Just got home from a chilly day at the range. Temps were in the mid-30s.
Fired 50 rounds of Winchester Silvertip in the S&W PPK .32 auto and 50 rounds of Winchester white box in the Colt Commander .45ACP.
BOTH guns were 100% reliable with the ammo they fired. The PPK gobbled up the Winchester Silvertip without a stutter. Only weird thing I noticed was I was only able to load 6 rounds in the mag with the finger rest. The normal mag took seven. No idea why that was and I don't remember that happening last time I was at the range, and I used both mags last time. But I'm not complaining. I am as happy as a pig in slop that I have had NO malfunctions with my S&W PPK after 50 rounds of FMJ and 50 rounds of HP. The Hogue grips with no checkering were no problems either. I wore tight-fitting wool shooting gloves and there was no tendency for the gun to move around at all.
This could also be due to the caliber, which has a milder recoil compared to the hotter .380ACP.
The Colt Commander was also fun to shoot. I replaced the 18 pound recoil spring with a 20 pound version and re-installed the full length guide rod. I was a bit concerned about whether the spring might be too much for standard loadings, but it worked perfectly. No failures of any kind. And the felt recoil was lessened considerably.
Now the ammo report...the Winchester ammo gave the typical amount of carbon buildup that I am used to for this brand. I would put it at about "moderate". There was about 1/2 inch of carbon buildup on the outside of the slide near the muzzle on the PPK. On the Colt, about an inch of carbon at the end of the slide near the muzzle. Insides show the "moderate" carbon buildup. Another box of 50 may or may not have produced malfunctions, I dunno. I have some S&B ammo in 9MM and .45ACP as well as some Aguila ammo in those calibers. I will be trying them out next time I go to the range.
Dep
Fired 50 rounds of Winchester Silvertip in the S&W PPK .32 auto and 50 rounds of Winchester white box in the Colt Commander .45ACP.
BOTH guns were 100% reliable with the ammo they fired. The PPK gobbled up the Winchester Silvertip without a stutter. Only weird thing I noticed was I was only able to load 6 rounds in the mag with the finger rest. The normal mag took seven. No idea why that was and I don't remember that happening last time I was at the range, and I used both mags last time. But I'm not complaining. I am as happy as a pig in slop that I have had NO malfunctions with my S&W PPK after 50 rounds of FMJ and 50 rounds of HP. The Hogue grips with no checkering were no problems either. I wore tight-fitting wool shooting gloves and there was no tendency for the gun to move around at all.
This could also be due to the caliber, which has a milder recoil compared to the hotter .380ACP.
The Colt Commander was also fun to shoot. I replaced the 18 pound recoil spring with a 20 pound version and re-installed the full length guide rod. I was a bit concerned about whether the spring might be too much for standard loadings, but it worked perfectly. No failures of any kind. And the felt recoil was lessened considerably.
Now the ammo report...the Winchester ammo gave the typical amount of carbon buildup that I am used to for this brand. I would put it at about "moderate". There was about 1/2 inch of carbon buildup on the outside of the slide near the muzzle on the PPK. On the Colt, about an inch of carbon at the end of the slide near the muzzle. Insides show the "moderate" carbon buildup. Another box of 50 may or may not have produced malfunctions, I dunno. I have some S&B ammo in 9MM and .45ACP as well as some Aguila ammo in those calibers. I will be trying them out next time I go to the range.
Dep