megawatt
.270 WIN
Attending a two day shotgun class and decided to rest the 590A1 and take out the SPX. I will add more to this post as I get time. Today was the first of two days of training and here is what I have so far:
Class size was 28 with four instructors so running two relays it was a 2/7 ratio of instructors to students. Mostly pump guns with about 8 autos in this class, everything from Remy, Mossberg, HK, Benelli, & Winchester. I hate that I have not custom coated my SPX like I do for all my other guns so for now it is just another black gun on the rack.
00B pattern work at 7 & 15 yards. I was using cheap Rio Royal low recoil 00B and this was the pattern. Abels ammo had a smoking deal months ago and I paid like .15 cents a shell but the pattern shows it is a value product and not much control of the projectiles. I got a chance to see someone shooting (FFC) Federal Flight Control 00B and that stuff is deadly. The 7 yd shot of FFC had all 9 rounds including the wad centered symmetrically within in a 3" hole. The 15yd shot of FFC was a uniform pattern smaller than my RIO 7 yd shot. If you notice on my 15 yd shot there is not wad impact, that is because it ended up five feet to the left and hit the target in the next shooting lane! If there is a good side I guess it is that at lease only one buck missed the target and hit the white area. Performance has a price for sure; I will try to get pics tomorrow of different ammo patterns if I get a chance.
SPX and the type 3 malf -
Short story is if you ever have a type 3 malf you will be better off picking up another weapon to get back in the fight because it takes a lot of work to clear it. Better yet is to set up a type 3 and practice on clearing it because it takes work. If you get into a reason to shoot and have a type 3 you will panic, try it for the first time in the comfort of a safe place and see what I am talking about. Type 3 is a shell still in the barrel (failed to extract) and the bolt tried to load another new shell right behind the old shell.
On a SPX the elevator does not go down until the bolt is past the bolt release button, and on a type 3 malf the bolt position is way behind the button so the elevator will not go back down, not even if you push it down with your finger. You have to hold the bolt to the rear and finger out the good shell while the elevator is holding the shell in place. You can not simply hold the bolt back and rotate the gun to the ground for the shell to fall out, it must be fingered out with a lot of effort!
As a comparison a Bennelli, HK, or Beretta auto has a carriage interrupter button or carriage drop button that when pressed will relax the elevator and allow the second shell to fall out, then you just cycle the bolt to extract the shell in the barrel. This is the only scenario I can see where the Italian guns have a one up on the SPX but I still would not change anything about the SPX. Setting up a type 1 or 2 malf is sooooo much easier on the SPX compared to the Italian guns. If you have one to compare you will see but I will not go into the details of why, and just say that it is.
Unlaoding a SPX is better than any other platform I saw out there thanks to the quick empty magazine feature. Works like a charm and so quick and easy to do. All other guns needed a couple fingers in the well to hold back the interrupter then move fingers out of the way to get a shell out. I can see every other manufacture going to this system in the future because it works so well.
I had one FTL but I just re-cocked the charging handle and it chambered quickly. Could of been a damaged shell, I don't know. We went thru so many shells today that I just fixed the issue and kept going. Otherwise it was a good day at the range with the SPX and I am very please with its performance and ease of use. Tomorrow is slug work, more info then and more pics for sure.
Class size was 28 with four instructors so running two relays it was a 2/7 ratio of instructors to students. Mostly pump guns with about 8 autos in this class, everything from Remy, Mossberg, HK, Benelli, & Winchester. I hate that I have not custom coated my SPX like I do for all my other guns so for now it is just another black gun on the rack.
00B pattern work at 7 & 15 yards. I was using cheap Rio Royal low recoil 00B and this was the pattern. Abels ammo had a smoking deal months ago and I paid like .15 cents a shell but the pattern shows it is a value product and not much control of the projectiles. I got a chance to see someone shooting (FFC) Federal Flight Control 00B and that stuff is deadly. The 7 yd shot of FFC had all 9 rounds including the wad centered symmetrically within in a 3" hole. The 15yd shot of FFC was a uniform pattern smaller than my RIO 7 yd shot. If you notice on my 15 yd shot there is not wad impact, that is because it ended up five feet to the left and hit the target in the next shooting lane! If there is a good side I guess it is that at lease only one buck missed the target and hit the white area. Performance has a price for sure; I will try to get pics tomorrow of different ammo patterns if I get a chance.
SPX and the type 3 malf -
Short story is if you ever have a type 3 malf you will be better off picking up another weapon to get back in the fight because it takes a lot of work to clear it. Better yet is to set up a type 3 and practice on clearing it because it takes work. If you get into a reason to shoot and have a type 3 you will panic, try it for the first time in the comfort of a safe place and see what I am talking about. Type 3 is a shell still in the barrel (failed to extract) and the bolt tried to load another new shell right behind the old shell.
On a SPX the elevator does not go down until the bolt is past the bolt release button, and on a type 3 malf the bolt position is way behind the button so the elevator will not go back down, not even if you push it down with your finger. You have to hold the bolt to the rear and finger out the good shell while the elevator is holding the shell in place. You can not simply hold the bolt back and rotate the gun to the ground for the shell to fall out, it must be fingered out with a lot of effort!
As a comparison a Bennelli, HK, or Beretta auto has a carriage interrupter button or carriage drop button that when pressed will relax the elevator and allow the second shell to fall out, then you just cycle the bolt to extract the shell in the barrel. This is the only scenario I can see where the Italian guns have a one up on the SPX but I still would not change anything about the SPX. Setting up a type 1 or 2 malf is sooooo much easier on the SPX compared to the Italian guns. If you have one to compare you will see but I will not go into the details of why, and just say that it is.
Unlaoding a SPX is better than any other platform I saw out there thanks to the quick empty magazine feature. Works like a charm and so quick and easy to do. All other guns needed a couple fingers in the well to hold back the interrupter then move fingers out of the way to get a shell out. I can see every other manufacture going to this system in the future because it works so well.
I had one FTL but I just re-cocked the charging handle and it chambered quickly. Could of been a damaged shell, I don't know. We went thru so many shells today that I just fixed the issue and kept going. Otherwise it was a good day at the range with the SPX and I am very please with its performance and ease of use. Tomorrow is slug work, more info then and more pics for sure.
