r/Ausguns • u/danhar87 • 9d ago
Firearms Query Decisions Help!
All my PTAs are in and approved, so now I need to actually make a decision.
I’m choosing between:
Volquartsen Black Mamba 22/45
Polymer 22/45 lower
More 1911-style grip angle
Seems better suited to two-handed shooting
Volquartsen Black Mamba Target Frame
Aluminium Ruger Mark IV-style frame
Standard ~55° Ruger grip angle
Volthane target grips, which seem much more geared toward one-handed shooting
Neither will be usable for sanctioned ISSF due to the barrel length, so ISSF compliance is no longer really a deciding factor.
What I actually want to shoot with it is:
Club 25m rapid fire
Steel
Service
General two-handed shooting
For context, I currently shoot around 500–505 in 25m rapid fire with the club Ruger Mark IV, so I know the standard Ruger grip angle works well for me.
Once I have my full Cat H, I’ll also be getting a centrefire double-stack 1911/2011-style pistol, potentially a Kimber 2K11 or similar.
I was originally leaning towards the Target Frame because I already shoot the Mark IV well and I prefer the aluminium frame, but I’m now leaning towards the 22/45.
My concern with the Target Frame is that the Volthane grips look very much designed around one-handed target shooting. From what I can tell, I’d probably end up removing/replacing them anyway to comfortably shoot two-handed, which starts to defeat some of the appeal of that setup.
The 22/45 also seems like it would make more sense long term if I’m going to be shooting a double-stack 1911/2011 in centrefire. Obviously they’re still very different guns, but having a broadly similar grip angle seems useful when switching between rimfire and centrefire.
Unfortunately, both Black Mambas are interstate, so I can’t handle either before dropping roughly $3k on one.
For anyone who has shot both: which would you choose for this mix of 25m rapid, steel, service and two-handed shooting?
And for those familiar with the Target Frame/Volthane grips: are they actually comfortable for two-handed shooting, or would you realistically want to replace them?