Travel Log IV

At the Municipal Firing Range in what is pretty much downtown Columbus, a handful of Georgia Outdoor Writer Association members showed up to shoot Heckler & Koch 9mm handguns.

From now on, just to annoy MM, I'm gonna call 'em pistols.

HK was supplying the pistols and the ammo. Columbus supplied the range and the Police Department's shooting instructor.

Columbus was also kind enough to supply two different locations with the same address on opposite ends of the city. Naturally, CM, DW and I went to the wrong one first. After arriving in the middle of an apartment complex and not seeing anything that resembled a shooting range, we figured we were in the wrong place, as the directions said could happen if we didn't pay attention.

If we'd been in Savannah, the apartment complex would be a firing range.

Anyway, I've shot HK's before, in full auto even. HK has a rep of being solid, dependable, accurate and everything else you can want from a firearm. even better, HK broke ground on Columbus plant this year. Soon HK will be making their guns in the Peach State, which is yet another reason to support this fine company.

The law enforcement sales rep discussed the guns with us. Each gun comes with quick-replace grips for the back and the sides. They are thick, medium and thin. You can literally put a thick back on and thin side grip on one side and a thick side on the other. You can combine them in a bunch of ways to get the one that best fits you.

He also had several slides on the table. HK starts with a solid billet of steel. It's machined down into the final product. It is not made from stamped metal.

The barrel also starts from a billet of round steel. The barrel is drilled. Then, polygon rifling is literally hammered into the barrel. A series of hammers strike the inside of the barrel 1,000 times a minute. Polygon rifling is considered superior to groove rifling by some people.

Polygon rifling does engage the entire projectile as it gets shoved down the barrel. Some folks say unjacketed lead will foul a polygon barrel faster than a groove rifled barrel. Don't know. I have very limited experience with polygon rifling.

One thing I learned for sure at the range, I need more range time. At 7 yards, my target died to death, but it would take my whole hand to cover the grouping. The shooting instructor could cover his group with his thumb.