New Ranger II 9mm w/ a few upgrades

[dusty78]

I ordered this gun last week on a whim and man am I glad I did. It is tight as a drum and the fit and finish is superb. I added an Ed Brown MSH/Magwell to match the chainlink stippling and a set of VZ grips. I plan on adding an SVI long flat trigger in the near future and possibly sending it to CCR for some CPII action.

I took her to the range Sunday and put 300 rounds through the gun without issue. I used Wilson ETM mags and a mixed bag of ammo. The gun groups very well but does hit a bit low for me. I tried 115gr, 124gr, and 147gr bullets and they all hit low. Windage was dead on but the elevation could use some attention. I am sending it back to STI for a shorter front sight. Aside from that I am very happy with the purchase.









@ 10 yards unsupported

[FLSlim]

Very nice and I like the VZs! Mine (45) is still box stock except for grips and has run like a top through the first 1K rounds.

[dusty78]

does yours hit point of aim?

[PeterGunn]

Beautiful. Nice grips! magwell looks good too.

[dusty78]

got some new leather today by Occidental Leather designed by Mike @ TT gunleather. Carries very well.

[BattlePack]

That looks really nice. Hope you don't mind, but I may have to order one in 38 super and put the same grips on it!

Are those slim or full size VZ grips?

[G27RR]

Originally Posted by dusty78

does yours hit point of aim?

Both of mine are POA (.45 and 9mm). I believe most of the 9mm rounds I've used were 117gr-124gr. I know all the .45 rounds were 230gr.

[pikkashoe]

Mine is also POA.

Since we are posting pics, I think I should post some of mine, since I never got around to doing it after installing my new sights!

VZ grips too (Full Size) with VZ grip turbo screws.

PS- Dusty, whats CCR for some CPII action?

[dusty78]

How do you like those HD sights? Is yours 9mm too? CCR does refinishing, Cera-Plate II is a nickle boron nitride finish that is similar to Robars NP3 but not as slick. My p7m8 in this picture is done in Cera-Plate.

[pikkashoe]

Hey dusty. Yeah mine is a 9mm too. The sights are awesome. Not the best for conceal carry since they are so tall. I used to carry the ranger concealed but it's just too heavy for my likes. Now i carry a shadow. I use the ranger for uspa shooting.

About the ceraplate. Is there any advantage to it being less slick than np3. What made you decide on that vs np3 or any other finish for that matter.

My shadow is the one I am interested in refinishing.

[dusty78]

I have guns with both finishes and I just like the look and feel of the CPII better. In 9mm it isnt a big deal but NP3 has Teflon in it and it makes raking the slide on guns with heavier springs a bit tough in pressure situations due to how slick it is. Both of these finishes are self lubricating and very corrosion resistance as well as durable. They both have lifetime warranties as well. CPII is about a $100 cheaper.

[pikkashoe]

Thanks for the info dusty. I will definitely look into it. Want to check out all the options first before deciding.

[pikkashoe]

Anyone else have recommendations for other refinished. I don't want to do cerakote. Had that done on another pistol and didn't like it. Also not interested in hard chrome

[dusty78]

I have a few hard chrome guns, I really like it as well. The difference is that hard chrome is much tougher but is also not as corrosion resistance, you can develop surface rust on it. Nickel also plates even as it is a bit thicker, hard chrome will show any imperfection in the metal as it is thinner.

[pikkashoe]

Definitely don't want to deal with surface rust. That's the whole reason I got rid of my stainless steel Kimber. No matter how much preventative maintenance I did it would develop rust. Np3 and the ccr finish are the top picks on my list. I just wish they had the np3 in black.

[awpk03s]

IonBond or Black Nitride would be my recommendations.

[pikkashoe]

Who does black nitride

[jfwest]

Another photo.



Put a set of Sarge's slim grips on my 45. It gets carried a lot. I have posted on another thread how much I like and trust my Ranger.