Wow - my reloads are significantly more accurate than factory rounds.

[Kayser]

Still have only done a couple hundred rounds, but my most recent batch of (~200), 230 gr RN, 5.4 gr Unique 45 ACP rounds were just shockingly accurate at the range today. At pretty much all ranges, it was beating the holy heck out of my WWB, which I also had on hand.

Is this more likely because of the inherent "precision" of handloading (I'm slow and careful as a beginner), or maybe just a better match of load to my 1911?

In any case, I was grinning from ear to ear and shaking my head in disbelief as I went through the first 100 and cut a neat 3-4" circle at around 7 yards.

Cool!

[Ben Shepherd]

As a general rule: If your handloads don't outshoot "value-line" ammo, you have room for improvement in your loads.

Sounds like you are doing just fine, and welcome to the addiction!!!

What really perplexes you is when your new rem. 700 30-06 rifle will put three shots in one 40 caliber hole @ 100yds for three different people using the 'ol green and yellow boxed 165 core-locked load.

Now just HOW am I supposed to beat that with "good" brass and a wizz-bang bullet? I'll equal it I hope, but beating it's gonna be tough.

[Kayser]

Heh, no worries there. My 700 VS in .308 has never really been what I'd call a tack driver (still working on theories why). It absolutely HATES anything above 150 gr, so I figure a little research oughta yield some loads that'll perform excellently.

I'm still going to perfect my pistol reloading chops first, before moving on to the beefier stuff.

[BigBoreKindaGuy]

Kayser said: ".....I went through the first 100 and cut a neat 3-4" circle at around 7 yards."

Just an FYI.....try getting the group down to 0.5 to 1.0 inch. At seven yards that is what you should be shooting, especially with reloads. If you aren't then it is probably your trigger pull technique, grip, sight radius, or reaction to the shot that needs worked on.

[impact]

Thats funny you said that Ben Shepherd . I had a old savage mod 24 VA with 222 on top 20ga on the bottom. The old remington green and yellow box ammo would out shoot anything I could reload. I even tried the remington bullet in the once fired brass with no good luck. To this day it's still a mystery? now my 222 700. That was a different story. No factory load could touch my hand loads.

There is always something to learn in reloading I guess thats why I have been at it for 20 plus years.

[locked'n'cocked]

BigBore, can you really put a group of 45's in .5-1"? i've never dreamed of shooting that tight with a pistol.

[Terry Twit]

If you can't, you need to go to school.

[locked'n'cocked]

yea, maybe. i usually shoot wwb throuh a ruger p-89. probably could do better with hand loads.

[115grfmj]

"If you can't, you need to go to school"

:barf: :barf:

[Zekewolf]

3"-4" @ 8yds. would indicate that the quality of your reloads is irrelevant to this discussion.

[BigBoreKindaGuy]

Locked'n'Cocked said: "BigBore, can you really put a group of 45's in .5-1"? i've never dreamed of shooting that tight with a pistol.

Using my Kimber 45 ACP or RB 454 or a sw 500 I actually can consistently shoot out a 1" inch dot on a 3"x3" piece of paper at 27 feet with 5 rounds. At my local shooting range I am called "the one-hole kid".

At 75 feet using my Kimber 45 ACP I can consistently put them all within a four inch diameter which to my standard of shooting still leaves room for improvement.

At 60 feet I can consistently group as tight as 1" with my SW 500 with my largest variance being at 2 inches. BTW all of these above are free standing and using iron sights....NOT red-dots or lasers or scopes.

It all depends how much time you are willing to put into figuring yourself out regarding stance, cadence, breathing and trigger pull. If one goes to the range and sprays and prays OR just shoots without any situational awareness regarding what muscles in the body are fighting other muscles than that person will always be a mediocre average shot.

Incidently I professionally shot target bow and crossbow for at least a decade where I was shooting out 1/4" red dots at 60 feet. Many of the practice techniques I used in bow shooting I have applied to my firearm practice.

[BigBoreKindaGuy]

To 115grfmj: Terry Farley is right when he says ""If you can't, you need to go to school". His statement is nothing to roll the eyes over or gag about.

If you want to consider yourself a seriously good shot then you need to work at it. Anyone can hit anywhere on the paper without an ounce of skill...but it takes practice and work to actually choose where on the target you are going to hit and then to do so. It takes even more skill to do so with moving targets or under a clock. It can be done...it all depends on where you wish to place the accuracy bar for yourself.

[locked'n'cocked]

im not terrible. i can usually put em in about a 2" group. im not really that into pistol shooting, mostly shoot it for a change of pace from the rifles n shotguns.

[Ben Shepherd]

I can run a 1" hole at 25 yds all day with my hanloads in my redhawks, regardless of caliber, running open sights with minimal support. Slightly larger(1.5") when shooting totally unsupported. If the load won't do it, it gets scrapped.

But this is single action, with perfect breath control, grip, and sight picture, and a perfect trigger squeeze.

Kayser may be talking "combat accuracy" here, and that's a whole different bag o' tricks, and a whole different game. So let's go easy on him.

Kayser: If you haven't already, you really should do some serious bench time. Then you will know what you and the gun are capable of under ideal conditions.