I think maybe some autos are capable of incredible accuracy. Like the .22's. But the .45's can't possibly equal the accuracy of a revolver. The bullet itself is short and fat. It cannot be stabilized for long distance shooting. In contrast to the .45 Colt, loaded to it's full accuracy potential, the big bore revolver will exceed the accuracy of an acp at extended distances. Not only is it faster, much faster, the length of the projectile means it won't lose it's accuracy before target impact. The acp is a wonderful round, but it has distance limititations. A revolver, either double action or single action, firing a .44 or .45 caliber bullet, is limited only by the shooters ability. Not talking about downrange power here, but accuracy. If any of us were trying to hit a target 200 or 300 yards, none's of us would chose an auto.
It's true that the cylinder holes of a revolver cannot be aligned perfectly with the barrel. Maybe one or two of the cylinders are perfectly aligned. I once sent a Ruger Super Blackhawk to Magnaport, for custom work. Even though I didn't request it, it came back with cylinders numbered, one through six. For a shooter to fully know his weapon, he could test and test again each cylinder at a time, and thus come to know which cylinder provided the best accuracy. So, we are not referring here to the limitations of six cylinder accuracy, but revolver vs. auto.
With that Ruger returned to me with numbered cylinders, I could not detect any difference in accuracy, using one cylinder for a group at a time. But I'm sure some revolvers are not manufactured perfectly for perfect line-up. But the difference between the slight off center line-up and the accuracy provided by a revolver vs. an an auto, is in reality a non-issue in quality firearms. An auto feeds ammo from the magazine, and slams each round into firing position. The frame and slide are two different entities. Accuracy demands a perfet fit between slide and frame. When tolerances are super tight, accuracy results, but not at long distance. With a good match between slide and frame, you are still stuck with the caliber. What auto with quality fit comes in a caliber that will sustain perfect flight at 200 yards. None.
The auto is a great creation, but is was made for close range battle, not for extended distance. It is for numerous rounds propelled at a rate of fire the revolver can never match.
If you need more than six rounds for defense, the auto is your best bet. If you need ultimate accuracy at extended distance, their is no match for a quality revolver.
Which brings me to another point. Single action vs. double action. The Ruger Blackhawk is an amazingly accurate gun, but the lock time cannot come close to that of a double action used in single action mode. There is much to be said for the single action. Feel, speed of target acquisition, pointability, natural target alignment. But if we were to test the best single action against the best double action from the bench, the double action will always turn in the smallest group, simply because of lock time.
I think I've talked myself into a new N frame.
