what kind of accuracy do you get at 50 yards with open sites

[kidcoltoutlaw]

im using a 5.5 ruger redhawk in 44 mag my groups run in the 4 to 5 inch range if i fire 40 shots some will go outside the 5 inch range.i just have trouble seeing good enough to do any beter.im thinking of putting a scope on it just to tune the loads so then i will no if its me or the gun.right now i know the gun shoots better than i can hold it at 50 yards.has anybody tried the b-square scope mount will it hold point of aim .what is the best type of target for 50 yard open site group shooting.my eyes are fine im using the v notch and brass bead site,thanks,keith

 

[beemerb]

50 YARDS.Man I can see that far.When I have to shoot that far I get a rifle

 

[GunreviewWebmaster]

Geez, I cannot see 50 yards without a scope. To me, 25 yards is the max for a non-scoped handgun. I even have trouble seeing out to 25 yards. Maybe Lasik surgery is in my future.

 

[dewey]

Alls'I's knows is.... I scoped a S&W 6" Slab side Hunter and
a S&W 627 5" PC gun and messed with them some and I'm going back to DOTS. They are WAY too heavy. I assume they would be OK in a braced situation in a tree stand but crap,
if you're going the up-a-tree route,why not just lug a freakin' rifle up there???

I thought the whole idea of handgun hunting was the 'hunting' part ? Randy Garret told me he knows a guy who has shot game at 115 yards with open sights. Maybe Elmer's
son....dewey

 

[Battleaxe]

Open sights

I kept a 6 inch Python in 6 inches at 100 yards without much trouble with iron sights and a rest. Elmer took a mule deer at 500+ yards with iron sights and the event was duplicated by Guns & Ammo in the March 1970 issue by two of their writers. Even with the debate on this issue, the reaffirmation of Elmer's shooting with a .44 Special (handloaded hot) is easy to recreate. I've taken mule deer and antelope out to 100+ yards with iron sighted 6 inch revolvers over the years without much problem.
The record length of a police shooting with a handgun I can find is 76 yards in Hawaii a few years ago (4 hits out of 6) with a Beretta 92, and another with a unknown 9mm in LA at about the same range. Both were daylight shootings.
Never say never when it comes to guns and women.

 

[444]

When I was preparing to hunt Javelina last year with my Ruger Super Blackhawk. I tried shooting a paper plate at 50 yards off hand. The vast majority of the time, I hit it. I didn't consider that good enough to hunt Javelina so I took my muzzleloader. I would feel comfortable with that accuracy for deer however. I could improve that, I am sure with practice.

 

[Bill Adair]

KidColt,

Groups are generally measured from center to center of the widest two holes. Some sticklers measure outside to outside, and subtract bullet diameter, but it gives the exact same results, unless you can't find the center of a bullet hole.

I never shoot farther than 50 feet (not yards), with open sights, on my Blackhawk 45 Colt, with 5.5 inch barrel. Any farther than that, and I can barely see the target!

Friday, on a clear and sunny day, I was able to put five shots in 1/2 inch at 50' from a sandbag rest, but I can't do that all the time, because of my aging vision.

I think that equates to about 1.5 inches at 50 yards, unless my meager math education is showing.

By the way, that group was with my favorite handload. I doubt very much that a factory load will give you that kind of accuracy.

Bill

 

[C.R.Sam]

beemerb says "When I have to shoot that far I get a rifle"

Whether with wheel or autoloader, use caution if betting against him when shooting clays at 50yds or shotgun hulls at ten yards......sometimes he runs out of ammo without missing.

Sam

 

[Arub]

The gun is probably not going to be the problem. How steady are you????

 

[Mal H]

To be honest, I had some doubt about the 5" groups at 50 yards with iron sights when I read this last night. But then I remembered seeing Bob Munden consistently hitting a playing card at 100 yds with a .38 Snubby! I have learned to rarely doubt what someone says they can do until you can see for yourself. Just because I can't do it with my older eyes certainly doesn't mean someone else can't.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

I am just learning to handle 50 yards, shooting from prone for the most part. I use computer focus length glasses to be able to see the front sight clearly and hold to the slimmest piece of the top of the very fuzzy bullseye.

Of five days I've attempted this, I have maybe three times kept the majority of the rounds within the 8" bullseye, including 42 out of 56 on one occassion. Once I got a five or six shot group within less than 3.5" and almost decided to call it quits rather than dissolve that fantasy group.

No discernable trend thus far.

I seem to get similar results from bench or prone as I do not have a proper pistol rest.

 

[Bill Adair]

Hi Guy,

I tried to use computer glasses myself, but didn't do even as well, as with my regular bifocals. Never tried it again.

Some days I get a reasonably good sight picture, and other days, the front post is just a blurr.

My long barrel revolvers do best, and my Blackhawk is the best in that respect.

I have a S&W revolver with rounded fixed sights, and that's really hard for me to shoot well!

Often wondered how those bifocals with the smooth transition from near to far vision would work? Might be able to find a compromise between the two lenses that would keep both the sights and target fairly well focused?

Bill

 

[dewey]

Trasnsition Lenses

My shooting accuracy would decrease quickly until I got this type trifocals + + THEY WORK GREAT ! + +
Typical first and second groups were ~ 1 1/2 inches but then
taper off to 3 to 4" when the front site fuzz would appear.
With these lenses the fur is GONE for the entire session.
...Best....dewey

 

[fed168]

I have not done alot of long distance shooting with my pistols, save for the Match 1500 and just goofing off.
My problem has been getting comfortable in the positions, mainly sitting, but overall it is pretty easy to shoot.
I find shooting steel at 100 is a confidence booster. My duty gun will hit a steel plate at 100 all day long, provided I do my part.

 

[Craig Luna]

I have learned to rarely doubt what someone says they can do until you can see for yourself

You are a wise man.

 

[rock_jock]

I shoot on a monthly basis my 686 (non-plus version) with 4" barrel and factory sights at a 50yd silhouette competition. The targets are about 6" across and out of 40 possible hits, I usually score 22-25. I consider myself to be an above average shooter, but not too much more than that, so I am sure those more talented than I could easily outperform this feat.


"I have learned to rarely doubt what someone says they can do until you can see for yourself."

Sorry, I am the exact opposite. Given some of the claims I have heard with regard to guns and accuracy, I have learned to be a doubting Thomas.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Bill,

I have progressive lenses which go from close to far. Need to be careful how the lenses are ground as on normal progressives the viewing area is hour glass shaped with a very narrow slot for front sight distance. I found when using the progressives for computer work I could see only one or two characters at a time and had to continuously move my head to scan lines.

Mal,

I have to agree. I sometimes work the public line as Range Safety Officer. I used to assume anyone who is not a regular shooter is pushing their luck at 25 yards and I would need to monitor them for damage to the target frames. I figured anyone trying a handgun at 50 yards (other than the Contenders) is a complete idiot. Now I can actually do it with my limited experience and have had to back off a step when I see others on the 50 yard line.

Of course my previous assumptions are still correct more often than not.

 

[Jim March]

I've only shot at that range once...

Target was a smallish metal trash barrel, torso width, 3ft tall. I was shooting my J-class snubbie (very old Charter Undercover that's been tuned at some point ). Ammo was standard pressure UMC 130gr FMJ. Firing SA, I hit it 15 out of 15 shots . Dunno about groups because it was shot to hell by an entire "firing squad" but some dude with a full-size Glock .40 was batting less than I was .

I was basically aiming at the top middle of the can, leaving the top 1/5th or so of the can above the sights. I have no idea quite how much drop I was getting but I assume it was considerable .

Still, it was pretty gratifying. If there was no other choice, I'd take that sort of shot in "real life" with that gun...and the 158+P LSWC-HP loads I'll carry when I score CCW are more accurate than those UMCs.

Jim

 

[johnbt]

I like Varilux lenses because they'll focus at any distance - if you can find the exact spot on the lens. After a couple of months finding it fast becomes second nature. Anyway, because of my vision I usually don't shoot handguns past 25 yards, mostly because I can't see the holes in the paper.

Last Friday I was shooting .22 rifles with a friend on the 50-yard range and decided I'd try out some oldish Federal Match .38 Special WC that I'd picked up for $8/box. Standing and shooting at 3" Shoot-N-See targets, I shot over half a box and kept pushing most of them up and to the left. Seemed like the more I aimed down and right the more they went the other way.

So I took a break.

Ten minutes later, feeling refreshed, I sat down, supported my forearms on my range bag and put the first two shots an inch apart. Now they weren't dead center, but they weren't near the edge of the dot either. The next four were close, but still a bit up and to the left.

Good ammo. I really like this stuff. I was shooting a mid-80s Ruger Police Service Six - 4" barrel and fixed sights.

John

 

[Ed Brunner]

I'm still trying to digest playing cards at 100 yards with a snubbie. Is that for real???