In response to our Tactical Wire feature (here), we got reader email telling the story of a two-month cross-country driving and camping trip. The correspondent reported that 9x19mm ammo was nonexistent at every location, gun shops, etc., that he’d checked. And he made the effort to check as many as he could. He did find 40 S&W, as well as calibers like 30-06, 45-70 and .32 ACP.
I entered a big box location yesterday. There were a few boxes of 22 LR, 22 MRF, various shotgun loads (no 12 ga. Buck/slugs) and some 30-06. While this wasn’t an absolute corroboration of the story, it’s close and it matches what I’ve heard from other locations.
As 22 LR ammo is still marginally available and I’d stocked up after the last shut-down, I considered more practice with rimfire analog pistols. Like others concerned about the inability to resupply certain calibers, I’d tried the Massad Ayoob Group MAG 40 qualification, a sixty-round course, with a 22 auto (GLOCK 44) and 22 revolver (Ruger LCRx 22) as reported here.
Practice still needs to be done and I’d wondered how the course would work with another auto. While I considering it, I saw a YouTube video that depicted a version of the “Florida Law Enforcement Officers Qualification Course.” They were fairly humdrum stages, it appeared, except for “Stage 2.” Fired at three yards, it called for a pair from low ready in less than a second.
As the target is huge, I thought this could be just the thing on a B-8 repair center or on a business envelope (4 1/8" x 9 1/2") placed upon the backer in ‘portrait mode.’
I used the Smith & Wesson M&P22 Compact – a favored practice and training pistol – along with Winchester Super-X 40 grain ammo. As before, I fired the MAG qual, regular speed, on a B-8 repair center.
The MAG qual starts with six rounds, nondominant hand only, at four yards, following by drawing to six hits with the dominant hand only (below).
The results weren’t very exciting. While the numerical score was 290/300 (scoring “5” for the 9-ring and inside, “4” for hits in the 8-ring and “1” for hits in the 7-ring), I had a couple of time issues. I went over time on a failure to feed (a round didn’t carry up from magazine) at string 2 of four yards. I had another issue on the 10-yard stage with a ‘squib’ (vastly underpowered load). I stopped to ensure there wasn’t a bullet stuck in the barrel: there wasn’t.
As the overtime condition was an automatic failure, I used the the PACT Club Timer to do five iterations of “Stage 2” of the (alleged) “Florida Law Enforcement Qualification.” From five yards at low-ready, I attempted to fire a pair in one second. The resulting times follow:
1. 1.11
2. 1.09
3. .79
4. .88
5. .99
Considering how quick that was, I did the same using the ‘head’ of the KLETC-Q silhouette target, the same ammo and the Ruger LCP II Lite Rack. The times were .76 to 1.11 … not bad.
The B-8 repair center was used for the MAG qual and the Florida "Stage 2" with the S&W M&P22 Compact. The 'head' area of the silhouette was used for the Florida "Stage 2" with the Ruger LCP II Lite Rack -- showing one miss. Below, the steel target for the "walk-back."
I like to finish each session with either close precision work or a “walk-back.” As I’d done the close-range precision during the shooting exercises, I did the walk-back on steel. With the LCP II on the 2/3 size IPSC steel target, I stayed on the 4”x4” head box back to 20 yards and on the body back to 45 yards. With the S&W M&P22C, I hit nine out of ten back to 45 yards.
It was a good day at the range, with a good workout. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
I just want it to help me deliver the goods when I need to.
-- Rich Grassi
