I went to the range the other day to try and work up some off hand groups with my UZI. This is a little insight at what kind of accuracy you can expect shooting an open bolt, semi-auto carbine.
Let’s just get some context before I start showing pictures and talking about the groupings I got:
- I’m not an expert marksman, just a guy who likes guns.
- This is an open bolt gun.
- The sights aren’t adjusted properly for me just yet (I’ll talk about this more at the end of the article).
- I was shooting off hand (standing and unsupported).
- I was shooting 1 round every 1 or 2 seconds.
For these groups I was shooting from 25 meters away (~27 yards) and used Geco 124grs 9mm ammo (bulk target ammo basically).
First group
Alright let’s take a look at the first group
This first group ain’t so bad but it’s a very “vertical” group. It also shoots very high and right. My point of aim was the center of the target on the line between the 9 and 8 circles. (see the point of aim (POA) on the picture)
This vertical spray on the group might be due to the fact that it’s an open bolt gun, which can interfere with your aim. The heavy steel bolt has to travel quite a while before the cartridge actually detonates and that can mess up your accuracy… or maybe I’m just a bad shot.
If you don’t know the difference between an open or closed bolt gun, I’d highly suggest you check out this short video from Forgotten Weapons.
I think with a little training I could tighten this group down a bit and make all the rounds fit nicely in the 10 circle.
Second group
This is the second group (same distances and position). My point of aim was at the bottom left between the 7 and 6 circle (see POA 2 in the picture).
The second group is less “vertical” but quite similar in size. I suppose I can attribute the variation in shape to the off hand position… or maybe I’m just a bad shot.
Third group
Let’s take a look at one last group. Disregard the center impact in the 10 circle and the little holes at the top of the 7 circle (those came from my .44 cap and ball revolver and my .22lr rifle).
The third group has a little annoying little flyer on the right in the 8. If we disregard this little mistake on my part, the group seems not so bad. My point of aim was also changed: A bit more to the right and a tiny bit lower again (POA 3 on the target).
What’s next
I need to get my hands on the sights adjustment tool. The front sight on the UZI model A is a bit of a hard one to adjust without the specific tool.
The model A UZI has two peep sights for 100 and 200 meters. This is veeeery optimistic for an open bolt 9mm subgun.
Next time (and as soon as I get those sights adjusted) I’ll try some groups at 50 meters.
Stay tuned.