Effective range of Pistols?

[OptionX3]

I was reading my "The World's greatest Small Arms" book by Craig/Philip.
In the handgun section, it states that most pistols 1911/Sig/Glocks (.45, 9mm etc.)have effective range about only 30m (32yd). Does this sound right?
I thought pistol ammos were lethal to aleast 50-100yds? Any ideas on this? Experiences?

[shopkeep]

I was reading my "The World's greatest Small Arms" book by Craig/Philip.
In the handgun section, it states that most pistols 1911/Sig/Glocks (.45, 9mm etc.)have effective range about only 30m (32yd). Does this sound right?
I thought pistol ammos were lethal to aleast 50-100yds? Any ideas on this? Experiences?

It's true that pistol cartridges are lethal well beyond 100 yards. However, the accuracy of most automatic pistols rarely extends beyond 30 yards. Revolvers are a whole different story ! I've seen guys go hunting with longer barreled revolvers equipped with scopes and hit things well into the 200 yard range.

[OptionX3]

Why are revolvers more accurate? I figure gap between the cylinder and barrel would make it more prone to inaccuracy. Semis are already chamberd in the barrel. Also revolvers have cylinder timing issue.

[rkt88edmo]

Yes, they can be lethal well beyond 100 yards, but I think they use the term "effective" to describe a high probability for a successful outcome.

Additionally, hitting targets beyond 25 yards becomes increasingly difficult with the short sight radius on a pistol in an offrange, non-bullseye type setting. If you can't hit it, you aren't effective.

[CowtownBallin]

Dude, just arc the shot, you can drop someone from way more than 100 yds

[phish]

I think revolvers can be more inherently accurate because the barrel is fixed. With a few exceptions, semi-autos have a barrel with some slop in it since it's not fixed, that's why you see a myriad of bushings sold for .45s.

OTOH, revolvers can suffer from timing issues as noted above, as well as chambers that are not perfeclty in-line with the bore's axis. Many, many moons ago, I read an article in a gun mag where the author tested individual chambers of his revolver for inherent accuracy. Some of his groups with particular chambers absolutely hammered them into one holers, one or two chambers had bigger groups.

I think a pocket .45 can be quite accurate out to 200 yards, anyone remember that old episode of American Shooter with Bob Munden?

[sargenv]

Generally the thought about Pistol accuracy all depends on the platform. The most accurate Pistols are what are termed as hand cannons or hand held rifles. The Remington XP-100 was a very accurate handgun usually chambered in rifle cartridges. The T/C Contender also is considered an accurate gun in the right hands and it too is chambered in rifle cartridges. I used to shoot a TC contender chambered in 30-30 winchester when I played with metallic sillouette shooting. I could easily hit the Rams at 200 meters. While I shot it with that thing, Other people used Redhawks, Blackhawks, Dan Wessons, and S&W 29's. Unfortunately, if you were firing from a creedmore, you needed a blast shield for the revo's and didn't for the single shots.

The next accurate firearm is considered generally to be the Single Action revolvers. The gap doesn't play as much into it as you think since the cylinder slightly undersizes the bullet (forcing cone) to make the jump through the gap and nto the barrel and then it goes full diam. So long as the cylinder and barrel are in perfect alignment, there is no issue with accuracy. If it's shaving lead, well, that bullet isn't going to fly true and accuracy will suffer. Double actions fired in single action mode can be quite accurate. Timing becomes involved if you shoot the revolver in double action mode.

Then it comes down to Semi-auto pistols. They can be made to be quite accurate. Some people used to use a 1911 variant for Metallic sillouette back in the 70's and 80's. LAR Grizzly Magnums in 45 Magnum Auto Pistol, the Wildey's in 44 magnum Auto pistol, and the various other specialty pistol based usually on either 357, 41, or 44 magnum. Desert eagle comes to mind but Coonan arms made a 357 semi-auto as well. They could be depended on to regularly hit targets to at least 100 yards. We used to plink at a range with our various semi-auto pistols. I remember a friend that was able to hit the sillouette targets at 150 yards, but at that distance, the 9mm 115's did not have enough punch to knock the steel targets over. I would assume that if it had been a person, it would have still penetrated skin.

Smith and Wesson made a semi-custom shop 38 special wadcutter only pistol that was a semi-auto called the Model 52. It fired 38 special 148gr hollowbased wadcutters generally at a velocity of about 750 fps. This was a specialty target pistol that would cut very small groups out to 50 yards. It was and is still a great target pistol if all you want to do is punch paper. It ws essentially made to shoot at 50 meters.

Smaller handguns, while they might eventually be able to hit targets out several hundred yards will generally make you fire a larger amount of ammo to eventually hit anything. You can sling rounds on target to at least a few hundred yards, but it would be random chance that you'd have any confidence hitting anything with most small semi-auto's (hence his 30 yard limit). Generally, if you want to fire a handgun at long distances, you need speed on the bullet and mass doesn't hurt since it tends to keep it's energy better than light bullets. I would think that most handgun ammo is still lethal to past 1/2 a mile. Even if you don't hit someone directly, it can "skip" it's way there just like a flat rock on a pond.

I think the effective range thing is more along the lines of what most people can do. Personally, if the target is "only" 50 yards away, I have confidence that I can hit it. Depending on target size, I can probably hit most things to 100 yards. Past that and my confidence level drops off unless I have a large revolver, a magnum semi-auto, or a hand cannon pistol. If my only options were fire a pistol or throw rocks, I'd choose the pistol I can throw a rock about 30 yards, I can shoot at things with some accuracy a bit beyond that.

Don't get me going on Shotguns

Vince

[bruceflinch]

But, what about shotguns, Vince?

[saki302]

On newly made quality revolvers, timing is usually excellent. The flash gap seems to have little or no effect on accuracy. I dare say the most accurate repeating hand held firearms are revolvers (chopped rifles excepted).

The barrel is fixed to your grip frame, and the sights are fixed to the barrel. Some custom makers like Freedom Arms ream the cylinder holes in relation to the bore, so you get perfect alignment. In practice, most box-stock S&W revolvers have excellent timing. most shooters shoot more acurately in SA mode versus DA mode, but done right, there is little difference.

-Dave

[wuhungsix]

[QUOTE=phishI think a pocket .45 can be quite accurate out to 200 yards, anyone remember that old episode of American Shooter with Bob Munden?[/QUOTE]


I remember that shot...that guy is awesome...but them again he lobbed that sucker into the ballon...

oohh how about that 75 yrd shot with a Red Ryder...

[taloft]

I think a pocket .45 can be quite accurate out to 200 yards, anyone remember that old episode of American Shooter with Bob Munden?

It was a great shot.

I also saw an episode where he did the same thing with a .38 snub nose.

[Yar]

If you do your part man sized targets, 100 yard with a handgun with iron sights are not difficult. I can ring the rifle plates at 100 no problem with no hold over. Two hundred is much more difficult because of the hold over. Your pretty much walking the shots in. Took me 18 shots to hit it at 200.

[stevie]

The handgun is a defensive weapon thus the effective range of 30 meters. If you are shooting past that distance, it is best to use a rifle. Thats probably why the book states 30 meters.

[Old Fud]

What's a REASONABLE range?

I just took a hunters safety course. The BASIC rule they taught was that you should learn at what range you can reliably hit the kill zone in your normal hunting stance, and never exceed that.

For deer, that means putting every round onto an 8" dinner plate from offhand. Not that many can do it at 100 yards, can they?

I liked my instructor -- he was one who has been-there-done-it.
He won't have a rifle that doesn't shoot a 1" group at 100 yards from bench, yet his planned rifle hunting range is 100 yards.

He owns a 70lb compound bow and has taken game with it many times.
He plays around at 60 yards sometimes but admits his accuracy isn't good enough for field use beyond 35 to 40 yards.

A shotgun already has a 40" pattern at 35 yards.

With that background, wouldn't a REASONABLE range limit on handguns be in the 30 yard range?

Fud.

[elmo]

If you do your part man sized targets, 100 yard with a handgun with iron sights are not difficult. I can ring the rifle plates at 100 no problem with no hold over. Two hundred is much more difficult because of the hold over. Your pretty much walking the shots in. Took me 18 shots to hit it at 200.

so you are saying you can hit a man at 100 yards standing with a pistol? That's pretty frigging good I need more practice hehe. Actulaly i'd be happy if i could hit a man sized target standing with a rifle at this point haha.

when it comes down to it, your average shooter can hit a man sized target effectivly at 25 yards with a pistol. Beyond that it's more subject to shooter skill.