After what felt like ages of waiting, I finally got the chance to put some rounds through my M9 and I am pleased as punch with the results. While there was a misfeed, I chalked it down to being a little too eager in loading my magazine the first go around, and diligence during reloading prevented anything of the sort from happening again.

Both targets were at seven feet, the first intended for aimed shots (about 10-15). Second was for a series of drills including firing from midsection, one-handed (dominant and off-hand) firing, and firing from midsection to aiming stance, thus the wild placement of shots. Definitely will be going back this Sunday to work on that double-action pull, and to get more comfortable with other stances; apparently I'm left-eye dominant but stable with my right hand.

Now that I've got some gunsmoke in my lungs, I think I'll take a gander at an LGC membership

Enjoy the fun! I shoot left handed mostly, left eye dominant, to be honest my right eye is pretty worthless. I’m a converted left handed to right handed so technically I can shoot with both. Handguns I can choose, rifles left only.

sikacz wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:20 am Enjoy the fun! I shoot left handed mostly, left eye dominant, to be honest my right eye is pretty worthless. I’m a converted left handed to right handed so technically I can shoot with both. Handguns I can choose, rifles left only.

I'm hitting the range tomorrow, going to try alternating to see which combo I get better grouping with; so far, left-eye/right-hand has had better results that w/ the right eye, but I'll need to go through a couple more magazines to really be sure.

So, after about a month I've finally put my first 1000 rounds through my M9, and I honestly think this gun was made for me. After getting comfortable with 5-7 yards I bumped up to 10 yards today; while I regrettably didn't take any pictures (it was a busy day and I didn't want to hold my lane up too long), my grouping was solidly at or near the bullseye on a splatter-burst oval target.

I did also try my hand at 16 yards to practice for the Bullseye Club, buuuut I think it'll be at least another month before I can get anywhere near the bullseye on those targets

In any case, I think target shooting is the hobby for me, and I'm glad I started with the M9!

The more you shoot, the more the gun seems to be made for you. True, that. Try it at 16 yards in the Bullseye match. The very worst that can happen is you won't win. I missed this last match. My bad.

CDFingers

That is awesome! Great to hear that another person has the Beretta bug!

I'll admit that I thought I would never have another favorite gun - until I shot a SIG. I still love the 92/M9, though.

Keep shootin'!

A couple suggestions: I find it much harder to shoot that first Double Action shot accurately. The problem is the weight of the Double Action pull. This is largely determined by the weight of the hammer/main spring. The factory hammer/main spring weight (20+ pounds) in the M9/Beretta 92 is 20 pounds, and is far higher than it needs to be. Lowering that weight makes that first shot much easier to shoot accurately.

Beretta has made a version of the 92 with a much lighter hammer/main spring, and it is a version sold to a group for which 100% ignition reliability is critical: the Police. The version is the 92D. It is Double Action Only: the first shot is a long Double Action trigger pull, after which it reloads itself and decocks. Police Chiefs liked it for cops who were transitioning from revolvers to autos. The hammer/main spring in the 92D is 16 pounds, and results in a much lighter Double Action trigger pull (from about 12 down to about 8 pounds). I have an M9A3 that came with a 16 pound hammer/main spring from the factory, and it is so much nicer than a stock M9.

A US-made M9 will have one pin you have to push out to replace the hammer/main spring. An Italian-made M9 will have a slightly different pin you will have to drive out. The 92D hammer/main spring is a couple dollars.
https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/d-hamm ... g/eu00043/

It is possible to do some other things also, to improve it more. Ernest Langdon and Wilson Combat both sell slightly different improved ignition system Beretta 92 pistols, or they will sell you the parts, all of this with Beretta's blessing. Langdon apparently taught a lot of the improvements to Wilson Combat. Beretta has its new 92X ignition parts, which they will sell you in a pistol, or for you to drop in yourself.
https://www.langdontactical.com/trigger ... m9-series/
https://shopwilsoncombat.com/Wilson-Com ... tinfo/748/
https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/92x-pe ... ol/e02568/

I have had Langdon do trigger jobs on several pistols, and dropped in two of the "Trigger-Job-In-A-Bag", and with them I have gotten reliable ignition of even hard or insensitive primers with a 12-pound hammer/main spring. My Double Action trigger pulls are under 7 pounds, some are about 6.