Range Report

Time for another range report.

One day last week, I noticed that my Beretta Tomcat had a pretty good coating of pocket lint behind the hammer. After closer inspection and quickly removing the slide, I also noticed that the pocket gun was without any lubrication. I couldn’t locate a smidgeon of oil anywhere on the firearm. The grips were cracked as well. It has been loaded up with Corbon 60gr. JHPs for, I do not even know how long. Well I decided it was time for a range trip to see if the gun cycled properly in this condition.

But wait! I had been looking at S&W 642 J-Frame revolvers for some time, so decided to pick one up for the pending range trip. Off to the range on Sunday afternoon, brining the two aforementioned firearms along with a Beretta PX4.

I decided to shoot the Beretta PX4 first (I wanted to put some holes in the center of a target before shooting the pocket guns). After 50 rounds of 9mm through the Beretta at 10 yards the target had no center. The Beretta PX4 functioned flawlessly.

Now on to the new S&W 642-2 J-Frame Revolver (new to me, but I purchased it used). I picked up 100 rounds of Winchester Personal Protection 125gr. JHP +P ammunition. Loaded up the 642. Pointed at a new target and Bang! Ouch! A lot more recoil than I expected and no danger to the center of the target. At 10 yards, I kept it on the paper for 50 rounds of Winchester +P ammo and 10 rounds of Federal Hydroshok +P ammo, but I can’t say that I shot with any consistency or real accuracy. Every quadrant of the paper target had randomly placed holes. On the bright side, this gives me ample justification for future range trips. The little J-Frame packs a punch with +P ammo, and being my first revolver, I need lots of practice.

Now to the dry, dirty Beretta 3032 Tomcat. Remember, this gun has no lubricant and is filled with pocket lint. Carry ammo loaded, I emptied two magazines and then 50 rounds of 30 some odd year old 71gr. Remington. The little Tomcat never missed a beat. Not a single malfunction. My confidence in the Beretta Tomcat, while already high, was bolstered. The gun will go bang if needed. At 10 yards, I was able to keep a 6” pattern on shoot-n-see florescent targets.

Back to the Beretta PX4… I finished off the range trip with another 75 rounds or so of 9mm round ball. After shooting the two pocket pistols, the full sized 9mm felt like a BB gun. Little recoil and dead on accuracy at 10 yards, even when rapid firing. The PX4 is great, comfortable shooting firearm. I highly recommend this gun.