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a lot of people still say this is the most accurate production revolver:
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Accuracy; auto vs revolver.
- Thread starter jackknife
- Start date
The Python can certainly be very accurate. S&W and Ruger revolvers can also be very accurate, but maybe the Python is more accurate on average. When IHMSA was popular people found that the modern Dan Wesson revolvers were very accurate. However the most accurate production revolver by far is the Freedom Arms. The S&W DX models can be very close though.
a lot of people still say this is the most accurate production revolver:
I had a Python back in the late 70's. It was a very fine gun and one of the most accurate revolvers I ever owned. But in club competition it just wasn't in the same league as my Colt Gold Cup. Once I started to do the club competitions, I noticed that revolvers were almost never used. The center fire matches were dominated by the 1911 platform, and the rimfire shoots were a mixture of old High Standard Supermatics Ruger bull barrel target models, and the Smith and Wesson model 41.
My better half, who is a better handgun shot than me, loves her S&W K22 masterpiece, but when she was competing, she used her dad's old High Standard until she got the model 41 Smith. Even nowadays, the matches at my club are all the semi autos. The only place I see revolvers are in the cowboy action shoots. I was a revolver buff until this past year. I'd never look at a Glock, until my cousin bought one. Then he bought a second different model. Shooting them was very impressive. I got beguiled by these little guns with a combination of reliability, accuracy, easy shooting, and easy stripping and cleaning. Used to be the only auto pistol I'd have anything to do with was the old 1911. But I've become a Glock fan. Add a conversion kit to shoot .22's and you've got a real versatile shooter. I always loved my old Colt with the Colt brand .22 conversion kit. Nothing like shooting two different rounds in one gun.
Back when I started my police career, everyone carried revolvers and police competitions were shot with same. I worked a couple of big local meets and the big boys could shoot "possibles" on the old "Practical Police" course, which involved shooting from 7 to 50 yards from a variety of positions.
A possible was putting all rounds in the X-ring of a standard silhouette target.
The two favored revolvers were the Colt Python and the S&W K-38 6". The Smiths were normally "tuned" a bit... Action jobs for the most part. No one was building the modern equivalent of the "race gun" at the time.
Arguments as to which was better, Colt or Smith, were long and heated.....
A possible was putting all rounds in the X-ring of a standard silhouette target.
The two favored revolvers were the Colt Python and the S&W K-38 6". The Smiths were normally "tuned" a bit... Action jobs for the most part. No one was building the modern equivalent of the "race gun" at the time.
Arguments as to which was better, Colt or Smith, were long and heated.....
not2sharp
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Accuracy is mostly up to the shooter. What does help for me, even more so than the sight radius, are the grip ergonomics and the weight, and of course a smooth action and a crisp trigger. It is hard to shoot a gun well when you are fighting the thing to keep the sights aligned on target. Generally, I like to shoot my handguns at 10-15 yards and occasionally at 25 yards; anything longer than that calls for a rifle. After 40+ years at those ranges, it doesn't much matter what I shoot.
n2s
n2s
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I shoot my glock pretty well. I also love 9mm. The ability to get back on target after each shot is hard to beat, with practice its fairly easy to get shots out accurately in very quick succession.
These targets were both around 17-20 yards away. Glock 19, standing, taking my time. Not too bad, perfect for a defensive pistol. Actually any self defense situation would be much closer than 20 yards of course. I like to practice at a greater distance though. People who don't shoot handguns don't understand the difficulty in being accurate with a handgun at distances past close quarters. With such short barrels, any slight movement or shake in your grip or trigger pull can throw off your shot by a lot. Not saying shooting a handgun at 20 yards is hard, especially if you're a decent shot it isn't anything too hard. But practicing the fundamentals like trigger pull, grip, and stance really improve your ability to shoot a handgun accurately at that distance. Sure, I see many other people at the range shooting some handguns at 20 yards as well, however typically none of their targets ever look like these ones, they've got hits all over the place. Learning proper trigger pull and grip allows you to actually be accurate at that distance, and further.
When I shoot my LCP .380 though, I don't dare try to shoot at 20 yards, hahah. It's basically a pocket pistol, meant for really up close and personally self defense like muggins and car jackings. With the double action long trigger and super short barrel, it is very hard to be accurate with at any distance past 3-5 yards. I only had enough rounds to fire 1 magazine through it, I believe this target was around 7 yards away. I do love this little gun though, it has been 100% reliable since I bought it brand new. Usually small pistols like these can be a little finicky. This thing has been great, eats FMJ and HP no problem. I like to use Speer Gold Dots in both 9mm and .380, so that is what I shot through it.
(not my LCP, just size reference from net)
These targets were both around 17-20 yards away. Glock 19, standing, taking my time. Not too bad, perfect for a defensive pistol. Actually any self defense situation would be much closer than 20 yards of course. I like to practice at a greater distance though. People who don't shoot handguns don't understand the difficulty in being accurate with a handgun at distances past close quarters. With such short barrels, any slight movement or shake in your grip or trigger pull can throw off your shot by a lot. Not saying shooting a handgun at 20 yards is hard, especially if you're a decent shot it isn't anything too hard. But practicing the fundamentals like trigger pull, grip, and stance really improve your ability to shoot a handgun accurately at that distance. Sure, I see many other people at the range shooting some handguns at 20 yards as well, however typically none of their targets ever look like these ones, they've got hits all over the place. Learning proper trigger pull and grip allows you to actually be accurate at that distance, and further.
When I shoot my LCP .380 though, I don't dare try to shoot at 20 yards, hahah. It's basically a pocket pistol, meant for really up close and personally self defense like muggins and car jackings. With the double action long trigger and super short barrel, it is very hard to be accurate with at any distance past 3-5 yards. I only had enough rounds to fire 1 magazine through it, I believe this target was around 7 yards away. I do love this little gun though, it has been 100% reliable since I bought it brand new. Usually small pistols like these can be a little finicky. This thing has been great, eats FMJ and HP no problem. I like to use Speer Gold Dots in both 9mm and .380, so that is what I shot through it.
(not my LCP, just size reference from net)
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One of the Captains on my Dept is a Navy SEAL. It doesn't matter what you put in his hands, he's making one keyhole down range. That said, his favorite firearm is H&K and owns a few of them - he is just beast with them. I, on the other hand prefer a revolver...my best groups ever were with a S&W 586. Our Dept uses Glock [of course] and even though I'm fairly proficient with it...it's not my favorite firearm. I actually prefer the 1911 platform but I'm not as accurate [graded on paper] with it as I am the .357.
Many years ago, when I was just a kid in high school, I read Elmer Kieth's great old book.."Sixguns". He devoted a whole chapter to his method of long-range shooting with the handgun. The specialized sights he had made up, the various shooting positions, etc.
When I went into the army in the mid-60s, I had to try these techniques out.... One of my first purchases was a 2" Colt detective special, and I found I could reliably hit paint-can sized targets at 100 yards with this little guy, using Kieth's sitting position and "holding the front sight up in the notch" as he'd described.
Later on, shooting more-appropriate weapons for the purpose, it worked just as well. Kieth had special front sights made up with inset bars of gold or whatever to give him different gradations for how much sight to hold out of the notch.
I recall one session on a deserted stretch of river where I was reliably hitting a man-sized snag at 200 yards plus....Using my old S&W model 27 and shooting out of my car window. (It was COLD!)
When I went into the army in the mid-60s, I had to try these techniques out.... One of my first purchases was a 2" Colt detective special, and I found I could reliably hit paint-can sized targets at 100 yards with this little guy, using Kieth's sitting position and "holding the front sight up in the notch" as he'd described.
Later on, shooting more-appropriate weapons for the purpose, it worked just as well. Kieth had special front sights made up with inset bars of gold or whatever to give him different gradations for how much sight to hold out of the notch.
I recall one session on a deserted stretch of river where I was reliably hitting a man-sized snag at 200 yards plus....Using my old S&W model 27 and shooting out of my car window. (It was COLD!)
Either auto or revolver can be built with tolerances and QC that enhance accuracy. My Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, which I plan to keep until I pass from this world, is one example, and there are Les Baers built with 1.5" accuracy guarantees, which should be even more accurate, in the right hands. After I retire, I plan to add a Freedom Arms revolver, which is an example of a hyper-accurate revolver.
In the 1997-2002 time period, when I carried 1911 pistols for both duty and personal carry, and trained seriously and often, I could shoot my Baer noticeably better than a standard Colt or Kimber. Some of this was due to mechanical accuracy potential, some due to the high-cut front strap, resulting in a better fit, and some due to the high volume of serious training.
Another factor is how the gun fits the shooter. I doubt Fourth-Generation Glocks are more mechanically accurate than Third-Generation, but I can realize better accuracy with Gen4, which fit my hands better. And, no Glock fits my hands as well as my Baer, or my P229. This does not keep me from using 9mm Glocks for most personal-time carry, home defense, and for "back-up" while at work, as they are accurate enough to do the job I require of them. (I am required to carry specified .40 or .45 autos in my duty rig; therefore the .40 P229.)
In the 1997-2002 time period, when I carried 1911 pistols for both duty and personal carry, and trained seriously and often, I could shoot my Baer noticeably better than a standard Colt or Kimber. Some of this was due to mechanical accuracy potential, some due to the high-cut front strap, resulting in a better fit, and some due to the high volume of serious training.
Another factor is how the gun fits the shooter. I doubt Fourth-Generation Glocks are more mechanically accurate than Third-Generation, but I can realize better accuracy with Gen4, which fit my hands better. And, no Glock fits my hands as well as my Baer, or my P229. This does not keep me from using 9mm Glocks for most personal-time carry, home defense, and for "back-up" while at work, as they are accurate enough to do the job I require of them. (I am required to carry specified .40 or .45 autos in my duty rig; therefore the .40 P229.)
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UffDa
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For a long time revolvers were more accurate than semi-autos. Then, people began experimenting with ways to tighten the 1911. Fitted slides, barrel bushings, better barrels, better ammo, etc. Still, the only way to really tell the difference would be to shoot them from a machine rest which takes the human element out of the picture.
What's interesting is that barrel length has very little to do with accuracy. I have seen many revolvers with 2" barrels shoot just as accurately as 6" barrels. Due to the short sight radius and light weight they are much harder to shoot, but have you seen Jerry Miculek and Bob Munden popping balloons with one at 200 yards?
What would have made this more impressive is if Jerry fired a few rounds to see if he could get a group on the plate, but I guess he quit while he was ahead.
[youtube]HIwVK_FxGZk[/youtube]
What's interesting is that barrel length has very little to do with accuracy. I have seen many revolvers with 2" barrels shoot just as accurately as 6" barrels. Due to the short sight radius and light weight they are much harder to shoot, but have you seen Jerry Miculek and Bob Munden popping balloons with one at 200 yards?
What would have made this more impressive is if Jerry fired a few rounds to see if he could get a group on the plate, but I guess he quit while he was ahead.
[youtube]HIwVK_FxGZk[/youtube]
Look up what IHMSA shooters do with revolvers at 200 meters. In the first half of IHMSA history they were limited to Colt, S&W, Ruger and Dan Wesson revolvers. Then at one point the rules changed to allow Freedom Arms revolvers which were considerably more accurate. It was relatively easy for a good IHMSA shooter, even with an ordinary S&W or similar revolver and open sights, to clean a bank of rams at 200 meters. The standard ram target has a body about 12" tall. In the early days of IHMSA people tried accurized 1911's but they had insufficient ballistics for the targets at 100 meters and beyond.