Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns What do you consider hunting accuracy from a handgun?

50 yds, open sights, deer size game. What do you consider "good enough"?

I've been spoiled by accurate revolvers, so my criteria would be 3" for 5 shots, and I'd prefer a gun that grouped closer to 2". I'd also recomend working up loads with a scope if possible. My 480 will shoot 1" at 50 yds with glass, but my best with irons is 2", I need to practice more.

2" at 50 yards is some very fine shooting - many guns and most shooters are not capable of that.

My criteria is that whatever distance I can hit a 9" pie plate every time, under field conditions, is the farthest distance that I'll shoot at deer.

3" with my 6" M629 makes me fairly happy. That'd be a two hand hold with no rest and issue sights.

4"-5" would make me happy under hunting conditions.

Pretty good standard to go by...

It's 'minute of dead animal' at, and inside of, your self-imposed distance limit.

On the many guns won't shoot that well, that may be true, but I think most people think that level of accuracy isn't possible so never see what they or their guns are capable of. As to most shooters not being capable of that level of accuracy, I'd say if they had a decent gun, and put in the time, most shooters could shoot that well. The guys that can shoot 2" or tighter at 100 yds with a sixgun, that doesn't happen every day.

hmmm,...I dunno,...I've seen some serious accuracy from handguns when playing the IHMSA game.

2" at 50 yards doesn't sound like a very tall order for a quality handgun.

Back when I was in the game, the people who were serious about shooting in revolver class were using the big Dan Wesson's,..44 mags,...357 Maximum's,..375 Maximums,..

The better competitors could keep them in a 6" circle at 200 meters.

2" at 50 yards didn't raise any eyebrows.

I have seen tons of guy shooting hunting handguns at the range, at 25 to 50 yards.
Not many can turn in three shot groups at 50 yards of three inches or less.
Not saying it can't be done, but it will be a rare bird that can do so on demand.

Personally, I keep the ranges for hand gun hunting deer and hogs to around 25 yards. Even at that 'close' range, when the old adrenaline is pumping, and the animal is moving, it is damn hard to hit the target.

I suppose I'll know when I see it, but so far I've never owned a hunting-type revolver that wasn't good enough. By "hunting-type", I mean a Ruger or S&W in .41 Mag or larger, with a 4" or longer barrel, but most other brands in that category would likely be fine as well.

Maybe so,..but in IHMSA, the shooting begins at 50 meters (about 52 yards),..and going 10 for 10 on the chickens at that distance was pretty much considered the minimum performance for anybody who was serious about the sport.

Even at the little range where I shot, it was routine to see people nail them dead center day in and day out.

I think most people grossly underestimate the accuracy potential of handguns,..and most don't practice enough to take full advantage of it.

Most people I see at shooting ranges are horrible shots, I'm suprised at how many would be hard pressed to hold a paper plate sized group at 25 yds, heck quite a few couldn't even manage that at 10 paces. That's not to say that their skills couldn't be greatly improved if they desired to do so. I do know some exceptional handgun shots, and they can easily shoot the level of accuracy I described, and with a hunting handgun can shoot paper plate groups at 100 yds, iron sights, offhand.

I think the real answer is to just have JJHack tell us, without any of us ever finding out for ourselves, so we can hide behind his unshakable answers. (grins)

Seriously, the average tyro who runs expensive bullets he must buy is going to get less time at the range due to cost and have to luck to fit the gun may be content with a pieplate, not knowing that they may shoot much better.

Compared to someone who knows his guns dimensions and probably makes his own bullets or loads to fit said gun (or makes the gun properly dimensioned for his/her bullets)is expecting better, sometimes with scopes rivaling a rifle held the same.

I can tell you folks are amazed at how well they do when a Ruger 45 Colt has its throats opened up. Some find out they are better shots than they thought, or at least find out the gun is beyond capable...

The first time that I shot this revolver I shot this group at 75 yards with open sights, sitting with my elbows on ny knees





Off a bench at 50 yards I hit 50% @ hits out of 4 shots) of my shots useing factory Walmart ammo

Whatever range I can keep 6 rounds on an 8" paper plate is the hunting accuracy range for that pistol.

2" @25yds. rested off knee or crossed calf.

Gunner

That is exactly my standard...or a piece of 8.5x11 piece of paper sideways...that is about the kill zone of most big game animals... Turned upright it is the kill zone for two legged predators....

Bob

Since you've put these self-imposed limits on yourself (range, sighting system & intended target) my natural response would be more of a question; Can you place every round within the vitals of your average size deer at that range?

I guess what I'm saying is that it's not so much what you can do or what the gun can do, it's what can you do in combination with the gun that matters.

I would suggest (regardless of the gun or game being pursued) that you never take a shot you aren't capable of making. You determine that effective ability at the range. If you decide for example that your intended games vital area is 10" in diameter, then the range at which you can hit that 100% of the time is your "effective" range. I guess what I'm suggesting is that regardless of what the gun is capable of doing, the shooter is almost always the limiting factor.

Obviously your intended hunting revolver and load need to be reasonably accurate, but often it boils down to the shooter. I have a couple of revolvers in big calibers (.475 Linebaugh, .500 JRH, etc.) that are capable of shooting well under an inch at 50 yards. But all of that is academic as in the field you don't often have a good rest and certainly no sandbags. I practice a lot offhand out to about 100 yards and it has made me a much better shot all around. I do think 2-inches at 50 yards is more than acceptable. Work your loads to the most accurate possible and then practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more......

Here's some painting with a broad brush...

While it's impossible to separate which guys at the range actually hunt with a handgun, the guys that I know hunt are all pretty good shots. Minnesota doesn't have a separate handgun season for any game so a guy that chooses to use one is handicapping himself no matter how good a shot he is. Our deer season is a couple weeks at best. A guy that's proficient enough with a rifle at 200-yards but crappy with a handgun at 50-yards probably isn't going to give up all that killing radius.