Okay, time for me to chime iin so y'all can call me a liar.
I live deep in the remote Utah desert, where one can shoot as far as the eye can see and the local mountains are my backdrop.
One of my favorite areas to shoot is not far from where I live. At one time, I had target frames erected at 7, 25, 50, 100 and 200 yards and had measured the exact location for a 300-yard frame. This 300-yard site was right at the crest of a small rise that contained numerous man-sized rocks.
Well, the BLM Ranger came along one day while I was shooting and informed me that my target frames had to go; no permanent structures could be erected on public land.
There was no sense in arguing; I took the frames down.
But I still go to that same spot and recognize where the frames once stood, especially the 300-yard site.
Well, one day I stoked up my Colt 2nd generation 1851 Navy, .36 caliber, with 24 grains of Goex FFFG, .380 lead ball, greased felt wad and Remington No. 10 cap.
Just for fun, I decided to see if I could hit that rocky crest at 300 yards.
I kept raising the front, walking those 84-grain balls toward the crest. It was particuarly dry, so a good puff of dust was raised by each ball's impact.
Eventually, I found that if I placed the nose of the cocked hammer right where the barrel met the cylinder, that elevated the gun enough to make an occasional 300-yard hit on a rock.
If I didn't hit the man-sized or larger rock outright, I was within a few feet.
It taught me that a lead ball will carry accurately a lot farther than I had thought. Now, I knew it would carry some distance, no bullet just drops to the ground after 100 yards or so (unless it's a weak load), but I was surprised and delighted at the consistency with which it would deliver the ball to the same area.
I believe that I could have put all 6 balls into a 4X8-foot sheet of plywood at 300 yards, or most of the balls, anyway.
In the old days -- and even today in a pinch -- such shooting would keep an aggressor's head down at 300 yards, if not hit him.
Frankly, I was helped by the 7-1/2 inch barrel on the Navy, which not only increases velocity but the longer sight radius aids alignment. I don't believe I could get the same results with a 4-inch barrel.
Anyway, there you have it. My limited experience at shooting my Colt .36 at very long range. I used to think that 100 yards was about its maximum effective range but now believe it's closer to 200 in practiced hands, and out to 300 to keep an aggressor unnerved.
The late gun writer and bullet developer Elmer Keith often said that the acid test for accuracy of any cartridge is to shoot it at very long range. If it groups consistently at long range, then it will also be accurate at shorter ranges.
Shooting at long range magnifies any inaccuracies, slight or significant.
If you have an accurate gun, it will retain its accuracy at long range. If it's not accurate at 100 yards, you can't expect it to be accurate at 300.
I guess I'm blessed to have an exceptionally accurate Colt 1851 Navy. It has proven so many times at the 25 and 50 yard ranges; the shots at 300 yards merely confirmed it as a keeper.
