iTarget Pro "Quick Draw" Application Review

I've now had my iTargetPro laser training system for a little over 5 months and this is my third installment which covers the new "Quick Draw" iPhone/Android application that was released earlier this month.

While I have been using the trainer to practice my draw stroke and point shooting before release of the new "Quick Draw" application (as discussed in the point shooting entry below), the new app integrates the laser system with a shot timer that allows you to evaluate both accuracy from the draw as well as exact time from draw stroke to initial shot.  The photos below (point shooting from 6-7 yards) show the target as well as the time of each draw for three of my 5 shot strings from earlier today (one for each of my carry pistols).  This thing is a blast to use and provides great practice in the comfort of your home.

It is noteworthy here that my times with the RAMI were consistently the fastest with an average time of 1.29 seconds, the Micro-Compact clocked in second with an average of 1.38 seconds, and the Hi-Power consistently finished the slowest with an average of 1.63 seconds (all averages were calculated on the basis of 20 draws with each pistol).  The .34 second spread between the RAMI and Hi-Power is likely the difference in time required for the larger Hi-Power to clear the holster and maybe a slight difference in manipulating the safety (all three pistols are carried condition 1).

CZ 2075 RAMI

SPRINGFIELD 1911 MICRO-COMPACT

FEG HI-POWER

iTarget Pro Laser System For Point Shooting

I've now had the iTarget laser shooting system for about 3 weeks and must say I've had a great deal of enjoyment with both target shooting and dryfire drawing exercises.

While the actual "Quick Draw" application (which will have an integral timer) and silhouette target insert are not available from the manufacturer yet, I made up my own target insert as shown below.  I set the 8.5 x 11 target at the height that would cover from the bottom of the ribs to the neck on a 6' man.  The target below is the result 25 single shots off of the draw with my CZ 2075 RAMI at approximately 6-7 yards (some distance variance as several draws were from angles and on the move).  All shots were fired using point shooting technique.

While my goal is to keep all shots within the inner target, I had 4 flyers that were still at least "in the neighborhood".  Anyway, the big winner over the past three weeks has been my wallet and ammo supply as I have cut my live fire range time by roughly 50%.

iTarget Pro Laser Training System Review

I've been considering acquiring a commercially produced laser training system for the last couple of years but had not seen an offering that "fit" into my training style and budget.  That all changed when a friend sent me a link a couple of months ago regarding a new laser practice system from a startup company called iTarget (Note that I have absolutely no connection or interest in this company).

After reviewing the prototype video, I plunked my money down during the "Pre-production/development" stage to secure one of the systems when they were actually completed (a bit of a risk but hey it's only money).  They provided email updates during the interim (including 2 manufacturing delays) and finally started shipping this week.

I received mine today and after attaching the target to the "sled", setting it up on the dining room table, downloading the iTargetpro app from the Apple store, measuring off 7 yards from the target, placing my iPhone in the sled, and centering up the target picture, I loaded my Ruger SR1911 with the laser cartridge and gave it a whirl.  It worked exactly as advertised and made for a very enjoyable dryfire practice session (even has sound effects).

The setup is pictured below along with one of the targets. When you finish shooting the round count of your choice with the touch of a button it automatically downloads a picture of the completed target to your iPhone (or Android) picture folder.  For an investment of less than $150.00, I give the iTarget trainer a big thumbs up.  Stay tuned for a review of the "Quick Draw" application when it becomes available.  Stay safe and be prepared!

Practice Drills On The Draw

As many of you well know, there are numerous experts and many training programs out there today that do their best to make you believe that their techniques and training programs are the absolute best way to train for self defense (thank God for capitalism ). While all of the ones that I've looked into over the years have some excellent elements and training drills, as an older guy who doesn't move that well anymore, I'm not convinced that running through kill houses and multi-station events is the best way for me to prepare for that moment in my life that I hope will never come (I'm also not excited to blow hundreds or thousands of dollars just so that I can hang a certificate on the wall and brag that I trained for a week with "Blah Blah" at the "Blah Blah Blah" academy or placed first at a staged event). Accordingly, my practice routine is a simple process using elements that I honestly believe must be mastered in order to have the best chance of walking away alive if I'm ever faced with having to draw my pistol to defend myself. To that end my thoughts for what they worth are as follows (YMMV).

Since it is impossible to know in advance and practice for the exact self defense scenario that we all hope we're never faced with, my training drills focus primarily on the elements that I absolutely know will be necessary to give me the best opportunity to survive the event, which are: Drawing my pistol quickly/smoothly/cleanly and Getting accurate shots on target(s) quickly. The process that I use today has evolved some over the years and is comprised of three primary segments, each of which I consider to be an important building block for the next. The first two take place in the comfort of my home and the third at my local indoor range (I generally practice each twice per week with at least 20 repetitions).

1. Draw stroke from beneath my typical cover clothing (no dry fire). I think that we all would agree that if we are unable to cleanly "present our pistol" without clothing/equipment entanglement, we may as well be carrying a brick . To that end, and knowing full well that my fine motor skills will be compromised to some degree under stress, I practice drawing from beneath both casual and dress clothing with the focus solely on the speed and consistency of the draw stroke and disengaging the safety (Note here that both of my carry pistols are carried condition #1). When I first started practicing this drill (over 9 years ago), I was lucky to get a "clean draw" 40% of the time. Through much practice (I estimate that I'm currently over 18,000 repetitions) and modification of holster placement and the tucking/draping of my shirt, I rarely experience an entanglement issue.

2. Draw stroke (cover clothing) with dry fire. I added this drill roughly 3 years ago when I decided to convert to point shooting for self defense. For this exercise I use a LaserLyte training cartridge and a large mirror that allows me to see the placement of the initial and subsequent laser (center mass) hits on a human body target (me). I must admit that when I first started practicing this method, it felt rather odd shooting at a moving human form (with a gun pointed back at me) in lieu of paper targets. I practice this drill from various angles and positions, both stationary and with some lateral movement, and also practice at least 5 magazine changes during this segment. The picture below gives you a sense of what I see in the mirror with each squeeze of the trigger (note here that as I've improved, so has the guy in the mirror.

3. Engaging targets closing on my position from 15, 20 and 25 feet (live fire). While I always enjoy my "aim small miss small" target practice with a variety of pistols at a variety of distances, at least a third of my range time these days is dedicated to self defense drills. Since I'm fortunate to be a member at a range with equipment that permits me to program what I want my target to do, I take full advantage of the opportunity to fire at targets closing on my position. As with drill #2, this drill is also strictly dedicated to point shooting, and due to range rules and safety concerns, it commences with my pistol in the low ready position with the safety engaged. In addition to double tap and triple tap drills facing the target straight on as in a single attacker scenario, I also position my body at approximately 30 degree angles from the target with my head facing 90 degrees from the target (pistol pointed in a safe direction of course) to simulate attackers closing at various angles. While I use my 1911-22 for the bulk of this drill due to ammo cost, I always finish with several drills utilizing one or both of my carry pistols. To provide myself with as much challenge as possible I use a 6 x 10" target located at the level that would cover roughly from the top of the sternum to mid abdomen on a 6' tall man (see examples below). While point shooting is not for everyone, I have become very comfortable and efficient with the process and rarely place a shot outside of my intended target area.

POINT SHOOTING TARGET EXAMPLES

TARGET CLOSING ON MY POSITION FROM 15'

TARGET CLOSING ON MY POSITION FROM 20'

TARGET CLOSING ON MY POSITION FROM 25'

FINAL THOUGHTS

While it is impossible to know with 100% certainty how well this (or any) training will translate to real life, I believe that the muscle memory created with this simple practice plan will serve me well if and when it is ever needed. And finally, and perhaps the most important part of the self defense process in my mind is striving to always be aware of my situation and surroundings, and trying my best to never put myself in obvious danger. While I know full well that anything can potentially happen at any time, I think that we can all agree that we can certainly improve our odds by thinking in advance about what we choose to do and where we choose to go.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog today.  Good shooting ... Practice often ... Stay safe!

GSG 1911-22 At 27,000 Rounds

By BuckJM53 7/4/12

For those of you who currently own a GSG 1911-22 and are interested in what they can likely expect in the long term, or for those considering adding one to your collection, I thought I would post a quick history of how mine has handled the first 27,000 rounds as it celebrated it's 2nd birthday this past Monday.

1. I initially purchased the GSG 1911-22 on 7/1/10 ($330.00) as a training pistol since my EDC is a 1911.
2. At approximately 4,000 rounds the alloy barrel bushing broke.  ATI sent me a new steel barrel bushing along with the updated slide stop and magazine followers that were necessary on the early production models.
3. At approximately 17,000 rounds the firing pin broke and upon sending it to ATI they replaced the following:firing pin assembly, sear, recoil spring, guide rod rubber disc, recoil spring plug and installed an updated safety.
4. At the 27,000 round mark, the slide stop notch finally wore to the point that it would not consistently lock back after the final round.  ATI sent me a new slide under warranty (arrived in 3 days), and since it only took a few minutes to swap out the sights and slide block assembly from the old slide to the new slide, it's back up and ready to rock and roll.

In looking back over the past 2 years, my observations (both positive & negative for what they are worth) are as follows:

1. As I suspected from the beginning, the finish has been a little fragile and has shown wear in several spots.
2. While the alloy slide has held up reasonably well, and the slide grooves have not demonstrated any significant wear, the slide stop notch is clearly the weak spot as you can see in the picture below.   
   
3. The upgraded/replaced parts listed above have performed well without any additional problems so far.
4. The grip frame and internal components have been perfect with the exception that the sear required replacement when it was damaged by a piece of the broken firing pin.
5. The barrel and barrel liner have held up well with no perceptible wear or appreciable loss of accuracy (see target below).  Note here that I'm still using the original barrel fixing screw.
6. The original magazine is still functioning fine and has seen approximately 60% of the rounds (I didn't add a 2nd magazine till after about 6,000 rounds).
7. All things considered, while it would have been nice if this pistol had been flawless, I must say that I've been pleased with the overall performance of the GSG and certainly with the service that I have received from ATI.  Based on that experience, I would certainly recommend the pistol to anyone who is considering it as a fun little plinker or as a 1911 trainer.

As a final thought, while it was my initial goal to get at least 30,000 rounds out of this pistol,  I'm now hoping (with the addition of the new slide) that I can extend its' life to about 50,000 rounds (guess we'll see).

GSG 1911-22 At 40,000 Rounds

By BuckJM53 - 11/10/13

It hardly seems possible, but another 15 months (and 13,000 rounds) have gone by since my last GSG 1911-22 report.  While I know that some in the rimfire community who won't want to hear that this fine little pistol continues to work very well at the 40,000 round mark (as it doesn't fit with their steel only agenda), I post this update for all of you that may be interested in what they can expect from their GSG as time goes on and the rounds mount up, as well as for those who are considering the purchase of one.

At the 40,000 round mark, my thoughts are as follows:

1. All upgraded/replaced parts discussed on the two previous reports have continued to function perfectly.  
2. No additional service or parts replacement was required  during the current reporting period.
3. The accuracy remains very good (see picture below) with no appreciable wear in the barrel, barrel bushing or barrel liner.
4. The grip frame and slide mating surfaces are still in excellent condition with no appreciable wear.
5. The slide stop notch on the replacement slide has peened a bit (which was expected), but has not resulted in any issue with the lock back so far.  I'm certain that it will at some point in the future and is the one issue IMHO that GSG needs to resolve going forward.

All in all, given the fact that my initial hope was to get to the 30,000 round mark before a replacement pistol was required,  I am still very pleased with how the GSG has held up and performed.  It is now my intention to take it to the 50,000 round mark and beyond.  Will it ever rival my MKIII512 in terms of quality and durability ... of course not, but nothing would make me happier than to be discussing this pistol if/when it hits 75,000 round mark.  Will it get there .... Only time will tell.

GSG 1911-22 vs. Chiappa 1911-22

As one who primarily carries a 1911 pistol for my personal protection, and as a strong believer that an individual will only perform any important task to the level of their training and practice, I decided (as many have) that with the escalating cost of ammo in general (and .45acp in particular) that acquiring a less expensive to feed 1911 for self defense practice would be a good idea.

While there are several quality .22 conversion kits available for the 1911 on the market today,  my preference was to have a dedicated unit, and since there is a growing number of dedicated 1911-22 pistols that have been introduced during the past couple of years, I determined to go that route with the purchase of a Chiappa 1911-22 in early 2009 and subsequently a GSG 1911-22 in July of 2010. Having now had the opportunity to thoroughly test both during the past two years, I wanted to provide the readers a direct comparison between the two as well as provide some thoughts regarding what can be expected in terms of both short term and long term durability.

The following are my thoughts regarding how these two guns stack up against one another, including some pics and targets:

• Initial Cost - Advantage Chiappa - $275 vs $330 (what I paid + tax). 
  

• Design Considerations - Advantage GSG - Other than the barrel fixing pin & set screw that lock the barrel into position, the balance of the design and feel is very true to the current 1911 production guns including the beavertail, operational grip safety and a high percentage of  interchangeable 1911 parts, which is certainly not the case with the Chiappa as virtually every part was designed specifically for the pistol.

• Material, Fit & Finish - Advantage GSG - While both are alloy, it appears to me that the alloy used in the GSG is of a higher quality, and the machining appears to be far superior on the GSG. The GSG has a matte black finish while the Chiappa is more of a gloss (both finishes are a bit fragile IMHO).

• Sights - Big advantage GSG - Both have fixed sights.  With that said, the GSG includes 3 different height front sights which allows for an easy elevation adjustment, while the Chiappa front sight has to be filed for adjustment.  Additionally, the 3 dot design on the GSG is much easier to see and align. In all fairness, the Chiappa is now available in a target version with an adjustable rear sight (should be a significant improvement over their fixed sight model).  

• Trigger – Advantage GSG - My Chiappa trigger out of the box was very heavy. While it got better with the first few thousand rounds, has a clean break and was lightened to about 6 lbs by the Chiappa gunsmith during the initial repair at about 4,000 rounds, the GSG clocks in at about 4.5 lbs with a clean break (feels very similar to my loaded Springfield).

• Magazine - Advantage GSG - The GSG mag is steel (vs the Chiappa polymer) and seems very solidly built. It is designed so that it can be disassembled for cleaning vs the Chiappa which cannot be disassembled (compressed air cleaning is not my favorite method).

• Accuracy - After warming up with both guns (50 rounds each), I shot the following 5 shot comparison targets "off hand" at 30 feet with Federal bulk ammo.  As I anticipated, the GSG shot slightly tighter groups as seen in the adjacent picture.

• Ease of Maintenance - Equal IMHO. While the GSG has a more traditional 1911 disassembly procedure, the Chiappa is simple and easy to take down as well.

• Miscellaneous Factors - Advantage GSG - as it has a high percentage of interchangeable parts with standard 1911s and it also has a pre-threaded barrel to accept an adaptor and suppressor.

• Durability - Advantage GSG - The Chiappa, with a little over 8,500 rounds down the pipe, has already required the replacement of the alloy barrel bushing twice (at nearly 4,000 rounds and again at just short of 8,000 rounds), has had a couple of trips to the factory for slide lock issues and a third trip to the factory for the replacement of the hammer.  While I only live 15 minutes from the factory in Dayton Ohio, and while the Chiappa customer service people have been very pleasant, responsive and have repaired it each time while I waited, three trips to the factory in two years is a bit excessive in my opinion (especially for anyone not living in close proximity to the factory).  The GSG, with a little more than 20,000 rounds down the pipe has also had some issues along the way.  Initially it required factory updates including a steel barrel bushing, redesigned slide stop and magazine followers (sent to me from the distributor).  Additionally, when I sent it to ATI at 17,000 rounds to replace the broken firing pin assembly, they updated the guide rod assembly including a redesigned recoil spring, spring plug, spring buffer as well a redesigned safety.   All in all, the folks at ATI customer service have been very helpful as well, but with only a single trip to the factory and 2-1/2 times more rounds down the barrel, the GSG is clearly more durable and reliable in my opinion and experience (Chiappa still does not offer a steel barrel bushing to resolve the every 4,000 round bushing failure issue).  

Final Thought - While I have no intention of getting rid of my Chiappa, as my wife enjoys shooting it, the GSG was the clear winner for my 1911 training needs.  While the GSG certainly won't last as long or be as reliable as my Ruger MKIII (currently with over 60,000 rounds), it is definitely worth the money for 1911 practice.  If you consider the difference in ammo cost over 20,000 rounds ($600 for .22lr verses $5,400 for .45acp), the $330 price tag for the GSG 1911-22 is money well spent no matter how you look at it.  

Good Luck & Good Shooting ... Buck