HOME ON THE RANGE
More on barrel length
By MARJ LAW
We’ve talked here about three .45-caliber handguns with different length barrels. With several people shooting, the gun with the longest barrel shot the most accurately.
We talked about .40-caliber handguns with different length barrels. Again, several of us shot and found the gun with the longest barrel shot the most accurately.
The same thing happened with 9mm handguns. The one with the longest barrel had more holes closest to the X-ring on the target.
And, lo and behold, one of the guns we compared was a Kimber! That was a .45-caliber handgun with a 4-inch barrel. We compared it to a .45-caliber Rock Island 1911 AICS with a 3.5-inch barrel and a Thompson Auto Ordnance Custom with a 5-inch barrel. Did the Kimber win out? No! The Thompson with the 5-inch barrel won out.
Tony had maintained: “a Kimber is a super fine gun. The Kimber will win over a Rock Island or even a longer-barreled Auto Ordnance.”
After several of us (including Tony) shot the Rock Island, the Kimber and the Thompson, Tony had to eat his words. Even though many people (usually guys) practically genuflect at the name Kimber, Tony had to agree that name isn’t everything. Barrel length is very important.
Of course, barrel length is never the only factor on how well a gun shoots. Mass and grip make a difference. Sights and sight radius make a difference too. Just knowing that a gun is a Kimber makes a huge difference to many. And there’s that personal preference. Sometimes it’s just difficult to say what makes you like one gun over another.
This time, we’re comparing a Windham 9mm carbine to a 9mm Cmmg Banshee pistol.
The Windham is 30.75 inches long with its telestock collapsed. It weighs 6.72 pounds and comes with a magazine which holds 17 rounds. The Windham’s barrel is 16 inches long. The Banshee is 23.7 inches long with its stock collapsed. It comes with a magazine that holds 31 rounds. It weighs 5 pounds and has an 8-inch barrel.
“Which do you think will be easier to shoot and will do the best job of taking out the X-ring?” Joe asks me.
Now, we’re not competitive or anything like that, but I remember shooting those .45, .40, and 9mm handguns.
“The Windham carbine has a barrel of 16 inches. The Banshee’s is only 8 inches.” Duh. The Windham is going to leave the Banshee in the dust.”
“Wanna make a bet?” he asks, smirking because he thinks he knows the answer.
I’m going to win this one. After all the shooting and comparing we’ve done, I’ve learned my lesson: the gun with the longest barrel is going to shoot the best. I’m getting a dinner at Wakulla Springs when I win this bet.
We’re with our friend Nick at his range on a Sunday afternoon. Nick shows us a 9mm Windham carbine. He passes the gun to me.
At 6.72 pounds, it’s not very heavy. I’m not sure what to expect, but trigger pull is crisp. It’s not difficult and travel time is brief. Out of a possible score of 5 as most difficult, I give the trigger a 2.
Joe and Nick shoot next. They both agree on the trigger, saying it’s not demanding at all. Reset is minimal. With little effort, the next rounds can be fired very quickly. The guys like the grip, except that Joe would prefer more palm swell. There’s a finger groove which fits their hands. However, I find the groove to be in an awkward position for a small hand. Overall, we like the grip and agree it deserves a 1 for being easy and comfortable.
Recoil? Again, I don’t know what to expect and am surprised to find it very light.
Blip! The gun fires. I hear a slight cracking noise and see the hole in the target. How easy is that? The guys agree. The Windham has practically no recoil. The Windham is a pleasure to shoot.
That Banshee is going to have to be plenty good to beat out the Windham.
I hold the Banshee. Putting my arm through the brace, and raising the gun, I place my left hand over the trigger. My right hand grasps the foregrip.
I like the foregrip. It’s round and firm in my right hand. What a nice balanced gun! How do you explain when it just feels right?
Trigger pull is light and travel is minimal. The guys agree.
Recoil? Recoil is about the same as the Windham. Very, very little. Grip? I do love the round foregrip.
Both guys agree on this too. Recoil is almost non-existant.
Nick tries shooting from 50 yards, because I had read that you’ll find bullet drop at 50 yards and more. Is that true? The holes in Nick’s target drop about 4 inches.
“If you want a head shot,” he explains, “go for the chin at 50 yards.”
Nick is pretty successful at 50 yards, so he moves back and shoots at 60 and 65 yards. Ping! We hear from the metal targets. Ping, ping, ping!
I had read that the Banshee eats even the cheapest of ammunition. Nick finds some old ammo and puts it in the Banshee.
More pings. The Banshee hits each target.
“I’m going to check how quickly the Banshee resets!” he says happily, and rapidly fires another 15 rounds. “This thing is sweet,” he adds.
The Banshee is made primarily for close-range use. As we see with Nick’s shooting, the gun is still accurate at 50 yards, but he does compensate for drop and is accurate in figuring out how much drop to allow for.
The Banshee is light and short and easy to maneuver. If you’re not particularly strong enough to handle a shotgun or a rifle, you may do well to try out this gun.
Because this gun has so little recoil, you can maintain your firm grip and have little muzzle rise. This allows you to keep your sight picture. When it comes to self-defense, staying on target is extremely important.
The Banshee is reliable, portable and accurate.
Looks like I lost my bet with Joe.
Guess he won a dinner at Wakulla Springs.
Guess crow is on the menu.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.