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100 yard accuracy potential of handgun cartridges

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  JRR 
#1 ·
I have done quite a bit of accuracy testing of the 357 mag and 45 Colt lever guns at 50 yards. What are some actual aaccuracy results achieved at 100 yards? With good loads I can get around the 1 inch level at 50. Will be setting up at the 100 yard line next time I go to the range.
Jeff
 
#2 ·
I shoot 44 mag in lever and pistol. I would be OK with 1 inch at 50 yds but I know the gun is better because most of that variation is me. At 100 yds I have iron sights so I know all the variation is me. I can get 4 inch and sometimes better at 100 yds. Trigger work would always help.
 
#3 · (Edited)
If you can put them all on a Dixe plate at that range your good to go for deer on up.:D If your looking to shoot rabbits to coyote 4" should good. I myself wouldn't be happy until I reached a 6" group or better at 100 yds for deer on up. Right know I'm getting 2 1/2 avg group at 50 yds with some three shot clusters you can cover with a nickal!!! All I know is if I get a deer within 125yds he's toaste.:D Trails End Winny shoots then straighter than I can:)
 
#4 ·
My 1st time out to the range With my Winchester '94 Trails End .357 Magnum produced 3 inch groups with factory 158 grn Remington JSP's. I was quite happy with that level of accuracy at 100 yards as I can't think of anything I would shoot at beyond that range with a .357 Mag. carbine. I hope to try the 180 grn weight in the future. Seems that would be ideal in this carbine.
 
#5 ·
Jeff,

I think that most of it will depend on your own vision and the sighting system you use. At the fifty yards range you usually shoot, 1" groups are very good with the standard barrel-mounted rear sight found on leverguns. The best I've ever done with out-of-the-box sights was with a Marlin 444P and handloads using the Speer Gold Dot. When I did my part three shots often touched at 50 yards.

Now when you extend that to 100 yards things are very different for most people. Even with good vision it is much harder to get standard sights to do much better than 3-5" regardless of cartridge or rifle brand. It's shooting like this beyond 50 or so paces where receiver or tang sights and low-power scopes really earn their keep. The Marlin 444 I mentioned above was good for about 2" to 2-1/4" groups at 100 yards once a Williams receiver sight was installed. Using the same factory rear sight as I did at 50, groups were more like 5-6" with me behind the trigger. Big difference, eh? I think a low-powered scope would give even slightly better results. If you do lean towards optics, seriously consider the forward-mounted, "Scout scope" concept. You can use a number of handgun scopes instead of the somewhat pricey Scout scopes from Leupold and Burris.
 
#8 ·
Hello everyone,
My Win. 94, 357 trapper has a Williams receiver sight and this is the gun I get the 1" groups at 50 Yards. My trapper in 45 Colt has the original barrel sight and 1.5 to 2 inchs are more normal at 50 yards.

I have the sights set so when the bottom of the 6" black is even with the top of the front sight, the hits are in the bullseye. Where will they hit at 100 yards with the same hold?

My shooting club will be holding lever action target matches starting next month.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

Jeff
 
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