Pistol and Revolver Accuracy

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Leavenworth

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Since I’m couch ridden for awhile and have time on my hands I have been wat bing a few firearm channels but I have a question or two.

You will here the individuals talk about the pistol or revolvers accuracy and how it’s bang on with out any modifications

What is considered an accurate pistol ? What type of groupings ? What yardage ? Also is this caliber dependent ?

I will read the replies and probably have more questions
Thanks
Leavenworth
 
Leavenworth said:
Since I’m couch ridden for awhile and have time on my hands I have been wat bing a few firearm channels but I have a question or two.

You will here the individuals talk about the pistol or revolvers accuracy and how it’s bang on with out any modifications

What is considered an accurate pistol ? What type of groupings ? What yardage ? Also is this caliber dependent ?

I will read the replies and probably have more questions
Thanks
Leavenworth
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Depends on the handgun, ammunition, etc. If you're shooting bullseye, you'll be looking a pistol capable of repeat sub moa within 25 yds. IPSC a fist sized group at the distance you shoot is fine, same with cowboy. Silhouette you'll want moa out to 200. In general, the weak link is going to be the shooter. Hunting will be similar to silhouette. So, it depends. - dan
 
Will all depend on the style of pistol you have, I wouldn’t expect the same accuracy out of a polymer semi auto with a combat sight vs a high end revolver with a nice trigger and target sights. That said I find most guns I own are more accurate than I am, shoot them off a bag and take your time and you’ll see what the potential accuracy can be. When I shoot a pistol for groups I’m looking for practical accuracy, if I can keep things smaller than a fist at most ranges I’m happy. Most times I can do that, it’s nice when things align and your shooting ragged holes but that doesn’t always happen. Especially if I was drinking coffee beforehand.
 
^ those pretty much cover it.

I'd just add that it is not caliber dependent assuming typical average quality, consistent ammo. Pistols with lighter triggers are easier to shoot more accurately (some may say because it also masks problems with fundamentals). I'd echo the shooter is the weak link.
 
gdawg said:
^ those pretty much cover it.

I'd just add that it is not caliber dependent assuming typical average quality, consistent ammo. Pistols with lighter triggers are easier to shoot more accurately (some may say because it also masks problems with fundamentals). I'd echo the shooter is the weak link.
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Agree G. Shooter and ammunition are the weak links.

Put a pistol or revolver in a bench rest with precision hand loaded ammunition and it will pretty much shoot one small clover leaf hole. Bullseye shooters and Grand Master level PPC shooters are good examples.
 
Leavenworth said:
Since I’m couch ridden for awhile and have time on my hands I have been wat bing a few firearm channels but I have a question or two.

You will here the individuals talk about the pistol or revolvers accuracy and how it’s bang on with out any modifications

What is considered an accurate pistol ? What type of groupings ? What yardage ? Also is this caliber dependent ?

I will read the replies and probably have more questions
Thanks
Leavenworth
Click to expand...

The shooter plays a huge part. One PPC provincials, the top shooter used a Sig semi auto 9mm, the next was a revolver 38.

Fist size at 25 yards is what I like to see with my pistols.
 
Okay Thank You Fellas ! I think I asked this in prior threads to the specific pistols I have but wi ll ask again here .
I have 2 9mm pistols . One 22LR Pistol . Will also be shooting a .357 Magnum. 44 Magnum
#1 At what distance should I begin to shoot pistols ,revolvers 10 yards ?
#2 Then what would be my final 25 yards ?
Should my goal then be to get fist sized groups at 25 ?
So where Is my starting yardage .?

I’m trying to relate this to sighting in a rifle as if I’m doing so for hunting . I like to be 2 1/2 inches high dead centre at 100 yards this then gives me basically a centre shot at 200 yards with the ammunition I shoot !

Hope I’m being clear here

I’m going to take a basic hand gunning course in the near future .
 
I would start with 10 meters, then work your way out to 25 meters in time. Going out too far will be hard to see what you did wrong.
I like to shoot B8 targets at 25 meters. Then you can record and score your progress.
 
Leavenworth said:
Okay Thank You Fellas ! I think I asked this in prior threads to the specific pistols I have but wi ll ask again here .
I have 2 9mm pistols . One 22LR Pistol . Will also be shooting a .357 Magnum. 44 Magnum
#1 At what distance should I begin to shoot pistols ,revolvers 10 yards ?
#2 Then what would be my final 25 yards ?
Should my goal then be to get fist sized groups at 25 ?
So where Is my starting yardage .?

I’m trying to relate this to sighting in a rifle as if I’m doing so for hunting . I like to be 2 1/2 inches high dead centre at 100 yards this then gives me basically a centre shot at 200 yards with the ammunition I shoot !

Hope I’m being clear here

I’m going to take a basic hand gunning course in the near future .
Click to expand...

Honestly it's what you think is good. 7-10yards is a good starting distance. Alot of people dont shoot at 25 yards, and don't feel obligated. I shoot at 25 because that's the distance most of the points are in the ppc course of fire. Have fun, I remember someone tried to shoot the same distance as me and he did poorly that he left. Comes down to practice.
 
I’ll warm up at around 10m and then push out to 15-20mm, 25-30m if I’m having a good day. I like to have a steel plate around 15-20m as well.

Start close and work on your fundamentals and consistency but try and take a course as soon as you’re able, I wish I had signed up for one as soon as my first pistol transfer went through. It would’ve saved me some frustration and ammo lol, it’s all fun though.
 
Leavenworth said:
Okay Thank You Fellas ! I think I asked this in prior threads to the specific pistols I have but wi ll ask again here .
I have 2 9mm pistols . One 22LR Pistol . Will also be shooting a .357 Magnum. 44 Magnum
#1 At what distance should I begin to shoot pistols ,revolvers 10 yards ?
#2 Then what would be my final 25 yards ?
Should my goal then be to get fist sized groups at 25 ?
So where Is my starting yardage .?

I’m trying to relate this to sighting in a rifle as if I’m doing so for hunting . I like to be 2 1/2 inches high dead centre at 100 yards this then gives me basically a centre shot at 200 yards with the ammunition I shoot !

Hope I’m being clear here

I’m going to take a basic hand gunning course in the near future .
Click to expand...

10 yards is a great starting distance. At first your group will look like you're patterning a shotgun, lol. With time, and a lot of practice, you'll be able to shrink your group significantly. When that happens, push your target out to 15 yards and repeat the entire process. At 10-15 yards, with any handgun, slow-fire, you should be able to eventually get everything into a 2"-3" circle. As the distance to target increases, so will your group. Anything is possible with practice and dedication. Once you get the fundamentals under your belt, you'll once again find yourself at the beginning when you add speed, if that type of shooting is of interest to you. At that point, you'll start making concessions (perfect vs acceptable).

I'm not a great shooter, but I shoot a lot, and even I'm capable of this at 15 yards (freehand, slow"ish"-fire). I use a single bingo dab as a target.

20190925-111814.jpg
 
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Good advice in this thread, there's no point going out further till you can get fist sized groups reliably off hand.... that said if there's some steel chest sized plates out further it's fun to take some pot shots beyond your effective range for kicks.... I have a few .22lr handguns that I can make hits on steel with out to 100 yards often enough that it's a fun challenge.
 
Some great advice here already, however I would say you are best starting at no more than 5-7 yards max, 10 yards is 30 feet, very challenging and frustrating for a new pistol shooter. At 5 yards it is much easier to SEE what you are doing, high, low, left or right and make corrections. I was lucky to be mentored by some of the best pistol shooters in the lower mainland when I started and they would never start someone at 10 yards. As you are in the lower mainland you also have the opportunity to take advantage of these awesome folks. Reach out to BC Firearms Academy and inquire about their Introduction to Pistol shooting courses, they are fantastic and the teachers are Master class IDPA/IPSC/ ICORE shooters. Your learning curve will rise exponentially with good coaching and you will save yourself countless dollars in wasted ammo and bad habits, training is ALWAYS worth the money.
PS- dry fire at home as much as possible make it a habit! I dry fire every single day without fail, if you want to excel you have to put in the work. Balance an empty shell casing on the front of the slide, you should be able to pull the trigger without upsetting the casing, trigger control is huge in pistol shooting
 
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edgy said:
Some great advice here already, however I would say you are best starting at no more than 5-7 yards max, 10 yards is 30 feet, very challenging and frustrating for a new pistol shooter. At 5 yards it is much easier to SEE what you are doing, high, low, left or right and make corrections. I was lucky to be mentored by some of the best pistol shooters in the lower mainland when I started and they would never start someone at 10 yards. As you are in the lower mainland you also have the opportunity to take advantage of these awesome folks. Reach out to BC Firearms Academy and inquire about their Introduction to Pistol shooting courses, they are fantastic and the teachers are Master class IDPA/IPSC/ ICORE shooters. Your learning curve will rise exponentially with good coaching and you will save yourself countless dollars in wasted ammo and bad habits, training is ALWAYS worth the money.
PS- dry fire at home as much as possible make it a habit! I dry fire every single day without fail, if you want to excel you have to put in the work. Balance an empty shell casing on the front of the slide, you should be able to pull the trigger without upsetting the casing, trigger control is huge in pistol shooting
Click to expand...

More great advice.... :)
 
Can-down said:
Good advice in this thread, there's no point going out further till you can get fist sized groups reliably off hand.... that said if there's some steel chest sized plates out further it's fun to take some pot shots beyond your effective range for kicks.... I have a few .22lr handguns that I can make hits on steel with out to 100 yards often enough that it's a fun challenge.
Click to expand...

And another good advice, dont try and be someone you are not. New shooters often try and mimic the pros and get discouraged when they dont get the same groups.

It's okay to suck, and it only gets better with practice. Find a grip abd stance that works for you and start with the fundamentals. I remember someone was telling this person they have to use this grip. They since the shooter used the t cup method. Well that grip worked well for the person and was no point having them change it. I dont like those that go on well you must do this, because so in so does it

Everything will improve with time.
 
" the individuals talk about the pistol or revolvers accuracy and how it’s bang on with out any modifications."

The word "accuracy" has two common meanings.

1) Does it group tightly?

2) Does it hit where you aim?

Most of us are concerned about tight groups - which is a function of the gun and our ability (mostly the latter). We usually don't fret about where it is hitting, because the sights can be adjusted to put the group where we want.
When a writer comments about a handgun hitting where it is aimed, he is probably referring to a gun without adjustable sights. Many handguns have no adjustment or azimuth only.

My Derringer, for example, has one barrel that hits where I aim and the other hits 18" high at 7 yards. No adjustments available.

On non-adjustable handguns, it is important that the factory build them right - hence the comment.
 
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A new pistol shooter at 10 ya will start off pretty decently if they know how sights and a trigger works.

It's the flinch and tension that will cause your groups to open up. Looking at the sights harder or longer won't change a thing.

This starts to happen shortly after the initial experience of shooting a hand gun. The next bit will be learning how to control the fear (don't laugh) and then once you figure that out (surprise trigger pull) you can start to go faster and be accurate.
 
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