What's reasonable accuracy out of a handgun?

[teddy12b]

I've heard a lot of people talk about what kind of accuracy they get out of their handguns for hunting.  Just so we're comparing apples to apples, let's say with iron sights at 50 yards what kind of groups are good?  Don't get me wrong I'm interested in all kinds of accuracy reports on handgun hunting but I'd rather focus on a regular out of the box handgun without a scoep at 50 yards.

Personally, for hunting handguns I have a Ruger super blackhawk in 44, a desert eagle in 44, and recently an encore 30-06 pistol barrel that I just got yesterday.  All three only have iron sights and are sweet hand cannons, but what should a reasonable person expect at 50 yards?

[Ahab]

This is the best I've done, sandbag on a bench @ 50 yards:

1) .22 S&W Model 17-2, 6" barrel, 7/8" group, Ely match

2) .357 S&W Model 686-3, 6" barrel, 1 3/4" group, 180gr SP/12gr 2400

3) .44 mag S&W Model 29, 6" barrel, 2 3/8" group, 300gr XTP/17.2gr ACCUR#9

These guns are the result of many years of trading to find the most accurate. I'm now looking for a S&W .460.

[S.B.]

Reailistically, about 4" from hunting posisions.

[corbanzo]

If you can shoot inside a 6" circle at 50 yards, then you will have no problem taking down an animal at 50 yards. - That's all that really matters for hunting. 

[Graybeard]

It really depends on an awfully lot of things that are NEVER EQUAL.

Back in my prime I had no great difficulty shooting 1" at 25 yards and often managed it free hand. At 50 yards it about doubled but very little more. Free hand was more difficult to match however but still I did it enough to know I could.

I once watched by best friend Billy Doss (deceased) shooting free hand at 50 meters NOT yards using a .44 Magnum iron sighted TC Contender. He shot a full box of 50 rounds at a 3" black bullseye. Nothing completely missed and darn few strayed out of the black at all. There were a few that cut black and white but as I said darn few. That was free hand for 50 shots.

These days I do good to shoot 2.5" at 25 yards and struggle to keep them inside 6" at 50 yards using irons even from a good solid rest. The old eyes just aren't up to the task. But a good shot with good eyes SHOULD be able to keep them inside 2.5" to 3" at 50 yards with iron sights.

[Glanceblamm]

My S/A's seem to be more accurate than I am. 4" & 6" steel plates are fun & easy at 50yds.
I also have a 2" hanging out there that is very do-able with all shots being off hand.

100yds takes abit more concentration and sometimes when I am doing poorly a cardboard backer will show than my groups have opened up to 9".

With people like (myself) around, I am far more likely to blame the shooter than the gun. The best thing that helps me out on this is to dryfire on a daily basis. There is usually always time to do this, even if just six cool, deliberate snaps of the trigger.

[Jack Ryan]

If you can hit a target half the size of the heart of the game you are after every time on the range, that's how far you are good to shoot at a live game animal.

Unless you just get a kick out of chasing wounded ones.

It doesn't matter what you are shooting it out of. What matters is hitting the target and what it does to it.

[Redhawk1]

If you can shoot inside a 6" circle at 50 yards, then you will have no problem taking down an animal at 50 yards. - That's all that really matters for hunting. 

It is scary to me to read answers like this. What worries me about a 6 inch circle is, that is a big margin of error in my opinion. Myself I expect at 50 yards to be under 2 inches in a hunting condition, weather it be shooting sticks or a off hand shot. I practice all year long with my hunting handguns and I practice off shooting sticks, off hand and even off of a back pack, just need to be careful you don't blow a hole in the back pact from the cylinder gap. 

[lovedogs]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents worth in, too.  You asked about REASONABLE accuracy from hunting handguns.  Well, that depends on the handgun.  In (my) experience you can reasonably expect groups of 2 to 3 inches off a bench with open-sighted revolvers such as Rugers and S&W"s at 50 yds.  Some Colts and most Dan Wessons will do better... say, 2 inches and sometimes better.  Scoping them will cut those groups down quite a bit, sometimes down to a ragged hole.

Go to a Contender, XP-100, or Striker and a scope you should easily cut a ragged hole at 50 yds.

The fly in the buttermilk is that many will group quite well at 50 yds. and then fall flat on their faces by 100 yds.  It takes a man with a will of steel to turn down a perfect broadside shot at a buck of a lifetime if it's no longer at 50 yds. but at 100 yds.  If a person is used to shooting at all he/she should be able to take a standing deer from a good rest at 100 yds.  That's why it's nice to have a pistol capable of good shooting at a full 100 yds.  In that situation a good open-sighted revolver will usually group at about 6 inches.  And if you're good enough that'll work.  With a scoped specialty pistol such a shot is a cinch.  My straight-walled pistol rounds will group at 2 to 3 inches at 100 while the rifle calibers (like .30-30) in a Contender (or comparable) will shoot under an inch at that distance.

[Questor]

Teddy12b:

4"

[Redhawk1]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents worth in, too.  You asked about REASONABLE accuracy from hunting handguns.  Well, that depends on the handgun.  In (my) experience you can reasonably expect groups of 2 to 3 inches off a bench with open-sighted revolvers such as Rugers and S&W"s at 50 yds.  Some Colts and most Dan Wessons will do better... say, 2 inches and sometimes better.  Scoping them will cut those groups down quite a bit, sometimes down to a ragged hole.

Go to a Contender, XP-100, or Striker and a scope you should easily cut a ragged hole at 50 yds.

The fly in the buttermilk is that many will group quite well at 50 yds. and then fall flat on their faces by 100 yds.  It takes a man with a will of steel to turn down a perfect broadside shot at a buck of a lifetime if it's no longer at 50 yds. but at 100 yds.  If a person is used to shooting at all he/she should be able to take a standing deer from a good rest at 100 yds.  That's why it's nice to have a pistol capable of good shooting at a full 100 yds.  In that situation a good open-sighted revolver will usually group at about 6 inches.  And if you're good enough that'll work.  With a scoped specialty pistol such a shot is a cinch.  My straight-walled pistol rounds will group at 2 to 3 inches at 100 while the rifle calibers (like .30-30) in a Contender (or comparable) will shoot under an inch at that distance.

Just how can you say, "Some Colts and most Dan Wessons will do better"? I have had a lot of Rugers and S&W that will shot 2 inch groups with open sights at 50 yards. Kind of a jaded answer I guess. 

[PaulS]

Redhawk1,
My Ruger can shoot groups smaller than 2 inches at fifty yards too. I have seen shooters who could not keep the shots from their handguns on a two foot square taget at twenty five yards. Some of these were cops who might have to depend on their guns to save their lives. In my experience most revolver shooters are real happy when they can keep their shots in a 6 or 8 inch circle at 25 yards. (this is off hand).  I don't think it has as much to do with the gun they are using as it does with the amount of practice and personal goals of their shooting. I practiced a lot to become accurate with my pistols and rifles. I practiced to increase the range I could produce small groups at until I got what I wanted to have in the way of accuracy. That is why I have fired over 30000 rounds through my 357 Mag. I doubt that many shooters practice much with their guns - if they did then the ranges would be as full all year around as they are in the weeks just before hunting season opens up.

[Redhawk1]

Redhawk1,
My Ruger can shoot groups smaller than 2 inches at fifty yards too. I have seen shooters who could not keep the shots from their handguns on a two foot square taget at twenty five yards. Some of these were cops who might have to depend on their guns to save their lives. In my experience most revolver shooters are real happy when they can keep their shots in a 6 or 8 inch circle at 25 yards. (this is off hand).  I don't think it has as much to do with the gun they are using as it does with the amount of practice and personal goals of their shooting. I practiced a lot to become accurate with my pistols and rifles. I practiced to increase the range I could produce small groups at until I got what I wanted to have in the way of accuracy. That is why I have fired over 30000 rounds through my 357 Mag. I doubt that many shooters practice much with their guns - if they did then the ranges would be as full all year around as they are in the weeks just before hunting season opens up.

I agree with you 100 %. JRO45 that posts here goes to the same outdoor range as I do. I see him there all the time, he puts in a lot of hours shooting as I do. My powder, bullet and primer bill is higher than most peoples car bill. LOL. I also shoot at an indoor range quit a bit. Nothing replaces practice. As for as type of handguns you are correct, it is more in the shooters abilities than type of gun maker.

All my handguns I hunt with have red-dots on them, and a 100 yards shot is very doable, because I practice at that range and I get 2 inch groups at that distance with my handguns. I do have a 5 inch 460 and a 4 inch 500 mag that have open sights and I practice as much with them.

[S.B.]

This is the best I've done, sandbag on a bench @ 50 yards:

1) .22 S&W Model 17-2, 6" barrel, 7/8" group, Ely match

2) .357 S&W Model 686-3, 6" barrel, 1 3/4" group, 180gr SP/12gr 2400

3) .44 mag S&W Model 29, 6" barrel, 2 3/8" group, 300gr XTP/17.2gr ACCUR#9

These guns are the result of many years of trading to find the most accurate. I'm now looking for a S&W .460.

Ahab, are these from a machine rest?

[tatonka]

I remember a friend that borrowed my S&W 629 to take on a bow/arrow Grizzly hunt (required backup by his guide). After an afternoon with him on my range he was able to hit a 5 gallon can at 20 yards about 3 out of six rounds. Remember he was firing from a cool collected frame of mind. After we ran out of ammo I told him he to forget the pistol and invest in a good pair of running shoes and make sure his guide was wearing pac boots. As it turned out, he was climbing up a creek bank and come face to face with a sleeping grizzly who immediately stood up on the bank of the creek. My friend began to slowly back up through the creek as the grizzly calmly licked his nose, droped to the ground and wandered off into the brush. I asked my friend if he managed to get the Smith 629 out of the holster to prepare for the inevitable. He replied "what pistol"! He had to go back later to retrieve his bow that he had dropped on the creek bank. Needless to say, this ended his bear hunting desires and his attempts to carry a handgun as backup.

[mikedb]

If you can shoot inside a 6" circle at 50 yards, then you will have no problem taking down an animal at 50 yards. - That's all that really matters for hunting. 

It is scary to me to read answers like this. What worries me about a 6 inch circle is, that is a big margin of error in my opinion. Myself I expect at 50 yards to be under 2 inches in a hunting condition, weather it be shooting sticks or a off hand shot. I practice all year long with my hunting handguns and I practice off shooting sticks, off hand and even off of a back pack, just need to be careful you don't blow a hole in the back pact from the cylinder gap. 

I strongly disagree.  The kill zone on a whitetail is about 6-8 inches.  If you can consistly keep your hits in that size what is the problem?  I wish I could shoot 2 inches with irons but at my age I cant no matter how much I practice.  I'll be damned if I will quite hunting.  I have recently done 2 inches with a scoped SRH and some of my handloads.   

[PaulS]

If you get used to accepting a six inch group at the range, when you go hunting will you know where the bullets will hit when shooting up or down hill, in the wind or being hungry or thirsty? All the little things add up pretty fast when you are in the field. My shooting range id surounded by heavy brush and trees and its about 4000 feet below where I hunt. The range is nicely sheltered from wind and where i hunt there is gusty winds every morning and evening. The weather changes from bright sun to stormy downpour in twenty minutes. I have to shoot under two inch groups just to make up for all the variables.

[mikedb]

I dont accept 6 in groups.  I always try to improve.  I just dont think a person has to be able to group 2 in in order to go hunting.  I can keep my hits easly in 6 inches, which is a bit smaller than the kill zone of the whitetail around here.  I take wind, brush, angle etc into account before I decide to pull the trigger.  Some days I can group 2 inches some days it opens up to 6 inches.  However, I have a freezer full of venison from last season (4) and did not lose a deer.  I passed on shots I did not feel co;mfortable with.  If I did not hunt unless I could always group 2 inches I would miss all the good times with my sons and have to resort to sitting on the rocker.  I hope your eyes and steadiness stay that sharp.

[Glanceblamm]

Don't despair too much if you are not getting good group size. The target is a large part of the whole picture and is a two dimensional thing.
A lot of us are not crazy about paper. You need something that you really like to shoot at to do well.
This is why novelty three dimensional items like cans & such are great fun.

I think that paper is a nessary evil though. Contrast is what works for me as I will usually make my own targets. Have a 2" white square inside of 4" of black and this works Very Well for me as it is something that will hold my attention.
It is something that allows you to aim small & miss small.
Works much better than say a 10" of solid black with an undisconcernable center due to extended range that will let your sight drift around the entire area.

[lovedogs]

Sorry I've stepped on toes here.  Redhawk1, if you'll reread my response I said "in my experience".  Not everyone's experience is the same.  I'm not being jaded, just honest.  This has been my experience.  What do you want me to say?  Years ago I was a Smith man.  But I had problems with a few and I switched to using mostly Rugers.  I still use mostly Rugers.  I've never liked Colts but being honest, I admit that most I've seen and shot have been quite accurate.  I've had quite a lot of experience with D. Wessons and they've always been of better quality and more accurate than all the others...in MY experience.  I've heard people complain about Contenders, but my experience with them has been great.  They are by far my favorites.  This is all according to MY experience.  Your experience may be different than mine.  You obviously do a lot of shooting, as do I.  We all have a right to our opinions and it can be fun to discuss them.  Hope your toes heal alright!

Best Regards, Mike

[jpred1]

Im fairly new to handgun hunting,but I regulary shoot a scoped browning 22 for pratice.My7-08  encore scoped will group 2.5 to 3 inches at 150 yds.But The fartherest kill shot was at 125 yds,propped well.I tried the halo scopes and didnt feel comfortable past 70-90 yds at deer.So If I was planning on shooting deer at over 70 yds ,just scope it.I had a 200-230 yd opportunity last year on a nice 10 pointer and couldnt steady up enough to take the shot.I believe we as hunters owe our querry the best opportunity for a clean kill,So a 6 inch group at 50 doesnt cut it for me unless I never planned on making a shot at 30 yds or less.

[Sverre A.]

At the shooting range - with a sitting position at 110 yds - I shoot a 5 shot group within 6".
Standing - it`s all over the target - and that`s mean: Not a position in the field.

Standing at 60 yds. - at a  10" steel-plate - I hit 4 of 5 times.

In the field - I want not to shoot beyond 40 yds in a standing position.

I suppose that you try to get a rest in the field (?).
A branch or a trunk - will make your shots much safer.

My problem is - maybe yours too? - is that I exercise in positions I know I can shoot very well - instead of shooting in standing positions every time.

If you can hit from standing - you have no problems from a sitting position.

In the fields - I shoot a lot better than at the shooting range.

When I discuss this with other hunters - they say that:

If you can`t hit the papertarget - you can`t hit the deer!

(well - they can tell me what they want to tell me - but for me:  I shoot a lot better in the fields!)

[Dusty Miller]

With my scoped FA, 7.5" 454 Casull I can hit a five inch target at 100 yrds. and with open sights on my FA, 6" with the 45 Colt cylinder in I'm lucky to keep 5 shots on a 6" paper plate at 25 yards.  Maybe I should consider scoping the 6" gun as well. 

[Lloyd Smale]

Like graybeard and a couple others my eyes are getting old and im afraid the day sof one inch groups have faded. I hates scopes on handguns so thats not an option. My option goes more to backing off from 100 yard shooting to 50. Now in all reality a man who can shoot a 6 inch group at 50 yards in any field condition including off hand is a pretty fair shooter and is going to do fine on whitetail. But you do have to take into consideration the "BUCK FEVER" equation. Just about any of us that is shooting a trophy animal is going to be slightly pumped up. Shooting in competion is a good way to practice as you are under alot more pressure. Just try running 50 yards (which is getting tough too!) and getting your heart beat up a little and then try shooting your 50 yard groups. If you can still do it then then youll be fine. Ive owned a slug of handguns both factory (just about every brand) and custom and its a rare open sighted handgun that will shoot 2 inch groups at 50 yards off a bench EVERYTIME! It takes work with most of them to do it at 25 and it takes someone who can shoot and has good eyes. In my experience about 90 percent of the guys that claim there gun will shoot two inches at 50 yards even off a bench with loads that are ideal for the gun are actually alot better on a computer then they are shooting a handgun. For one thing its about impossible to do with a out of the box handgun with a factory trigger. To shoot that percisely you need a good crisp 3lb or better yet 2lb trigger. A box stock ruger with a typica l6- 8 lb trigger just isnt going to get it done. In hunting situations id rather have a gun that shot 3 inch groups at 25 yards with a good trigger then one that shot 3 inch groups at 50 with a pour one and out at 100 yards using a gun with a factory trigger you might as well just throw the gun at the deer. Under the pressure of shooting game you wont take the time to consentrate on your trigger squezze. Your instincts will take over in that dept and if you have to deal with a ton of creap or a heavy pull your going to miss. Thats why i will quit shooting any guns but the ones im going to use for at least two weeks before season and put a couple thousand through the exact gun im hunting with. Ive allways said that in handgun hunting its 30% trigger 65% the man pulling it and 5% is left for the equipment and the load your using.

[Lawful Larry]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents worth in, too.  You asked about REASONABLE accuracy from hunting handguns.  Well, that depends on the handgun.  In (my) experience you can reasonably expect groups of 2 to 3 inches off a bench with open-sighted revolvers such as Rugers and S&W"s at 50 yds.  Some Colts and most Dan Wessons will do better... say, 2 inches and sometimes better.

I have to agree with redhawk1.  This target was shot with a Old model Ruger Vaquero:



One correction on the group size whould read, .75".  This gun is one of my Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) sixguns.  I was trying to check it out just to see what it could do out to fifty yards.  It was sighted in for steel targets at 7 to 10 yds.  It really suprised me and made me very happy.  I have plans for it in hte future for sure!   

[jro45]

I'm happy with one shot at 100 yds inside a 6" circle. Because thats the round that matters.

[jpred1]

Six inchs groups while standing free-hand is good to me.Youd be great with a good rest,possibly to 100 yds or more.

[xphunter]

Teddy,
Most have dealt with revolvers (which I rarely use for hunting anymore), so I will respond to your 30-06 Encore barrel question.  I am near-sighted, so I have no interest in shooting anything with iron sights at game distances, but I would consider iron sights (for me) out to 50 yards maybe a tad further.
Your 06 Encore barrel has a lot more potential with an optic on it.  I'm not sure the distances you see deer where you hunt, but I can see a long way.  With scoped specialty handguns (I'm talking custom here) from and or in field conditions with hunting loads (prone) you can get 3-shot groups @ 600 yards in the four inch range.  I'm not talking about a best group but rather an average including switching wind conditions.  Having said that the majority of SP's won't do that well especially in difficult wind conditions, but my point is an optic can really help you extend your distance and give you the ability for better shot placement (At least for me it does).
The SP in question would be just as inherently accurate if I didn't have an optic on it, but I would never dream of using at the distances I typically do.
If 50 yards is the max distance you have where you hunt and you can use your iron sights to always keep them in the vitals out to 50 yards with a field position it looks like you are set and ready to go for big game.
The main thing I would encourage you to do is to use the field rest(s) with your handguns and then just see what you consistently shoot.  An optic is a good thing in load development in that it can help you be a little more critical, even if you want to use iron sights for hunting.  IMO I don't think you will realize the full potential of you 06 barrel with irons sights, unless your realistc field distances are short.
Good luck and I look forward to waht you actually shoot with these guns in future practice sessions.

[jpsmith1]

I'll second the EXTREME accuracy potential from the single shot pistols.  My contender is a tackdriver at 100 yards, I can outshoot most riflemen, from a bench and a solid rest.  The drawback is that their weight makes them difficult to handle offhand.  For a good techinque, look in the thread started by my in T/C handguns about 'Proper shooting technique"  User MePlat describes a great shooting technique that turns the T/C into a 50 yard or better gun, offhand. 

Personally, I'd never reccomend a scope for a revolver of any type.  I just think it ruins the lines and convenience of a belt gun.  The SSPs are a different story.  They are tailor made for a scope and a small 2x scope might be a very good idea on your encore, but 50 yards isn't really all that far. 

[Lloyd Smale]

I posted this on the tc forum too but i figured maybe it would help someone here too.    tell you what works for me for off hand shooting a contendor. I use a long rifle lenght cheap black synthetic sling on mine and let it out almost all the way. Sling the gun around my neck and ajust the sling so when i push the gun out in front of me the sling stops it just where I pick up a full scope picture. The sling does wonders for steadying up the gun like that. It works good that way out of a tree blind too. This would probably help with any scope sighted sixgun too if you had sling swivels installed.