Good group size for .22 pistol?

Soli said:
Who the hell practices pistol shooting at 50 yards anyway? If you can hit the paper at that range with 9/40/45, you're already ahead of the curve.

Focus on 15/25 yards: anything less than 2/2.5 inch groups at those distances is fantastic.
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Wimp! :D

Remember that he was asking about shooting a .22 not a 9/40/45. Some have higher standards than others. :p

Wile I don't often shoot 50 yards with a handgun I have shot in an ISU Free Pistol event with a S&W model 41 with acceptable results. I did better than some of the guys with free pistols.

I also had an unusual event with a P38 at 50 meters.

I was at the range one time and I was going to shoot some plates with it. One of the old bullseye shooters suggested I shoot the plates at 50 meters. One hand, bullseye stance. The plates are 8" in diameter. I had reloads. No idea where the gun shot. So what the hell I gave it a try. Eight rounds in the mag. Careful aim and the first went down. Then the second, and third. Missed the fourth. Out of the eight rounds I knocked over six plates.

Now that gun has a gritty trigger. I would pull until I got to a rough part. Held the trigger while I took a couple of breaths then pulled again getting rid of a little more while aimed on the target. Between shot attempts I had constant pressure on the trigger. I didn't let up on the pressure. When the shot did go off it was due to a small increment in the trigger pull. The front sight is narrow by today's standard. This helped with the targets at 50m.

All with a standard Bullseye stance (shooting one handed) with a War issued P38. I would think that a good target pistol should be able to do much better. If you put an optical sight on the gun I'm sure it would be easier yet.


The more I practice the luckier I get. ;)
 
I do all my pistol shooting at 50m, although I admit to setting up the plates at 25m if I'm in need of some positive reinforcement...
The plates vary in size from 2in to 6in, and I'll be the first to admit that hitting that 2 inch one at 50 seems to be as much luck as any skill! I vary between bullseye and 2 handed stances. Best to be able to do both, no?
Btw, this is with my Ruger Mk.1. My 9mm is at the gunsmiths, having the trigger and sights reworked/replaced. Can't wait to try it out, but I'm getting in a lot of practice with the .22, and it's reasonably cheap, too.
 
All of these comments are really helpful. I just started with pistol a few weeks ago and wanted to calibrate my shooting against some kind of standard.

So far I'm averaging about 3 inches at 15 yards and 4 at 25 yards (shooting two handed - haven't attempted the bullseye stance yet.) The distance makes less difference than I would have thought - maybe because I can actually see the target better at 25. Keeping the front sight in focus is definitely my biggest problem. I'm going to try one of those adjustable apeture gizmos on my glasses in hopes that will clarify the sight picture.

The gun, a Ruger Mklll, seems to work fine with any kind of ammunition. Oddly enough, I got my best group - 2 inches at 15 yards - with the cheapest stuff, American Eagle standard velocity.
 
JimV said:
So far I'm averaging about 3 inches at 15 yards and 4 at 25 yards (shooting two handed - haven't attempted the bullseye stance yet.)

The gun, a Ruger Mklll, seems to work fine with any kind of ammunition. Oddly enough, I got my best group - 2 inches at 15 yards - with the cheapest stuff, American Eagle standard velocity.
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Sounds like you are doing great.

I also have found some of the cheap ammo to be very accurate. I tested three of my guns on a Ransom rest with different ammo. S&W model 41, High Standard model Citation, and a Ruger Mark II. I tried some high end target ammo down to some Federal bulk pack ammo I got from Walmart. The Federal bulk pack did almost as well as some of the high end ammo. Must have been a good batch.

I think the American Eagle that you are shooting is really high velocity rather than standard velocity. Usually you have to pay a premium for the standard velocity. If it does not specifically say that it is standard velocity on the box then it is most likely high velocity.
 
Scocou said:
Even then, notice I said I would be..., not I am...:D. I likely shoot double those sizes, with say one throwaway, on a Browning or Ruger .22LR :redface:.
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I shot bullseye targets for a long time, and was getting consistent 2-3"
grouping @ 25 yrds with my CZ SP-01, 4-6" @ 50 yrds and I wanted to be
more accutate :)

Then I picked a human sized target and placed it at 25 and 50 yards.

I could easily hit head and torso of the target FAST.

I dropped 50-60 shots in no time, not even one single shot outside the black
target outline.

Getting 2-3" groups @ 25 yrds took me 5000 rounds and about a year of practice, all with the SAME gun.

After that, I could hit a human sized target at 50 yrds where I wanted,
when I wanted.

So don't worry about your groupings, if you get below 4" grouping @25 yrds,
it is more than adequate for a home defense.
 
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Rudy H said:
Sounds like you are doing great.

I also have found some of the cheap ammo to be very accurate. I tested three of my guns on a Ransom rest with different ammo. S&W model 41, High Standard model Citation, and a Ruger Mark II. I tried some high end target ammo down to some Federal bulk pack ammo I got from Walmart. The Federal bulk pack did almost as well as some of the high end ammo. Must have been a good batch.

I think the American Eagle that you are shooting is really high velocity rather than standard velocity. Usually you have to pay a premium for the standard velocity. If it does not specifically say that it is standard velocity on the box then it is most likely high velocity.
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Well, back in the golden days of my youth I did some organized target rifle. Since then a few things have changed, e.g. they've invented computers, spaceships, etc, but the basic shooting techniques are the same. Pistol is harder to hold on target, but easier than crawling into all those rifle positions.

The American Eagle actually was standard velocity. It's thin on the ground around here though. When I went to get some more all they had left was the high velocity. CCI and Eley are the only standards locally available. The CCI is fine, though maybe a bit sticky - had a couple of jams with it. I'm going to try the Eley next time out.
 
I have fired 10000 45acp in about 2 years, and I still have not shot past 10-15 yards using a standard mil spec Springfield with some mods, my group size for that gun is 2" or less, when I get tired it starts to spread out. I fired a custom STI 38 super at the same distance and put all 5 shots in the size of a looney. With my Ruger mark I can produce 3/4 inch groups at 7 - 10 yards. If your shooting for tactical or defense most encounters happen within 7 yards
 
Group Size?

I'm just happy when I can be out shooting at all.... :redface:

Seriously, I'm happy when my Ruger MkII 5.5" bull barrel gives me raggedy hole 10 shot groups at 12 yards..... ;)
 
Soli said:
Who the hell practices pistol shooting at 50 yards anyway? If you can hit the paper at that range with 9/40/45, you're already ahead of the curve.

Focus on 15/25 yards: anything less than 2/2.5 inch groups at those distances is fantastic.
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Men's 50m Pistol

For this event a .22-caliber (5.6 mm) pistol is used. The weight of the firearm may not exceed 1.4 kilograms (3.1 pounds) and the barrel length may not exceed 153 mm (6 inches). No part of the grip or accessories may enclose the hand. Only open and metallic sights are allowed. The same firearm requirements apply to the women's 25m pistol.

Within a maximum of 120 minutes, 60 competition shots are fired at a target 50 meters (164 feet) away. The target has a center ring 50 mm (1.97 inches) in diameter. The gun must be fired, single-handed, in the standing position. The top eight competitors advance to the final, where 10 shots must be completed within a maximum of 75 seconds per shot. In the finals, the score is evaluated in tenths of points. The score from the finals is added to the preliminary round score to determine the order of finish.

I guess all of you with groups of up to the 4’’ at 25/50m could go to Olympics any time and defend Canadian national colours.
 
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