything, it was a little tighter than my factory slide stop.
– Tighten the set screw. It’s important to do this before putting your light on the rail so you have access to the screw.
That’s it.
I had a little trouble getting the u-boat to slide on to the MR07 the first few times however it became easier with use, I would not recommend adding or removing the light from any rail while the weapon is loaded. The MR07 is truly a drop in part which is a rarity for 1911 parts. The mount is solid and does not negatively affect functionality of the weapon.
X300 Ultra
As far as the Surefire X300 Ultra its a great light. It’s 500 lumens, pushing the switch forward works as a pressure swich, up or down switches it on in the middle it’s off. I really like the 500 lumens the extra brightness is nice.
It’s a big boy, 1.477 inches wide, compared to a Glock 19 which is 1.001 or a 1911 or .905 at the slide. On the Glock 19 the lamp protrudes about an inch and a half from the front of the slide. It’s more or less even with the barrel on the 1911.
The U-boat swich rides a little lower on the MR07 from the slide 1.352″ compared to 1.130″ on a Glock 19. However I don’t find that to be an issue.
Here is the light at night, the fence is at about 50 yards the tree 30 and the wall 3.
While I have found a custom holster option, and there are some universal duty style holster that will work, may of the big names holster makers do not make holsters that accommodate the MR07. I wish they would. For now this 1911 will go on bedside duty once I get a proper holster.
Bottom line the X300 Ultra is a great light and the MR07 is a good solution for adding a rail to a 1911. The only drawback is the lack of holster support for the MR07.
In action.
Update: I was never able to find a suitable holster for this set up. Raven no longer makes a Combatable holster and both of the small shops i reached out to did not fulfill my order. Which is a shame because it is a nice set up.
So the MR07 has gone into the parts bin and the U-Boat rides on my G19 in a Raven Concealment Phantom when I can OWB carry.
Applying NRA/CMP High Power to hunting
Some folks say competitive shooting has no practical application. While no one is going to conceal carry a M1 Garand with a 1907 sling, high power reinforces the basics of marksmanship which can have real benefits, especially for hunting.
A few lessons I’ve learned from high power that have helped me become a better hunter.
1. Trigger control. The difference between Squeezing the trigger and jerking the trigger will be the difference between dropping the deer or watching its tail as it runs into the woods.
2. Breath control. I think this one is especially tricky in the field. A little buck fever makes it hard to remember to take your time and wait for the scope to pause at the bottom of your breath.
3. Sling use. I have a Turner 1907 on my hunting rifle and have practiced, both live and dry, using hasty sling for both sitting and off hand. Taking the time to lock into the sling before a shot in the field can really pay off.
4. Hand loading. I’m not sure this counts as marksmanship but I started reloading so I could have a steady supply of ammo for my Garands. Lessons learned while making consistent rounds for match shooting apply to hunting rounds as well.
All of the practice I’ve put in this year and a fair amount of luck helped me take a nice 10 point at about 150 yards between trees this season.
