Took my 1880 S&W antique to the range today

Win 38-55

Win 38-55

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Today on the way to town I figured I'd stop off at the range and fire 20 rounds though my S&W New Model #3 (shipped in February, 1880 and letters with the 6" barrel). I was shooting 12.5 grains of Accurate 5744 under a 256 grain Elmer Keith cast bullet for 780 fps.

I will not even try to pretend that I'm a decent pistol shot so if there is a chorus of load guffaws when I post the target below, that's alright. I'm workin' on it! The range was 23 yards and I was standing up. The gun shoots about 18" high at that range, so I had to hold low. 18 out of 20 shots hit the paper. It was a lot of fun and I need to do this more often and improve my shooting. The old gunfighter's advice to 'aim for the belt buckle' really applies to this old six shooter ... maybe even the groin. I will say that, dispite the wild array of shots all over the paper, my last 10 shots were all on paper and averaged closer to the center. A few more times and I might get the hang of it. Here's the results (the gun actually has a lot more nickel than it looks like ... the shiny surfaces were reflecting the dark underside of my deck:

SW-Target.jpg
 
Win 38-55 said:
The range was 23 yards and I was standing up. The gun shoots about 18" high at that range, so I had to hold low.
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I shot an original .36 navy a month or so ago and it shoots about 3' high at 25 yards. Best explanation is that cowboys were a lot taller in those days :>) :>)

cheers mooncoon
 
Hey looks like alot of fun to me. :)
Im the same im not that great with a handgun yet, and have shot off the bench mainly as im testing loads.
But Practice does improve ones shooting no doubt!

I find my 455/476 WG was right on target at 35 yds and i can hit a 8 inch Gong 5 times outa 6 freehand with that gun at 25 yds. it shoots like 2 inch groups or less at 25 yds (Thats off a bench mind you)

Why is it Webley WGs and my English Rigby pryse shoot right to point of aim at 35 to 40 yds but the S&Ws shoot so high?
 
dingus said:
Why is it Webley WGs and my English Rigby pryse shoot right to point of aim at 35 to 40 yds but the S&Ws shoot so high?
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That's a mystery to me too. Mike Venturino mentions that the Model 3 Smith's shoot high in his book Shooting Sixguns of the Old West, but he gave no explanation as to why they were designed this way. Maybe in a gunfight, the adrenalin tends to make a person shoot low so S&W designed them to shoot high? I was talking with a cop friend of mine last week and he was telling me that studies have shown that, in a fire fight, many officers will start pulling the trigger even as the gun is being pulled from the holster and continue pulling it as they bring it up to the target. It's the adrenalin that does it.
 
38-55 I'd be pretty happy with those results! No shame there!

Thanks alot for the chrony data and the inspiration that someday I might be able to hit something smaller then the barn door standing at 25 yards!

P.S don't believe a word Dingus says, he can knock over a quarter at 25 yards and hit the dimes and nickle on thier first bounce, with just about any thing that goes bang.
 
LOL off a rest Maby if i aint drank to much coffee.
I am getting better tho. :)

Intresting I have a Antique S&W 3Rd model Russian 6.5 inch barrel.
Its my fun gun as its a parts gun put togther with a better cylinder ect.
anyway the Bore has been relined with Hammer forged new .429 dia Barrel liner its a Fine land bore with 6 lands rt hand twist.
Anyway the gun shoots Deadly Accurate about 4 inchs high over dead center at 25 yds 1.5 inch groups.
Thats a 44 Special smokeing hot load 245 SWC tho doing 950 fps at least.
Maby cause my bullets are right out to the end of the cylinders throat theres less bullet Jump like with the 44 Russian.

I just remembered i shot 6 rds of 44 Russian outa this gun and they were a few inchs higher than the 44 Special loads but not a great deal of diffrence so its not Bullet jump.
Must have something to do with rifleing rate of twist ECT

Anyway its the frist S&W that shoots at target at 45 yds. And im likeing this gun Alot ;)
Once its all finished i will post some pics of it.
 
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It take longer for the 44 russian to get out of the barrel so recoil has lifted it further then with the much faster 44 special, also like you say the 44 special bullet has less distance to travel plus it is way faster.

Slower the bullet higher the POI seems wierd eh but I read it somewhere so it must be true!

just had to say dam that is a fine looking russian, I had promised my wife I'd stop looking at flashy russian beauties on the internet but hey the beer made me do it.
 
Hey wheres the picture with the old rotten log and leaves and stuff Kirk??

Thats the pic that got me inspired to do most of my pics outside with bush and logs in the background.
 
Well, if you insist (heh, heh .... I'm a sucker for any excuse to post pics of my favourite Russian Beauty!) here they are:

Wood-SW-Thumb.jpg

Stone-44-SW-Thumb.jpg
 
You guys sure like taking those "old rotting log" photos...they look great. like a magazine article shot. Im going to have to do the same with my 1877 colt. Incidentally, the old thunderer shoots right in line but about 16" high at 25 yards. I can get 1-2" groupings at 15 yards but still about 8" above the mark. Here i thought it was just a sight issue with my gun... Aim at the belt huh :)
 
Win 38-55 said:
Well, if you insist (heh, heh .... I'm a sucker for any excuse to post pics of my favourite Russian Beauty!) here they are:

Wood-SW-Thumb.jpg

Stone-44-SW-Thumb.jpg
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Man them are such nice pics thanks for posting them again.

Soon we will have some other pics to see eh Kirk LOL ;)
 
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