testtest

Range day, a confirmation of what I keep thinking, and a quick review of new hearing protection

ghosttwofive

ghosttwofive

Custom
Decided to have a solo range day this last Saturday at my local indoor range. I cut out about 250 rounds of 9mm and 100 rounds of 45ACP from my reserves and decided to take my three Taurus handguns, the G3, G3C, and G2c, my CZ P10C, my Smith and Wesson Shield 45ACP and lastly my nightstand home protection weapon, the Springfield XD45 Mod 2 4-inch. I was also there to test some new hearing protection I recently picked up, the AXIL Ghost Stryke Extreme ear buds.

I'll get the quick review out of the way on the AXIL ear buds....a joke. Supposedly you're supposed to be able to keep the sound enhancement on while you're in the range, that would be negative unless you enjoy having your ear drums shredded. There's a room you go into between the gun shop and the range where you transition from consumer to shooter so you need to make sure you have all of your protection on and ready before going thru the actual range entry door. I walked into the actual range with my new ear buds on setting "1" as in the lowest sound setting. Someone was shooting what looked like a .357 revolver a couple of lanes down and the first shot almost made me run back into the middle room..lol. If anything, the ear buds seemed to intensify the gunshots. I quickly shut the sound enhancement switch to off and everything became bearable but not anything like wearing my Walker's Razor electronic hearing protection, my vote for best hearing protection of all time as far as sound enhancement versus hearing protection. I should have just bought a 2nd pair of those to use. Anyway, with the noise enhancement turned completely off, the earbuds basically performed like non-electronic ear plugs, so I proceeded to get everything out of my range bad and ready to shoot.

So after getting my hearing protection ordeal taken care of over the next hour I confirmed, yet again, that I should carry a .45ACP concealed carry weapon over any of my 9mm. I ran targets out to 21 feet and then down to 15 feet and 5 feet, going thru just basic drills and I was consistently better with the Shield 45 and the Springfield 45 at every stop. All my shots were what I would consider kill shots with the 9mm but with both .45ACP handguns I was cutting the center out of the bullseyes at both distances. The CZ P10C is, by far, the best shooting 9mm handgun I've ever owned and my groupings with the CZ were close to the 45 groupings but not quite as good. I don't know it's the way the .45 recoil seems to be more predictable on a 45 or if it's the fact I've always enjoyed shooting a 45 more than a 9mm. I try not to be biased on evaluating one caliber versus another but I just really like shooting a 45 caliber handgun. After an hour and about 4 bullseye targets later, I evaluated all my groupings and decided I'm going to start carrying my Shield 45 exclusively as I would trust myself to do better with that handgun in a worst case scenario. The best thing about Saturday though, was just going to the range and shooting. I don't get to go nearly as often as I would like to but I'm always reminded of how much I enjoy shooting when I do. Crappy hearing protection aside, it was a good range day. Came home, spent a couple of hours outside on the patio cleaning all my handguns and reloading with hollow points. Decided to grill burgers and hot dogs for the family. It was definitely the best Saturday in several months. Long live the .45ACP....LOL.
 
ghosttwofive said:
Decided to have a solo range day this last Saturday at my local indoor range. I cut out about 250 rounds of 9mm and 100 rounds of 45ACP from my reserves and decided to take my three Taurus handguns, the G3, G3C, and G2c, my CZ P10C, my Smith and Wesson Shield 45ACP and lastly my nightstand home protection weapon, the Springfield XD45 Mod 2 4-inch. I was also there to test some new hearing protection I recently picked up, the AXIL Ghost Stryke Extreme ear buds.

I'll get the quick review out of the way on the AXIL ear buds....a joke. Supposedly you're supposed to be able to keep the sound enhancement on while you're in the range, that would be negative unless you enjoy having your ear drums shredded. There's a room you go into between the gun shop and the range where you transition from consumer to shooter so you need to make sure you have all of your protection on and ready before going thru the actual range entry door. I walked into the actual range with my new ear buds on setting "1" as in the lowest sound setting. Someone was shooting what looked like a .357 revolver a couple of lanes down and the first shot almost made me run back into the middle room..lol. If anything, the ear buds seemed to intensify the gunshots. I quickly shut the sound enhancement switch to off and everything became bearable but not anything like wearing my Walker's Razor electronic hearing protection, my vote for best hearing protection of all time as far as sound enhancement versus hearing protection. I should have just bought a 2nd pair of those to use. Anyway, with the noise enhancement turned completely off, the earbuds basically performed like non-electronic ear plugs, so I proceeded to get everything out of my range bad and ready to shoot.

So after getting my hearing protection ordeal taken care of over the next hour I confirmed, yet again, that I should carry a .45ACP concealed carry weapon over any of my 9mm. I ran targets out to 21 feet and then down to 15 feet and 5 feet, going thru just basic drills and I was consistently better with the Shield 45 and the Springfield 45 at every stop. All my shots were what I would consider kill shots with the 9mm but with both .45ACP handguns I was cutting the center out of the bullseyes at both distances. The CZ P10C is, by far, the best shooting 9mm handgun I've ever owned and my groupings with the CZ were close to the 45 groupings but not quite as good. I don't know it's the way the .45 recoil seems to be more predictable on a 45 or if it's the fact I've always enjoyed shooting a 45 more than a 9mm. I try not to be biased on evaluating one caliber versus another but I just really like shooting a 45 caliber handgun. After an hour and about 4 bullseye targets later, I evaluated all my groupings and decided I'm going to start carrying my Shield 45 exclusively as I would trust myself to do better with that handgun in a worst case scenario. The best thing about Saturday though, was just going to the range and shooting. I don't get to go nearly as often as I would like to but I'm always reminded of how much I enjoy shooting when I do. Crappy hearing protection aside, it was a good range day. Came home, spent a couple of hours outside on the patio cleaning all my handguns and reloading with hollow points. Decided to grill burgers and hot dogs for the family. It was definitely the best Saturday in several months. Long live the .45ACP....LOL.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was just about to order a set of the AXIL's. Tired of my muffs on hot days. I will revert to my previous decision Walker's Silencer 2.0 Bluetooth Rechargeable Electronic Ear Plugs
 
Good write up Ghost! I’ve got the Walker ear buds (non-rechargeable) and walker ear muffs. I usually wear some poly inert ear buds under my walker ear muffs for doubling up ear protection. Good to hear on the CZ. I’ve got the P10S that I’ve not shot yet, so I hope it’s a nice shooter like your P10C. I concur about the Shield 45, I’ve got the Gen 1 Performance Center Shields in 9, 40 & 45 (all ported barrels & slides), and the 45 shoots great.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the Axils. They completely oversell these things for indoor ranges. I would love to ditch my muffs and wear ear buds but I don’t think it’s physically possible to cut down that much sound with ear buds.

You’ve also confirmed my own thoughts on .45acp. I sold my .45 Ronin a couple of months ago because .45 makes my hands hurt, but I’ve been second guessing myself since. I was sorting out some loose ammo on the weekend and most of it was .45acp, and when you compare it size-wise with 9mm it’s a no-brainer. I’m starting to look for a 1911 Commander in .45.
 
BET7 said:
Good write up Ghost! I’ve got the Walker ear buds (non-rechargeable) and walker ear muffs. I usually wear some poly inert ear buds under my walker ear muffs for doubling up ear protection. Good to hear on the CZ. I’ve got the P10S that I’ve not shot yet, so I hope it’s a nice shooter like your P10C. I concur about the Shield 45, I’ve got the Gen 1 Performance Center Shields in 9, 40 & 45 (all ported barrels & slides), and the 45 shoots great.
Click to expand...
I am definitely going to put the Shield 45 2.0 Performance Center on my list of to have handguns, I think that version is ported and I've never shot a ported 45ACP before so someday when I save up enough, that will be my next handgun purchase. The CZ shoots flawlessly, I mean really flawlessly. the P10C is weighted just right where recoil is negligible. I have a set of TruGlo fiber optic night sights installed and that orange front sight during the day makes it really easy to keep a tight grouping. I had a P10S before I had the C and the ONLY reason I traded it off was that I have sasquatch sized hands and even with the +1 mag extensions the P10S seemed just a bit small for my hands, but it was an incredibly nice handgun. The P10C fits my hands very nicely. That's one of the reasons I'm thrilled with my Shield 45 Gen 1, with the 7-round mag it fits my hand as well as the P10C, I think it's the the shape of the Shield or something like that, but I don't feel like I'm holding a sub-compact handgun when I shoot the Shield 45. It's one of those rare guns that checks all the boxes I need it to check to carry concealed. Have fun shooting that P10S, it's a smooth operator in all regards. CZ makes some very high quality firearms.

As far as ear protection goes, I've been looking for that elusive happy medium of something that will work both outdoors and indoors. Admittedly, I don't shoot outdoors very often now but I'd love to have something that works both outdoors and indoors. So far, the Walker's Razor electronic set has fit the bill both outside and inside for handguns and my AR15 but with summer coming on and the fact I sweat outside if the temperature is above 40 degrees..lol, joke...kind of....lol, I'd just like to have a set of ear buds for indoor/outdoor use that don't cost $500. Until then I think I'm going to go back to using my Walker's Razors....chasing a unicorn..lol
 
SimonRL said:
Thanks for the heads up on the Axils. They completely oversell these things for indoor ranges. I would love to ditch my muffs and wear ear buds but I don’t think it’s physically possible to cut down that much sound with ear buds.

You’ve also confirmed my own thoughts on .45acp. I sold my .45 Ronin a couple of months ago because .45 makes my hands hurt, but I’ve been second guessing myself since. I was sorting out some loose ammo on the weekend and most of it was .45acp, and when you compare it size-wise with 9mm it’s a no-brainer. I’m starting to look for a 1911 Commander in .45.
Click to expand...
That's one type of handgun I've never had the opportunity to procure is an actual 1911 style .45ACP and I absolutely love the look of the Springfield Ronin. I've seen some 1911s on this site that made me drool...lol. The .45 below is my albatross handgun...lol Just like it is in this pic, almost too beautiful to shoot but I'm sure I'd get over that. I have a Colt AR15 SOCOM that is my pride and joy and I would love to some day have this handgun to go along with it. I could die a happy gun owner then...lol

1623695442354.png
 
I have a set of blue tooth head phones that have noise cancellation on them, That is what I wear. Muffs do not bother me because for much I my life that has been my preferred way of listening to music. Ear plugs however do bother me, because I have had to wear them for work and can not stand them. I have only tried buds once and they were to much like ear plugs to me. I guess I do not like crap in my ear holes. LOL
 
the obsrver said:
I have a set of blue tooth head phones that have noise cancellation on them, That is what I wear. Muffs do not bother me because for much I my life that has been my preferred way of listening to music. Ear plugs however do bother me, because I have had to wear them for work and can not stand them. I have only tried buds once and they were to much like ear plugs to me. I guess I do not like crap in my ear holes. LOL
Click to expand...
I'm the opposite, I actually prefer ear buds over ear phones as far as not being as hot and I like the sound quality better on ear buds as it's shooting the music right into my ear canal. For now, I'm going back to my Walker's Razor set as it's a thin set and doesn't seem to be as hot as other sets I have when I wear them for an extended amount of time. The Walker's are my wife's preferred set when she shoots also, we're able to communicate at the indoor range while still having decent hearing protection.
 
ghosttwofive said:
Decided to have a solo range day this last Saturday at my local indoor range. I cut out about 250 rounds of 9mm and 100 rounds of 45ACP from my reserves and decided to take my three Taurus handguns, the G3, G3C, and G2c, my CZ P10C, my Smith and Wesson Shield 45ACP and lastly my nightstand home protection weapon, the Springfield XD45 Mod 2 4-inch. I was also there to test some new hearing protection I recently picked up, the AXIL Ghost Stryke Extreme ear buds.

I'll get the quick review out of the way on the AXIL ear buds....a joke. Supposedly you're supposed to be able to keep the sound enhancement on while you're in the range, that would be negative unless you enjoy having your ear drums shredded. There's a room you go into between the gun shop and the range where you transition from consumer to shooter so you need to make sure you have all of your protection on and ready before going thru the actual range entry door. I walked into the actual range with my new ear buds on setting "1" as in the lowest sound setting. Someone was shooting what looked like a .357 revolver a couple of lanes down and the first shot almost made me run back into the middle room..lol. If anything, the ear buds seemed to intensify the gunshots. I quickly shut the sound enhancement switch to off and everything became bearable but not anything like wearing my Walker's Razor electronic hearing protection, my vote for best hearing protection of all time as far as sound enhancement versus hearing protection. I should have just bought a 2nd pair of those to use. Anyway, with the noise enhancement turned completely off, the earbuds basically performed like non-electronic ear plugs, so I proceeded to get everything out of my range bad and ready to shoot.

So after getting my hearing protection ordeal taken care of over the next hour I confirmed, yet again, that I should carry a .45ACP concealed carry weapon over any of my 9mm. I ran targets out to 21 feet and then down to 15 feet and 5 feet, going thru just basic drills and I was consistently better with the Shield 45 and the Springfield 45 at every stop. All my shots were what I would consider kill shots with the 9mm but with both .45ACP handguns I was cutting the center out of the bullseyes at both distances. The CZ P10C is, by far, the best shooting 9mm handgun I've ever owned and my groupings with the CZ were close to the 45 groupings but not quite as good. I don't know it's the way the .45 recoil seems to be more predictable on a 45 or if it's the fact I've always enjoyed shooting a 45 more than a 9mm. I try not to be biased on evaluating one caliber versus another but I just really like shooting a 45 caliber handgun. After an hour and about 4 bullseye targets later, I evaluated all my groupings and decided I'm going to start carrying my Shield 45 exclusively as I would trust myself to do better with that handgun in a worst case scenario. The best thing about Saturday though, was just going to the range and shooting. I don't get to go nearly as often as I would like to but I'm always reminded of how much I enjoy shooting when I do. Crappy hearing protection aside, it was a good range day. Came home, spent a couple of hours outside on the patio cleaning all my handguns and reloading with hollow points. Decided to grill burgers and hot dogs for the family. It was definitely the best Saturday in several months. Long live the .45ACP....LOL.
Click to expand...
Is very nice getting out and about doing things with people care about! Sounds like the good time many of us look forward to with exception of the AXIL Ghost Stryke Extreme ear buds. Have a love/hate relationship with many electronic anythings here. "Long live the .45ACP....LOL." ....and grilled burgers too! Hard beating either! :)
 
BobM said:
Is very nice getting out and about doing things with people care about! Sounds like the good time many of us look forward to with exception of the AXIL Ghost Stryke Extreme ear buds. Have a love/hate relationship with many electronic anythings here. "Long live the .45ACP....LOL." ....and grilled burgers too! Hard beating either! :)
Click to expand...
Definitely hard to beat grilled burgers. My 16 year old son even decided to hang out with us Saturday night, a rare thing nowadays with all he has going on, so it was good to sit out on the patio and talk to him, watch my six year old stepson go berserk running around the yard, sit beside my wife and just enjoy the evening for a change.
 
ghosttwofive said:
Definitely hard to beat grilled burgers. My 16 year old son even decided to hang out with us Saturday night, a rare thing nowadays with all he has going on, so it was good to sit out on the patio and talk to him, watch my six year old stepson go berserk running around the yard, sit beside my wife and just enjoy the evening for a change.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good memorable time for all. (y)(y)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top