P30SK At 1,750 Rounds

Finally got out to the range with the P30SK. I met up with a friend at an indoor range in Utica, Close Quarters Tactical, trying it out for the first time. Decent range, nice staff, no issues at all.

I shot 200 rounds of Remington 115 grain 9mm brown box through it

No failures of any sort.

Since it was an indoor range, and this batch of 9mm seems to be rather full powered, being marked for military and police training, we saw a healthy amount of muzzle flash, including muzzle doughnuts heading out of the P30SK's short barrel.

Yes, lots of muzzle flash.

It was also markedly loud, which was interesting. A shooter in a neighboring lane was wondering if I was shooting a 357 Sig. Nope, just 115gr 9mm.

No failures or any malfunctions of any sort, and no issues accuracy wise even after 1,750 rounds through with no cleaning or additional lubrication.

Sunday Range Day: P30SK Hits 1,550 Rounds

While snow fell yesterday night and it was cold and windy, today broke to bright sun and a light covering of snow.

Warm enough to head to the range and that's where Leah and I went.

As Leah shot the M&P 22 Compact, I shot a Winchester White Box 200 round value pack through the P30SK.

No failures to report and I can be happy to say I'm getting faster and more accurate now that I've been getting some practice in.

Today was 200 rounds, a rack of plates and Leah running the timer and a start from low ready.

I managed to get down to 6 shots, all plates hit in 3 seconds even but couldn't get below that. Something to work on and certainly better accuracy than the previous visit.

No failures of any kind even as some snow got on the magazines and firearm.

Sunday Range Day: P30SK Hits 1,350 Rounds

It's been far too long since I went to the range and after all the arbitration craziness I needed to get some range time in.

Today the weather was clear and cold and it was a good day to head to the range.

I first fired 50 rounds of Federal FMJ through the P30SK.

Even after sitting in its box for months, and with a noticeably dirty and cruddy feed ramp, it functioned perfectly.

I was not shooting nearly as well as I have in the past and that first box showed I needed to practice more.

Next was three boxes of Winchester 9MM Nato FMJ. Certainly they felt like they had a bit more oomph than the Federal FMJ, but no issues shooting them.

Once I was through the first box of the Winchester, my accuracy was starting to come back, speed still slower than before though.

Then for a change of pace was an older box of Federal Hydrashocks I had been meaning to shoot up, again, every round fed without an issue.

250 rounds fired in one go without a hitch. Many steel plates were downed, and many holes punched in paper, with better groups as time went on.

That's 1,350 rounds through the P30sk with only a single failure due to a defective cartridge.

Range Trip: P30SK 2000 Round Test Hits 1,100

Finally headed to the range yesterday, it had certainly been awhile.

I took Leah along and we had a great time.

We tested out the new firearm we had assembled and were quite happy with the results.

She enjoyed shooting the M&P22 Compact which she refers to as "her gun". She can make good hits with it too.

I shot another 50 rounds through the Shield 45 with zero malfunctions of any kind, and Leah liked shooting it too. The fun is certainly growing on me in the likes department.

We also brought the P30SK along and I put 50 rounds of S&B and 50 rounds of Prvi Partizan through it with no issues whatsoever. The brass does come out a little dirty at the case mouth probably due to the uncleaned chamber, but nice and shiny beyond that. Leah and I both shot it and no issues occurred even with an 11 year-old gripping it and shooting away with it.

That's 1,100 rounds through the P30SK with only one failure (round 22) which was not due to the firearm.

P30Sk Hits 800 Rounds

The P30Sk ate 100 rounds Winchester White Box, 100 Rounds Prvi Partizan, and 50 rounds of S&B today, and all ran through the P30SK without a hitch.

I did two runs of Dot Torture at 5 yards.

Let's say the results were pretty underwhelming and rather motivating.

Diagnosis: Much more practice is needed. Neither were shot clean although surprisingly, the left hand only shooting was perfect on both. I figure each time I go to the range I'll shoot at least one dot torture among other drills. Hitting steel plates and poppers is fine but the fine accuracy required in Dot Torture especially the very precise sight line up, should I keep drilling it, will likely pay off.

On the upside, with Leah running the timer, I shot 6 plates, 10 poppers and two times two rounds to the A zone on two paper targets in 21.20 seconds, which felt pretty good after the dismal Dot Torture performance.

That's 800 rounds through with only one failure (round 22) not due to the firearm.

I also took Leah to the range today.

Leah had fun with the M&P 22 compact, the Springfield 1911 9mm and both the M&P 15-22 and she got to try an AR15 for the first time. She did great and had fun with everything. I also ran Leah through a modified Dot Torture with the M&P Compact with no holster draws or speed reloads - she realized it was harder than it looked so we'll work on some accuracy on her part as well. On the other hand, at about 12 yards, she seriously went to town with the M&P 15-22 and kept 30 shots on a paper plate with no problems and enjoyed herself shooting it immensely.

A darn good range trip.

Morning Range Trip, P30SK Hits 550 And Springfield Makes It Easy To Shoot like A Girl

One thing about jet lag, you tend to get up earlier than usual.

A morning range trip was in order so Leah and I headed out to the range early this morning.

In addition to the M&P compact .22 with Gemtech that Leah loves, she got to shoot a used while new-to-me and to her firearm - a Springfield Armory 1911 9mm.

It just so happened she was wearing her Springfield Armory Shoot Like A Girl t-shirt and it matched the pistol nicely.

She really liked the pistol and handled it with no issues.

As acquired it turned out it is setup with a popsicle type sight picture and I'll likely adjust it to a center hold. While used aside from a couple scratched in the finish you can hardly tell its been fired and it likely wasn't fired much if at all before I acquired it from its previous owner. It has a very smooth action once it was cleaned and oiled, and aside from an initial couple failures to extract the fired case from the chamber on the second-to-last round from one of the 9 round magazines, it eventually stopped malfunctioning after a few magazines were run through it. Recoil is very light when chambered in 9mm from a full-sized 1911 and Leah pronounced the trigger to be excellent and stated it really was quite nice to shoot.

Leah's target:

I shot the P30Sk and it had no malfunctions after 100 rounds through it, making it to 550 rounds with one failure (round 22) not due to the firearm. The trigger takes some getting used to after shooting the Springfield 9mm. Leah also shot the P30sk and with some coaching was hitting the target but initially was dropping the shots very low due to the long trigger pull.

A very nice time at the range.

Range Day - P30SK at 450

A very decent day today so far.

Worked out in the morning, then went and bought some new shoes to workout in as the previous pair is really ripping my feet up.

Then Abby and I headed to the range, stopping for lunch on the way.

It rained on and off but turned into a beautiful if hot day.

Abby had fun shooting the M&P .22 compact with Gemtech suppressor and merrily went about knocking down poppers and hitting paper with it. She enjoyed herself quite a lot.

After she had ran through all the 22lr ammunition I had on hand, she tried out the M&P 9mm full size and liked it well enough but she did like the 22 compact a fair bit more.

I was shooting the P30Sk - rapid, right hand only, left hand only decent practice after not being out at the range for awhile. 100 more rounds to make it 450 through the P30SK and no cleaning with one FTF (#22), not due to the firearm.

Now to do some work and then make dinner and then celebrate 150 years of our northern (and actually southern in Michigan) neighbor - Happy Canada Day.

P30 Hits 2,000 Flawless Rounds

Today was a beautiful day.

I had a client I had to see in the morning that just happened to be near the range. I then had a happy idea. Why not go to the range after taking care of the client?

And so I did.

I brought the P30 and the P30Sk along with me. I then shot the plate rack. I started with 15 rounds with two hands to warm up and then decided to work on my one handed shooting, which sure as heck needed some practice. I shot the remaining 135 rounds either strong hand only or weak hand only, with the bulk of it weak hand only as I clearly shot worse with only my weak hand.

100 rounds of Winchester White Box and 50 rounds of Sellier and Bellot 9mm, later the P30 was through its course and had shot 2,000 rounds without a single failure of any kind.

The feed ramp certainly shows the usage:

.

That's a lot of gunk on there.

Overall though the P30 looks like it could take another 2,000 without missing a beat.

There's some visible wear at the front of the forward slide serrations on the slide, and the barrel has some definite wear marks on the finish but no other wear, aside frrm the layer of gunk inside the gun, is apparent.

2,000 rounds with no failures of any kind. I rather like this firearm quite a bit. I'd say the 2,000 rounds made me quite familiar with shooting it and made me a better shooter as a result.

I'll be giving the P30 a well-deserved cleaning it tonight.

Meanwhile, the P30SK shot 50 flawless rounds of Federal 9mm 115gr (yes I checked the box this time and there were no upside-down primers. So that's 350 now through the P30SK with one FTF (#22), with the FTF not due to the firearm.

Range Trip - P30 At 1,850, P30SK At 300, A CETME That's Not-For-Me, And The M&P 22 Gets A Name.

Yesterday in the late morning the family headed towards the west.

Natasha and Abby headed to a nature trail for a hike and I took Leah to the range and afterwards we met up and had lunch at the nature trail.

Leah got to try the M&P 22, the P30 and P30SK.

She immediately announced the .22 Compact with silencer upon shooting it was now her "Quiet Pal" and thus it got a name.

She was hitting steel plates and poppers with it quite well indeed and really had a good time shooting it.

Leah found the P30Sk and pronounced it cute. I figured if we could induce a failure, having a ten year old shoot the P30 and P30SK should do it. Nope, no failures. However, the LEM trigger system was clearly hard for her to use and she was dropping her shots significantly with both of them and you could see her dip the muzzle as she squeezed the trigger. We worked on it and I then stood behind her, had her aim and I helped her with squeezing the trigger with my finger covering hers and she got it and started no longer dipping the muzzle as she shot but decided she wanted to go back to her Quiet Pal as it was more fun for her and easier for her to shoot.

I shot the P30 and P30SK with both hands, with strong hand only, weak hand only (still needs work but its getting better), and on one string with a P30 in the left hand and the P30Sk in the right hand just to alternate one by one hitting plates and poppers which Leah pronounced quite cool. The technique is a good way to impress your kid, but of little to no practical value.

I also had a friend's Century Arms CETME, one of the older ones, not the newer C308s at the range.

He hadn't fired it before and asked me to take it out to the range and try it as he had never fired it.

How could I say no to such a nice request? Overall it looked good.

It feels pretty decent, has a nice heft and the ergonomics were not bad and it felt rather comfortable to hold and it lined up easily enough on target. When it came to shooting it however....

First, the G3 magazines he had with it would not lock into the gun, an apparently known issue with Century CETMEs. I inserted the mini five rounder that had come with the gun and loaded it with five rounds and inserted it into the mag well with a healthy click and it was seated.

I then chambered a round, no problem. Firing it was fun, the first round fired just fine and recoil was minimal for a 308 rifle. I then lined up the sights pulled the trigger and click. The magazine had unseated when firing the first round. I re-seated it tugged on it to make sure it was locked in which it was, chambered a round, fired and the same thing happened. All five rounds every shot the magazine would drop out just enough to not chamber the next round. Finally I held it in place with my off hand to shoot. A nice gun but this one certainly has issues. I'd probably get one of the PTRs if I ever want a G3 clone, and I just might as even this one fit nicely.

That's 1,850 through the P30 with zero failures of any kind and no cleaning, and 300 through the P30SK with one FTF (#22), not due to the firearm.

The P30SK - Rounds 1-200.

I had brought the P30Sk out to the range for the first time when Matt came to town.

The P30SK is the compact derivative of the P30, smaller in both the slide and grip, holding 10 rounds in its magazine versus the P30's 15.

The version I had purchased was the V1 LEM and came with night sites and three magazines. Priced decidedly lower than the P30, its a direct competitor to the M&P compacts, the Glock 26 and derivatives and so on.

It's slightly smaller in slide length than the M&P 40c that I own, and it does feel better in the hand grip wise.

So of course I decided to do the 2,000 round test.

I started with a 50-round box of Federal 9mm FMJ.

The first magazine went through perfectly, and the P30SK is a nice easy to shoot pistol and the short grip didn't really affect my shooting.

But on the second magazine - Round 22 Did not fire. With a pronounced click, nothing. Since this was the second magazine ever put through the gun that did not seem auspicious.

Ejecting the round, examining it immediately showed the cause of the stoppage.

Nope this is not the fault of the P30SK. Finishing the box of Federal gave no further problems and then it was on to a 100 round box of Winchester 9mm with no issues.

50 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124gr then went through without a hiccup.

That's 200 rounds, with 1 stoppage not charged to the gun.

The P30Sk is very easy to both carry with the smaller grip making it easier to conceal, and control while shooting and the smaller grip made it only slightly less easy to shoot than the P30. It has the exact same triggger fel as the P30, same controls and form factor, albeit in a smaller package. No problem clearing the steel plates nor poppers with this at all.

In addition to the 10 round magazines it comes with, the P30SK can also take the P30's magazines as well as the USP Compact 13 round magazines.

So far 200 rounds in I do like it quite a bit.