Dang revolvers!!!!!

[Bullseye]

I have been shooting and hunting with handguns for over 12 years.  I mostly used Contenders (Contenders always for hunting).  Over that time period I have also had a 41 Mag Bisley, 44 RH and currently own a 44 SRH, 357 Mag GP100 and a Single Six.  I shoot great with the Contenders of any any caliber from 17 HRM to 45-70 both with scopes and with open sights and offhand or from a rest.  But I have never been able to achieve any kind of decent accuracy with the revolver.  After another day at the range with great groups from the Contenders and all sub par from the revolvers, I think I am going to sell them all but the Single Six.  I am just plain tired of wasting ammo with no improvements.

I just do not understand why I cannot get happy with a dang revolver.  I even had the triggers worked on the 3 I currently own and that helped, but not enough.  Oh well, I at least I will have some money for some new Contender barrels.

[leverfan]

A few suggestions, just because I'm a revolver fan, and I hate to see anyone give up on them:

Herrett's Stocks, Inc., so the gun fits

Reduced loads, so you can focus on the basics, maybe at closer ranges than you usually shoot.
 
Lots of dry fire practice, maybe 50 dry fires at home for every 10 live rounds at the range

Reasonable expectations.  You don't mention group sizes, but I would expect to get better groups, especially at long range, with the T/C.  Also, don't measure your abilities against anyone but yourself.  Try to shoot better than you did the day before, not better than Jerry Miculek.

Have fun, and put the paper targets away for a while.  Shoot things that splash, pop, burst, clang, or fall down.

Try a different brand of revolver, as subtle differences may make a big difference in how it shoots for you.

If you still had that 41 mag, I would have encouraged you to give up revolvers, and sell that one to me!   Too bad, it sounds like you already sold it. :cry:

[Dan Chamberlain]

Having shot a bunch of both, I don't think you should measure your revolver groups against your contender groups.  I can shoot one hole groups with my contenders at 50 yards.  That's not a reasonable expectation for a revolver.  

Dan C

[muslmutt]

Do you load your own ammo? I also agree on average revolvers can't keep up with contenders in the accuracy department.

[Bullseye]

Yep I reload and I have been shooting reduced loads in the revolvers.  I have actually been shooting 44 Specials in the SRH and minimum powder charges in the 357.  I have also moved my revolver shooting to the 25 yard range.  Groups I am getting are along the lines of 4-5".  I really like this trio of revolvers I have now, I just get frustrated because I do not shoot them very well.

leverfan

I did get a pretty penny for that Bisley 41.  I sold it after they quit making them and it seems some folks collected them and were missing the 41.  My biggest problem with that gun other than poor accuracy was that the Bisley grip did not agree with me at all.  I know most like it better, but I have not wore a shooting glove since I got rid of it.

[leverfan]

Bullseye-

Too bad about that 41, but I understand that some grips and some hands were just not meant to be joined together in the bonds of rolling recoil.

I guess I'm still plugging for you to give the revolvers another chance.  Shoot them at 7 or 10 yards for a while, maybe at fun, reactive targets that give positive feedback for hits.  That can help the mental side of the shooting game.  At least it will feel more like fun, and less like work.

Second, I'd bench those guns to the best of my ability, or find someone to help out that is good at shooting handguns from a solid sand bag rest.  Find out what the guns are capable of at 25 yards, and then you'll know what your goals are with those guns from a standing position.  If your offhand groups at 25 yards are twice the size of your benched groups, that's really not too shabby.  If you were the bionic man, and you could lock your robot arms into a motionless rest, I'd expect more.  I'm aware that there are shooters that can approach the mechanical accuracy of their handguns from the offhand position, but they are part of a select minority.

[MS Hitman]

Bullseye,

Have you ever slugged the barrel on your Ruger revolvers?  Part of your problem may be, for you have not said what type bullets you are using, is the bullets may be too small.  I've seen many Ruger SBHs that would not shoot bullets sized .429-.430", but would just about one hole group bullets sized .432".  You may want to consider this if you haven't already prior to getting rid of your revolvers.

[Glanceblamm]

Bullseye

That contender, with the iron sights, probably has a longer barrel than most of the wheel guns making the sight radius more rifle-like.

I started shooting the handguns really well several years ago when I learned to keep the sights in sharp focus & to let the target blurr.
This might sound strange to the unknowing but even an object as small as a squirrels head will have a large center when this is done.

[RCL]

I say go with what works for you (although I wouldn't give up on the revolvers).
The sharpest recoiling handgun I've shot to date has been a T/C Contender in .44 Mag, 10" barrel. With Winchester white box the felt recoil was stronger than my Freedom Arms .454 Casull shooting max loads behind a BRP 300 grain hardcast.

My point being, not every gun is meant for every hand. My opinion, FWIW

[oso45-70]

Bullseye,
Like the rest of the guys said, I hate to see you give up on one of the most fun thing you can do with your pants on,,, heres an idea, If you have a place to shoot that will not bother others, Get yourself a bunch of beer  or pop cans and a poke full of ammo. and just have fun bouncing the cans around. If you have a shooting buddy take him with you and just have a ball, I think you will find that plinking at the bouncing cans will be the best therapy to put  you at ease with your pistol. Don't give up your
revolver shooting, Once you get past the { I can't do it phase ] you will enjoy yourself and your revolver. I wish you the very best and hope you stick with it till you are where you want to be with your shooting.
Wishing you the best....................Joe....................................................

[Bullseye]

Well you folks will be glad to hear what I did tonight.  I got the SRH out of the safe to take to a gunstore and put on consignment.  After handling it a little I decided that I really like that revolver along with the other two.  Put it back in the safe and went to reloading some ammo.  I have such little money in these guns compared to what they cost new I think I need to play with them some more.  If I can shoot a Contender as good as I do, these revolvers will have to come around for me and be acceptable.

Thanks for the words of encouragement, I will give all the ideas a try.

[Bullseye]

Never have been a semi-auto fan of any kind.  The only semi-auto I have ever owned is a Browning Gold shotgun.  I bought it for $400 and was going to sell it and make a nice profit but I made the mistake of taking it skeet shooting with my wife.  It is now her gun.  It is a jamming POS though and would be gone if I had my say about the matter.

All of my reasons for not being a semi-auto fan are just personal opinions though and I have no problem with the people that like them.

[Mikey]

Chris and Bullseye - hay guys....   Sometimes it takes a bit of work to make a revolver or a semi-auto to shoot well.  It is rare that I can get anything out of the box that I don't feel I have to tinker with to improve, be it trigger work, grips, sights, etc.  

That's a lot different than a Contender or an Encore - geez, my brother has one of those 308 Encores that I reload for and the darn thing is a tack driver at 200 yds.  He complained that his 4 minute of angle red dot scope didn't allow for precision shooting (uh huh) and then went through the business of finding the right set of cross-hairs and sighting it in, etc., etc., but dang fellas, that is one 'out of the box' gun that is very, very high quality and way beyond comparing anything else with.

Bullseye said, 'I just do not understand why I cannot get happy with a dang revolver'.  Bullseye, with that kind of shooting experience you is spoiled and I really doubt you will find the accuracy from a revolver or semi that you find from your Contenders but, all is not lost, each has its place in the hunting field and I think you just need find where that place is for your revolvers.

Pesonally, if I had the choice of taking a single shot or a revolver to the field to hunt, I would take them both.  Singles aren't all tha quick on the follow-up shots.  Mikey.

[Mikey]

Hay Chris:  I knew ya'll couldn't resist that last line, which is why I left it (LOL).  Gotcha.  Mikey......

[Tuffcity]

Although I'm not familiar with the revolvers you are shooting, is it safe to assume they are DA/SA?  I do shoot a fair amount with a S&W 5946 and (not so much as of the last few years) a 50's vintage Colt 357.  The trigger pull on the Smith auto & the Colt are surprisingly similar and when my shooting goes south it's usually do to inconsistent trigger control.  I also have a TC contender carbine and if the trigger breaks the same in the TC pistols as the rifles it's considerably different than a DA/SA revolver.  Not so much in SA mode but definitely in DA.  A smooth "pull through" works better on my short guns versus a "squeeze" on the rifle.

Your muscle memory might be more attuned to one style of trigger pull over the other.  Finding someone who shoots/coaches PPC might pay off for you as well.    

And if trigger control isn't an issue then chant the mantra: front sight, front sight, front sight...  :grin:

RC

[Old Griz]

:cb2: At least keep one (the GP100) for personal protection. Surely you can hit an intruder from across the room with a revolver!