In need of advice...

[Liam Kissane]

Hi All,
I am writing a firearms supplement for a Game, and in the interest of keeping things vaguely real I turned to the internet for information. What I am in need of is "approximate effective ranges" for Pistols in all calibres.
Being an Aussie, we don't get much exposure to Pistols or Revolvers down here, and I'm sure the ranges will differ with powder loads, projectile weights and barrel lengths, hence "approximate".
Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Dr. Dickie]

It isn't the cartrige that limits the useful range of a pistol, it is the sights.
Most folks (under conditions of a firefight) couldn't hit squat out past 25 meters.
Heck, most foks couldn't hit squat at 10 meters while under fire (ducking, moving, crying, etc.)
Otherwise, I would guess (notice I said guess) about 200-300 meters for most standard pistol cartriges.

 

[C-grunt]

I would think that most handguns being shot by a half way decent shooter would have an "effective" range of 50 meters or so. Effective range meaning hitting the target about half the time from a standing position. With larger or better quality pistols I would increase it to 100 meters. The pistol bullets will go much farther than that. Good pistol shooters hit targets at a few hundred meters in competitions.

 

[Starter52]

Rule-of-thumb:

For small "carry" revolvers and autoloading pistols, effective range is 25 meters maximum.

For standard revolvers and autoloading pistols, effective range is about 50 meters.

For "magnum" revolvers the range stretches to 75-100 meters.

For specialized single-shot handguns (the Thompson/Center Contender being the most common in the USA) the effective range (with scope) is 150 meters.

 

[Mark54g]

This depends on what you mean by effective range. Do you care about the power of the range as it progresses in flight over time or the ability to score a hit, due to it being reasonably accurate?

 

[Steve C]

Pistols and revolvers are generally capable of killing of injuring well beyond the ability of the shooter to reliably hit with them. Range of a handgun depends somewhat on the caliber or cartridge and a great deal on the skill of the shooter. Bob Munden made 300 yd shots with a .38 spl snub nose on the American Shooter and 500yds with a .44 mag and even a .45. For mere mortals such a feat would be rare indeed. For a game, you could set up a probability calculation based on an assigned or earned skill level, type of weapon, range, and target movement that could be close to duplicating real life.

50 yds or meters is a typical distance for target slow fire events where shots are made carefully with deliberate aim, a good shooter can put all the shots within a 2-3” extreme spread. Timed, rapid fire and dueling events are generally at 25 yds or meters with the same groups resulting from a good shooter. A 100 yd shot or longer is not impossible.

 

[Liam Kissane]

Thank you all.
Your advice is appreciated. At least now I have a fair idea, and after all, it is only for a game I am writing, so I don't need to go too in-depth.
Thanks again for your time and Take Care.
I'll see you around the forum.

I'll be sure to acknowledge you all and the forum in the book.