One of my shootin' buddies was there today. Type of guy that's always at the range, always has a new gun, always willing to chat and let you pop off a few rounds. In other words, he's another perfect candidate for Tennesseeship. Super nice dude. Retired Corrections Officer, always has a smile on his face. I think the job got to him, and since he retired he just enjoys life now. Anyway...
Today he brought an Echelon with a green dot pre-installed (not sure of the brand, I'll have to ask next time I see him). Maybe it was factory, I have no idea. He said he bought it with the optics installed already.
Prior to today, I've never handled an Echelon, and.... I've never used an optic on a defensive handgun. Never believed in them, I think they're a bad idea, they can fail, battery can die, etc etc. Boy was I wrong. I picked that gun up and drilled it like Honest Outlaw does, and kept all the shots in the black at 50 feet without even trying a little bit. Was the most natural thing in the world to me. I realized I wasn't straining my eyes (my vision has been going downhill) trying to focus on the front sight while keeping the X in view, all the usual rules. I just picked it up and floored it and had a group I could cover with my hand right in the center of the target. Not bad for rapid fire or a gun/optic I'd never used before. Bet if I slowed down, I could bring that group down to the size of a quarter.
Made me feel like a kid again. Brought back memories to my pistol team days when I could shoot like that. The Echelon is just incredible. Pretty sure it was the full size version. Very comfortable, flawless operation, flawless trigger. Zero complaints other than the size.
The whole experience was exhilarating, and makes me rethink my grumpy old man position on optics.
Today he brought an Echelon with a green dot pre-installed (not sure of the brand, I'll have to ask next time I see him). Maybe it was factory, I have no idea. He said he bought it with the optics installed already.
Prior to today, I've never handled an Echelon, and.... I've never used an optic on a defensive handgun. Never believed in them, I think they're a bad idea, they can fail, battery can die, etc etc. Boy was I wrong. I picked that gun up and drilled it like Honest Outlaw does, and kept all the shots in the black at 50 feet without even trying a little bit. Was the most natural thing in the world to me. I realized I wasn't straining my eyes (my vision has been going downhill) trying to focus on the front sight while keeping the X in view, all the usual rules. I just picked it up and floored it and had a group I could cover with my hand right in the center of the target. Not bad for rapid fire or a gun/optic I'd never used before. Bet if I slowed down, I could bring that group down to the size of a quarter.
Made me feel like a kid again. Brought back memories to my pistol team days when I could shoot like that. The Echelon is just incredible. Pretty sure it was the full size version. Very comfortable, flawless operation, flawless trigger. Zero complaints other than the size.
The whole experience was exhilarating, and makes me rethink my grumpy old man position on optics.
