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Here in the Midwest, many of us have just endured one of the biggest snowstorms in a long while. Outside can only be described as snow, cold, and gray. With lots of potholes. Every now and then we buck up, put on our winter gear, and head out to get some fresh air and to work out — by shoveling snow. But for most of the Winter we stay inside, stay warm, and think about … Summer.

And shooting outside.

With friends at a backyard range.

I hope it’s sunny and warm where you are. And I hope you get to shoot regularly outside. If not, here’s a short, mid-Winter tribute to blue skies, warm sunshine, and flying brass.

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sigsauersp2022It took Sean one magazine worth of ammo to get used to the Sig Sauer SP 2022, but once he did, he could make the steel targets sing. Although technically a midsized gun, the SP 2022 is fairly large. But it is also lightweight for its size. And the trigger is Sig Sauer smooth. The SP 2022 consistently threw spent brass in a short, neat arc about two feet to the right and one foot back.

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NHawkT4Shane fired this Nighthawk Custom T4 chambered in 9mm. And fired it. And fired it. Reliable and accurate, this all steel 1911 offered a steady ride, mag after mag. So good it was almost boring. Almost. One of its best features is its 25 LPI frontstrap checkering. The T4 faithfully tossed spent brass about four feet to the right of the shooter. Because someone will ask: That’s a Glock 23 with CTC Lasergrips on Shane’s hip.

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waltherppxSteve will testify: One of the surprise favorites this summer day was Walther’s PPX, a polymer duty pistol also chambered in 9mm. With big, three-dot standard sights and a light but tight trigger pull, the Walther proved not just accurate but a joy to shoot. The PPX chucked its spent brass up and over Steve’s right shoulder — higher and farther back than all the other guns.

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Rem1187Police

But it wasn’t all handguns. This Remington 11-87 Police showed up, proved its mettle — it threw spent casings several feet to the right of the shooter — and returned to house duty from whence it came. And of course we fired a few AR-15’s, including a Colt M4. The Colt spit its spent brass several feet to the right of the shooter.

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An informal, timed competition revealed that we need more practice. But the long day of shooting outside, in the summer sun, revealed that throwing brass around like this this was a lot of fun.

It’s starting to feel warmer already.

— Mark Kakkuri

coltm4

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