Accuracy difference .357 vs G34

[Hunter2011]

I am now financially ready to buy, but still have not completely made my mind up about what to get. If I'm going to buy a pistol, it will be either a G34 or a G21 or a S&W M&P45. I've done a lot of reading and comparing and really think these three are the best for me for the money.
But then you also get very nice revolvers as well I'm currently eying a Taurus 608 with 8-shot capacity. As a bonus it is also appreciably cheaper than the pistols. But I don't want the price to guide me.

If you can take the following guns...
G34
G21
M&P45
Taurus 608 .357 6''
Ruger GP100 .357 6''
S&W .357 6'' (model unknown)

Which of these guns will score the most hits out of say 10 shots, if shooting at lets say tennis balls at a distance of 50 yards? I know it is a small target at that distance, but I need to know this Or are they practically so close to each other that it really only depends on the shooters ability to shoot well with the particular gun?
This answer may very well make my mind up for me.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Hard to say... Each of those guns could be an outstanding performer or a dog -- the luck of the draw. It more likely will just boil down to which one FITS YOU best; someone else shooting the same guns might get different results with the same general skill level.

I've had several of the guns mentioned, over the years, and would say that all of them have the potential to be very accurate.

The longer 6" barrel in a revolver is NOT needed for more accuracy, and the Glocks with shorter barrels might also be equally accurate. (A longer barrel gives you a longer sight radius, but doesn't assure greater accuracy.)

 

[Manny]

I have the G34, a tremendously good all around pistol. Accurate, reliable relatively cheap to shoot and as durable as Glocks always are with it's about the best "do it all" pistol made. Fantastic for shooting games, defensive use, informal target shooting, it'll work very well for any and all of those plus more.

A 6" .357 would be about as good, better in fact for hunting/outdoors use, maybe not quite as good for carry/defensive use due to heavier weight and lower capacity. With .38's it's a supurb target gun, .357's generate so e serious power for hunting or heavy defensive needs. Plus you don't have to chase brass.

Of the choices you list I'd go with either the G34 or the Ruger/ S&W 6" .357 depending on your preference. Ultimately I'd try to have both the G34 and one of the .357's and I'd feel very well armed for about anything not requiring superduty power.

I'd stay away from the Taurus as I've heard many horror stories about them over the years from both other shooters and gun dealers about poor quality and abysmal customer service and warranty support. The .45's I'd stay away from strictly for cost consideations. 9mm & .38/.357 will be far cheaper to shoot than .45acp generally.

 

[gamestalker]

I've got a Taurus 608, and it's certainly a stout and accurate revolver, just don't expect the action to exhibit any of the qualities of a S&W or other.

GS

 

[RH45]

Out of your list, the only chance of accuracy being good enough to consistently hit tennis balls at 50 yards would be the Ruger or S&W.

 

[mulyhuntr]

I have a g21 and 4" gp100 and I will definitely say the gp100 is more accurate, but the g21 is no slouch either.

 

[Hunter2011]

Out of your list, the only chance of accuracy being good enough to consistently hit tennis balls at 50 yards would be the Ruger or S&W.

So you feel a revolver has got more accuracy than the great G34?
I hoped that the G34 could at least equal the revolvers, seeing the barrel is 5.5''.

 

[Hunter2011]

I've got a Taurus 608, and it's certainly a stout and accurate revolver, just don't expect the action to exhibit any of the qualities of a S&W or other.

GS

Can you please explain a bit more? Do you mean that it gives you problems?
I've seen a few youtube vids and not onetime did I see on malfunction. What problems do yours give you?

 

[tipoc]

Which of these guns will score the most hits out of say 10 shots, if shooting at lets say tennis balls at a distance of 50 yards? I know it is a small target at that distance, but I need to know this Or are they practically so close to each other that it really only depends on the shooters ability to shoot well with the particular gun?

At that distance the shooter and the ammo are the biggest factors.

At 25 yards the ammo and the shooter are bigger factors than the gun still.

Frankly the answer is what gun you shoot best. No one here can answer your question with any accuracy.

Buy a good revolver and learn to shoot it.

Buy a decent semi and shoot it.

This is what you need to do. Comer back and report on what you have learned.

tipoc

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I only have one Glock (36)...but from what I have seen they will produce some darn fine accuracy, noticeably better than my wifes XD...even though the XD feels much better in my hand, I still shoot straighter with the Glock.

 

[ku4hx]

The diameter of a tennis ball is approximately 2.6", so what you're wanting to do is shoot sub 3" groups at 50 yards. The combat guns (as opposed to target guns) you have listed are not generally going to be that accurate at the distance you've chosen. Not saying they can't be, just saying that level of accuracy is generally not in their basic design criteria.

2" at 25 yards would be good combat accuracy which translates to 4" at 50 yards which discounting luck and statistical aberrations indicates a miss on a tennis ball at 50 yards.

Accuracy is a funny thing; it's requires both a good gun and a good shooter. A poor shooter will seldom make an accurate gun perform up to par. The moral of the story is buy why you like (and can shoot well) and practice, practice and practice some more.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I hoped that the G34 could at least equal the revolvers, seeing the barrel is 5.5''

A longer barrel does not mean more accuracy. A longer barrel can improve round performance, and a longer sight radius can help the shooter -- but there are no guarantees.

 

[OilyPablo]

On that list the two Glocks will be the least repeatable (largest groups) in my hand. I personally (as to not piss off the Glockophiles) own Glocks and actually like them, but simply put they are not the most accurate guns in my safe. Yes they are good and yes they can easily hit man size targets at 50 yards. But at 25 yards they don't produce tight groups as do my Sigs, 1911's, my revolvers, etc. It is what it is.

 

[Deer_Freak]

The S&W and the GP100 are both capable of the accuracy you desire. The Ruger will need a trigger job. According to the S&W model you choose it might do what you ask right out of the box.

You do realize that hitting a tennis ball at 50 yards is better than the shooters on top shot were doing in competition. In fact, of you can hit a tennis ball at 50 yards 100 times straight you would qualify for the olympic team. Realistic expectations will get you a lot further than a wonder gun.

 

[plouffedaddy]

You do realize that hitting a tennis ball at 50 yards is better than the shooters on top shot were doing in competition. In fact, of you can hit a tennis ball at 50 yards 100 times straight you would qualify for the olympic team. Realistic expectations will get you a lot further than a wonder gun.

I'll second this. Outside of a custom 1911 in a rest this would be tough to do with great consistency. But, I bet a G34 in a rest could do it 5 out of 10 if the shooter did his/her part.

 

[918v]

Get the Glock and buy a KKM match barrel.

 

[murf]

the six inch revolvers will be more accurate at 50 yards, generally speaking. but every gun is different. there is gold and garbage in every model of handgun.

murf

 

[Hunter2011]

The S&W revolver I mentioned I just learned is a model 28. I hope it is one of the good ones. I think I must get it.

 

[RAINS]

For fun I'd go with the 357 smith or Ruger. For SD I'd go for the G21.

 

[Jenrick]

.357 and 9mm aren't known as bulleye accurate cartridges, where the .45 ACP and .38 spl when loaded properly are. Not saying you can't do minute of tennis ball at 50 yds with a 9mm, it's just going to take more stuff lining up right to make it happen.

In terms of mechanical accuracy it's no longer true that almost all revolvers are more intrinsically accurate then almost all semi's. The G21 has several state and national service pistol records to it's name in PPC shooting. How the gun fits your hand, how the trigger works for you, are going to be the most important part. Most folks find a revolver fired in SA to be easier to shoot accurately then a semi-auto trigger that's not on a 1911.

With that said, for me personally if I wanted a gun with guilt edge accuracy, I'd take a S&W revolver in .38 spl with a 6" barrel. The longer barrel provides the longest sight radius, and the SA trigger of a S&W is usually very good. Tennis ball accurate .38 spl loadings are commercially available if you don't reload, and are about the easiest thing in the world to reload if you do.

-Jenrick

 

[jjones45]

these guns will be as accurate as the shooter can be. these are all different guns for different reasons imho. all will work great for home defense. the revolvers would also fair well for hunting as well. the glock 34 was built for competition. the 21 is great for duty and maybe Ccw as well as the m&p. are you gonna reload, shoot alot? cost of ammo might be a factor as well. boils down to are you a wheel man or semi auto man. I like both but would choose the semis over the wheel guns if I could only have one. thank goodness I can have both. the g34/35 has had my interest for a while now, but I decided to get a cz p-09 duty instead in a couple of months. picking out a gun is a fun time isn't it?


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[tarosean]

The G21 has several state and national service pistol records to it's name in PPC shooting.

would you agree that a B27 is just a weee bit larger than a tennis ball???
Just about any handgun has the capability to do that. Given the OP's requirements though it seems like a poor choice.

Course what do I know I cannot even see a tennis ball at 50yrds anymore!

 

[gamestalker]

Hunter2011, no real problems per say, but it just exhibits some quality issues when compared to a Ruger or S&W. One such example, is if I even so much as touch the trigger or the hammer, and I do mean just touch, it releases to cylinder stop.

It also has always had really sloppy lock up at full lock. From start to hammer drop, and even being careful how far the trigger is depressed, it still never has a good solid lock up. It doesn't ever spit at all though, it's very accurate, and the ported barrel makes it truly a pleasure to shoot full tilt W296 loads with.

It's definitely a tank though. I always use it to test new loads because it's built like a tank, and about as heavy too.

It has been this way since NIB, and I haven't addressed it with Taurus as yet, because I didn't want to hurt my Son's feelings, as it was a gift from him. I did take it to the dealer and ask him to take a look at it. His reply was pretty straight forward " it's a Taurus". My boy took a big mule deer with it at right around 100 yds., one shot and the deer dropped dead on his tracks too.

So, if your wanting an accurate and tough revolver, and not at all concerned about it's lacking the smooth refined action of a S&W or like, you'll be happy with a 608. They look pretty nice, well at least the SS version I have does.

GS

 

[Hunter2011]

these guns will be as accurate as the shooter can be. these are all different guns for different reasons imho. all will work great for home defense. the revolvers would also fair well for hunting as well. the glock 34 was built for competition. the 21 is great for duty and maybe Ccw as well as the m&p. are you gonna reload, shoot alot? cost of ammo might be a factor as well. boils down to are you a wheel man or semi auto man. I like both but would choose the semis over the wheel guns if I could only have one. thank goodness I can have both. the g34/35 has had my interest for a while now, but I decided to get a cz p-09 duty instead in a couple of months. picking out a gun is a fun time isn't it?


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I actually like revolvers more than Semi autos. I do believe myself that semi autos do have more firepower, and if reliable they are better for self defense, whether as your EDC or nightstand gun.
Once I got waken up by a noise in my house. Now you are still half asleep, disorientated etc and does not really know what kind of noise it was. Lying in my bed with my pistol in my hands, I wanted to wait for the intruder to make a noise again, or enter my room before cocking the pistol. I don't leave it cocked and locked. Then it hit me, if the BG charged in I won't cock it fast enough perhaps. If I do cock it, the noise will make him aware that I am armed, which might make him or them starting to shoot immediately. Then after making inspections, nobody found, I came to the conclusion that for a nightstand gun, maybe a revolver is a better option for me. You can shoot it by just pulling the trigger, no safety to worry about etc.

But the reason for my question is not because I want to use this handgun as a SD gun. I simply want the most accurate handgun between the handguns mentioned as I will be using it also too shoot at silhouettes. The item I want to compete in limits barrel length to 6'', therefore none of my options listed longer barreled handguns.
Reliability is also most important. I don't want to be stuck with FTF, FTE etc on the range. That is why Glock and M&P is my only options for pistols. I know there are other brands that are just as reliable, but I've got my mind set on these two.

I agree the tennis ball is too small at 50 yards. Let me rather then ask, which handgun of the mentioned options are consistently the most accurate at 50 yards?
If not one of them, what else? I also mentioned them only as not every handgun that is worth it is available in South Africa. I can get any of my list currently. I must just make sure which is more accurate.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

If your target is 50 yards away, you should be "getting out of Dodge", grabbing a rifle, and/or calling for help. 50 yards is not proper handgun territory, especially if the target is moving. The guys who use revolvers for hunting, for example, don't generally shoot at moving targets.

Handguns are for a much closer antagonist (or antagonists). You'd be better served to find a weapon you can put to use rapidly and accurately at distances up to 50 feet or less, not 50 yards.

Likely truth: most of us will be so uptight and on edge, if forced to use a weapon in a SD situation, that the kind of slow, thoughtful technique needed to hit a small (or even man-sized) target at 50 yards is probably going to elude us. Just firing at the antagonist might slow them down, but it may not STOP them.

If you have an IDPA group in your area, get involved -- that activity will show you a more-realistic context, and opportunity to really SEE how difficult it can be -- and maybe get some good ideas about which guns might work best for you.

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