What distance do you prefer handguns to be tested for accuracy at?

My initial load testing is done at 25, and then shot at 100 to confirm accuracy. I figure if it is good at both 25 and 100 it will also be good at 50. When I shoot at 50 yards, it is more of a personal test rather than an accuracy test.

25 yards is my preferred distance. For some reason all my older hand guns seem to be losing accuracy and none of the new ones are as accurate as the old one's used to be.

Depends obn what you will use it for.

A hunting handgun I would test at 50. (75 if scoped)
A defensive weapon, 10 is adequate, IMHO.

Our range has a Ransom Rest set up on a 50yd range. That's ideal. You can really see the spread cause by different loads at 50yds, much better than at 25yds.

Most of the indoor ranges around here go out to 50' so 15 yards works out pretty well for accuracy testing.

Depends on the gun and what you want to do with it. Also depends on if I want to check the accuracy of the gun and a load for it or checking me with the gun in my hands.
For a full size service sidearm or a compact 25 yards from a bench is the norm or standard for testing the gun and a particular load. (10 -15 yards to begin with while standing and out to 25 yards).
For a short barreled hideout, J frame Smith, Shield, any gun with a barrel below 3 or so inches, then 15 yards from a rest for testing accuracy of the gun and a particular load. If my plan is to test me standing with the gun than I usually start at 7 yards and work out to 15 or so, occasionally longer. This is because I want to know what I can do with it.

Hunting handguns or guns for silhouette require testing at longer ranges I believe. You have to learn your limitations.

Geeze OP, what use for the handgun?? Without that information then answers are useless. Self defense, then under 15 yards. For hunting, then a minimum of 50 yards. Throw us a bone dude.


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I test performance at 25yds with a rest and bag on a bench. If acceptable, then I'm good to go at any handgun distance I'll be using.

25 to 50 yards would be best IMO but from a random rest to remove the human factor.

It's not that I think I would need to fire a SD gun at those distances but if a gun/ammo combination is accurate at those distances a normal shooter has a good chance at hitting the target off-hand at under 15 yards.

Start at 25 then 50 for hunting.

I put 25 yards but 50 is almost as important.

For handgun hunting I start at 25yds. If the group looks good I’ll go to 50. I’ll take another look at the grouping and if it is ok I’ll go to 100. 100 yds is my limit for shooting handguns. I will then put in dead on at 75 yds. I’ll reshoot at 25, 50 and 100 to see where my bullet hits at. Now I feel confident from 10 yds to 100 yds.

For self defense I test for accuracy at 10 yards but do most of my practice at less. All other handguns get tested at 25 as that is as far as I can reasonably see a target.

I've observed over the decades handgun users shooting from bench rest sighting in/accuracy testing and when they stand up to shoot they precede to spiting distance range of the target. The least used pistol range facility is the 50Yd line at most shooting facilities that have one.

For SD guns (the only handguns i currently own) anything past 10 yards is merely personally gratification.
10 yards and under are essential skills.

Why would I take a pocket gun at set the distance to 50 yds. Why would I take a Snubbie and set the distance to 50 yd? I personally would not be able to see much of a target for any weapon at 50 yds without a scope. For my Carry guns, I set the distance to 7 yds and learn to shoot to 15 yds. I do shoot some larger guns to 25 yds, but not many and very seldom. I just read of some guy complaining because his Pico was terrible because he was getting lousy 50 yard shots. Ok, and Yes, I do love the internet.

When Ruger sent my LCR back to me after a repair, They sent a target back with me where they had test fired the gun at 7yds (bench rest). And that was great for me.

25 or 50yds, depending on what it is and its intended purpose.

I think the poll would have been better if it had distinguished what purpose. Hunting, self defense etc. I am focusing on Self defense and my Personal belief is the attack would happen, (at least in my area) at 7 yds or less. I am guessing some will in the area they live in or believe the attack will occur 25 yds or greater. Of course large numbers of Zombies coming at ya, would mean nailing them off at greater distances.
I Cannot imagine in the suburban area I live in, and even the urban area's nearby, that I am going to be shooting in parking lots, ATMs, Drive up fast marts etc and be shooting at much distance.Maybe someone training for a Grizzly attack will feel differently. Just some thoughts.

At 25 yds. for me with a handgun.

cheygriz said:

Depends obn what you will use it for.

A hunting handgun I would test at 50. (75 if scoped)
A defensive weapon, 10 is adequate, IMHO.

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I'm behind this 100%. Take a Governor or Judge, for instance, if you are using .410 for snakes, 5 yards
will suffice. Or snubbies, they're a "get off me" gun, 7 yards will do.

Now, you take a bull-barreled 22LR, it better be making tight groups at 25, or even 50 yards.

My short barreled defensive guns 7 yards and closer.

My 6" barrel woods gun 25 yards.

Kookla said:

Just wanted to see what distance most folks here prefer to have handguns tested for accuracy.

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Tested for accuracy? Obviously inaccuracy is easier to detect at longer range.
Where to zero? For hunting 50 yards maybe farther. For self defense 7 to 50 really makes no difference.

If we're talking about how we want others' testing to be presented and done, I would say that I care a lot less about 15 versus 25 versus 50 yards/meters than I do about having enough data/shots for things to be statistically meaningful. I really get very little from reading that X gun got a 1.78" 5-shot group from ammo Y and a 2.01" 5-shot group from ammo Z.

I'd like to see larger data sets collected and presented as more than absolute group size. If 25 rounds were fired and 23 went into a circle 1" in diameter with 2 outliers at approximately 2 inches from center, that's one kind of "4 inch group." If there's another 25 round group that scatters those rounds evenly across that 4-inch circle, that's a very different group.

Something like a Circular Error Probability calculation would be a lot more interesting/useful.

Dibbs said:

I'm behind this 100%. Take a Governor or Judge, for instance, if you are using .410 for snakes, 5 yards
will suffice. Or snubbies, they're a "get off me" gun, 7 yards will do.

Now, you take a bull-barreled 22LR, it better be making tight groups at 25, or even 50 yards.

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Yes the snubbie at 7 yds but

Fine Figure of a Man said:

Tested for accuracy? Obviously inaccuracy is easier to detect at longer range.
Where to zero? For hunting 50 yards maybe farther. For self defense 7 to 50 really makes no difference.

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I received my Smith and Wesson 642 a few weeks back. You can bet I did not use a 50 yds target to test for accuracy. Outdoors with wind etc. and shot out of a barrel that is only 1.85" with fixed sights just does not seem to compute. To compensate for fast action shooting from 7yds to 50 yards with a snubbie or small barrel pocket gun requires a skill which, frankly I am not capable of. Nor is it a skill I would waste ammo on, or could even afford to try. It is hard enough to do well with a 22.cal rifle at 50 yards with open sights.