I snagged a new PT111 G2 at the gun show this weekend. I had read up on the reviews and tests, and opinions on the net, and had been debating whether to get one of those, or a larger, higher cap 9mm... the Ruger 9E was at the top of that list. Anyway, the PT111 won out, and I took it home. I went to the range with it today, for a short test run.
First viewing of the gun was positive, with everything tight and smooth in operation. Trigger pull is probably as crisp as any trigger I've tried on a striker type gun. I don't have a trigger pull scale, but I would guess it's upward of 6 or 7 pounds.... judging from other triggers I've operated that are advertised to be at 5.5 pounds. This one is just a little heavier.
The only problem I had was in getting all 12 rounds into the magazine. I had to do as the manual suggests and smack the base of it on my hand to get all of them in, and it was tough getting that last one in. I chose to just put in 11 for now.
At the range, I found it to be more comfortable to shoot than I expected. This gun just absorbs the recoil well. I fired the first eleven rounds at 7 yards fairly quickly, then reloaded with 8 in the second mag and shot those at about the same pace. Not great grouping, but I was sure it was just me. My vision is not near what it was when I was 30.... being twice that age means that reading glasses are required for sharp focus up close, where the sights are. This requirement leaves the target blurry. I had shot these first two without the glasses so that the target was sharper, but left me guessing a little bit about precise sight alignment. There were also a couple of groups fired with my .22 pistols on this target...
Moving on, I fired a couple of mags fairly rapidly, about as fast as I could get the sights back on target. I then moved the target out to somewhere around 20-25 yards and fired 10 rounds standing, slow fire. I figure I could keep my shots on a man sized target at that range, if necessary, but I certainly wouldn't be "pick a button on the shirt" accurate. The 25 yrd group is on the left side of this target, and the right side is the rapid fire. I apparently tend to push the gun to the left when firing fast. Needs work.
The final target had me standing at 7 yds and shooting as deliberately as possible, while wearing my glasses (right side of target) and then leaning over and resting my gun hand on the small table area in my shooting lane... these are the left target. I think I was beginning to get the hang of the trigger towards the end of the session, and the glasses bringing the sights into focus obviously helped a lot.
My very early opinion of this gun is all positive. It's smooth and tight, and comfortable to shoot, considering its size. The feedramp is polished better than any other autoloader I've had. The barrel is shiny, and the lands/grooves are sharp. It takes down just like the old standby, the Glock. I had zero problems with feeding or ejection. I only used one load, the Federal 115 gr HP load, but I plan to give it a much more thorough wringing out during the next few weeks. I haven't taken any pics of the gun yet, but I can do that for the follow-up postings. I'm jazzed... I think it's going to be a great little 9mm. Oh, and I paid right at $280 for it... out the door.
First viewing of the gun was positive, with everything tight and smooth in operation. Trigger pull is probably as crisp as any trigger I've tried on a striker type gun. I don't have a trigger pull scale, but I would guess it's upward of 6 or 7 pounds.... judging from other triggers I've operated that are advertised to be at 5.5 pounds. This one is just a little heavier.
The only problem I had was in getting all 12 rounds into the magazine. I had to do as the manual suggests and smack the base of it on my hand to get all of them in, and it was tough getting that last one in. I chose to just put in 11 for now.
At the range, I found it to be more comfortable to shoot than I expected. This gun just absorbs the recoil well. I fired the first eleven rounds at 7 yards fairly quickly, then reloaded with 8 in the second mag and shot those at about the same pace. Not great grouping, but I was sure it was just me. My vision is not near what it was when I was 30.... being twice that age means that reading glasses are required for sharp focus up close, where the sights are. This requirement leaves the target blurry. I had shot these first two without the glasses so that the target was sharper, but left me guessing a little bit about precise sight alignment. There were also a couple of groups fired with my .22 pistols on this target...
Moving on, I fired a couple of mags fairly rapidly, about as fast as I could get the sights back on target. I then moved the target out to somewhere around 20-25 yards and fired 10 rounds standing, slow fire. I figure I could keep my shots on a man sized target at that range, if necessary, but I certainly wouldn't be "pick a button on the shirt" accurate. The 25 yrd group is on the left side of this target, and the right side is the rapid fire. I apparently tend to push the gun to the left when firing fast. Needs work.
The final target had me standing at 7 yds and shooting as deliberately as possible, while wearing my glasses (right side of target) and then leaning over and resting my gun hand on the small table area in my shooting lane... these are the left target. I think I was beginning to get the hang of the trigger towards the end of the session, and the glasses bringing the sights into focus obviously helped a lot.
My very early opinion of this gun is all positive. It's smooth and tight, and comfortable to shoot, considering its size. The feedramp is polished better than any other autoloader I've had. The barrel is shiny, and the lands/grooves are sharp. It takes down just like the old standby, the Glock. I had zero problems with feeding or ejection. I only used one load, the Federal 115 gr HP load, but I plan to give it a much more thorough wringing out during the next few weeks. I haven't taken any pics of the gun yet, but I can do that for the follow-up postings. I'm jazzed... I think it's going to be a great little 9mm. Oh, and I paid right at $280 for it... out the door.