Shot my Ruger Blackhawk at 100 yards today

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gspn

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A bunch of us went down to the farm to shoot today. I had a bunch of guns with me but my first order of business was to sight in a Handi Rifle. After a disappointing episode with that rifle I broke out my Ruger Blackhawk chambered in .41 mag with a 6.5 inch barrel. This pistol has iron sights and just for fun I thought I'd see if I could get it on paper...shooting from a rest.

The first shot was way left so I adjusted my point of aim. The next five shots all fell within a 6 inch circle...with several touching each other. I was shocked. I mean dumbfounded. :what:

I'm going to try to get a scope on it and hunt with it this year. I liked that gun before this episode...but now I really love it!
 
Ah... For such close range shooting you don't need a scope. Just learn how to use your iron sights and the bullet's trajectory at various ranges. ;)
 
I kill lots of hogs with my Ruger Blackhawk Bisley 7 1/2 barrel .45 colt at ranges over 50 yards, dont care if I kill em or not since I am overrun with hogs inall my pastures. It is a common shot for me, the .44 mag and .45 colt are more than enough at even 100 yards. have fun and good luck.
 
100 yards is my range of choice for both my .357mag. blackhawk and my .44mag. super blackhawk, my target of choice is bowling pins.

Once those Rugers are sighted in, they are very good shooters in my experience.
 
With my 6.5" .357 blackhawk, off the bench, I can group about 4" with the irons. With the gun sighted for my 165 grain Keith SWC handload on at 25, a hair low at 50, a 180 XTP over 13.8 grains AA#9 hits 5" high at 50 and dead on at 100. At 50, I just hold 6 oclock and 100 I hold a combat hold, front blade cutting the bull. Works for me. :D

I've taken a couple of deer and a few hogs with the gun using my 165 grain cast bullet. It's quite deadly with iron sights. My longest shot on game was 60 yards on a pig, facing me, head shot. I did shoot over one when he was in heavy cover and I didn't wanna shoot through the cover, forgot the thing shoots high at 50 with the 180 load. THAT is a hazard for an old, petrified brain. mixed-smiley-004.gif I've gone back to using my 165 grain load, ain't broke, and i ain't shootin' at 100 with a .357 on game anyway. Keeps me from having to think too much. I hold about 8" high at 100 with it sighted in at 25 with the 165 grain load and I'm near the bull at 100. :D It's just as accurate with either load.

I love that thumb buster for hunting and outdoor uses and have one in .45 Colt I need to shoot something with that's accurate as all get out, too.
 
Glad you discovered what your gun can do but I'm not surprised. I've used a 7.5" Blackhawk in 45 Colt to knock over steel targets at 100 yards shooting off hand. The Blackhawk is more than capable of great accuracy at that distance. My marksmanship is another matter. :rolleyes:

Jeff
 
Try setting up empty freon tanks at 200 and 300 yards. That's fun. Fire the gun and wait for the hit. And then wait for the sound to reach you. I have 2 .41 Mags and that is a flat shooting round at distance. Elmer was right.
 
People just do not give handguns the credit they are due in shooting at extended ranges.

If the shooter does his part the gun sure will.
 
My Ruger Super Blackhawk with reloads is a fantastic shooter.
From rest at 50 yds I shoot 3" groups.
I drop deer at 20 yds, neck shots, dead instantly.
My load is 11 grains of Unique behind a 240 Gr. Speer jacketed hollow point.
 
"Why do you need a scope? Oh that's good. (I agree) We used to shoot 200 meter rams a lot and I NEVER saw anyone use a scope. (on a handgun) Scopes are fer rifles.
 
I want a scope because i'll be hunting with it. I am an absolute fanatic about shot placement and clean kills. A scope allows me to have a much better picture of my target than just using iron sights. Iron sights at 100 yards...on a deer...in low light...is a really poor combination that would essentially lead to passing on the shot. There are plenty of times in the woods when you have "legal light" remaining and simply cant see a front sight.

The scope is about making my shot as precise as possible.
 
Iron sights are fine for hunting out to 50yds. Plan to stretch your range to 100-125yds and a scope is a really good idea. Methinks some folks have just never used one.

Although I don't think I'd stretch the .357 that far.
 
Ed McGivern, as I believe the lore goes, was hired by the FBI to test the S&W Model 27.357 magnum pistol as though it were the only weapon an agent would have in the field. McGivern used a couple other guys to help him that were younger and were prepared to shoot the pistol prone and put five hundred plus rounds through a gun in day.

They all shot at targets as far away as two hundred yards with nothing but factory sights. The results were that the gun could be relied to hit man sized targets at two hundred yards. Granted McGivern and his buddies were some of the best there were and had thousands and thousands of rounds on the pistols with their ammo expenses covered by the government so that might have helped a great deal.

While it is fun to shoot targets at fifty yards and more (never shot a pistol at a target past fifty yards), most folks just aren't going to do it. If I ever got into hunting I'd like to try my hand with my Redhawk .454 Casull. I've been told it should easily hit what I'm aiming at at 100 yards.
 
gspn,

the reason i asked the question is because you already stated that you can put all your shots inside of six inches at 100 yards. with open sights.

with the correct bullet, a 41 magnum is powerful enough and will cleanly take a deer at 100 yards. if you do your part. i don't think many people on this forum would suggest trying that much further, though.

it's your gun and your hunt. it's great when another shooter wants to hunt with a handgun. if the scope gives you more confidence, hey, more power to ya.

what i'm getting at: with your capabilities, you don't need a scope to shoot a deer at 100 yards.

murf
 
I have a favorite scoped .30-30 Contender that I will shoot to 200 yards. It's 1.5 MOA accurate. I use my iron sighted blackhawks in heavy cover where I know a shot past 50 yards is impossible.

The scope I have on my .30-30 barrel is bright as handgun scopes go, a 30mm tube. It does extend the day a might, but it's not in a class with a good rifle scope with a large objective.

I have no objections to optics, primarily because my eyes never were that good in the first place. :D I don't have 'em on a revolver, though, but a Contender barrel is naked without one. I do have a 7mm TCU barrel, 10", with IHMSA adjustable sight on it for iron sighted stock gun category IHMSA competition. I got into that for a while. It is amazing the accuracy you can get with iron sights on a sunny day on a static target. Hunting, though, I'd rather scope the gun if I'm going to shoot past 50 yards. I can put every shot into 4" at 100 yards with my iron sighted .357 Blackhawk off sand bags and a bench rest, but I'd rather have the scope in the field in hunting conditions at that range. It's not the clean, bright environment that the range is.
 
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Thanks Murf. Everybody has their own way of doing it...I'm just more comfortable using a scope.
 
you can put all your shots inside of six inches at 100 yards. with open sights.
Click to expand...
Big difference between doing that at the range and doing it in the deep, dark woods when there's a moving, live critter on the other end and a whole bunch of trees, bushes, vines and rocks between you. I shoot at inanimate objects out to 250yds all the time with iron sights but if I were hunting and planning to take shots beyond 50-60yds, it would be with a scope.
 
gspn,

craigc makes a valid point. don't let the scope be an excuse to take a longer shot than you should take.

get the gun off the bench and practice offhand, sitting, prone, kneeling, resting on a fence, leaning against a tree, etc. know your limitations before you go out into the field. know exactly where that bullet will hit at 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards. with and without a scope. (scopes break and murphy says they break at the wrong time).

you may want to go to the hunter forum and ask what bullet to use for shooting deer.

murf
 
Just last Sunday, S&W Model 63 at 100 yards,,,

I was plinking away at 25 yards with my 4" Model 63 revolver,,,
There was an older gentleman shooting a Blackhawk .357 at 100 yards.

We got to talking and I decided to give it a try with my 6" Model 686,,,
Sitting and using my range bag for a rest I was hitting a paper plate 4 out of 6 shots.

Then I thought that just for grins I would try it with my Model 63,,,
24 rounds produced 9 hits on the paper plate,,,
No one was more surprised than me.

I do believe that with practice,,,
Most reasonable shooters could better my efforts.

Aarond

.
 
Murf - I believe the point CraigC was making was directed toward those who are suggesting iron sights for all uses. His point was basically echoing my thought that for a 100 yard shot under actual hunting conditions a scope is preferable to iron sights.

I'm not looking for advice on hunting...just started the thread to relay a positive surprise about the gun and round. I kill a LOT of deer...I'm a very efficient predator and I've taken them with bow, rifle, and black powder....the pistol is just another tool in the arsenal.
 
Whether you need a scope or not is up to you. Some folks do not have perfect eyesight and need a scope to make reliable hits at 100 yards. The gentleman who shoots bowling pins at 100 yards must have eyes like an eagle to see them. I am 51 nearsighted and wear glasses, and I sure could not see them very well at 100 yards, when I was 20 different story my eyesight was much better then.
 
I shoot the same .41 Mag. at 200 yds. without a scope of course. I use 240gr. LSWC.

Putting a scope on a hand gun is like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.
 
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