Field and Stream handgun tests

[Thumbcocker]

To determine accuracy with the handguns tested they were bench rested at 10 YARDS! WOW. Some of the guns tested were well into the 4 figure price range.

Elmer and Skeeter are weeping or spinning in their graves.

[Electrod47]

That's one of the reasons I gave up on all outdoor/gun rag mags these days. Articles like that. I read em' in the Barber Shop but, won't pay for that nonsense.

[M-Tecs]

10 yards is fine for pocket pistols. For full size handguns 25 yards should be the minimum with 50 yards preferred.

[Bazoo]

Maybe the tester couldn’t shoot?

[lotech]

Maybe the tester couldn’t shoot?

At ten yards, everyone becomes a skilled shooter, every gun is accurate, and the sorriest ammo groups tightly.

[FergusonTO35]

At ten yards, everyone becomes a skilled shooter, every gun is accurate, and the sorriest ammo groups tightly.

Not this guy here!:veryconfu

[hoodat]

Me and my old 686 have shot a couple of 1" fifty yard groups.(from the bags) By todays standards, that must be miraculous. I'd be kind of ashamed it I couldn't still bang out a couple inches even with my 65 year old eyes. jd

[Bazoo]

I can do better than an inch offhand at 10 yards. I should be in the magazines.

[T-Bird]

I was watching somebody shoot on youtube once, I thought: "that guy is pretty good!". Then I heard them say the target was 7 yds. The camera plays tricks on your eyes. I have never though of myself as a good shot, but I'm at least as good as that guy. I practice with my pocket guns at 15 yds, and my hunting pistols at 40 yds. I shoot off a stick at 40.

[Bazoo]

I think there are a lot of fine pistol shots, but few that also aspire to be gunwriters.

I seen on another forum that someone said basically, if y’all were as good as you say you are you’d be winning matches. I thought, the people that win matches also are people that enjoy competition and the games. I am neither, but I am a decent handgun shot. Now, could I win matches, no, because I don’t have the desire or drive for the competition part. I don’t have the discipline to push myself no matter how I feel. But I could likely hold my own against anyone if they came to my farm, and we had a friendly plinking match with nothing but an ice cold coke at stake.

[jonp]

Since Field and Stream and Outdoor Life started putting mountain bikes and rock climbers on the cover I have not taken them seriously.

[Hick]

When I do shoot at 10-15 yards, it's at golf balls shooting offhand (which is actually a lot of fun)

[375supermag]

When I do shoot at 10-15 yards, it's at golf balls shooting offhand (which is actually a lot of fun)
The only thing golf balls are good for...

[Bazoo]

At ten yards I generally shoot at weed stalks with the single six, and shotshell at 15. Unless of course I shoot at wretched paper targets. I been on a load development kick lately though and ain’t plinked much.

[hoodat]

Most of my life, I shot my handguns for good groups and fine accuracy at 25 to 100 yards. I got pretty good at it with a couple of handguns in particular. BUT-- I'm actually pretty horrible at fast, close defensive shooting. Been kind of getting interested in it lately, and it looks like fun. jd

[stubshaft]

Probably an attempt to make the cupcakes think that they are accurate pistol shooters. Most of the monkeys at my range flinch so bad they cannot even come near a 30 yard target!

[memtb]

I would think that if they were testing for accuracy with a defensive handgun…..it would be from a Ransom Rest @ 25 yards. If a hunting handgun a minimum of 50 yards……preferably 100 yards. I test my hunting revolver loads @ 100 yards.

If a reliability test…..a different issue! memtb

[dverna]

No child (gun) left behind.

Participation awards.

The new State of the Union (Racist USA)

[sharps4590]

It's a trend I've observed over the last 20-25 years. I think it was Jeff Cooper who said, when referring to the M-16, "they reduced the caliber, moved the target closer.....and they call this progress?" Same thing has happened with handguns with the emphasis on self defense, center mass, rather than real accuracy.

I shot with a couple....cupcakes, I like that...lol!.....a few years ago and as we were setting up targets they all stopped at 5-10 yards from the bench, on my 100 yard range. There is no "7 yard line" on my range, it starts at 25. Anyway, even 30 years older than the cupcakes I was shooting better at 25 than they were at 5 yards and as good at 50. They've never asked to come out again and, my intent was not to dissuade them. Different strokes, I guess.

Yeah, Skeeter and Elmer are turning in their graves.

[Thumbcocker]

Link to the article.


https://www.fieldandstream.com/guns/best-handguns/

[contender1]

Sadly,, too many people want "instant gratification" and to get that,, shoot close enough to feel like they are "good shots". It's the world in which they were raised in. These same types scoff at the idea of a handgun being effective at 100-200 or even longer distances. But heck,, that same mindset has been around for as long as handguns have been around.
I can recall back in the early 1980's,,as I began using a handgun ONLY for deer hunting. My local hunting buddies ragged me pretty good. I heard it all.
Yet,, we used to do a deer pool. We'd all put $20 in the pot,, and had a scoring system for our kills. Points for does, antler count, weight, biggest rack, ugliest rack, etc. From the time we started to pool & for several years until we stopped,, I never took less than 2nd place. It went from; "You ain't gonna kill no deer with a handgun",,,, to,,, "Dern,, what have you killed now?"
But even then,, to stigma of handgun hunting sticks. A bunch of local bear hunters REFUSED to allow anyone to use just a handgun on their hunts. One guy swears that a guy shot a bear with a .44 mag,, and never killed it,, yet,, another hunter shot it with a 30-30,, and when they skinned it,, he says that they "shook the hide & the bullets fell off."

But I digress about the distance & accuracy thing.

It really boils down to good, efficient, PROPER practice. A good grip, stance, brace,, (if necessary,) sight acquisition, trigger control, and follow through. If the gun is set up for accuracy,, and these things are followed,, a handgun can & will shoot at MUCH longer distances than 10 yds for accuracy.

And to address the folks above who discuss competition. I both hunt with a handgun, AND shoot USPSA competition. Two totally different types of handgunning. In hunting,, I'm allowed time to make a shot,, (or as an ethical hunter,, pass a shot,) whereas in USPSA,, speed is part of the score. BOTH require accuracy.
I like to challenge MYSELF,, & I know I'll never be a Grand Master level shooter. But,, I like to think I'm shooting the game enough to develop skills I hope I never need on the street in a self defense situation.

I know some good USPSA shooters. Yet,, they back away when I offer to let them shoot a .454 Casull at 100 yds. Sometimes it's fear of recoil,, other times, it's an ego thing,, where they know they'll be embarrassed.

The best thing we can do,, is to TRY & patiently,, carefully, teach others about longer distance handgunning. Doing so,, WITHOUT hurting someone's feelings can be tricky. But it can be done.

[jonp]

Link to the article.


https://www.fieldandstream.com/guns/best-handguns/

Korth for $3,700, Python $1,500, Wilson for $3,000. Thats why i dont read them anymore, they arent talking to us average persons

[elmacgyver0]

The only thing golf balls are good for...

That's not a very nice thing to say, They also make nice handles for tools and presses.

[Thumbcocker]

Korth for $3,700, Python $1,500, Wilson for $3,000. Thats why i dont read them anymore, they arent talking to us average personsBut for $3700 you get a gun that groups at 10 YARDS!! THAT IS 30 FEET!! Its not like you could buy a used Ruger or Smith that would shoot like that at 10 YARDS.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[T-Bird]

Well, in all fairness, there were several guns listed that were "affordable".

[Jtarm]

The rise of CHL and action pistol games shortened the ranges and lowered most peoples accuracy expectations.

50 years ago, the dominant pistol competition was bullseye, a precision shooting game that usually started at 25 yards and required accurate guns & ammo out to 50.

PPC was probably the only common action game. It likewise demanded precision.

My favorite type of handgun is what I refer to as a “field gun”. This is an all-round gun that can be used for SD or taking smallish-medium big game (whitetails & hogs) out to 50 yards. Light enough to not be a burden stomping through the brush and concealable under a reasonable cover garment. But not an EDC gun (unless I retire and move to the country.)

This is usually a 4”, medium-frame DA revolver. For new guns/loads, accuracy cutoff begins with 6 shot groups of 2” or less at 25-yards off the bench. If it won’t do that, we don’t go any further.

For carry guns, all shots in the 9-ring of a B-8 at 15 yards standing.

[bisleyfan41]

Link to the article.


https://www.fieldandstream.com/guns/best-handguns/
Oh no, another Richard Mann article. I get Shooting Illustrated as my NRA membership magazine. 2 months ago, he wrote an article referring to all those who are questioning the new 30 Super Carry as "neophobes". That people are only pushing back on that round because we're a bunch of old curmudgeons who dislike new stuff ONLY because it's new.

Due to my prior employment for a national magazine/newspaper distributor, I've read literally tens of thousands of gun articles from every gunrag there ever was. This is the 1st time I felt compelled to respond and I did. Editor responded, then I responded back. Made no headway. I've liked Mann's articles in the past and he seems like a good guy, but these days he's trying to make his name as a pot stirrer. Sad state of affairs in the publishing industry.

[nicholst55]

I have felt the same way for many years. I am an old Bullseye shooter, and these (relatively speaking) HUGE groups that I frequently see shot at 7-10 yards simply don't impress me. I realize that they're different disciplines, but I get a chuckle when I hear some of the younger guys talk about shooting 'long range' - at 25 yards!

[Pepe le PewPew]

I’m a pretty fair rifleman, and admittedly a pretty poor handgunner by most measures. However, I know that if I’d spent the same effort with my pistols/revolvers I’d be much better. That said, I still want to know what the mechanical limits are of hardware being tested. Or humans being tested IF they are professing to be experts I should follow to better my game. Most gun rags are nothing like the old ones. The American Rifleman and other NRA publications are still “ok”. Handloader and Rifle from Wolfe continue to set the bar: true experts, and true in-depth articles. Guns has become just pretty pictures and quick little stories:1-2 pages max, no new information, by gosh they don’t even list suggested retail prices anymore. They said when questioned that street value varies wildly as an excuse. Here in CA things are so regulated you are almost assured to spend retail, or more, so it would be nice to know.

[murf205]

If you have vision that is, shall we say, "compromised" by birthdays, there is a solution for testing handloads at 50 yds. Simply use a larger target. That is the range that starts to give problems with handgun sights-for me at least. I print my own from a homemade template and the larger white bullseye allows me to see the front sight a lot better.300540 If 7-10 yds is as far as I could test a gun, I'd just as soon not go to the range. I am no accuracy snob by any stretch but a boolit behaves a lot different at 25 and especially 50 yds than it does at 7-10yds and the only way to know is to shoot it.
BTW, I am in agreement that the Wolf Publishing guys are a long way ahead of the " Me and Bob went hunting" magazines.

[Geezer in NH]

Since Field and Stream and Outdoor Life started putting mountain bikes and rock climbers on the cover I have not taken them seriously.Yes!! I thought both were gone. 60 years ago Outdoor life was great and my favorite with Field and steam more of a fishing magazine. My second fav was Sports Afield.

[Bigslug]

I dunno. . .I'm kinda on the fence with regards to accuracy testing for handguns - at least so far as doing so to write about it goes.

Back in the '80's and '90's when I was still occasionally reading the gun rags, about the worst I recall seeing for Ransom Rest grouping from a duty-size auto was about 4" at 25 yards. I don't recall for certain, but I want to say this was from something low/middle priced for utilitarianism - such as a Ruger P85. For sake of comparison, I'd like to see the same testing standard applied to a Hi Point, and I'd bet that - by benefit of it being a fixed-barrel blowback with the usual spring and stop surfaces returning the sights to nearly the same relative position each shot - the $200 boat anchor is mechanically more capable than 95% of the people - including decent shooters - that ever pick it up. Frankly, I'd say the same for most tired GI 1911's with a severe case of the rattles, and I've seen numerous instances of bone stock 2" DAO snub revolvers reliably holding milk jug accuracy for 50 yards. The consistency of modern mass production and how these guns function will typically beat out the human frailty we bring to the party - and usually by a lot.

I'll grant that hunting revolvers and match pistols are a special case where the buyer needs to know what they are getting, but the average modern handgun (made since about 1850) is so much more capable than the average owner and their average need that I'd only be inclined to Ransom Rest a pistol if initial testing seemed to indicate it was horrible. Does it center the group on the sights, run reliably, or present any challenges in operation or maintenance? Answer these things, and I'm likely good.

[hoodat]

Speaking of snubs, and double action shooting, -- a lot of guys will own a nice SA/DA revolver, and shoot it primarily SA when they want to really "bear down" for accuracy, especially at longer ranges.

Do yourself a HUGE favor, and get good with DA shooting, even at longer ranges. You'll be surprised to find that it can be done, and by doing it you will correct flaws in your shooting technique that will make you a much better shot. I corrected a horrible flinch problem that I had developed by shooting my 357 in SA only. When you get good and accurate when pulling a 12 pound double action trigger, no trigger will ever seem as bad to you again.

And many folks would be amazed to find that you CAN shoot a snub with surprising effectiveness at a hundred yards. And often the trajectory that puts your bullet on target at ten or twenty five yards, isn't too far off at 100. jd