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Old January 30, 2013, 06:48 PM   #1
Z400ACDC
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1911, are they the most accurate pistol?

If they are, what pistol would be next in line for accuracy? THANKS!!!!
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Old January 30, 2013, 06:53 PM   #2
Nathan
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S&W 686....even better with a custom barrel and red dot.

Btw, it should outshoot any 1911!
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Old January 30, 2013, 06:59 PM   #3
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There are some very accurate 1911’s but nowhere is the 1911 the most accurate.
The most accurate gun that I have ever fired was a Hammerli in 32 S&W long. Sup inch groups at 25 yards was easy for the owner and I could hold 2 inch with my eyes. 1 ½ inch groups were possible at 50 yards.
This is a 2000$ gun
http://www.champchoice.com/cat-Hammerli-441.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4...e-fire_pistols
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Old January 30, 2013, 07:04 PM   #4
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Most people have said the CZ 97b is more accurate dollar for dollar than 1911's, but I haven't tested mine to verify that.

The SIG 210 is supposed to be laser accurate.
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Old January 30, 2013, 07:06 PM   #5
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The well made, expensive 1911s can be very accurate, but so are many other guns. S&W, HK and Sig for example, all make guns that will shoot as well as or better than most any gun made. Some of these for much less money than your typical high end 1911. My HK Elite was incredibly accurate and the last I saw these on CDNN, they were only $899.

The 1911 is a good design, but it's accuracy is not unmatchable by any means.

Last edited by PSP; January 31, 2013 at 12:47 PM.
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Old January 30, 2013, 07:22 PM   #6
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I would say that a 1911 can be made to be one of the most accurate pistols out there. My competition bullseye 1911 will hold 2 inch groups at 50 yards which is way more accurate than I am. However, the 22 lr marvel conversion kit that I have for it will hold a half inch group at 50 yards. I have heard of these kits being able to hold a quarter inch!
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Old January 30, 2013, 07:32 PM   #7
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If you are referring to factory stock I would say Ruger Mark II Government Target model.
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Old January 30, 2013, 08:04 PM   #8
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I had a MKII Government and it was accurate but my H&R Sportsman made in 36 would beat it.
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Old January 30, 2013, 08:15 PM   #9
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I have a custom 1911 that came with two ten shot groups shot from a Ransom Rest at 50 yards - the larger of the two groups is 1.387 inches. However, this wouldn't be very good when compared to some of the high-end .22 caliber target pistols.
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Old January 30, 2013, 08:24 PM   #10
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Old January 30, 2013, 08:32 PM   #11
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1911s can be very accurate, but they can also be hard to shoot well. Most people I've met that don't shoot much are way more accurate with revolvers than 1911s, and they think 1911s don't shoot worth crap. Wich is fine with me. I feel i've put the time in to figure it out. This is 8 rnds. 12 yrds. Offhand with my back against a tree. 1911s can shoot.
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Old January 30, 2013, 10:37 PM   #12
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Quote:
S&W 686....even better with a custom barrel and red dot.

Btw, it should outshoot any 1911!
Well if we are going to include non-semiautos, I'll say the Remington XP 100.

Limited to semi-autos, one of the .22's most likely.
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Old January 31, 2013, 04:18 AM   #13
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Accurate

Excluding the pistols designed and built specifically for target work...such as Hammerli...and speaking straight out of box production pistols, the distinction probably goes to the Sig P210.
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Old January 31, 2013, 04:47 AM   #14
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Probably would have been better to narrow the field a bit.
Say "the most accurate autoloader that has been a military issue sidearm" for example.
In that respect the 1911, when accurized for competition, would be hard to beat.
The SIG 210 does have a sterling reputation as a target pistol, but not that many have heard of these.
Only reason I heard of them was comparing an old French .32 Long auto I once had to the SIG because there was a strong resemblence in grip and profile. That French pistol had a great grip and was a natural pointer, not that accurate with .32 ACP, and couldn't find the French ammo back then or I'd still have it.

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A shooting test of late 19th century military handguns found the most accurate was the Colt .36 Revolver converted to .38 Navy caliber. They even found a full unopened box of the original ammo to test it with. A very expensive shooting session to say the least.
I have found my .36 replica to be extremely accurate and easy to shoot, the extra long barrel and sight radius is most likely why it scores so high.
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Old January 31, 2013, 08:33 AM   #15
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Sorry, I should have narrowed it down to a semi auto in 9mm, 40 or 45.
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Old January 31, 2013, 08:41 AM   #16
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1911

No, perhaps not the most accurate in absolute terms. My experience is the 1911's are the EASIEST pistol to shoot accurately with. I'll add the caveat, that
is with iron sights. The ergos and trigger on 1911's are very hard to beat on most factory guns.
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Old January 31, 2013, 09:01 AM   #17
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The 1911s were designed as a combat weapon. Especially loose fitting parts so that they wouldn't jam or fail to function when dirty and gritty. They were never intended to be target pistols. As many here have said, with the right parts they can be made to be very accurate but stock out of the box I wouldn't even think they would make the top ten. The most accurate I have ever shot of just common everyday pistols out of the box would be any of the Ruger Standard or Mark series semi autos. My sig P226 wasn't any slouch either.
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Old January 31, 2013, 11:25 AM   #18
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Stock?

If we are going stock (out of box) guns, the most accurate FOR ME have been my BHP, followed by my HK P7 (closely), followed by 1911. I have friends, however, that have highly customised 1911's that outshoot everything I have. We must keep in mind, however, that all these posts are purely subjective as we all have different hands and I am sure a lot of what makes a pistol accurate to each person on here is the way it fits their particular hand (ergonomics). But for the purpose of this post, my BHP was almost immediately most most accurate pistol from the first time I shot it - it pretty much just points itself.

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Old January 31, 2013, 11:32 AM   #19
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The most accurate stock pistol I have seen was the S&W PPC 9.
Made for PPC competition and sold only to police, it is equal to or better than anything on the market. And superior to the 952 in side by side comparison by a PPC Master that I watched shooting them both. But to get one of your own, you would have to find a cop getting out of PPC or changing guns.

Sig tried to replace the P210 with the X-Five and that is a mighty accurate pistol without some of the non-endearing quirks of the older gun.

Last edited by Jim Watson; January 31, 2013 at 11:37 AM.
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Old January 31, 2013, 11:33 AM   #20
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All I will add to this hornets nest is, it depends on the hands holding the gun.
As a side note, pistols generally referring to semi-auto's and revolvers are just revolvers and both are hand guns
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Old January 31, 2013, 01:28 PM   #21
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My most accurate "stock guns" ....right out of the box...

a. Wilson Combat 1911...5" gun ... 1" at 25 yds...( I have a pair of them )...
b. Sig X-Five, L1 model ...5" SAO...1" at 25 yds...
c. Freedom Arms Single Action revolver.. 4 3/4" - .357 mag....sub 1" @ 25 yds
------------
There is no question in my mind, that Wilson Combat knows how to make a gun, so it will run 100% ...and still hold the 1" guarantee at 25 yds.../ so it can be done, with attention to detail ( and both of my Wilson's are proof of it --- both ran 100% right out of the box ...and even with over 25,000 rds thru each of them - there is no drop in accuracy).
-----------
Its also not a coincidence ...that all 4 guns I've listed above are well made ...and have very good triggers in them "stock" ....
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Old January 31, 2013, 01:35 PM   #22
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I am not sure it was the most accurate gun (within the latest definition here) I fired, but a friend's P.38 was certainly one of the most accurate, shooting sub 2" at 25 yards.

It was clearly not intended to be that way; it was not even matched, being put together from at least three guns. But something worked; the trigger pull was superb, the barrel and slide tight and just one accurate gun.

Jim
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Old January 31, 2013, 02:27 PM   #23
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A gun with a fixed barrel, with integral chamber, SHOULD be the most accurate, as you don't have to worry about tight/consistent lock-up, or cylinder alignment, or any of the stuff that can affect most centerfire autos and revolvers. Unfortunately, that would exclude almost all modern repeating handguns.
I have also heard that the SIG P210 is the most accurate "service pistol". Not as much time and energy is expended on improving the accuracy of any gun as is spent on the 1911, and that's why there are extremely accurate guns of that type.
Les Baer offers a "1.5-inch accuracy guarantee" on some of their 1911 models, and I don't know that there is a maker of any other type of semi-auto that "guarantees" that level of accuracy. Of course, the guarantee is that the gun HAS shot a 1.5" group at 50yds, not that it WILL do so in your hands.
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Old January 31, 2013, 02:45 PM   #24
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A gun with a fixed barrel, with integral chamber, SHOULD be the most accurate, as you don't have to worry about tight/consistent lock-up, or cylinder alignment, or any of the stuff that can affect most centerfire autos and revolvers. Unfortunately, that would exclude almost all modern repeating handguns.
That's exactly what I was thinking. The 1911 barrel floats all over the place. If you put a tight target bushing on it and make the rear lockup super tight, then you lose reliability. Then there is slide fit. A custom gunsmith that takes a lot of extra time and effort can make them shoot like target guns but your basic stock 1911 isn't all that accurate. Actually when I was growing up, lots of oldtimers would claim you couldn't hit a barn with one. From inside the barn.

Out of my non-custom semi autos... I would say my HK P7 is the most accurate. Too bad the barrel is so short. If they had made a version with a longer barrel and longer sight radius, it might have been a world beater target pistol.

Gregg
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Old January 31, 2013, 03:42 PM   #25
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That's exactly what I was thinking. The 1911 barrel floats all over the place. If you put a tight target bushing on it and make the rear lockup super tight, then you lose reliability. Then there is slide fit. A custom gunsmith that takes a lot of extra time and effort can make them shoot like target guns but your basic stock 1911 isn't all that accurate. Actually when I was growing up, lots of oldtimers would claim you couldn't hit a barn with one. From inside the barn.
A lot of that comes from the WWII-era pistols, made to loose enough tolerances that all parts, regardless of maker, could interchange, and then those guns being in service for thirty or more years.
The USMC had guns, in the '80s, with verified round counts of over 300,000, so those guns might be a tad loose. How many grunts received much pistol instruction, anyway?
Modern, mass-produced "1911" pistols are often built to tighter specs than the wartime guns, and even a $600 pistol can be quite accurate. Most "inaccuracy" in handguns is generated by the shooter.
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