I have a question for you ballistics gurus! First, some background. I was showing off the handgun to a friend from out of town last week when I noticed my scope had moved
So I took it and the rings off and moved the whole thing back to give the gun a better balance. I went to the range Saturday and realized that I forgot to bore sight the scope I was having a bad week. But then things got better in a hurry! I set up a few targets at 25 yards and 50 yards to start sighting it in. My first six shot group surprised me!
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/regnets1/25yards1stgroup.jpg
Well now I am in dibeliefe, I better shoot another group to make sure. My rest, by the way is the front pad on my rifle rest. I don't have anything to put under the grip yet, so the rest is simply the barrel of my 686 on the padded front bag of the rifle rest. The same rest in my avatar.
The next six rounds are even better!
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/regnets1/25yards2ndgrp.jpg
So now that I am happy at 25 yards I move to the 50 yard back stop. Here the groupd spread out a little, but I am still very happy with the accuracy of this revolver. Here are two groups at 50 yards.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/regnets1/50yards686.jpg
and
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/regnets1/50yards686-2.jpg
The group that is on the left shoulder of that target has 7 rounds instead of six. The seventh hole is from a six shot grooup I shot at the head off hand. I didn't take a picture of that
Now the ballistics question!!
These were 158 grain half jacketed softpoints. Store baught ammo. but they are not the rounds I will be using while hunting. My hunting rounds are Winchester Partition Gold 180 grain full jacketed hollow points. I am wondering if the 180 grains will be hitting a little lower or higher than the 158 grain bullets?
The reason I am shooting two different bullets is cost. I got the 158 grain Sellior and Bellot for 14.00 for 50 rounds. The Winchesters are 21.99 for 20

The hunting loads will most likely be hitting at a different elevation to your practise ammo. Also they will be at different elevation at different ranges (conventional handguns have a rainbow trajectory). You need to decide what is your likely hunting distance, work out your zero range and the trajectory from close up to the limit of how far your willing to shoot. This has to be with the type of ammo you intend to use.

Yes its more expensive, but compare it with the cost of a failed hunt.

A short cut is if you know anyone with a chronograph and can measure your muzzle velocity. There are plenty of ballistic software programs which will estimate your trajectory from the velocity and ballistic coefficent of the projectile (ballistic coefficent for Winchester 180 gn Partition Gold should be 0.185).

When you know the trajectory of your hunting load, and have zeroed for it, you can then use the other ammo for practise and simply allow for the difference in point of impact.

The heavier boolits will impact HIGHER than the lighter ones, probably dramatically. The reason is that the gun recoils more at the start of the shot with heavier slugs. This weekend I shot my .41 SBH with 210 grain Federals to get close for sight-in @ 25 yards, about 1280 fps M/V. I then dropped in some Buffalo Bore 170 grainers, my hunting load, @ 1650 fps M/V. The POI was all of 6" lower than the 210's, @ only 25 yards, although the velocity is much higher. I just clicked the rear sight up until dialed in and went hunting. Use the cheapo's to get close and finish with your hunting loads, always.