Springfield Armory Range Officer 9 mm

[tonyjones]

I am thinking about purchasing one of these pistols to use for informal bullseye practice (25 & 50 yard) to improve my skills with a pistol. I intend to use bullets that I cast exclusively and am looking for lots of inexpensive but accurate practice ammo. Further, I expect to load, say, 105 to 125 grain bullets at 700 to 850 fps mv. If necessary, I will change/lighten the recoil spring. Your thoughts and comments are welcome. Should I consider any other modifications to the pistol: throat, crown, trigger, etc? I do not want to add $1,000 or more of bells & whistles. In fact, I'd rather spend my money on powder and primers. Please feel free to offer your comments on anything regarding the gun, ammo, handloading the 9 mm, etc.

Thanks and regards,

Tony

[Ia.redneck]

I've always thought the 1911 would make a great 9mm lead launcher.
Easy on lead and powder supply, and that 1 in 16 twist would be better than the usual 1 in 10.
GrabAGun has a good price on them right now. Good luck!

[RoyEllis]

Never had a 9mm range officer, but I have 2 of them .45cal and a Springfield .45 Loaded. All 3 will shoot as well if not better than I'm able, 1 RO has a Clark .460 Rowland conversion in it & if I'm having a decent day it'll keep 7 inside a tennis ball sized circle @ 100. I'd expect your 9mm RO will shoot quite well, perhaps even better than you can hold it. Best of luck with it!

[tonyjones]

Ia.redneck,

Thanks for the heads-up on GrabAGun. For this pistol, $700 is the best price I've yet seen.

RoyEllis,

Thanks for your input. Even though I've been shooting for more than 55 years and handloading for about 50 years I'm still a novice with a hand gun. I now have the time to put in some serious practice.

Best regards,

Tony

[DougGuy]

You won't really know if it needs throated until you get it in hand and look in the bore. If it's typical as most ROs go, throat and crown would definitely be a noticeable improvement in both feeding and "plunking" your loads, and also an improvement in group size.

[tonyjones]

Thanks DougGuy. TJ

[wrench]

I have a RO in 9mm. Mine is a fine pistol, I bought it new when they first came out, probably have 2k rounds through it now.
I shoot the NOE 135g rnfp, and a Mihec 9mm bullet, forget which one right now. Both sized to .358", no issues with feeding or chambering. I lube with BAC, no leading.
Really a fun pistol to shoot, it's accurate and reliable, no recoil, and a nice lead saving over a .45.
I have only replaced the trigger with a short one, (small hands), and a few other external mods. No barrel mods.
Go for it, good luck!

[tonyjones]

Thanks wrench,

It sounds as though you are using your RO 9 mm much like I intend to use mine; low cost, low recoil practice.

Regards,

Tony

[lbaize3]

A buddy of mine, also a member on this forum, was having issues with his 9mm semi auto. He tried many different loads and noticed a real improvement when he sized his boolits to .357. And he hit paydirt when he tried to size them at .358. And he gets his best accuracy with a 130 grain boolit....

[22cf45]

tony
I'm replying since you mentioned bullseye shooting although in an informal sense. I am a bullseye shooter for the past 35 or 40 years. First off, your choice of a Springfield Range officer is an excellent choice. When I ask my bullseye gunsmiths which pistol they prefer to accurize, they mention the Springfield offerings as a first choice. The Range Officer is generally accurate enough right out of the box to accommodate a beginning bullseye shooter for awhile and is a worthy candidate for a full accuracy job if the need arises.


Your choice of 9mm would certainly not be one of my choices. I would go with the .45acp. As I am sure you are aware, bullseye consists of an aggregate of 3 guns: .22 rimfire, centerfire (.32 cal or larger), and .45. Most all of the bullseye shooters use their .45's for the centerfire portion as well. We use the .45 for centerfire for a couple reasons. In order to get a 9mm to shoot well, it needs to be shot fairly hot so there is not a big difference in recoil and secondly, you've got to shoot the .45 sooner or later and using in two of the aggregates will allow you to progress with the .45 faster.

Probably not the info you are seeking so take it for what its worth,
Phil

[tonyjones]

lbaize3, 22cf45:

Thanks for your comments/response. When I said informal bullseye I was referring to paper targets at 25 and 50 yards. While I have shot some registered events/formal disciplines in the past I do not desire to do so going forward. I may use IBS 200 or 300 yard targets in lieu of NRA bullseye targets. I hope to get to the point where I can consistently shoot 1-1/2 to 2" groups at 25 yards and twice that at 50. I intend to use a 2 hand grip. My shooting will overwhelmingly be on my personal range. I want a pistol that I can use for lots of accurate but inexpensive practice. I fully intend to also acquire a couple of .45's. I'd like a 4" pistol for carry and I also find myself attracted to a long slide .45.

Any response that adds to my knowledge is a positive thing as are comments that cause me to pause and think things over.

Best regards,

Tony

[22cf45]

Tony
If you achieve the results in group size you mention, we will be referring to you as high master I liked long slides also back in the day, but have to shoot dots now if I want to see the sights. A dot added to a long slide gets pretty heavy with one hand.
Phil
Distinguished Pistol
Distinguished Revolver
Presidents 100
Elihu Root Gold Medal

[tonyjones]

Phil,

I stated a goal... I did not say I would get there. If I get there at all it will be with both hands and that will not qualify me for the High Master appelation. At one time I had a goal of winning either the IBS or NBRSA Nationals. My 100 yard aggs in LV and HV (low .2's) were almost good enough. My 200 yard aggs were, well, not good enough. Bench rest matches are, more often than not, won at 200.

I'm in my mid 60's and can still see the irons so I'll use them as long as I can before moving to a dot. I have a notion that with the right ammo I could use a long slide on deer and hogs.

Best regards,

Tony

[apen]

I'd get the 45 if bullseye is your game. The 9mm needs to be pushed pretty hard to do well at 50. You have to shoot a 45 anyway. If one thing needs to be changed...it's the trigger.

[22cf45]

tony
The groups shot in benchrest amaze me. One of my bullseye shooting buddies was a benchrest shooter for quite a few years. Talking with him about all the little things needed to shoot those little bug hole groups is very interesting. The equipment needed to be competitive is nothing I'm familiar with.
Phil

[apen]

Phil Hemphill?

[tonyjones]

There seems to be a growing consensus around the .45 ACP. TJ

[tonyjones]

apen,

Would you have the trigger tuned or have it changed?

Thanks,

Tony

[apen]

I would get a trigger job by a smith accustomed to tuning BE guns.
You have a good starter platform. Stock guns don't come with triggers useful for learning how to shoot at 50 yards.

[tonyjones]

Phil,

It's been a while since I've played the BR game. My guess is that a competitive rifle and scope would today cost between $4k and $5k. Double that for a LV (10.5# weight limit) gun AND a HV (13.5# weight limit) gun. One could use the LV gun for both events but would be at a disadvantage. The 13.5# gun IS easier to shoot well. Add another couple thousand dollars for dies, arbor press, neck turning equipment and assorted doodads, components and barrels. Yes...barrels. The most competitive shooters believe a good barrel has a competitive life of 600 to 900 rounds.

My guess is that around 400 shooters compete at the Super Shoot and half of them have competitive equipment. Perhaps 20 or so of the competitors are capable of winning the event. It gets down to who can handle the conditions (wind/mirage). Half of the folks competing have rifles that will shoot in the .0's and .1's if no wind were present.

Have fun,

Tony