Time To Shoot
I’ve been shooting the heck out of this pistol because it’s loud — and fun. Boys will be boys …
While there’s been a growing list of 10mm practice and defensive ammo on the pre-COVID gun store shelves, my 10mm “go to” phone call is always to DoubleTap Ammunition. Mike McNett, the Godfather of Boom, seems to have a soft spot for the 10mm, so the company makes a plethora of interesting varieties.
While a 200-gr. bullet is somewhat standard, DoubleTap makes some compelling carry loads at the light end of the spectrum. The 135-gr. Controlled Expansion hollow point left the muzzle of this Rapide at an average of 1,534 fps while its portlier 150-gr. sibling still showed a jaw-dropping 1,386 fps. There’s also a 155-gr. Lead Free (solid copper) offering with an HP cavity suitable for a bowl of Cheerios. That one averaged 1,296 fps for 578 ft lbs. All three of these loads would re-awaken the Walking Dead with the noise, but the recoil sensation of a lighter bullet moving faster was surprisingly pleasant. Still a bit more than a .45, but not significantly.
On the more traditional front, the 200-gr. Controlled Expansion bullet moved at 1,125 fps. If you’re headed to the woods, perhaps consider the 200-gr. Hard cast flat point. This one clocked in at 1,150 fps and delivered 586 ft lbs.
I also spent some quality time with the Speer Gold Dot and Federal Premium HST loads, both weighing 200 grains. Federal got the velocity nod with 1,112 fps while the Gold Dots rang the bell at 1,065.
Another compelling carry candidate is the SIG SAUER 180-gr. V-Crown. The lighter projectile didn’t give up anything in the speed department, averaging 1,186 fps. I liked the tradeoff between recoil, bullet weight and performance of this one. It’s a solid carry load.
Perhaps the most fun at the range award goes to the HSM Ammunition Bear Load. The 200-gr. lead round nose flat point bullets averaged 1,070 fps. While it makes a great hunting or woods protection load, I have to say what I enjoyed most was the smoke. While not creating black powder levels, each shot delivered a bit of nostalgia and fun from this decidedly modern pistol.
So, yes. I gave my Competition Electronics Pro Chrono DLX a workout. There’s something thrilling about seeing large, and sometimes shocking, four-digit figures pop up on my Bluetooth-connected companion app with every shot. Seeing shot strings in the 1,500+ fps range when shooting .40-caliber bullets seems wrong, but concurrently awesome.
As for accuracy and handling, you won’t be disappointed. Mechanically, the gun will print tiny groups. Just for kicks, I sandbagged it at 15 yards or so and found it easy to create one-hole and touching-hole groups. What really illustrates the handling characteristics of this pistol is its ability to print similar groups freehand. If you do your part, take your time, and fret over the crisp trigger, you’ll most certainly shoot groups of similar size. It’s a very easy pistol to shoot accurately. The iconic 1911 ergonomics are part of it, but the sights give a healthy assist.
Meanwhile, in Photography Land, Rob “worked” with the .45 ACP version of the Black Ice. His ammo picks included Norma’s Safeguard 230-gr. JHP offering and Black Hills 185-gr. JHP. With a little help from a sandbag, Rob had no trouble printing 2.5″ groups from 25 yards with both ammo types.
The Kimber Rapide Black Ice ain’t your grandpappy’s 1911. It looks more like something out of a Star Wars franchise movie, but don’t let its pretty looks fool you. It’s built to run. And carry.
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