[natedog]

Yesterday I went to the range and was shooting my Colt Officers' Model. Normally this gun groups about 3" at 25 yards with ease, offhand. Today it looked like a shotgun pattern. The best I could do was from a rest, single action slow fire was 5". I was shooting 130 gr. PMC loads. What happened? The gun is still in the same shape it was before: some surface wear, but an excellent bore and muzzle. Ideas?

[El Tejon]

Dry practice.:)

[Black Snowman]

Were the shots tending low? It's easy to start anticipating the recoil and start pulling the gun down before it goes off. I've been guilty of this, especially when I get in a hurry. Lots of things can go wrong.

El Tejon is on the right track. Dry practice helps a lot.

[Old Fuff]

Have you been regularly shooting that 130-grain PMC load? I'f I'm correct that is a full-jacketed, round nose bullet. I would give the bore a good cleaning (use copper solvent) and then try what the gun was made for, namely .38 Special/148-grain lead wadcutters.

Shoot off a rest too check the gun. Shoot freehand to test yourself.

Also check to be sure the crane isn't slightly sprung. After unloading the gun view it from the front. Push on the sides of the cylinger and see if the crane can be pushed away from the frame.

[Al Thompson]

What were you using before? Same load or is this a new load for you?

It's not unusual for a firearm to have distinct preferences in ammo.

[C.R.Sam]

How bout something has changed to keep it from locking up properly.
Barrel bushing, buffer, link etc ?

Or a box or really bad ammo.

Sam

[stans]

Ooooo, CR made a mistake and I caught it!! The Colt Officer's Model is a revolver, not a 1911!!! Caught ya!!!!

I would suspect the ammo if the PMC stuff is not your regular ammo.

[mtnbkr]

Sometimes you have a bad day.



Chris

[4v50 Gary]

All of the above. Sometimes ammo, sometimes shooter. Shooting is a perishable skill.

Consider bringing out a 22 or something. Compare the groups or if you shot the same the last time with the 22, it may be the other gun or its ammo.

[caz223]

I shoot like poop from a rest, I shoot better offhand, don't have a clue as to why...
Also, I can't shoot well on an empty stomach, or after a lot of coffee.
I also shoot higher power stuff better, I guess the lower power stuff can't hold my attention.
As always, practice, practice, practice.
If I don't shoot for a month, the first day shooting is strange, 2 or 3 great groups, then the rest of the day, I shoot like poop. :(
Come back the next day, shoot fine. :p

[C.R.Sam]

Stans...
Bingo.
Mia culpa
etc.

Sam...sometimes a bad day lasts all week.

[C.R.Sam]

Natedog...
Nuther try.
All of the above , except my first wierd shot , plus...
Could the timing have gone a bit south ?

Sam. ...Colt wheels don't understand me.

[bountyhunter]

When I first started to figure out what I was doing, I decided that accurate shooting was about 90% trigger control. When I got a little better, I figured it was 99% trigger control. I am now up to about 99.99%.

Most people aim a gun a lot better than they think (because they see the gun's sights moving slightly with respect to the target and grossly overestimate how much the POI is moving).

Most people pull a trigger a lot WORSE than they think and find it out when they shoot a red dot gun where the guns movement is magnified by the bouncing red dot. You quickly realize that your smooth trigger pull really isn't.

The biggest single reason people shoot inaccurately is because they see the gun moving with repect to the target and stab the trigger when the sights are "dead on". The trigger yank moves the POI anywhere from 3 to 18 inches away from the POA (depending how hard you yank). The most accurate shooting is when you get the gun aligned and in the correct "zone" with respect to the target. Then, ignore the target and focus 100% on trigger pull.

[Brad Johnson]

Odd question - how much coffee did you have that day. When I OD on coffee my groups go all to heck. Jitters and such, I guess. When I lay off the caffeine my groups shrink back down.

Speed is just the opposite. When I'm coffee'd up I can draw and place two rounds on target in about .85-.90 second. Without the java the time goes to about 1.0-1.05.

Brad

[Win75]

PMC...Poorly Made C**P

PMC never shoots good for me. Try another ammo?

David.

[C.R.Sam]

Brad triggered nuther thought.
Yeah, maby not the gun.
Have somebody else shoot it ?
Preferably somebody that is a good shooter.
If crappy for both of you....tis the gun or ammo.

Sam