So I have been shooting for about 3 years now. I shoot about 4 times a month. At least every weekend. Here is my issue. I cant shoot accurately with a handgun past 15yards. I have a pretty big assortment of handguns but mostly ones geared towards self defense so most of my shooting is done between 7-15 yards. And When I shoot from that distance I get very very nice groups as long as I do my part. Well when I baught my Taurus 44 .44Mag I was shooting that at 7-15yards and was gettin pretty decent groups. Whenever I try shooting it at 25 yards my rounds go all over the place. Does anyone have any pointers. I know I need to shoot more at longer ranges and I plan on it but the groups I was getting were pretty huge for only adding 10yards to my distance, like 3 1/2- 4inch groups. Appreciate any pointers ya'll can throw my way

Are you using irons? It can take some practice getting a consistant sight picture with some iron sights as the distance increases. I would suggest trying a red dot sight and see if that helps. The only guns I don't have some kind of optic on anymore are my PD carry guns.

I am shooting Irons. Dont really plan on adding a optic to the gun. I just want to get proficent with it. Just not sure if I am doin something wrong since I am pretty new at shooting revolvers

irishthunder50,
Have a friend load your revolver for you while at the range but leave a chamber or 2 or 3 empty so you don't know when it's gonna go bang.

If you have a flinch you'll know it the first time it goes "click" on an empty chamber. No peekin'

Buy a very accurate 22lr revolver such as a S&W 617 and work your way out to 50 yards. Great training aid and cheaper as well till you get to your goal.

Use only the tip of your trigger finger and NOTHING ELSE MOVES !!!!! FOCUS ON YOUR GRIP !!!! FIRM but not a death grip.

If you're a right handed shooter using a two hand hold shooting single action, cock your revolver with your left thumb. This will ensure a more consistent shot to shot grip.

Lastly, don't be afraid to sit at a bench using a good solid rest such as a sandbag to familiarize your self with good sight picture and develop a consistent trigger squeeze.

BTW, the luck of the Irish doesn't apply to good shooting skills

What do you consider a decent group size to be at 7-15 yards ?

WVS.

irishthunder50 I'll share a trick that helped me alot,make sure you gun is empty and in your house or shop get your sight picture and aim at a line on a wall recepticle or on the wall or on a piece of paper just a up and down line so that your front sight covers the line.Dry fire your gun and if at anytime until the hammer falls you see that line you missed.I personally use that little piece between the two holes in a wall socket,recepticle,or plug in depending where you are from as to what you call it.Try it and see if it helps,may need to get some dummy rounds,just to be safe.

It all starts with the grip. Make it high, repeatable, consistent! Grip pressure as close to the same as you can get from shot to shot. First pad of the trigger finger on the trigger,nice straight press on trigger moving only the trigger finger,just basics, but very important ones.. A nice smooth,not necessarily light trigger helps. Don't get discouraged,most of us work all our lives to get what skills we have and to keep them sharp.

At 15 yards I keep 6shots right at a inch with the .44

I do the same thing except I use animals on hunting shows or certain un named politicians on the news.

thats funny wapitirod i do the same thing. wife thinks i am crazy but i tell her it good practice.

ok try this first you just need to increase your yardage by 2 or 3 feet at a time until your at your set yardage for long range. when you jump to far at once u lose your sight picture and your shots fly wildly because your out of your comfort zone!

Is the ammo traveling at about 1200fps at the muzzle? If so, I suspect the ammo.

External Ballistics: The Transonic Problem

Interesting, but at 25 yards from a 44?

Methinks it has more to do with grip tension/consistancy and sight picture.

I've had similar experiences with scoped contenders. That's when I discovered the importance of trigger control. A smooth pull, straight back, solved my problem and the pistol started making one hole groups at about 35 yards. It's all about trigger control. I think I traded a lot of guns that "wouldn't shoot" before I learned this -- an expensive lesson.

6/5JDJ

Absolutely. And, it starts at the finger but goes through the hands and arms and torso and feet. It all comes together when its right.

Start shooting IHMSA silhouette and take a friend.
The normal lame excuses are not acceptable and by the end of next summer you'll be braggin' to your friends about shooting way out to 200 yards.

GREAT bunch of guys and NEVER met anyone that didn't become a better pistolero from it.


PM me and we'll talk .

Denny/ WVS329.

Very good, Sir.


now move back 10 yards and pretty soon we'll have ya runnin' soda cans at 50.

Yeeeeeeeeeee Haaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww !!!!!!!

Would really like to look into doin IHMSA. Do you need a specialized gun or would I be able to shoot that with my Tuarus? I dont have alot of money to be spending on specialized shooters as I have a young family and the Army does pay so great but its pays the bills lol.

I have shot many different brands through my Taurus but really its just that I need to shoot distance more often. I mostly shoot nothing but 240 Gr. though. Ive used Magteck both SP and HP, WWB SP, Winchest Silvertips, and Remington UMC's. I have about 400 Rounds of brass saved up plus prolly 60 rounds of factory ammo right now. I figure when I get back from deployment Im goin to start reloading for .44 mag as cheaply as i can to shoot alot more often.

Been reloading for rifles the last couple years but never pistol. I do have dies for .38Spc but my .38 is a snubbie I practice with for CCW so again all shortrange stuff. Been thinkin of getting a GP100 though as I think alot of it has to do with me never really shooting revolvers. I always quailfy expert with the Beretta at 25 meters and I just quailified expert with the German HK pistol over here at the same distance.

I think a GP100 that I could practice with cheap .38's would prolly benifeit me alot with my revolver shooting. Besides the Taurus 44 I dont have any revolvers really suitable for anything but shortrange shooting. A Taurus Judge(real fun gun for hunting rabbits), a Heritage Arms rough rider pistol in .22LR/Mag with non adjustable sights, and a Rossi 461 snubnose .357. Nothing in the revolver department of any real quality though.

No one has asked yet, but are you shooting single or double action? Single is the way to go for pure accuracy. A consistent and repeatable grip are vital to good accuracy, as is proper trigger control. A nice smooth trigger helps to.A good .22 is a great help and lots cheaper to shoot than the .44. It allows you to concentrate on grip, proper sight alignment and trigger control without the blast and recoil of the .44. Consistency is the name of the game for good groups. IHMSA is a fun game and can be shot with your .44 or a good .22. You will meet a lot of good, helpful people in this sport. Thank you for your service and sacrifice to our great country. STAY SAFE!

Your Taurus is just fine. No need for anything special.

One of my friends is a crack shot with his shotgun but can't hit a barn door with his pistol. Never knew him to miss an IHMSA match or go home without a smile three feet wide.

WVS329.

Its been said before, but can't be said enough; practice with your 22. Accuracy comes from sight control, trigger control and consistant grip. It doesn't matter what gun you use to practice those things. The more you can avoid recoil the better. I like to take out both the big bore and the 22. I'll shoot a few cylinder's of 22, until I'm feeling comfortable and confident, then I switch to the big gun. I only shoot one cylinder, then its back to the 22 for awhile. I may only shoot the big gun 12 - 24 rounds, but I shoot 3-4 times that in the 22. It also helps to gradually increase your range. When you're feeling confident, move back another 2-3 steps. Eventually you'll get there.

Very good answers here and control is what you are missing. The .44 is very accurate.
IHMSA is a wonderful idea and is how I figured out the .44 and how to load for it and all my other calibers.
I am going to show you something you will not believe and neither can I. Please don't ask me to ever do it again either. It is a fluke of luck but now I can say that ONCE, I shot under 1" at 100 yards off hand with my old SBH.
I can do it with a lot of revolvers from sandbags but off hand??? Not hardly.
These are 50 yard sighters from 50 yards with my .475.
The hole in the top of this can is 5 shots at 100 yards from a revolver.
So, yes, you can do it but you need to listen to the guys here. You need to shoot the .44 different then you do the fast close range SD stuff. Get recoil out of your head and learn trigger control.

I too am really in the beginning of shooting the 44 mag for hunting accuracy at longer distances. All the stuff mentioned here is great. Just do not get discouraged. It is like bodybuilding.....a little bit at a time and sooner than you think you will be making great progress. Thank you for your service to us all.

Irish,
reading your posts, I think you are spot on in the accuracy department. If you're shooting approximately an inch at 15 yards, you should be able to shoot a 1.75" group at 25 yards - theoretically. I don't think that your solid 15 yard fundamentals disappear just because you're a little farther away from the target.
Are you using the same size target / point to aim at? You may just be very comfy with the sight picture at 15 yards and the smaller appearing target at 25 may make your sight movement in the wobble zone more noticeable. E.g., for 10 yard practice, I usually use a 1" sticky dot, but at 25 yards I switch to a 6 o' clock hold on a 3" round sticky. That let's me keep the same accuracy at various distances. Try a target size that lets you stay in a wobble zone you are comfortable with and see whether your group is more in line with the 10-15 yard group.
One gentleman here recommended getting an SW617 and practicing at various distances - that'd be perfect to get accustomed to varying sizes of targets. With that 617 you can shoot out to 200 yards - with significant holdover - and practice on the cheap.