pistol accuracy

[tricorn hat]

What is the best target you have shot, off a rest, at 25 or 50 yards, flint or percussion.Please tell us your load and caliber, and anything else you think pertinent. I have a Siber .33 that shoots beautifully, but I have built several pistols that do not, [In my opinion]. What can your piece do?

[smylee grouch]

I have a 8" barreled percussion that will clover leaf 5 shots at 25 yds. off sand bags. Getz barrel. I can usualy get them all in a pie plate off hand.

[cmac]

I've made three now and at 15 yards a good shot load just peppers a paper plate .    Probably about a 4" group at 25 yards benched-smoothbores

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

This is a Hawken pistol I made ~ 1980, based on the image in Baird's first book of a pair of Hawken pistols.  It carries a .60 calibre 9" barrel made by Hoch with a 1:36" twist.  This pistol has won me a lot of first place honours, and it doesn't seem to matter who shoots it, it stacks 'em.  Probably the best paper target I've seen shot with this pistol, is one by my elder daughter Sarah, when she was about 16 yr. old.  At 25 yds., she shot five shots into one hole in the ten ring offhand.  I taught he to shoot with two hands and I'm glad I don't have to compete against her.

[PPatch]

That is one beautiful pistol Taylor.

dp

[Frizzen]

Seven shots at 50 yds. This was not from a bench tho. This was freehand.



10 shots at 25 yds. Free hand



Pistol is a single shot with a 32 cal. Ed Rayl barrel.  We use Hornandy "0" Buck and a .010 thick patch.
Powder is Swiss FFF 14 grs.  Velocity is 925 fps. Barrel is 9 inches. We don't have any targets shot from
a rest, because we don't shoot that way.

This was 10 shots at 25 yds by yours truly.





Wife has won the 100 yd pistol match at Friendship with a 78 score, but I can't find the target. The 10
shot group was about 10 inches.



Another 10 shots 25 yds. This was within 45 cal Green Mt barrel. Powder Goex 20 grs. . 017 pillow ticking
patch, moose milk lube . Ball .451 cast.  All of our lube on everything is water souable oil water mix.




A 50 yd 5 shot target. 32 cal Ed Rayl barrel

[WadePatton]

I'm with you Frizzen, i punch better targets without a bench when it comes to pistols.  I don't know why.  I've tried it enough to know.

[Dphariss]

Someplace I have a photo of a 2.5" 5 shot group shot with my elbows rested 25 yards. 54 cal with a 66 twist barrel. I was using 60 gr of FFF I think.
Last one I targeted with a better rest was about 2" again with a 54 66 twist. But my eyes are a lot older too.
Both were flintlock.
Two handed  standing I shoot into maybe 3-4" at 25 with one of my FL Don King "Hawken" pistols.
Dan

[alex e.]

After shooting and becoming  familiar with  period smooth bore pistols, I have figured them out.This might be extreme or difficult for some to comprehend.
In my experience the effective range is proportional to about how far you can throw the piece and hit a man sized target.While i have not actually thrown any of my pistols ,accuracy  in these guns fizzles fast.Any accuracy seems to be with a charge of about  1/2 of the bore  diameter though, patched or wadded.
Someone started putting  grooves in barrels for a reason .

Years ago when I shot a lot more  pistols,you could get as good groups as any modern gun with similar sights. Practice helps.

[plastikosmd]

This is was my first day with this pistol (hege siber.) Still gotta walk the rear sight over but a good start. 50 yards, held about 2" group, hands sitting on bench, no pistol rest. Looking back I still haven't worked on this gun in a year, I gotta get back out and shoot it.

[tricorn hat]

Thank you gentlemen,  I'm glad I don't have to shoot against you! 100 yard pistol match at Friendship? I haven't been there in years so this is new to me. Could you tell us a bit about it? One hand or two? How many shots   etc   etc. Thank you

[Frizzen]

It is a 10 shot match at 100 yds. It is shot on the regular NRA 50yd pistol target. You can use either
two hand hold or one hand. Wife won it with a score of 78. She shoots one handed. Her group was about
a foot in dia. I was spotting for her and a light rain was comming down. She was going into her 9th shot
and I told her if she shot a "10" she would win the match and she wouldn't even have to shoot the last
shot. Well mind you the "10" ring is just a little over 3 inches in dia. I was looking thru the scope, she
loaded and walked up to the line. Took aim, and let me tell you that ball went right into that little "10"
ring. She did shoot the 10th shot. All you pistol shooters ought to try it.

[hanshi]

With my flint .50 pistol I've managed a few groups in the 2" to 2.5" range at 25 yards.  They were all from a standing off hand position which is more accurate for me than a bench rested setup.

[Standing Bear]

97-xxxxx @ 25 yds w Ruger Old Army.  found one chamber that is capable of shooting 10 Xs and shoot it single shot.  20 gr FFg and = volume of cream o wheat, .457 ball and Hodgdon spit ball lube.  

w a .40 Ingram underhammer 12" barrel.  .395 ball 25 gr FFg.  shot 100 w/ 7Xs

Both one hand off hand @ 25 yds.
TC

[bgf]

I've come to the conclusion that for most ML'er pistols, the grip is one of the most critical factors.  I can not come close to shooting my bird-beaked grip Kentucky pistol as well as a 1911, although I have improved substantially from where I started!  I can probably get a 6" group one-handed with my Kentucky caplock at 25 yards, on a good day.  I'm not ashamed to say that hitting the target board was my first major achievement, either...I never claimed to be a great pistol shooter, but it is fun with the Kentucky, esp. with light loads!

I noticed in the clubhouse (?) near the pistol range at Friendship that 1911 gripped ML'er pistols were not uncommon !

[Frizzen]

No, there not. Yazel's are most like the S&W model 41, which the grip is like a 1911. All of mine and
the wife's have the Ruger Mark 2 grip angle. As a matter of fact, the grips on them are made for the Ruger.

T Crompton, you are one heck of a pistol shot. The wife's best is a 100 and 7X. The record was set in
1962 by Bill Carver with a 100 and 9 X. This is still the record after all these years. Bill was a good friend
of mine for a good many years. He passed on in 2005.

[Standing Bear]

Thank you, sir. I believe the correct term would be was/were. That was about 30 years ago. The Ingram had a 12" barrel, Douglas if memory serves. Sold it when i learned pistol agg at TX Championsip match also required a flintlock as well as a revolver. Bought a Ruger Old Army and Never got around to buying a flint pistol.

Lots of great scores been shot some where besides Friendship.
TC

[tricorn hat]

Gentlemen, thank you all, particularly Frizzen,  for I am saddened to hear that Bill Carver is gone. I used to talk a lot and listen a lot more with him in the early 70's. Reni Rice was another good shot, though not in a class with Bill, but then who was?She fell off the radar, any idea what happened to her?

[Frizzen]

I had known Bill since about 1974. He even did a article about me one time. Wife and I talked to him
at Friendship in June of 2005. He looked well then. We shook hands, little did I know it would be for
the last time. Sure miss him. He taught me about everything I know about pistol shooting . Sure thought
a lot of him.

[George Sutton]

This is the best shot I ever made with a pistol. Skipped a ball off the water offhand at 75 yards and hit this card, third shot. Charlie Wallingford .45 caliber flintlock pistol.  (PURE LUCK )

[George Sutton]

Setting up for the shot. You can just see the card over the left shoulder of the man on the right.
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[Frizzen]

You should have set it up edgewise and cut it in half

[George Sutton]

Next time

Centershot