An informal contest with Starmetal.

[hpdrifter]

I really don't care, but a Freedom arms has, to me, a custom barrel and a custom cylinder with custom lockwork. Cost $2000. The BFR is pretty close to that, if not the same, parts wise. Cost $1000,,,1400???? What for? Superior parts and workmanship. Ruger(GOD FORBID) $400. Why? It doesn't have the custom, custom, custom.

Oh, like I say it doesn't matter to me. I don't own anything more than a (GOD FORBID) Ruger 45, without a scope. So, this is just a Semi-Custom Target Shoot w/Optics. Blah. Like all other target shooting of the day. Money talks.

[44man]

Get with it, I have shot groups at 100 yd's with an open sighted Ruger that will make you say I am nuts. Join in the fun, it doesn't matter if you shoot tiny groups, just consistant groups and if you use open sights you will be recognized if you shoot something nice. The loading info is what is important here. No one is excluded. If you can plunk 5 shots in three inches at 100 yd's, your information is important to all of us. We all understand that open sights are harder and will overlook larger groups. After all, I am using a red dot and if you ever tried to hold that huge dot in the same place, you will see that open sights can be easier.
I am tired of just talking about what works, lets find out by getting together on this
That Ruger .45 will match the very best of them, Don't quit on us. Wait until I get my old Ruger going, it has over 57,000 heavy rounds through it and it is going to surprise you. I outshoot Freedom arms guns all the time! THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT ON A GUN MEANS NOTHING. I whipped the best of the best in IHMSA with a cheap gun. How you load counts more. Please join us.

[HickoryCreek]

it has over 57,000 heavy rounds through it .

57000!

[StarMetal]

Glad I had my waders on.

Joe

[hpdrifter]

Thanks for the invite, but I'm a relative virgin at pistol work. just been shootin em a couple of years and am still fighting a bad lead problem. Do most of my open sight practice at 50 yards; tough enough!

I had a red dot on mine for a while. Didn't care for it, so took it off and sold it. Could however hit the ram at 250 yards withit quite often with it on there.

Just got a lubrisizer and gonna have to open a .452 die up to .453 or get a .454 and see if that help the leading. If it do, I'll be happy enough. All I can shoot in my back yard is 50 yards. Had to rearrange my backstop; got some new neighbors moved in. Darnit.

Don't mean no animosity, just ..........never mind.

Shoot good.

[StarMetal]

hpdrifter

You're the perfect canidate to beat 44man.

Joe

[hpdrifter]

Yeah, I could prolly shoot a one hole group if I got the right flinch goin.

[44man]

Joe, you are getting nasty! How about showing us something!
Hpdrifter, shoot 50 yd's. Of course your groups will have to be smaller but will still work for the purpose of the shoot. I am looking for the best systems for loading cast for accuracy for all of us so don't feel left out. Anyone else that does not have the distance is also welcome. I don't want to leave anyone out. This is for FUN. Just state at what distance you are able to shoot. I guess I made too much of a restriction for distance but anyone that has access to 100 yd's needs to shoot that far. And for the adventurous, if you have a longer range, feel free to shoot much farther.
Hickory, yes, and that is only the heavy loads. I shot IHMSA and kept track of the bricks of primers. I never kept track of the plinking loads so I don't know how many of those were shot. That is ONE .44, I had eight over the years.
Joe, how about showing us some 200 meter groups! Stop talking and give us pictures.

[StarMetal]

Yeah, I could prolly shoot a one hole group if I got the right flinch goin.

hpdrifter

Don't laugh about that because one of the better shooter friends that I had and shot against shook so bad I couldn't see how he could hit even his car in front of him. His answer to me was that he must squeeze the trigger at the exact right time. He went on to say to me "Don't tell me how much I shake, I'm the one that has to look at my front sight moving all over the place". We both got a really good laugh out of it.

Joe

[David R]

I'm in as soon as it warms up. I have a 45 Long Colt smith model 25 with factory sites, factory everything 'cept a trigger job (done twice) and a ruger 44 Super red hawk with a 2-6x scope. When it warms up I 'll shoot some 100 yard groups.

Tried this last year with my 45 auto. Needed a HUGE target

David

[hpdrifter]

here's a target shot at 45 yards hanging over tree limb while standing, mild breeze(a little sway) with open sights and 52 year old eyes. 9.3grns Unique 255grn SWC. Ruger BH 45 5.5" bbl. Don't have a bench or sandbags.

[44man]

HP, that is great for offhand, now we need the load information, every detail from sizing to the finished round. I am thinking of saving them on my computer and figure out how to post them all at once. It would make a great reference post.

[Buckshot]

...............Deppity Al orta take part. I've seen him standing up with some S&W revolter in 32 Mag (irons) and hitting the 200 meter gong.

.................Buckshot

[9.3X62AL]

Oh, THANKS, BUCKSHOT. Now I'll have to "pony up" some results.

That S&W Model 16-4 x 6" is the most accurate handgun I own, but wouldn't qualify for this gig--too small, and not deer-capable.......which is where I think 44 Man is going with this venture.

I have a Bisley Blackhawk in 357 that has moments where it threatens to keep up with that Smith, accuracy-wise. I have yet to do critical load work with the Bishawk x 45 since reaming and polishing the throats to .453"--if that disqualifies the platform, so be it--its construction needed completion, and I did it at home--no shop work. The 45's work since the throat job shows promise, for sure.

I don't own any target-grade centerfire bottom-feeders.....mine are all service types. This isn't "precise", but I can hit B-27's inside the "7-bottle" at 100 yards about 95% of the time with every pistol I carry for social work, and practice "hostage drills" to 35 yards--frequently. I do better in both venues with the M-686 x 4" than with any of my stutterguns........it is probably the service piece I do my best work with.

I am NOT a target shooter, a trait I demonstrate most capably every Tuesday at the Burrito Match. I grew up shooting OBJECTS or CRITTERS, not paper. Hitting targets is all about focus and concentration--and I can do so on objects far better than I can on paper. Tight groups on paper are very satisfying, for certain--but I use them to prepare for shooting objects or critters, not as an end in itself. It's a mental thing, for sure--I'm just not generally motivated for precise paper punching, I want some "vigor" from a hit--fall over, blow up, go TINK, whatever. A 22 LR handgun or rifle and a bag of charcoal briquets can entertain me for hours, as can a swinging plate. Not very sophisticated, I suppose--the NRA bullseye folks are probably recoiling in terror and disgust--but that's me.

That said--I'M IN. Is the 45 Bisley with the proper throats OK for this gig? I would like to get a 250 grainer of some kind to 1100 FPS as a deer taker, maybe that Lee 300 at the same speed. My M-624 (44 Special) did some REAL GOOD work with #429421 at about 1075-1100 FPS. The 357 Bishawk can run the #358156's to 1500+........I wonder how tightly they group at that speed? Time to find out, I guess.

[Bret4207]

Come on Joe- where's your sense of competition? Whoever wins this thing can get "The Golden Waders Award". You talk the talk, can you walk the walk? For that matter I'm still waiting for you to enter the postal matches with your .5" SKS cast boolit gun. Either suck it up or tone it down.

I got no dog in this fight. I know anything under 6" at 100 yards ain't gonna happen for this hangunner. I can do a heck of a job up close and personal with a Husky 2100 chainsaw though!

[44man]

Guys, I am not trying to find the best shooter. The competition is to find the best loading procedures all of you have come up with. This is for a learning process.
The only reason for a little heavier load is that some light target loads are too easy to do and a lot of the smaller bores are way too easy to make accurate with almost anything. Once the bore size and power goes up, groups seem to get worse. Can we get together to solve a lot of it?

[45 2.1]

The only reason for a little heavier load is that some light target loads are too easy to do and a lot of the smaller bores are way too easy to make accurate with almost anything. Once the bore size and power goes up, groups seem to get worse. Can we get together to solve a lot of it?

I've found in handguns the opposite is true of the above. Tell the 32-20 guys that when they are having trouble getting them to shoot a decent group. The whole "secret" is getting consistent ignition and that is solvable. This is the thing you are seeking in these threads.

[44man]

More fun and games today. I went down to shoot some of my harder boolits. I have been shooting WW metal with 2% tin. The last time I shot I found huge amounts of leading. I pushed out strands for an hour. You are all going to say things but no, the boolit is .476 and the throats are .4765.
I shot ten and went to see. The hard alloy was hitting much lower and were in the backstop under the paper. I had a nice round 1-1/2" group with 8 of them and 2 were higher, just in the paper. Went back to 50 yd's and it took 4 clicks of elevation on the red dot to center the bull. Evidently the hard alloy is shooting faster.
I then shot 5 more at 100 and this is the group. I was having a lot of trouble with the bag under the butt and got verticle dispersion from it. It is an old soft bag that goes to pot with each shot. I need something stable under the butt. I then tried 5 with my hand under the butt and no pressure on the bag and recoil was wild with the gun torqueing every which way, no workee.
I cleaned the gun and I found no lead in the bore. That is the first tight patch I scrubbed the bore with using Ed's Red.

[44man]

I had 5 shots left so I went to 200 yd,s. You can see the huge orange target I used to aim at with the red dot. Stupid is as stupid does and it blotted the red dot so I had to turn it way up which distorted it. I could not see very much at all but wanted to see the drop of this big WFN boolit. Of course I still had the bad bag under the butt.
Everyone posts that the big flat nose boolits go unstable at long range. I did not find this, all holes were round and the only problem I had was aiming and verticle dispersion from the bag. 3 of those shots were in 3-3/16"
The drop was a whopping 34" with a 50 yd setting. When I get a better rest setup and something better to aim at, I will try this again. You should hear those things hit down there.

[StarMetal]

44man

That friend Mike I told you about, well we went shooting one day with our 45 LC's. Mine an old model Blackhawk with 4 5/8 and his a second generation Colt SAA nickel plated with 7 1/2 barrel. We were shooting at a steel gong at 200 meters. I was shooting the RCBS 255 gr SWC with a stiff load of Unique, but not super hot. He was shooting a tradition safe Colt load. I could adjust my sights to hit that gong and I was hitting it pretty reliably. What we had to do for Mike was put a cardboard box we found up on the hill side behind the gong. We had to put that box like 20 feet up that hill. But I tell you what, that son of a gun was hitting that gong just as reliably as me with that old Colt by aiming at that box. Later on I shot an eight inch group on paper and this other shooter came to range asked what we were doing and shooting. We told him and he started laughing saying a 45LC wouldn't even go that far alone hit anything even if it was hopped up alittle in a Ruger. Then Mike showed him my group I just shot and he shut right up. Then I questioned him as to where he got that notion. We had a good talk and he walked away with having learned something and more respect for the "older" calibers.

Joe