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Daveman Offline OP
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I've seen some serious accuracy from 1911's and other semi-autos, and I started to wonder: What would you expect to shoot smaller groups, an average out-of-the-box centerfire revolver, or a semi-auto?

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For me its got a lot more to do with sights, sight radius and trigger than any inherent accuracy in most pistols or revolvers.


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Average is a pretty broad term. While one would think the additional complexity of boring 5 or more chambers and alligning them with the barrel would hinder the accuracy of a revolver, the plus is the sights are fixed on the barrel and frame vs. the semi which for most designs has a barrel that is not fixed to the frame and a chamber that is necessarily cut to allow reliable feeding from a magazine.

To me good handgun accuracy is 1" at 25 yds, very good is 1" at 50 yds and exceptional is 1" at 100 yds. I expect one is going to find that a quality revolver is more likely to be shooting the very good and exceptional groups than a semi. In fact I don't think I've ever heard of a 1911 shooting 1" at 100yds, revolvers have shot that well.

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Revolvers often shoot better than semi's unless the semi is worked over to have a very precise and consistent lockup

My thinking on this is the fixed relationship of the sights to the barrel on revolvers. Knowing how much even a tiny movement of the sights can move POI, a revolver's barrel and sights never move in relation to each other. Even though the chambers might not align perfectly with the breech the forcing cone will guide them into that barrel pretty straightly. Now a revolver severely out of time that shaves or otherwise damages the bullet can make the bullet go astray, but that muzzle and the sights are always pointed at the exact same place in relationship to each other.

But a semi with the sights on the slide has to lock up the exact same way every time, otherwise the barrel and the sights have a slightly different relationship to each other each shot.

I think that's one reason why Ruger semi-auto .22's are so universally accurate. The barrel might not be the most high quality tube in the world (or maybe they're excellent, I don't know) but the sights do not move in relation to it for each shot.


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Just my opinion, but I think out-of-the-box accuracy is better overall from a quality revolver than from a semi-auto. Single shot pistol is another matter.


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Originally Posted by Daveman
I've seen some serious accuracy from 1911's and other semi-autos, and I started to wonder: What would you expect to shoot smaller groups, an average out-of-the-box centerfire revolver, or a semi-auto?


It has more to do with the shooter than the type of handgun he or she uses


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When I qualify every year on a law enforcement range with a bunch of other retiree's, I notice the groups tighten up considerably when the revolvers come out.

Now I've seen some guys really shoot tight groups with pistols but over the broad spectrum of guys shooting the revolvers seem to win out.

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Ive consistently found that the better quality revolvers tended to shoot tighter groups than most of my auto loaders
Ive seen several 6" , 8" and 10" barrel, length, 357 mag, 41 mag and 44 mag S&W, Ruger and DAN WESSON revolvers that could consistently keep 2" FIFTY YARD,or smaller, diam, BENCH REST GROUPS , off a sand bagged rest hold,with good hand loads and very few auto loaders I see will do that consistently, now there are a few exceptions but they ARE IN MY EXPERIENCE EXCEPTIONS
the only exceptionally accurate auto loader hand guns Ive seen lately are a S&W 1006 and a EAA 45 ACP and a GLOCK 17L.. they keep up accuracy wise with my 686 S&W and mod 29 and mod 57 S&W revolvers

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I wrecked this group with one flyer that made the group into a "8". This was from a bench and sandbags at 25 yards but the pistol is anything but stock. Only thing left of the Glock is the slide and the grip frame. Anything can be made to shoot. Well nearly anything........ This .460 Rowland is among the most accurate pistols I have ever seen. I hunt with it. I recently installed a trigger system and Dawson sights on a 21 with a stock barrel and shot nearly this good. But out of the box most good quality revolvers will win. reflex264
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It really depends on the exact pistol, some semi's are outstanding IE a S&W Model 52. Some revolvers are great Colt Officers model match. For myself I tend to shoot revolvers better than semi's with two exceptions a High Standard Citation and the S&W 52.

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Quote
average out-of-the-box


I would expect more from the wheelgun, but you never know.

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Now, here's an autoloader the revolvers wouldn't "tighten up"... shocked

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Factory ammo thru the Luger. could probably get it really shooting with some handloads... smile

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Here's another one that may make the revolvers blush...

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Yep, now if Les would get off his ass and get my Premiere II finished!!! LOL


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Originally Posted by Daveman
I've seen some serious accuracy from 1911's and other semi-autos, and I started to wonder: What would you expect to shoot smaller groups, an average out-of-the-box centerfire revolver, or a semi-auto?

Box-stock, over the counter, as delivered, you get more accuracy per dollar in centerfires with a revolver and more accuracy per dollar in rimfires with a semi-auto.

It is very hard to find an equal priced semi-auto that will shoot as well as a Ruger or S&W DA 6" barreled .357.

At the same time, it is equally difficult to find an equal priced rimfire revolver that will shoot as well as a Ruger Mk III or Browning Buckmark target model.

There will be individual examples of each, but if you took 25 of each and averaged them for the comparison ... "thar ain't no comparison."

Tom


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T O M,

I agree.

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Daveman Offline OP
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Tom, interesting thought. I know that I'm more accurate with my centerfire revolvers than with my autos (maybe because the triggers on the revolvers are uniformly better), but I shoot rimfire autos much more accurately. I think you've hit it.

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One of the struggles rim fire revolvers have is unique in this.

They require a very heavy spring to impact the rim based primer. My S&W 629 has the finest trigger possible. Finely tuned by an expert.

My .22 revolver has also had its trigger made to be its absolute best it can be. In single action they are actually pretty close. But in double action it's night and day.

The fact that a semi auto .22 is always in single action is the game changer when they are compared to revolvers. My MK II Ruger was a brilliant tack driver. My single action Ruger .22 was so bad I sold it off shortly after buying it. Yet now I have an SP101 in .22 that will touch holes at 25 yards for several of the 8 shots it holds. But only in single action. In double action that MKII would still beat it.


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[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Definitely auto's.


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What are the predominate handguns at Camp Perry and bullseye matches, custom or otherwise?


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