Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Competitive Shooting any 3 gun paper punchers still kicking out there?

ya know...the old way, SF/TF/RF, 22-38-45 cal. matches?
anyone still shoot 158gr 38 wadcutters out of the classic m52's or colts?
heres my 55 colt 38 super, converted to wadcutter by giles custom works. clover leaves at 25yds.
old school.

I'll see your Giles and raise you two Clarks. 148gr, no 158s

the glory days............

the colt likes 148's.
the old m52 s&w liked 158's. I sold the 52 and have a bunch of old 158's laying around. about 49 pounds of them!
know anyone needing them?

Are the 158s a full wadcutter? I cant see anything else in my 52 but flush seated WCs. I tried some 100 gr WC for the timed and rapid, worked fairly well and recoil and recovery was almost like rimfire. There are three of us that get together and shoot a NM course now and then, The big Pachmayr shooting boxes seem to intimidate the newbies....

as they should!


the 158's are pictured a few posts up.

anyone ever own or shoot a SILE 45? he was famous for his counter weights.

there are a few of us still kicking. I tried a 52 early on but found no more success than using my 45, so I just stuck with the 45. one of the problems was mounting a dot on the 52. I resorted to a grip mount but it was awkward and way too high.
Phil

This thread got Me off my asshes and went to the range with the Hi Standards and Clarks today. Man I need to practice. Shot a 93 slow fire 22 and 89 slow fire CF 25 yd reduced. Lucky to do that......

I still shoot a little after retirement from the Army Reserve team. Gave up on a 52 S&W long ago, though.
Bob

why give up on a 52?

Signed one out from the arms room and shot it for a year, mostly in club matches, short courses and 900s. I was shooting a .45 for CF and averaging 885; didn't think the 52 (or a Colt .38) could beat that. So I turned it back in and stuck with the .45 for everything. The one below was given to me; the AMU put a BoMar on it and I shot it for international CF. Fun gun for 25 meter stuff.
Bob

seems everyone does that. 38 class is dead.

It seems most shooters looking at shooting a 32 or 38 in the centerfire match are trying to avoid the 45's recoil. Problem is you are going to have to shoot the 45 before the match is over. If you shoot the 45 for both classes, you'll end up learning to shoot it quicker.
Phil

Our local club has a monthly fun match we call combat bullseye. There aren’t any clubs within 150 miles that shoot NRA bullseye so we make do with this fun match. All shooting is at 25 yds on a standard B-8 target. Four stages ten shots each, two handed slow fire, left only slow fire, right only slow fire and two handed timed (70 seconds with a mandatory reload.). We shoot three separate matches, center fire, rimfire and compact center fire (3”bbl,or shorter) at 15 yds. It’s not a rigorous as NRA bullseye but everyone enjoys it.
I personally shoot a M-52 for center fire. It has become my favorite handgun!

I think most people miss the whole point of a 3 gun match. the purpose is to display your marksmanship abilities to adapt and master all 3 calibers quirks.
this happens in professional level skeet shooting as well, where many shoot 410 in all 4 events of: 12-20-28 and 410.
the logic is if you can master the 410 you can master all the events.
not true.
and its not true with pistol either.
problem is, the purpose of the 3 gun event is to expose you to 3 separate challenges, that includes different weight, recoil, different sights, different grips and muscle memory, and STILL win.

I must be the only one who sees this because everywhere I go, people are always looking for the do all gun, and miss the challenge and purpose of 3 different ones.

food for thought.

Well, I understand your point but I don't agree with it. However, if thats what gives you satisfaction and pleasure in the sport, I'm all for you. Centerfire however requires .32 caliber or larger. Those of us, the vast majority, choose to use our 45's for this stage as well. To require the use of another specialized pistol to compete could and would cause a more rapid departure of competitors from the sport.
Phil

youre entitled to that.
kudos.
but anytime you want to help disprove my point, pick up a 22, then a 38, then a 45 and see if your scores remain the same.
most people I knew opted for 45 always, so that they could get more practice in for dist pistol, so they could leg out.
fair enough.
but as far as (match)ing people against people with the same caliber to award the best of the best....itll never be a fair playing field if one shoots his favorite against someone else plowing thru the true course of 3 different guns.