Range Report - Appleseed Pistol Qualification

Last week I went to the range to practice on the PQT (Pistol Qualification Target) for the new Project Appleseed pistol program. But before I write about that, a word about my recovery from surgery.

I never thought it would be this long before I wrote another blog entry. My intention was to make entries tracking my recovery from surgery as I had follow-up visits with the surgeon's office at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, plus whatever other events I wanted to document.   As it turns out, I am now past the nine month mark and haven't written a thing.  It's been a long year with COVID-19 isolation and my recovery, and despite everything that's happened in the interim, I just never got around to making another entry.

In a nutshell, the surgery was very successful and my recovery has exceeded my expectations.  I have completed physical therapy, and am back to participating in almost all normal activities.  I am still regaining strength and flexibility, and I feel my limitations from time to time as I push my limits.  I still can't get into a good sitting position for rifle shooting, but I am optimistic that will come with time.  I still wear the bone growth stimulator belt for two hours a day, and will continue to do so until a year has passed since my surgery.  So that's that.  Now, on to the range activity!

Last Thursday (3 Feb) was mild winter day, hovering around freezing with no wind and no snow on the ground to speak of.  My objective was to familiarize myself with the new Project Appleseed Pistol Qualification Target, learn the course of fire, and practice for the upcoming pistol event on 3 April.

I am a qualified Project Appleseed rifle instructor, but the pistol instructor qualification is completely separate.  Similar to the rifle program, one must first shoot a qualifying score on the PQT and become a "Pistoleer".  After earning the Pistoleer designation (with corresponding patch, of course!), additional training is required to qualify as an instructor.  The program is very new, and we have very few qualified instructors.  This creates a sort of "chicken and egg" problem, as we cannot hold pistol events without qualified instructors, but we cannot qualify additional instructors except at Appleseed pistol events.  I hope to become a qualified pistol instructor as soon as possible, but first things first.

The Appleseed pistol program is intended to fit in between the very basic beginner pistol courses such as the NRA Basic Pistol Course, and the more advanced tactical pistol courses offered by many companies and organizations.  It teaches the fundamentals and finer points of pistol marksmanship, but does not include any tactical aspects such as drawing from a holster or discussions of defensive use.  The qualification target is placed seven yards from the firing line, and the course of fire includes timed strings of fire, transitions between targets, and magazine changes.  

My favorite pistol, the Heckler and Koch P7M8, is still awaiting a replacement firing pin spring, which I have on order.  I was in the process of developing a new practice load for this gun late last year when I experienced a number of misfires due to light primer strikes.  I sent it away for a complete overhaul and technical inspection by a qualified HK armorer.  Even though he reported that everything on the pistol was within specifications, I decided to go ahead and replace the firing pin spring anyway, as it had taken a "set" over the 35 years I've owned the pistol, and was significantly shorter than when new.  I also suspect that it may have a degree of metal fatigue, considering the many, many thousands of rounds I have fired through it over those 35 years.   So despite my Project Appleseed forum name "P7", I may be shooting this qualification course with a different gun.

The gun I took to the range is my CZ-75, another old favorite.  It is an original CZ-75, stamped "Made in Czechoslovakia", purchased at the Hanau Rod & Gun Club in 1983 while I was stationed in Germany during the Cold War.  Because it was produced behind the Iron Curtain in a communist country, it could not be legally imported into the United States by commercial distributors.  The only CZ-75s in the USA at that time were those brought back by returning military service members, or those legally purchased abroad (e.g. in Canada) and imported as individual private property.  Because combat pistol guru Jeff Cooper considered it one of the finest pistol designs ever executed, it had a mystique that drove demand (and prices) sky-high. Having bought mine in Germany with a very good exchange rate for the dollar, no taxes, no retail markup, and no import duties, it was quite a bargain.

Article on the CZ-75

I shot this pistol extensively while I was in Germany in the early 1980s, and had made a few improvements to it while I was there. I had the original high-gloss finish bead-blasted and changed to a flat black finish.  I had the slide rails polished and a trigger job done on it, and also replaced the original plastic grips with wooden grips that feel better in my hand (and also look great!). Once I returned to the USA, I installed adjustable three-dot sights and had it refinished with W.E. Birdsong's Black-T, an extremely durable corrosion-resistant finish. One thing I had overlooked at the time was to have the magazine well beveled for faster, smoother magazine changes. That's one of those small details that can make a difference in competition, but I seem to do OK with it as-is and am unlikely to change it now.

My Cold War vintage CZ-75

As it turns out, I had not fired this pistol since 2015, so it was long overdue for a range session.  I still had about 600 rounds of the target load I had developed for it, so I was well-prepared for some serious practice.

The Appleseed pistol targets (available from the online store on the Appleseed website) are self-explanatory, laying out the course of fire and qualification standards in detail.

Targets at the Appleseed Online Store

The Appleseed PQT consists of five stages on two separate target sheets:

Appleseed Pistol Qualification Target,
Part 1 of 2 (Stages One and Two)

Stage One:  Ten shots in fifteen seconds, with a magazine change.

Stage Two: Ten shots in fifteen seconds, alternating between two targets, with a magazine change.

Appleseed Pistol Qualification Target, 
Part 2 of 2 (Stages Three, Four, and Five)

Stage Three: Five shots in fifteen seconds, left hand only.

Stage Four: Five shots in fifteen seconds, right hand only.

Stage Five: Ten shots in two minutes, transitioning across four targets; 2, 2, 3, 3, with a magazine change. The score for this stage counts double.

Set up to fire.  Targets at seven yards, CZ-75 on the bench with a six-round magazine on the right, a four round magazine on the left for the magazine change/reload, and an additional six-round magazine at the top left as a backup in case of malfunctions.

I fired three courses of fire.  The first time through, I did very well, but did not make the qualifying score of 210/250.   I think that my score of 204 was pretty good, considering that it was the first time I had been to the range with this gun in five years!

First attempt, target 1/2.  Stage 1: 45/50, Stage 2: 44/50

First attempt, target 2/2.  Stage 3:16/25, Stage 4: 23/25, Stage 5: 38x2 = 76/100  
Combined score on first attempt: 204/250

My major mistake on the first attempt was on stage 3 (left hand). I had a stovepipe jam due to improper (loose) grip.  I cleared it effectively by the standard method of sweeping the stovepiped case to the rear, but my finger hit the (very sensitive) trigger before I had the sights back on target, and I pulled the shot low, clear off the target.  As usual, I realized I need to practice left-handed shooting more often.

My second attempt was more successful.  I forgot to take photos of the targets, but my scores were:

Stage 1: 47/50

Stage 2: 39/50

Stage 3: 21/25

Stage 4: 22/25

Stage 5: 43x2 = 86

Combined score for second attempt:  215/250 - "Pistoleer"!    This was encouraging.

Third attempt, target 1/2.  Stage 1: 45/50, Stage 2: 43/50

Third attempt, target 2/2.  Stage 3: 24/25, Stage 4: 22/25, Stage 5: 45 x 2 = 90/100  
Combined score on third attempt: 224/250

My third target was the best, with a score of 224/250, also a qualifying score for the designation of "Pistoleer".  More importantly to me, this will mean I can proceed to finish qualifying as an Appleseed Pistol instructor and begin helping out with pistol events. 

At this point I transitioned from shooting 9mm to shooting .22LR.  I had brought several varieties of .22LR ammunition to the range, along with the CZ Kadet .22LR rifle conversion unit for the CZ-75 and another .22 pistol, a GSG 1911-22.   My intention was to practice with these two guns, see which one was more reliable and accurate, and then perhaps use one of those to qualify at the pistol event. .22LR is the most economical way to practice skills and develop good shooting habits.  With the current ammunition shortage, it is also very difficult for many people to even find enough 9mm or other full-bore pistol ammunition for an event (a typical Appleseed rifle event requires 350-500 rounds, and a full weekend pistol event would probably be about the same).  I was hoping to at least be prepared to offer .22LR pistols as loaners for future events if people cannot find ammunition.

Unfortunately I experienced multiple misfires, failures to extract, and failures to feed.  I did not have time to diagnose the reasons, although I have several ideas as to why this may have happened.  I will need to make another trip to the range to test these ideas out and work on getting the pistols running reliably.  Meanwhile, I will continue to practice with 9mm, and simply load up another batch before the event in April.

On balance, I consider the day a success.  I am reasonably confident that I will be able to qualify as a Pistoleer at the actual shoot.  When I got home, I ordered an electronic shot timer (on my "wish list" for years), which will enable me to ensure that my practice sessions are really within the time constraints of the qualification requirements.  More on that next time!

Mood: Happy

Music: Hank Williams, Jr., "A Country Boy Can Survive"