Very few are lucky enough to step out of the confines of our houses, into the back yard and immediately be able to execute our range day game plan with in steps of our living room (safely). For the rest of us, we have to pack up our range bags and schlep our stuff to a local range.

I may be showing my age, but “back in the day” the options for where to shoot and what type of range were pretty limited. One choice was to take a long drive beyond city limits to a plot of land owned by a buddy or someplace where someone would charge a few bucks to shoot into a wall of stacked hay bales. Some were lucky enough to find an indoor range, usually an older stone or concrete building close to the airport or an abandoned industrial section of town.

Fast forward more than a few years. Now we enjoy the more “mainstream” popularity of shooting sports, innovative safety technologies and well thought out business/marketing plans; the choices for shooting locales are ever increasing. Ranges are no longer fringe businesses that are few and far between but rather genuine clubs with amenities that rival and often exceed those found at their more worldly cousins, the driving range. With a concentrated effort for your patronage and membership dues, both indoor and outdoor ranges are getting more creative in the benefits and amenities with which they entice you to open your wallet and throw rocks down range in their place of business.

Do an internet search for ranges in your area and chance are you’ll be faced with a screen filled with choices. To weed your way through your options you need to do a little introspection. What are your shooting goals? What do you want to learn? What firearms are you shooting?

The answers to those questions will help you develop a checklist of needs and wants that will help you navigate the sea of range options you have.

Regardless of whatever country club amenities that some ranges and shooting clubs offer, your choices will fall in one of two categories: an Indoor range or an outdoor range. If you’re not so lucky (or have the budget) as to be able to join a club that affords you access to both types of ranges, you’ll need to choose one over the other. That list of your needs and wants will help you determine how much weight each of the range types distinct pros and cons has for you.

Shooting at targets in wide open spaces is as old as gunpowder. It’s only fitting that we start our discussion with the upside and downside of shooting in the great wide open. Outdoor ranges can be as simple as a one bay clearing with a berm or as elaborate an entire shooting complex with multiple ranges, target presentations and target distances.

Outdoor ranges afford the shooter more space. With more space comes more flexibility. Most outdoor ranges have enough room to provide facilities for pistol, rifle and shotgun. This diversity provides opportunities for you to broaden your shooting experience and hone your skills on many different platforms. You can pack up your car with your cadre of firearms, arrive at the range and start your day in the pistol pit dinging steel with your 9mm. When that becomes mundane you can move on to dusting clays at the 5-stand. To finish out the day you can start slicing through the X at 600 yards with your .308.

The fresh air and open environment also attracts a wider variety of instructors. With space being less confined instructors can create a wider array of exercises to sharpen your skill set. Being outside, instructors can be more immersed in the exercises with their students. Outdoor ranges allow you to practice real world movement drills within an open space with your instructor moving with you and engaging you during the drill. It’s because of this flexibility and freedom that almost every major practical shooting event, from USPSA to 3gn, takes place outside.

Only at an outdoor range can you (if you desire) practice to shoot in adverse conditions. With practice and concentration most people will learn to put a bullet on target at 300-400 yards consistently on a windless sunny day. But it takes a little more skill to break paper in a tight group when it’s cold, windy and rainy. Shooting under less than ideal conditions hones your shooting skill to a finer point.

The plus points of an outdoor range for one shooter can sometimes be a minus point for another. Shooting in the elements is not for everyone. Shooting during the summer in Mississippi can be brutal when it’s 95 degrees with 98% humidity. Likewise it may put a damper on your fun shooting in Montana in January. Additionally, most outdoor ranges are not known for their amenities. A rental program at an outdoor range is an anomaly. I have only been to one outdoor range that has a “pro shop,” but to be fair it was a sporting clays club so the selection in the range shop was rather specific.

On the other end of the scale are the indoor ranges. The greatest change in shooting environments can be found in the world of indoor ranges. It used to be that finding a safe, well lit indoor range in a desirable location took Magellan-like exploration skills. With advancements in range technology, lead mitigation and an increase in demand, new indoor ranges are opening up in a variety of locations and neighborhood types. Shooters no longer have to resign themselves to shooting at “the only game in town”.

It’s estimated that by 2020 the indoor range business will be a Billion dollar industry segment (source: marketsandmarkets.com), that’ Billion with a capital B. The competition for your shooting dollar and a piece of that market share pie is fierce. Indoor ranges are offering increasingly posh amenities. It’s not uncommon in some of the more well appointed shooting galleries to find people coming to the range to socialize and hang out as much as they are coming to shoot.

Ranges such as Point Blank Range in Matthews, NC offer club members amenities like a members only lounge, big screen TV’s gaming stations for the kids, and a business center, as well private showers and lockers. In addition, club ranges like this offer special discounts on firearms, ammo, training and other purchases. Most indoor ranges now have a pro shop and on-site gunsmithing. A lot of the club ranges also offer shooting leagues and regular events. Here in America, we love competition.

I know you’re thinking, all that stuff is great, icing on the cake, but we want to make things go bang! What does the typical indoor range have over the typical outdoor range besides a lounge and showers? There’s plenty more mundane plusses of going to an indoor range. Let’s tackle the Benefits of an indoor range one at a time.

Indoor ranges almost always have a gun shop on site. If you need more ammo, it’s there. Tired of your current heater, take it to the manager and start negotiating a trade. The convenience of having a gun shop on site while you are shooting is immeasurable. At outdoor ranges running out of ammo, forgetting a critical part of your kit or or having your gun go down means the end of your day and a long trip to a gun shop (probably at the indoor range).

Getting out of the elements means you’re able to go shooting come rain or shine, hot or cold. You don’t have to stand in the wind and rain, trying to stop shivering long enough to send a rock down range. For new shooters a climate controlled, no wind environment helps them focus on the fundamentals instead of being distracted by the weather.

Other advantages include a diverse offering of rental guns. Being able to rent a wide variety of firearms helps buyers give guns they are considering a “test drive”. Head to head comparisons and trigger time on potential purchase leads to happier first time buyers who will have a positive introduction to the sport. A large rental cabinet also helps more experienced shooting refine their skills on various platforms and break the monotony of shooting the same platform day after day. Then there is the added attraction of ranges that offer machine gun rentals; here is a chance to see if you really, really like a certain type of MG before plunking down the big bucks and going through transfer time.

For all the benefits and upsides of shooting at an indoor range, there are some some negatives to contend with. Probably the biggest disadvantage to shooting at an indoor range is that for the most part you’re limited to pistol shooting. Some lanes maybe designated to rifle use, some even can handle a .50 BMG but the fact remains you’re distance is very limited and shooting a rifle at anything less than a football field away gets old, fast.

Since space is limited, ceilings are low and people shooting in lanes mere feet away from you, there are tight restrictions on how you use your pistol. Among other things many places don’t let you practice drawing and shooting, headshots on target are not permitted. Practicing anything but straight stationary shooting will earn you more than just the ire of the RO’s. Some indoor ranges restrict ammunition type, so your cheap surplus might not be permitted.

Whether you’re going to an indoor range or heading to the great outdoors; there is no real bad choice. The most important thing is that you’re shooting. Decide which type of range meets your needs, what you’re shooting and what your goals are then pack up your bag and get to the range.

When you think of Remington, pistols don’t immediately come to mind. The name Remington conjures up images of the iconographic Model700 or the equally legendary 870. Pair Remington with pistols and you’ll point to the half decade old R1 -1911. Beyond that visions of Remington compact pistols get fuzzy with the short lived and less than stellar R51. Remington, however, redeemed their non-1911 shortcomings with the introduction of the sub-compact RM 380 chambered in the titular .380ACP. This all metal hammer fired micro-pistol is a welcomed contrast to its trendy polymer framed, striker fired brethren.

The .380 round, having been developed in 1908 by John Browning, is nothing new. It is and was from its inception, a self-defense round made to be eaten by small “pocket” pistols. Originally designed for Browning’s Colt pocket sized hammerless Model 1908, the .380 is a rimless low powered cartridge, usually fed into blow-back style pistols. The diminutive .380 and the smaller pistols using the round quickly became popular for concealed carry, often as a secondary firearm. The resurgence of .380 usage in recent years has seen more and more people carrying a .380 chambered compact pistol as their primary weapon.

The RM380 is not a wholly new design, rather it’s a re-work of a Rohrbaugh R9. As with other companies (Para and AAC come to mind) Remington acquired Rohrbaugh and assimilated their culture and designs into the larger Remington family. The challenge this time however was to take a niche market, $1200 pistol and re-work it into a mass marketable but quality sub $450 .380. Remington has exceeded expectations in achieving these goals.

The design of the RM380, as a whole, still adheres to the basic principles of the Rohrbaugh R9. In a “same mother, different father” manner the two firearms have very similar dimensions. The Remington is only slightly lighter (by 1.3 oz.) and a little taller (by .16 of an inch). The liberties Remington took with the original only prove to enhance the platform and increase its fit form and function. Most notably the RM380’s grip and mag release location are dramatically improved over the original.

Picking up the RM380 I immediately surprised at how comfortable it felt. I’m used to shooting full size 1911’s and expected the Remington to feel more like a toy than viable a defensive weapon. At a little more than 12 ounces, the understandably slim single stack sat firmly in my hand. The addition of a small beaver tail allowed my hand to get up high on the grip to be more inline with the axis of the barrel, allowing for better recoil management. Front strap checkering provides increased purchase for a positive and secure grip. The original Rohrbaugh had a magazine release on the heel of the grip; Remington wisely relocated an ambidextrous magazine release on the grip just behind the trigger guard for quick easy reloads. Other design differences include a slide stop and a smaller more easily manageable trigger guard.

The RM380 is purpose built as a highly discreet carry weapon, whether you choose IWB holstering or pocket carry. There are are no sharp corners or protruding controls. The slide catch/release is extremely low profile as is the mag release. The RM380 can comfortably be carried in your pocket without worry of snags or dropping a mag on the draw. Without an external safety the long pull, 10-pound double action only trigger gives you the security you want in a pocket gun (though my preference is to holster the gun even when carrying in pocket).

At the range the RM380 surprised me again, with lower felt recoil and more accuracy than expected. The fixed barrel, high grip position and full length slide rails help the pistol shoot flatter and smoother than most in the category; making follow up shots less of a struggle than with snappier lighter pocket pieces. For 1911 shooters like me the all black fixed sights and long pull DOA trigger may take a few magazine loads to get used to. Once I settled in to the rhythm of the gun, however, I felt I could drive tacks at close, self-defense distances.

I started shooting at a closer defensive distance of 5 yards. In addition to the beaver tail allowing for a high grip position (and preventing slide bite), the undercut trigger guard afforded better grip for my supporting hand. This allowed me keep the pistol on target for follow up. The DAO trigger had a consistent smooth break, so adjusting for better trigger control is easy from the get go. Serrations on the slide made for quick and effortless racking and press checks. The slide stop is small but fully functional and, if you’re not riding the slide, locks open after the last round in the magazine is sent down range. As I pushed the target further out the accuracy remained acceptable. At 15 yards accuracy diminished very little remaining within “minute of bad guy”. Consistency and reliability are key in any pistol but especially so with a defensive carry pistol. The RM380 delivers in both regards.

Getting it back to the work bench and breaking down the RM380 couldn’t be easier. Simply pulling the slide back with the pistol rotated 90 degrees (around the shooting axis) allows the takedown pin to fall out. There’s no need for special tools or processes to field strip for cleaning. With the pin out the slide comes off allowing the barrel and recoil spring to be easily cleaned. Reassembling is as simple as lining up the take down pin holes on the frame and on the slide and re-inserting the pin. It’s that easy. Don’t worry about the pin sliding out during normal use. The slide cycles so quickly that even if you were shooting gangster style, the pin would remain well seated.

Though commonly called a “pocket” pistol, there are many holstering options available. Most notable are the those manufactured by Cross Breed and Alien gear. Cross breed offers IWB, OWB and ankle holsters. Having an Alien gear holster on hand I wore the RM380 IWB with a dress shirt tucked. The slim profile of the RM380 does not print, even when, like me, you have a little bit more inside the waist band than you should. The draw from Alien Gear’s kidded holster is smooth and fast.

If you’re looking for an easily concealable, reliable and accurate micro pistol, the RM380 should definitely be on your short list. The positive and high grip position provide an easily drawn pistol with highly manageable recoil. The long DAO trigger pull may take some getting used to but there’s a very shallow learning curve. The only potential down side I could find was that the all black fixed sights can be hard to acquire when drawing in lower light conditions. With a tilt of the hat to the $1200 Rohrbaugh R9, Remington has provided an equal performer at a third of the cost. Well Played.

In the Box

• RM380
• 2 6 round Magazines (one flush base and one base with pinky extension)
• Remington sticker
• Owner’s manual
• Lock

Remington RM380 Specs

Caliber: .380 Auto
Magazine Capacity: 6+1
Barrel Length: 2.9 inches
Barrel Type: 410 Stainless Steel
Twist Rate: 1:16
Overall Length: 5.27 inches
Overall Height: 3.86 inches
Overall Width: .94 inches
Sights: Fixed
Trigger Pull: Double Action Only (10-pound pull weight)
Average Weight: 12.2 Ounces (unloaded & without magazine)
MSRP: $417.00

Links:

Remington.com

Crossbreedholsters.com

Aliengearholsters.com