Less than pleased with my range time, need advice.

Here's the scoop: new SRH with less than 100 rounds through it (30+/- today), FF3 on top, shooting my reloads; 300 grain XTP Mag with 29.5 grains H110. All done at 75 yards as this is mostly a walking/woods gun and that's the outer limits of where I'll hunt with it. I was on a good bench with sandbags and was solid. The FF3 has a 3MOA dot which and fills the target center at this distance for good shot reference. There were other guns around me which didn't particularly help but I really tried to take my time with each (well, mostly) shot.

My groups were around 4" at best to as much as 8" at worst.

Feedback is appreciated.

What calibre?

Looking at my Hornady manual for listed load l would say
likely shooting a 454 Casull SRH..
300GR XTP, 29.5GR H110 = app 1500fps

I'm assuming all screws were checked.

Were you resting the gun itself and if so, in what manner?

A FIRM REPEATABLE GRIP ,GOOD TRIGGER, AND GOOD TRIGGER CONTROL,CONSISTENT REST POSITION FOR HANDS AND GUN,AND TOTAL CONCENTRATION FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO BREAK THE SHOT.

These are the basics along with good hearing protection and a set of grips that don't hurt your hands.

When you are struggling go back and check the basics,everything starts from there.

Yes, it is a Casull.

SW282, from what I've read I probably need to push the H110 more, agree? I'm getting that it performs much better at higher velocities.

Raptor, I checked it to be sure but always use Loctite as a pre-game ritual.

s4s4u, Trigger guard and frame only on the sandbags. I've never rested a barrel since way back when I only rifle hunted.

junebug, good advice. The longer I shot the more I began thinking about what I needed to be doing (making money) and the louder the rifles around me became. Looks like I need more range time too.

Thank you all!

I don't know if this happens to others, but I feel, sometimes, you just have a strange day at the range.
I was shooting my SW 460 last weekend. It has been my go to gun recently and has never given me any issues. This weekend my first three shots were horrible. I even had to adjust my scope some. At first I thought I had blown the scope. After some shooting I had about 15 shots that were spot on.
I am not ruling out that the scope isn't going out but I have no explanation as to why the gun, which has been my trusty wheel gun, gave me so many issues.

Hi 400----My Hornady manual for 300gr XTP & H110 data is
28.2 to 31.4gr H110.... l see nothing wrong with the load..
Not too Hot.. Not too Cold..Just Right... The way l prefer...
Maybe get some 45 Colt factory ammo and shoot a few...

Were you shooting with both eyes open, one eye, or a mix? Were you shooting SA or DA?

For a revolver to shoot accurately there must be a correct size relationship between the projectile, the cylinder throats, and the groove diameter of the barrel. Generally the projectile should be a neat fit to the cylinder throat and 1-2 thou larger than the groove diameter. Ruger are notorious for ignoring this, especially in the .454 models. This is a bigger problem with lead, but still impacts on jacketed, especially at a distance.

Have you measured your cylinder throat diameter. If they are too small a good smith can ream them to size. If they are too large then all you can do is go to get a custom mould and cast your own projectiles.

If all dimensions are OK, then it comes down to personal technique which is easily fixed by practice.

Did you work up the load for that specific gun? I 've never liked trying random powder charges. Some guns will show signs of high pressures below the max that data lists.

When I work up a load I start with the minimum listed charge and increase powder charges in small increments. I load 5 rounds of each powder charge and shoot them from a solid rest. I shoot them at 25 yards and use a new target for each powder charge. I'll usually shoot through a chronograph while doing this also.

You'll usually see the groups tighten as you near the "sweet spot" for the bullet and powder being used. Usually the groups start to open up when you pass the load the gun likes. I load 454 Casull and just like other rounds sometimes lighter powder charges are the most accurate and sometimes heavier charges are.

I save all the targets from load development. I've often referred back to them years later. Its kept me from reinventing the wheel when I forgot that I already tried a bullet/powder combination.

Bullet crimp is really important on these revolvers. Too much crimp can hinder accuracy, and obviously not enough poses problems as well.

Here goes:
-Both eye open
-I have not checked the throats
-Load was found in a manual(Speer maybe?)and chosen simply as a 'starting point'. Which could very well be one of several issues, it seems. The lead cause being me; bad day, need practice etc.
-The crimp was intentionally heavy as I've read the importance of such in a revolver. This is the first revolver I've loaded for so I could be using a crimp that is entirely too heavy.

Thanks for everyone's input. Looks like I'll need to load more and shoot more. Boy that really sucks....

Buy a box of factory ammo with the same bullet as that may help rule out the crimp. I have a FA .454 that hates XTPs, but loves Swifts in the same weight so that's also something to consider.

I have that box in the safe.
Great idea, thanks.

[q.
Looks like I'll need to load more and shoot more. Boy that really sucks....
[/quote]

Sometimes the first load you try is the one, sometimes not,but you have to start somewhere. When you change something only change one component at a time. That way if it gets better you know why. Try going up half a grain at a time till you get a load that shoots or reach max. I load groups of 5 in half gr. steps .Five shots should tell you if its worth pursuing that load further.Don't overdo it as the more loads you shoot at a setting the harder it is to shoot good groups.Your hands can only take so much beating at one time, and bad habits can start quickly.

Today was that day for me. First day out since my scope returned and I didn't feel I did my part. Poor grip and poor trigger control ... never felt comfortable over the gun.

Dry fire practice helps with this.You can work on proper grip, trigger control,follow thru and breath control without ever leaving home. Keep no loaded ammo within reach ,check often and use snap caps. A .22 in the same style as your bigbore with the same grips helps a lot.
I take a Single Six .22 or a Contender .22 barrel with me on all range trips. Lets me leave on a positive note when things aren't working with the bigger stuff. They are also just plain relaxing to me.

I keep snap caps in the gun just for this reason. Once I got home and went back-to-basics I pretty much think I figured things out ... was back in the joint/crease on my trigger finger and follow through was horrid.

Good for you!

No matter how much we do this ,or how long we have done this
sport it never hurts to go back to the basics. It is so easy to change some little thing,and not realize it. Hand position,grip pressure,breathing, finger position follow thru are all equally important.

Snap cap practice will tell u if u are moving on trigger pull. Whenever my shooting isnt what it should be i randomly fill a few cylinders with snap caps so i dont know which one will go off. Gets my trigger pull back on track everytime

My experience is limited to 44 mag and 45 colt, but H110 has performed better for me near max loads. However, as previously stated, check all screws, including on the ejector rod housing and head to the range.

Yes, we all have bad days at the range, but if you suspect that you are the problem here is what I do. Shoot 4 shot groups, so randomly load your cylinder with 4 live rounds and 2 empty brass. Spin your cylinder and close the gate without looking. Flinching etc will be exposed and this has helped me. I guess if you have a 5 shot go with 3 shot groups.

Finally, this is a long shot but several years ago I purchased a new SBH in 44 mag and I could not shoot it well. After much money and time wasted I figured out the barrel was screwed onto the frame crooked. Use a strait edge from both sides of the top strap to check this. Good luck.

I'm going back to the range in a day or two and try it all over again. Shooting for the best group at 25 than working it on out for distance later.

Thanks for all the wisdom and advice!

All of my most accurate loads for my 454s were at the top end of the scale. Old load with FA brass was 31.5 of 110 under a 300gr XTP mag 5 shot string was 1704fps. Current load, Starline brass, is 32 of 110 everything else being equal. A half a grain makes a big difference at least the way I load. Anything under 30gr for me is horrible with that bullet. I also taper crimp when I seat the bullet (45acp die) then I crimp with the normal RCBS die.

Update:

I spent a working lunch at the range today to run through 5 more loads of H110 for group size. I started at 29.0 and worked up half-grains to 31.0. Best group size came from 30.5 but I'm going to load a few more to make sure that 31.0's opening up wasn't due to me. The 30.5 had 3 touching, one a half inch high/right and a 1" low flier due to known "pilot error".

I appreciate everyone's input. Truly part of what makes this a great forum!

Some times when i'm shooting for groups I hold off the edge of the bulls eye so i can have a "finer" aiming point to go back to shot after shot, especially with a reticle or dots that cover up lots of the bulls eye. This helps me stay out of my head if the groups aren't being consistent. That way once I am done developing loads either factory from lot to lot or my own hand loads I get better feed back what the load is doing rather than me not holding center bulls eye for each shot.

Good idea and I'll try it next range session. I've used that with scoped rifles in the past, just not with this one.

What was the spread. Vertical or lateral spreads or shotgun spray? Besides trigger pull, consistent grip and consistent placement on bags is of utmost important. The load is fine and crimp will affect accuracy only if its not consistent bw rounds as long as its not so much that it damages the bullet. Also try shooting groups at a closer distance and dont move back until your groups are tight. Also, plave a random couple snapcaps in the cylinder with live rounds. This is why i often have posted photos of 2, 3, and 4 shot groups bc my cousin and i load eachothers revolver at times so we dont know how many live round are in the chamber. Then move it back. Most likely its not the load, not is it the bullets, but the shooter. That was a tough pill for me to swallow when i was working my way up but to this day i dont have one revolver that is truly innaccurate. I have several i THOUGHT were inaccurate.

Tradmark,
"Most likely its not the load, not is it the bullets, but the shooter."

You may be on to something there. Second trip to the range caused me to be more deliberate in each step of the shot. I found my finger curled around the trigger a time or two as well as pushing left due to too little finger. That was all at 25 yards and I saw the group sizes decrease in size and open up again as I moved past 30.5 grains.

I'll throw the SRH under the bus on one, and only one account; it has a Jake From State Farm trigger pull. It is hideous! I've thought about ordering a spring kit for it. What are your thoughts on that?

It will make a world of difference.

Wolf?

honestly, i would send the gun to jack huntingon for a tune. how'd ya like a ruger srh with a trigger pull of a smith and wesson. i've been sending all of mine out to him now and it's sooooooo worth it. i had freedom arms 4 3/4" 454 and it was completely innaccurate. that said, it was me. i sent it back for a trigger job and got it back. back to 4-5" offhand groups at 100 yards if i do my part. off the bags at 50 yards with irons it's sub inch. it was all me. that trigger may be your key to shooting really well! call jack and get it done. i promise you it'll be worth it.

If it was a black hawk at least the ones I've messed with I just pull the grips off and unhook one side of the trigger spring its like night and day

A spring kit will get you thru this season. Then you can send it out for a proper tuneup if you still want to. Just the springs will make quite a difference. Shooting is more of a mental game than most realize and having confidence in your gun,load,and self go a long way.

That's what I used in mine. I got one kit that came with a 9, 10 and 12 pound hammer springs. I put the 10 in my GP100 and the 12 in my SRH. I kept the return springs stock as I like a quick reset. It was like night and day with both guns. Definitely worth the investment. I saw no need to do anything further.

Why the 12# in the SRH? Educate me on that, please. I just ordered that same 3-spring kit. Season opens in 11 days and there's no way I can get it sent, worked and returned in time. I'll make do with whatever improvement I can get until late winter or early spring.

Well, I got the kit for my GP100 which I had before the SRH. I tried the 9 in the GeeP but had light strikes so went to the 10 which worked great. When I got the Super I put the 12 in because I didn't have faith in the 9 after the GeeP issues. If I had another 10 I would have given it a shot but the 12 made it quite nice as it was. A significant improvement over stock.

Interesting. I was told on a Facebook page (by a gunsmith) that a spring kit would do nothing for me. Your experience is saying different. I'll find out since I ordered the kit last night.

I ordered the same spring kit for my GP100 and used the 10# spring and it made a big difference. It is still not as good as my Blackhawk that I had a gunsmith work on but much better than it was.

The spring kit will help. How much will depend on how rough your trigger pull is now.It won't help with grittyness or rough bearing surfaces but will help with pull weight. How much will depend on your preception of a good trigger.

True, it won't help with grit or creep but taking a little pressure off of the mating surfaces will help with the overall feel.

Will be more noticeable da than sa

The only DA it will see is if I stumble into a sounder of pigs and it gets Western.

The SA pull is terrible. I thought about asking Ruger why they don't include a broomstick to wedge in the trigger guard as a lever.

S.A. trigger pull has in my experience doing trigger work had more to do with the trigger spring and seer engagement and engagement surfaces a lighter hammer spring may help some but its not going to fix trigger creep or rough engagement surfaces or how heavy the trigger spring is i don't know that a lighter hammer spring will noticeably on a redhawk fired S.A. I know hammer spring weight doesn't noticeably effect trigger pull on a blackhawk but unhooking one arm of the trigger spring will make a HUGE difference however I have no experience doing trigger jobs on DA revolvers so I can't say for sure

Update

Holy cow the Wolf 10# spring made a HUGE difference in trigger pull. It's night and day and I still get solid primer strikes. Is it a Smith? No, but that's not what I was expecting. This was well worth the $10 and the 8 minute tutoral on YouTube.

Now to the range. Then to the stand for the modern gun opener.

Happy to say 'I told ya so' ;-)

Glad that I listened!