Any shooters here?

[Matritensis]

More specifically,handgun shooters.It would be nice to share tips and experiences.Thanks in advance!

[Sol Invictus]

What kind of tips are you looking for?

[Matritensis]

Well,one hand shooting techniques,for example.It's much more difficult than two hands shooting.And you need to master it if you think about competing.Or silhouette shooting with handgun,I've never tried it and it would be interesting.

[Germanicus]

Well,one hand shooting techniques,for example.It's much more difficult than two hands shooting.And you need to master it if you think about competing.Or silhouette shooting with handgun,I've never tried it and it would be interesting.

Custom made pistol grips, that properly fit your hand is a start for real gun control, pachymer grips should help.
When testing an ammunition for your pistol, buy several boxes from all the major makers, then go about testing them out in a ramson rest, this will show which ammunition best suits your weapon, as you will get closer groups.
Then practice, and practice some more. :)

[Sol Invictus]

Well,one hand shooting techniques,for example.It's much more difficult than two hands shooting.And you need to master it if you think about competing.Or silhouette shooting with handgun,I've never tried it and it would be interesting.

Consider taking a course by a certified instructor. It's hard to teach someone about pistol shooting without actually being there to guide them. If you want, come here, and I'll do it free of charge.

[Matritensis]

Thanks for your offer! I live a little bit too far though....I have some kind of coach at the club,and I hit the target consistently at 25m (28 yards) up to .357 mag and with both hands,with quite ok groups,but I'm using the guns of the club and I feel that I should buy my own.There's a Smith&Wesson mod 17 second hand somewhere in very good shape that will be mine hopefully soon...

[Piparskeggr]

Good morning;


Thanks for your offer! I live a little bit too far though....I have some kind of coach at the club,and I hit the target consistently at 25m (28 yards) up to .357 mag and with both hands,with quite ok groups,but I'm using the guns of the club and I feel that I should buy my own.There's a Smith Wesson mod 17 second hand somewhere in very good shape that will be mine hopefully soon...

If you are seeking better accuracy when punching paper, consider .38 Special ammunition loaded with wadcutter bullets in the .357. Wadcutters punch nice, clean holes.

At 25 meters, the .38 is a very accurate round with much lower recoil than a magnum load. The extra weight of the .357 revolver will also add to stability.

I like an 8 inch barrel for the improved sight plane.

The previous advice about one-on-one instruction is very sound, as is that about using a machine rest to test fire several different loads...every gun, even sequential serial numbers, eat different.

I have 2 single shot rifles in 30-30 Winchester caliber; sequential as referenced above. One gets best factory load accuracy with Winchester 150 gr soft points, the other with Remington. Slight differences in which way the manufacture of the firearm goes on either side of the specification tolerances can make inches worth of difference at range.

Also, inexpensive ammunition is loaded to looser tolerances than "premium" loads. I've seen some with 10%+ variance of muzzle velocity from that stated on the factory chart, within the same box of 20 or 50 cartridges.

Practice with what you seek to shoot in competition, too. It is more expensive, but will be of benefit when you are in a match.

[Matritensis]

I've tried both .38 and .357 magnum,and I find the latter more accurate in my hands(but much less pleasant,of course) Maybe the 686 that I normally use has the sights adjusted for .357.

[Piparskeggr]

I've tried both .38 and .357 magnum,and I find the latter more accurate in my hands(but much less pleasant,of course)

Then, as suggested, consider custom grips so the revolver fits your hand. A good gunsmith will be able to work with you, either installing a commercial set as is or modifying as necessary.

I think you'll find that the .357 becomes more controllable and even border on pleasant to shoot.

I'm very lucky, most any firearm I've ever tried has been comfortable (within the calibers I choose to shoot). I have fitted some of my wife's firearms (hand and long guns) to suit her hand and frame size better.

[Matritensis]

Yes,custom grips are a must,specially in my case.I'm not a big guy but I have huge hands,everything feels smallish:) I have also discovered that I'm definitely a revolver guy in this age of Glocks,plastic,and high capacity magazines...my dream would be a Freedom Arms in .357,but those are a bit too expensive.About the .357 magnum,I agree with you:the first time I tried it the flash and the noise left my face like this:yuck:.The following times I used double ear protection and it was just a pleasure,now everything below that power feels a bit lame,hehe.I don't think I want to try the .44 magnum though.

[Piparskeggr]

I've never been a fan of magnum loads, preferring to work within the limits of standard velocities; probably why I have used such a wide variety over the years ;)

I do some hand loading, especially for my 7.62 x 51 mm national match grade rifle. Even high quality factory ammo doesn't give me the sub-MOA accuracy that my homegrown loads do.

But, I rarely hand load anything but "plinking" loads for the handguns.

My favorite revolver is a European-American Arms version of the Colt "Peacemaker" in .45 Long Colt with a 8" barrel and plain notch and blade sights. I had a gunsmith work on it so the trigger pull is a little lighter than factory.

I consider myself a gun mechanic; replace parts, but not make or modify like a real smith can.

[Matritensis]

I've been always curious about the .45 long colt.Does it recoil more than a .45 ACP,for example?

[Sol Invictus]

I've been always curious about the .45 long colt.Does it recoil more than a .45 ACP,for example?

Theoretically the acp is going to have more kick to it since I understand that there's more energy produced by it, but it's not really noticeable in my opinion. It's all about your form, your grib, your positioning, and how you manage it. The .45 is an excellent round though, it's a great man-stopper.

[Piparskeggr]

I've been always curious about the .45 long colt.Does it recoil more than a .45 ACP, for example?

I think they are about equal...especially taking into account the different design of the handgun through which each is usually fired.

The Long Colt is a larger capacity case, but is loaded to black powder pressures. The older propellant has a slower burn rate than smokeless and hence a "more lazy" power curve.

The ACP was originally loaded with the single-base Nitro-powder available in 1905 when the original Browning .45 Automatic was made.

Modern powders are predominantly double base (Nitroglycerine and Nitrocellulose treated with solvents and binders)...but that really getting into gun geekdom :p

My initial comment is based upon finding ammunition for both with the same weight bullet and comparing at the range.

Either is, as Veritas wrote, an effective stopper in a defensive situation.

I have used the Long Colt successfully to hunt North American White Tail Deer out of a handgun.

I also own a Winchester lever action rifle in this caliber. I like pairing a carbine length rifle with a pistol in the same caliber, helps keep the logistics simpler. Marlin Camp 45 with M1911, Marlin Camp 9 with S&W M59 are two other examples...these rifles use the same magazines as the handgun.

Unfortunately, none of these three carbines are still made, but other companies do produce pistol caliber carbine length rifles.

Good discussion!

[Matritensis]

I'm sorry for making so many questions,but you guys have a lot more experience than me about these matters:I read in almost any firearms forum than the quality of the guns made decades ago was much better than today's.Do you find it to be the case? I've noticed also that weapons which are not made anymore suddenly jump to the status of "legend",like Colt revolvers for example.I've tried a King Cobra and I found it definitely inferior to a S&W 686.Maybe the Python is another beast altogether,but at those prices it better be.

[Piparskeggr]

Quality can vary from era to era in anything's manufacturing run.

The Mini-14 I got my wife back in the mid-80's has a better fit and finish than the one I bought her in the mid-90's.

...and, yes, a lot of guns gain an undeserved cachet when they go out of production ,)

[Matritensis]

I,ve been shooting yesterday and today with a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum(my first time with that caliber),4 inches,and I'm surprised to have found that it doesn't have the horrifying recoil I was expecting,double ear protection makes all the difference in the world.It's of course a stout cartridge,but still controllable.I cannot wait until I try a S&W mod 29.The Ruger was ok but the trigger it's a bit too hard.