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Old December 8, 2009, 12:35 AM   #1
Desertscout1
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Glocks at 500 yards?

On another thread, the accuracy of the .40S&W has been questioned.
We just went out a few weeks ago and pushed a G35 out to 500 yards. 500 yards?! Yeah and it's not really as hard as one might think. No sandbags or machine rests, just leaning over the toolbox of the truck, I was able to put 7 of 14 shots in 39", on target. Which, if you figure that out, boils down to less than 2" at 25 yards which is not bad in itself. Actually, it may be a little better than that considering the breeze.

The pic below is the actual range. A measured 500 yds. The target is a 4x8 sheet of wafer board



The 7 hits with the heavy circles around them are the G35 hits. The 5 hits with the circles and the little arrows under them are, believe it or not, a .22 rifle. We were relaying information by radio and when Jason told me that I had 3 consecutive hits with the .22, I quit. The other hits are from a .40 caliber Kel-Tec Sub 2000.



This video clip is a standing, unsupported shot with a different G35 at 200 yds.



And here's a G27 at 200 yards...



The point of all this is not to demonstrate MY shooting ability but rather to show that extreme long distance accuracy with a service-style handgun is attainable. The guns were nothing special and have stock barrels in them. Damn inaccurate Glocks!

We conduct Long-Range Handgun classes here from time-to-time and routinely have students making first-round hits at 200 by the second day.

Does the .40 S&W still have any ass left by the time it has traveled 500 yards? I don't think I would care anything about trying to catch one of them! All the bullets went through the wafer board and went 7-9" deep into a loose sand bank behind the target. 2 of the .40's went through the wafer board, the 2x4 frame and still buried themselves 5-7" into the sand.
The first time we tried this, we used 55-gallon drums for targets. The .40 bullets went through both sides with no problem at all.


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Old December 8, 2009, 01:31 AM   #2
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Nice ! Long range hand gun shooting , NICE !

Last edited by noyes; December 8, 2009 at 08:18 AM.
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Old December 8, 2009, 01:56 AM   #3
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Very impressive!

It explains the power behind bullet and the precaution needed thereto.
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Old December 8, 2009, 03:44 AM   #4
dances with guns
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these "i can shoot a glock at 200 yards" threads have an undeserved "wow" effect.

you can take pretty much any quality autopistol in 40cal and consistently hit targets out to 200 yards. glock is far from the only one that will do this.

Last edited by dances with guns; December 8, 2009 at 04:00 AM.
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Old December 8, 2009, 04:06 AM   #5
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Quote:
glock is far from the only one that will do this.
I don't believe that anyone has made any such claim.
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Old December 8, 2009, 07:53 AM   #6
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I watched an instructor at Blackwater dinging a 8" steel plate at 100 yards with a Glock 17. One right after the other at 100 yards. Standing, two hand hold, unsupported. Made it look easy. I didn't try it, it was a carbine class, but I felt like I could have done it as well.
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Old December 8, 2009, 08:04 AM   #7
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Quote:
glock is far from the only one that will do this.
Maybe Glock owners are the only ones stup... um... adventurous enough to try
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Old December 8, 2009, 08:11 AM   #8
Edward429451
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Nah, Elmer Keith was shootin handguns at extreme distances when you were still peein in your diddies florida boy...Gonna call him stupid?
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Old December 8, 2009, 08:13 AM   #9
spacecoast
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Was he shooting Glocks?

I'm just observing that the few threads and videos I have seen on this long-range topic always seem to involve Glocks
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Old December 8, 2009, 08:16 AM   #10
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I used to shoot 45s at steel targets at 100 yards.

IIRC, I always felt like I was holding the gun at about a 45 degree angle to the ground, although I think I was only sighting it a foot or so above the target.

Its not all that hard to hit a 2 foot square plate that way. Can't say I hit it every time.
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Old December 8, 2009, 02:17 PM   #11
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It has nothing to do with Glocks....

The trick to long range shooting of any handgun is (for me) not aiming above the target, but holding up the front sight, with the target on top of it.

I can regularly hit the 200yd gong at my local range with my 7.5" .45 Colt Blackhawk, and with a few sighter shots, any other handgun you care to name, and this I do, offhand, one handed.

All one needs is a little skill, some practice (in my case, only about 35 years or so), and a suitable sandy backdrop to spot the shots. Once you learn how much drop to compensate for, at any given distance, it doesn't change. Then all you have to allow for is the wind!

Doing it from a rested position just makes it easier!
Yes, you are pointing the pistol pretty well up in the air for really long shots, but thats just the nature of the physics involved. Think "howitzer".
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Old December 8, 2009, 02:26 PM   #12
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impressive, but not impossible. We only played "el presidente" at 70m recently. Went pretty well, but way slower that at 7m....
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Old December 8, 2009, 02:37 PM   #13
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What was the sight picture / hold over you were using?
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Old December 8, 2009, 02:55 PM   #14
Brian Pfleuger
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In a theoretical world....

It would look something like this:




A mere 13 1/2 feet high at 250 yards, with a measly 8 or so feet of wind drift in 10mph
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Old December 8, 2009, 05:24 PM   #15
mrt949
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When I was young and in my prime .I could hit clay birds at 100 yds with my 357 ruger security six within three shots .But sad to say that was then and this is today .I can't see them now at 100 yds.
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Old December 8, 2009, 05:26 PM   #16
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As the OP stated, this is not about his ability, the Glock or anything else, EXCEPT as a follow on repsonse to the thread about "Is the .40S&W cartridge accurate or not?"

He is just giving an example that a stock pistol (I believe he mentions at least the Glock and XD) in .40 and other calibers is plenty accurate (correlating to 2" at 25yds I think he said).

No one with a pet handgun or cartridge should take offense. This is actually good stuff. He isn't making outrageous claims for you to debunk about brands favorites. This is what we call "fun!"
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Old December 8, 2009, 05:44 PM   #17
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Sure don't look like 500 yards to me. More like 150. I took a deer last week with my 7mag at 185 scoped. No way at 150:barf:
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Old December 8, 2009, 05:48 PM   #18
dances with guns
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Quote:
Sure don't look like 500 yards to me. More like 150. I took a deer last week with my 7mag at 185 scoped. No way at 150
huge +1

i had this in my original post, but deleted it as i wasn't sure if i was the only one lol. i'm now calling BS on this thread.

there's no way a 40cal bullet is going to travel 500 yards, and then penetrate completely through a steel drum.
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Old December 8, 2009, 05:56 PM   #19
Brian Pfleuger
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Perspective and facts are your friends gentlemen.

Perspective, look at the apparent size of the telephone poles. That is NOT 150 yards.

Facts, a 40SW at 500 yards is still carrying nearly the ft/lbs of a 22lr at the muzzle, and a considerable momentum. It would certainly penetrate what amounts to a tin can.
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Old December 8, 2009, 05:58 PM   #20
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Does anyone remember the Rifleman episode,,,

Where some low-life saddle bum stole his Winchester,,,
Somehow Lucas McCain had a Colt pistol,,,
I don't remember how, but he did,,,
Probably the bad guy's Colt.

He picked up a board that "conveniently" had an oblong hole in it,,,
Stuck the barrel of the pistol through the hole,,,
Jammed a small stick in an upright position into the back (read rear stock) of the board to use as a rear sight,,,
And shot the bad guy at a ba-zillion yards.

My Dad was very intrigued with that concept,,,
He went out to the shop, took a 1 x 6 and recreated what we saw on television.

The next day we went out to the woods with my Colt Frontier Scout (.22 lr),,,
And with a little bit of adjusting the "rear sight" he (not me) was soon hitting a 2 lb coffee can at a bit over 100 yards.

I support what 44 AMP said: "The trick to long range shooting of any handgun is (for me) not aiming above the target, but holding up the front sight, with the target on top of it."

That's what the board did,,, It steadied the pistol and the length of the board provided a rifle-like sight radius for aiming.

Dad started with a "tall rear sight" and kept cutting it shorter until he had it locked on that evil Can-O-Folgers.

I hadn't thought about that event for over 45 years,,,
The comment by 44 AMP reminded me of it.

Aarond
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Old December 8, 2009, 05:59 PM   #21
dances with guns
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Facts, a 40SW at 500 yards is still carrying nearly the ft/lbs of a 22lr at the muzzle, and a considerable momentum. It would certainly penetrate what amounts to a tin can.
there's a bit of a difference between a coke can and a steel drum, my friend

incidentally, a 22lr will not penetrate a steel drum at close range. it'll ricochet right off.
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Old December 8, 2009, 06:27 PM   #22
Brian Pfleuger
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I don't know what kind of anemic 22 you use or if you've got 1/4 inch steel drums in your area but we used to shoot the crap out of a couple of old steel drums with the 22. It goes through at a fair distance, certainly 50 yards.
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Old December 8, 2009, 06:42 PM   #23
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Jezz this is out of my range. I doubt I could see the target that's over a quarter mile away ( 5 football fields )
Sounds like something the boys on impossible shots should try. Bob and Jerry should be able to make child's play out of this.
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Old December 8, 2009, 06:56 PM   #24
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22 goes right through a steel drum at close range. Heck, it'll even do that out of my mosquito.
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Old December 8, 2009, 07:02 PM   #25
chris in va
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...maybe dead on. The 22's i've fired at drums made a nice gouge and ricoche'd off into the woods if hit slightly to one side.
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