new .44 mag handirifle range day--- Alright!!

[gpzyellow]

I have been checking out this website for a little while, and I thought I would for my first posting give a report on my first outing with my handrifle.
  My wonderful wife gave me a sb2 handirifle in .44 mag for Christmas, which is exactly what I wanted. As you may know Indiana has legalized deer hunting with a rifle if it is chambered in a pistol cartridge round. I have always wanted to deer hunt with a rifle so this has worked out great for me. I have topped it with a Bushnell Banner 3x9x40 scope with warne med scope rings, along with H&R hammer extention. By the way the type of scope rings and things to watch out for were all gleamed from researching this web site. Thanks everybody.
  So this weekend while my wife and I were in Kansas City to be there for the birth of our 2nd grandchild, Quinn McCajh (mom and daughter doing great) I was able to take my gun out and sight the scope in. So after adjusting the scope to match what I was seeing thru the barrel I fired a couple of shots just to foul the barrel a little. I then shot two shots at 25yds to see if it was hitting paper. After again adjusting the scope to hit about 1" high I moved out to 100yds. I then fired three shots and I had to adjust the scope up about 6" . I fired three more and adjusted the scope 1" to the left. I then fired 3 more to adjust the scope to hit 3" high at 100 yds. After putting 3 new targets up I fired 3 shots into each target at 100 yds. And WOW each target had groupings of 1.75" at the most and 2 of the targets had all three bullet holes touching. I was shooting factory ammo in Winchester .44 mag 240 grain spj. I am really happy with that and the gun is a joy to shoot. The recoil is very manageable. Can't wait for deer season.
 

[EVOC ONE]

Good report!  Another happy .44 owner. 

Congratulations to you and your wife on the new granddaughter and well wishes to her and mom.   

[LaOtto222]

Good shooting! My goal is 1.5" at 100 yards. If I could get 1", I would be very happy. I also live in Indiana and also have just gotten a Handi in 44 Mag. I really have not got a chance to really work on it yet. I sent it in for a couple of more barrels for it and just got them back on the 15th. I have been working on getting the new barrels ready to go, but have not shot those at all. I just had shot some cast bullets that I had loaded up for one of my handguns. Results were rather poor, but I know that the cast bullets are only .4295 and they really should be up around .431 or so and the ones I had on hand are very light loads to boot. I want to get some .431 cast with gas checks and try them with a heavy load of WW296.

[woodchukhntr]

Great shooting, gpzyellow!  It shows what the .44 is capable of, as well as the rifle, but we know that Handi's are accurate.  A buddy bought a 788 in .44 some years ago, put a 12X scope that he had laying around on it and went to the range with his pistol ammo.  The rifle consistently shot under 1", sort of a .44 mag. varmint rifle!  Of course, he swapped it for something else and wishes he still had it.  I wish he swapped it with me!

[SM Bob]

Gpzyellow,
Nice shooting Dude, and welcome aboard! That 44 Mag is a sweet round in a rifle.
I might just have to get a 44 Mag barrel someday soon. I used to have a Ruger
44 Mag carbine. I liked shooting it, except for the fact that it launched the brass
a long ways and it was hard to find it. That got expensive, so I sold it. That wouldn't
be an issue with the 44 Mag Handi though.

                                         Robert
 

[Ranger J]

I happy to hear another 'new' .44 mag accuracy report as I have one on order now.  I had one of the old over bored ones and it, along with my teen age daughter, are responsible for most of the gray hair I now have.  If I can get even 2" groups at 100 yards with factory size ammo with the new one when it comes,  I will be over joyed. 

RJ

[AZHoosier]

From an X-Hoosier to a current one, Good Shooting there fella. Looks like you've got lots to celebrate. New gun, new grandchild. Your just sittin' in high cotton you are.
Congrats all the way around!!! 

I lived in Fowler, north of Lafayette/Purdue. That was when there were no deer north of Indianapolis!!! Long time ago.