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| My Colt Rail Gun when I first got it. |
Last weekend, I took my Colt Rail Gun to compete in my very first US Practical Shooting Association pistol match with the Biloxi Practical Shooting Association, and I must say that I am very well pleased.
The day started out with registration and sign-up, then an examination of my pistol, which is fitted with a Smith & Alexander arched mainspring housing/magwell and feeds from Chip McCormick Power-10 magazines. I ended up in the Limited-10 division, which is for lightly modified single stack pistols with 10 round magazines and moved on to the safety briefing and introduction.
The day started out with registration and sign-up, then an examination of my pistol, which is fitted with a Smith & Alexander arched mainspring housing/magwell and feeds from Chip McCormick Power-10 magazines. I ended up in the Limited-10 division, which is for lightly modified single stack pistols with 10 round magazines and moved on to the safety briefing and introduction.
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| My Colt Rail Gun now, all dressed up! |
More than 70 shooters were there for the match, so we were split up into groups of ten to twelve, each group starting in one of the five stages and then moving forward in "round robin" fashion to the next stages.
Once the shooting started, I was able to form some impressions of my Colt Rail Gun and its shooting characteristics.
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| Engaging targets through a "window." |
It's heavy. For carry purposes, this might be considered by some to be a handicap, but for high volume shooting with 230 grain ball ammo, it's a real blessing. The recoil wasn't at all bad, and recovery times were about what you'd expect for a (mostly) box stock gun shooting factory ammo.
It's accurate. Whan I do my part, this pistol never ceases to amaze, and this match was no exception. The sights are sharp, clear and very nicely regulated from the factory, and the National Match marked barrel is well fitted with a nice, tight bushing. The trigger is crisp, with a clean break and no slop anywhere, coming or going.
It's accurate. Whan I do my part, this pistol never ceases to amaze, and this match was no exception. The sights are sharp, clear and very nicely regulated from the factory, and the National Match marked barrel is well fitted with a nice, tight bushing. The trigger is crisp, with a clean break and no slop anywhere, coming or going.
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| Reloading on the move. The magwell helps a LOT! |
It's comfortable. With the replacement arched mainspring housing, this pistol fits my hand as if it was an integral part of my body, and there are no sharp edges or burrs anywhere that could cause blisters or cuts during long matches or range sessions. It sits just right in the hand, and the sights pop right onto the target with no hunting or maneuvering necessary, with the weight of the pistol keeping it right where you want it.
It's effective. A lot of people were shooting lightweight reloads for the match, and they did well enough, but I like the 230 gr. hardball load for steel, because it puts them down without a doubt. I started shooting 3-Gun with an M9 Beretta in 9mm, and with the standard 115 grain target ammo, it had a lot of trouble with falling plates or large steel poppers, causing me to expend four to five extra rounds per target just to get them cleared. The Colt Rail Gun hath not this problem, and even a glancing hit on most steel is enough to make it seek a comfortable spot on the ground.
It's effective. A lot of people were shooting lightweight reloads for the match, and they did well enough, but I like the 230 gr. hardball load for steel, because it puts them down without a doubt. I started shooting 3-Gun with an M9 Beretta in 9mm, and with the standard 115 grain target ammo, it had a lot of trouble with falling plates or large steel poppers, causing me to expend four to five extra rounds per target just to get them cleared. The Colt Rail Gun hath not this problem, and even a glancing hit on most steel is enough to make it seek a comfortable spot on the ground.
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| Engaging targets hidden under a table. |
It's reliable. I've run a few thousand rounds through this Rail Gun since I bought it last year, and barring a few chokes during break in, it's been running like a slab sided sewing machine. I did have a couple of failure to chamber malfuctions, but I'm thinking this my be a problem with the CMC magazines letting the first round nose-dive when the slide goes forward. I quick tap with the heel of the hand and I was back in business. I'm going to try some Metalform round followers in these mags before I swap them out for new ones, and see how that works. I like a puzzle!
It's cool. Hey, it's a Colt Rail Gun! What's not to like? If I had to go with just one pistol, this one would very likely be it. It's been a long time since I've had a gun that just wow'ed me from day one, but my Colt Rail Gun has been a real sweetheart. A lot of guys don't like the rail, but as my local 3-gun group is now running low/no light night matches, it's nice to be able to throw a Surefire X300 on there and run with the gun I'm comfortable with.
It's cool. Hey, it's a Colt Rail Gun! What's not to like? If I had to go with just one pistol, this one would very likely be it. It's been a long time since I've had a gun that just wow'ed me from day one, but my Colt Rail Gun has been a real sweetheart. A lot of guys don't like the rail, but as my local 3-gun group is now running low/no light night matches, it's nice to be able to throw a Surefire X300 on there and run with the gun I'm comfortable with.
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| Because... 'Mericuh! |
It's controversial. Lots of people are going with plastic framed wonderguns that they say have replaced the "outmoded" 1911 as a competition and carry piece, but for all that, I still see a lot of slabside shooters showing up to matches and cleaning house. For me, the 1911 is an American historical icon that you can go out and enjoy, and while it may not be the perfect pistol for everybody, it's just the ticket for me.
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