august1410
Marcas Registradas
I've had this ridiculous notion of pushing a handgun as far as I can distance wise and seeing what I can do. Most of the time, I wind up shooting at pretty much nothing and wasting time. A number of years ago, shooting with a bunch of guys from MDS, I watched a guy shoot clays on the berm with a 1911 at 100 yards. I figured that was a good enough goal, so I (no pun intended) shot for that.
A few years ago, I was able to put about half a magazine of .45 ACP into a big paper silhouette target at about 125 yards. I was shooting from a rest and had a guy with a really good eye and a cheap pair of binoculars spotting for me. The five rounds were nowhere near close, and the group was about the size of a turkey platter, but I considered it a success.
I have been trying off and on to duplicate it for about five years with very little success. I managed ONCE to ring a steel plate at 75 yards, but that was about it.
Went out today with a couple of friends and their rifles. Of course, I brought a trio of handguns. I could not see where I was hitting the target at 50 yards, but one of my pals said "You hit the x. Keep it there." after the very first shot. The group was large, but I kept it all in the general vicinity of the center.
The load was a handload (158 grain target hollowpoint- 16.1 grains of H110), and the gun was a 6" barrelled Smith & Wesson 586.
When the guys moved their targets out to 100 yards, I joked that I'd try the 100 if there was a steel plate I could ring so I knew I was hitting something. My buddy Eddie said there was steel at 200 yards and he'd spot if I wanted to play around with trying to hit it.
For those of you who don't want to read any further, I did not hit the steel. I didn't hit it with 50 rounds of .357 nor with 150 rounds of 148 grain .38 Special wadcutters.
What surprised me was, after a lot of those rounds, and constant trying, I got within ONE FOOT of that damned target. If I had not ran out of ammo, or wanted to pay thirty dollars for a box of .357 magnum inside the shop, I MIGHT have hit it eventually. It got to be a quest this morning and I spent three hours chasing that target. For me, getting within a yard of the target was an accomplishment. Getting within a foot of it was a win in my book.
I like setting personal challenges and goals with my shooting. We tell people all the time, it's not about violence or acting tough. It's about our own precision and accuracy and the pride that goes along with it.
I got close enough today where I realized it was not only possible, but I could do it if I keep going. A lot of you have known me for a long time and remember when I could not hit a barn from the inside. A lot of you gave me pointers and advice and such. I thank you ladies and gentlemen for it all.
And yes, I shot from a rest and my arms were correct. (Thanks for the advice about the arms, guys. My last range trip made it look like I was shooting from the center of my chest.)
If anyone had any doubts about the reach of a six inch Smith & Wesson revolver, I can put them to rest.
A few years ago, I was able to put about half a magazine of .45 ACP into a big paper silhouette target at about 125 yards. I was shooting from a rest and had a guy with a really good eye and a cheap pair of binoculars spotting for me. The five rounds were nowhere near close, and the group was about the size of a turkey platter, but I considered it a success.
I have been trying off and on to duplicate it for about five years with very little success. I managed ONCE to ring a steel plate at 75 yards, but that was about it.
Went out today with a couple of friends and their rifles. Of course, I brought a trio of handguns. I could not see where I was hitting the target at 50 yards, but one of my pals said "You hit the x. Keep it there." after the very first shot. The group was large, but I kept it all in the general vicinity of the center.
The load was a handload (158 grain target hollowpoint- 16.1 grains of H110), and the gun was a 6" barrelled Smith & Wesson 586.
When the guys moved their targets out to 100 yards, I joked that I'd try the 100 if there was a steel plate I could ring so I knew I was hitting something. My buddy Eddie said there was steel at 200 yards and he'd spot if I wanted to play around with trying to hit it.
For those of you who don't want to read any further, I did not hit the steel. I didn't hit it with 50 rounds of .357 nor with 150 rounds of 148 grain .38 Special wadcutters.
What surprised me was, after a lot of those rounds, and constant trying, I got within ONE FOOT of that damned target. If I had not ran out of ammo, or wanted to pay thirty dollars for a box of .357 magnum inside the shop, I MIGHT have hit it eventually. It got to be a quest this morning and I spent three hours chasing that target. For me, getting within a yard of the target was an accomplishment. Getting within a foot of it was a win in my book.
I like setting personal challenges and goals with my shooting. We tell people all the time, it's not about violence or acting tough. It's about our own precision and accuracy and the pride that goes along with it.
I got close enough today where I realized it was not only possible, but I could do it if I keep going. A lot of you have known me for a long time and remember when I could not hit a barn from the inside. A lot of you gave me pointers and advice and such. I thank you ladies and gentlemen for it all.
And yes, I shot from a rest and my arms were correct. (Thanks for the advice about the arms, guys. My last range trip made it look like I was shooting from the center of my chest.)
If anyone had any doubts about the reach of a six inch Smith & Wesson revolver, I can put them to rest.