What 45 for bullseye?

[zorba]

I have been shooting 22cal. bullseye for a couple of years, I am considering shooting 45cal. too but don't know what brand to get and if I should buy new or used. I don't have an unlimited budget but am willing to pay more to get a better gun. I'm thinking about $750 range. So, I'd like input on what guns you have used for competitive shooting. No, I don't mean national matches, this will just be in the league at my gun club!

 

[10-Ring]

WOW, I always thought that to shoot bullseye, you needed a highly customized firearm but at the $750 aren't pretty much shooting production guns? If that's the case, I'd get a nice 1911 (from one of the top 1911 makers) so that you can make mods as you see fit to improve performance.

 

[ACP230]

A friend shoots Bullseye, including Perry, with a used Clark .45.
I think he got it for a bit more than you want to pay.

Another friend has been quite happy with Bullseye guns from Springfield Armory.

I ran across a no-name Bullseye gun at a sporting goods store several years ago and talked my wife into buying it for my birthday. It wasn't cheap, but it was cheaper than the ones mentioned above.

 

[lycanthrope]

For $750, a stock Kimber is your best bet for out of the box. Later you can have a smith work it.

 

[rwmagnus]

zorba,

A used Colt Gold Cup would serve you well. Might take alittle patience and shopping at that price but it can be done.

Enjoy the competition.

 

[Quantrill]

I agree with rwmagnus about the Colt Gold Cup. While it has been a few years since I actively shot shoulder to shoulder Bullseye Matches, At that time, one hardly ever saw anything but Colts on the line. Many of the other makers were beginning production but at that time were not used in club, state or national competition. Stick with the tried and true. Quantrill

 

[ACP230]

In the last few years I've heard a lot of complaints about the Colt Gold Cup from competitive shooters.
You might get a good one, and you might not.

 

[rwmagnus]

I suggest getting a Series 70. Personally I never had a problem with them. $750 limits the entry into an accurate bullseye pistol.

 

[Sunray]

Any .45 will do. Just do the trigger, have good, highly visible, sights on it and load good ammo. 4.5 grains of Bullseye over a 230 grain cast bullet works well. Tell your local store what you want and they should keep an eye out for one and look at the ads at the club. New or used doesn't matter. You have to work hard at buggering up a well made firearm.

 

[Crazy]

zorba,
Try this site; http://www.lava.net/~perrone/bullseye/

Go to the subscription section and try posting your question out there. There aren't too many (read none) box stock .45's for $750 that will shoot well at 50 yards. I'd be looking for a good used gun from the bullseye community.

You probably want to stay away from the Jam-O-Matic Kimber idea. Maybe a new Springfield or Colt with an eye on getting a new barrel and trigger job. One extra jam on the short line will cost you a lot of points.

You also want to find a load using a 185-200 grain bullet. A good starting point is 4.0 grains of Bullseye powder and a 200 gr lead semi-wad cutter bullet. The 230 grain hardball will be too hard to control in rapid fire.

Crazy

 

[ACP230]

I most often shot 200 grain LSWC bullets over a light charge of Bullseye when I shot 2700 matches.
However, once I got back from a pin shoot with no time to load target ammo. I shot the match with pin loads, 230 grain LRN with enough Unique to reach around 900 fps in my gun.
I shot a 98 in rapid at the 25 yard line that day, if I remember right.
The brass bounced a long way down the line and people came up to me between stages saying: "What are you shooting in that thing?"
Hot loads with 230s aren't what I recommend for Bullseye, but if they;re all you have...

 

[Archie]

Check the web sites...

I've seen a number of used bullseye guns. You might be able to find something in your price range.

Takes a bit of looking.

As has been mentioned, either a Colt, or a GI gun that's been doctored.

 

[Sean Smith]

You are going to have a pretty tough time getting a competitively accurate handgun for real bullseye competition for $750. Not impossible, but you could easily get a factory gun grouping around 6" @ 25 yards & be hosed before you even begin the match. I have a friend who shot (& won) assorted bullseye competitions, and he mainly used a Clark Bullseye Longslide and a pre-Series 70 Colt Gold Cup National Match.

A good place to start is here:

http://www.bullseyepistol.com/

 

[Jakes10mm]

SW1911? DW Patriot? Colt XSE?

In that price range, why not a SW1911, or DW Patriot, or Colt XSE? All review very well according to the gun rags. I reviewed all my old mags on the initial tests of the Smith & Wesson SW1911 and majority reported accuracy in the 1"-2" range for 25 yards. That seems like a jump start towards bullseye standards to me. I have been favorably impressed by my Colt XSE Commander (yes...too short, but still very accurate). Finally, I have heard nothing but good reports on the Dan Wesson Patriot 1911's. They are reported to group right there with the SW1911. Heck, why not a simple Colt 1991 NRM Govt model and drop the extra cash into a fitted match barrel?

 

[HankB]

I have a Colt pre-Series 70 National Match which is quite nice, though it has the slightly lighter slide which optimizes it for the midrange target load. This would be fine for a bullseye gun. You may be able to find one used today that meets your price target. (I paid $190 new for mine.)

The Series '70s . . . well, I had a Gov't model. Look up the word "Jammamatic" and you may see a picture of that gun. It also introduced me to the wonders of Colt's factory NON-service. (Their "service," more than the pistol itself, made me vow never to own another Colt.)

A friend bought a Series '80 Gold Cup in stainless. It works, but as near as we could measure the trigger was over 8 pounds! And gritty to boot. (My original is crisp and under 4 lbs . . . and came that way from the factory.)

Today's Kimbers seem to work pretty well. Kimber had a number of problems early on, but the more recent ones seem to work OK when they show up at local matches. (I've heard conflicting stories about their new safety, called "Series II" or some such.) If $750 was my limit, I'd look - hard - at a Kimber.