Gdbyrd
Let me throw a few thoughts at you, based on a pretty fair ammount of big bore handgun shooting over the years-
A lot of people will tell you how they can just pick up their XXXXX magnum, and punch out 1 inch groups at 100 yards at will, that anything less is substandard. But talk, as they say, is cheap.... The fact that you are able to pick up an untested revolver with rather heavy recoil, with only one factory load, and get 3-4 inch groups at 75 yards is not really bad. Practice time spent trying different loads, getting used to the gun, how it reacts to how you hold it (most handguns are very sensitive to consistancy, and how you hold / rest them from the bench - it really shows at longer range) will find those groups shrinking. I'll bet in time, you will see groups that size, or smaller at 100 yards, and thats not bad. A lot of rifles with scopes are lucky to do 2 inches at 100 yards, though most shooters will not admit it...lol Next time you are at a public range, watch what kind of groups most shooters acheive.
That said, yes, their are 1 1/2 - 2 inch at 100 yards revolvers out there, but rare, requiring an exceptional gun and shooter under perfect conditions. Reality is most shooters cant do that at 25 yards. Remember what has already been said here - a bench shows you your most accurate loads, not what you can do when you are shooting from an improvised rest, breathing hard, in less then ideal weather and light, as would be the case in a real hunting situation. My standard has always been what range can you keep all your shots on a paper plate? Thats a good limit, be it 25 yards, or way longer. Just remember, just like guys who take 700 yard shots at game animals with rifles, pushing the envelope at extreme range with a revolver while hunting is not fair to the animal, and not what the sport is about. Handgun hunting, like archery, is a close range affair, that puts a premium on hunting skills. Save the extreme range shooting for practice / fun on non living targets. Good luck
Larry
