# 44 mag accuracy at 100 meters



## jrsower (Jun 6, 2014)

I've been doing some long range shooting with my Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter. 4x mounted on top.

50 yards, no problem.

75 yards, no problem.

When I move it back to a full 100 yards I can hit the target but my groups are probably 12-15 inches.

So right now my range is sub 75 yards under ideal conditions with a steady rest and plenty of time to breathe.

Anybody able to reach out farther than that under hunting conditions? I'd love to be able to shoot confidently at 100 yards but need some pointers.


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## 660griz (Jun 6, 2014)

sub 4" group with my Desert Eagle .44. 6" barrel.

Ammo could be an issue. What are your groups looking like at 75 yds?


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## jrsower (Jun 6, 2014)

660griz said:


> sub 4" group with my Desert Eagle .44. 6" barrel.
> 
> Ammo could be an issue. What are your groups looking like at 75 yds?



They look good, about 4 inches, maybe 5 inches. I'm using a solid rest, not anticipating the shot, really taking my time. Using Winchester 240 grain big game rounds. The usual. 

Sub 4" groups at 100 yards, that's really impressive. What power scope?


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## Lilly001 (Jun 6, 2014)

RSRH 2-7 scope. 3-5" @ 100 yds with a good rest from the bench. Hornady gummy tips.
I think you need to try other ammo. You should be able to get your groups tighter.


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## 660griz (Jun 7, 2014)

jrsower said:


> They look good, about 4 inches, maybe 5 inches. I'm using a solid rest, not anticipating the shot, really taking my time. Using Winchester 240 grain big game rounds. The usual.
> 
> Sub 4" groups at 100 yards, that's really impressive. What power scope?



None. Red dot.


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## Michael F. Gray (Jun 7, 2014)

My super Black Hawk has Magnaport's Predator Package & 4 5/8" tube. I can do that well with .44 special loads. I can hold 10-12 " at 100 yards with 200 grain Winchester Silvertips, and shave about 2 inches off the circle with Federal 200 grain semi-wadcutters that are over 20 years old. I purchased a case from a friend's widow in S.C. about 12 years ago. More than accurate enough for bear backup. I've tried Remington magnum loads, and accuracy opens up substantially. Not certain if it's my arthritic shoulders, or the load itself. Perhaps some of both.


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## HandgunHTR (Jun 7, 2014)

Chances are it is not the ammo, but the scope.

You didn't say what the scope was, but most pistol scopes have their parallax adjustment set at 50 yards.  What that means is that the angle at which you are looking into your scope can shift your point of impact.


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## GunnSmokeer (Jun 7, 2014)

*bullet weight*

Some guns, even handguns, have a very strong preference for bullets of a certain weight, and groups get much bigger with other weight bullets, EVEN IF those other weights are common and standard for the caliber and work great in other guns.

I have a 9mm pistol that hates 115 gr. FMJ ammo, but does much better with 124 grain loads.  Group size is nearly double  with the "wrong" bullet weight.  This isn't about quality. I'm comparing cheap remanufactured or mass-produced new range ammo that has about the same selling price per box of 50.

Perhaps your Ruger revolver would do better with 200 grain bullets?  180, even? Or heavier-- can you get some 250 or 275 grainers from Buffalo Bore or something?


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## tgc (Jun 8, 2014)

Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood), "A man's got to know his limitations"
Just joshin ya, Good luck. I think good groups at 75 yards is great.


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## Dub (Jun 8, 2014)

What are these "meters" of which you speak?


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 10, 2014)

I guess I'm weird-if I'm shootin' at stuff 100 yards away I grab a rifle. I shoot at stuff 50 yards and in with a pistol.


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## JustUs4All (Jun 10, 2014)

I am going with HandgunHTR's scope parallax issue.   If it is set at 50 failing to keep your eye in exactly the same spot for each shot will make a pretty good difference at 100.


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## Apex Predator (Jun 11, 2014)

Sorry guys, but I don't understand your advice that the ammo is suspect.  If he's shooting 4-5" at 75, and 12-15" at 100, there is a shooting problem.  External ballistics don't allow that to happen unless your have a tornado in your line of sight, which is right in front of the target.


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## Sargent (Jun 11, 2014)

Go to YouTube and search for Hickok45's stuff.

He pings steel targets at 80 yards and farther using a SW 629 with a 3" barrel.


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## 660griz (Jun 11, 2014)

Apex Predator said:


> Sorry guys, but I don't understand your advice that the ammo is suspect.  If he's shooting 4-5" at 75, and 12-15" at 100, there is a shooting problem.  External ballistics don't allow that to happen unless your have a tornado in your line of sight, which is right in front of the target.



I didn't know his shot spread at 75 when I said ammo 'COULD' be suspect. For those that have exacting standards when it comes to accuracy, ammo IS a factor. 
Assuming the shooter is doing their part, take a look at the other factors is all most were saying.


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## jmoser (Jun 11, 2014)

I would try different ammo just to see - if that bullet goes subsonic after 75 yards it could start to wobble.  My ballistics program says a 240 gr XTP at 1350 fps muzzle will drop from 1235 to 1135 between 50 - 100 yards.  That says that it could be right on the edge of subsonic where your accuracy drops off.

Same thing happens to HV .22s when they cross the sound barrier - reason why good target ammo is all subsonic.

Is the Win 240 bullet HP or soft point?  I think a hollow point will have advantage for longer ranges.  Try some Hornady XTP ammo just to see if there is an obvious difference.

100 yard pistol shooting is not as easy as some on the web would have you believe !!


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## devin25gun (Jun 11, 2014)

With my super redhawk and reloads of hornady xtp's I get 2 inch groups and sometimes better.. with a 7 1/2 inch barrel.. Might want to try diff ammo of a diff weight.  At 50 yards or less I can almost put in same hole.  I have my cylinders marked also as 4 of the 6 cylinders are close  of same poi with the other 2 being a little diff.


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## Hunter454 (Jun 25, 2014)

I have the same problem with my marlin 1894 rifle in 44 magnum, it groups well at 75 but opens up at 100, I handload 240gn XTPs whenever I finally shoot them up I'll try something different but the XTPS are awesome for what I use them for


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## LittleDrummerBoy (Jun 25, 2014)

We've had great success with Hornady 240 grain XTPs to whatever range we can keep them supersonic from a given gun.  At sea level you need a muzzle velocity of 1400+ fps to keep 'em supersonic at 100 yards during the colder hunting days. Not a big problem with some careful load development in a rifle or longer Contender, but this can present a load development challenge in revolvers and shorter pistols.


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## Big7 (Jun 29, 2014)

*Just for fun... AND SERIOUS @ THE END*



.357 @ 600 with irons.




Saw it on "impossible shots" TV just this week.
Don't know where the Russian came in.
Can't find English only?

.44 @ 600 with irons..


 

Seriously though, there are to many factors to determine
on a forum.

All above are true possibilities BUT......

It could be as simple as breaking in, lapping and polishing your bore.

Or.. Maybe the gap is burned a little and needs a touch-up. 
Or.. Cylinder alignment could be a few .001's out.
Or.. 1 land or groove has a tiny ding in it.

Or.. combination of all the above.
Including what has already been posted above.

Or.. (   ?   )
Or.. (   ?   )
See where this is going?

Premium store bought and better yet, an awesome 
handload would take the ammo out of the equation.  

What don't matter at 50 or 75 may have a big influence
at 100+. 

Good Luck!


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## GunnSmokeer (Jun 30, 2014)

*Elmer Keith*

Elmer Keith, the guy who helped create the .44 Rem Mag cartridge some 60 years ago as a long-range hunting round, used to shoot it and 400 yards.

One time he used to to try to finish-off an already-wounded deer that another hunter had hit, and he shot at that deer from 600 yards, and hit it with 2 out of his 4 shots. 

http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=34


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## rosewood (Jul 4, 2014)

Encore 12" .44mag roll my own, 1.5" @ 100yds.  240 gr speer jsp with h110.


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## tdw3684 (Jul 5, 2014)

I used a Beartooth Bullets firelapping kit to remove the constrictions in the barrel of my super blackhawk.  It went from 8" groups to under 2" groups at a 100 yards with 260 grain wfn cast bullets.  It's a slow process but worth the effort for top accuracy.


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## Alan in GA (Jul 6, 2014)

*tight spot....*

possibly relevant, do you feel a 'tight spot' in your barrel at the barrel shank where it is threaded into the frame? I've had 4 SBHKs' and Ruger really honkered down when fitting the barrels, at least 2 of them anyway.
What does a tight patch do when pushed through that area?
Also, have you tried shooting a few groups using only one chamber for all the shots in the group? If you feel like trying, try all 6 chambers or at least a chamber that leaves the most even pattern at the cylinder's front chamber opening [flash marks of burnt powder]. May or may not show accuracy as other posts have mentioned doing in their guns.
4 Super Blackhawks and 2 Redhawks,...all gone but the last Redhawk, a blued 'Hunter' version. Love being able to mount/remove scope for different uses. Just feels better having at least one 44 around than...'not' : )


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## 95g atl (Jul 10, 2014)

With higher power loads (not target loads) I have consistently hit an 8" pie plate at 100 "yards" with a Taurus 4" barrel, 44 mag - w/factory sites.

I would say either your skills AND/OR ammo is holding you back.  44 mags typically have 240 grains (heavy) so target loads may not get out to 100 yards/meters without drop.

Try bench resting at 100 to see if the gun is accurate (which it should be).  have a buddy try it.


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## williams19j (Jul 23, 2014)

Try some different types of ammo and shoot alot I know that small groups can become large groups with distance 
Small mistakes in shooting ( trigger control having the same sight picture every time grip or hand placement while shooting could all be a factor )


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## Glock20SF (Sep 11, 2014)

Back in the day there was a magazine article that tested all   44 Magnun bullet weights with a machine rest.  The consensus was 300 grain JHPs were the best.  No review of heavy cast bullets was made but I always suspect they will shoot better than me.  A friend's Ruger Super Blackhawk over my knees at 75 yards, with 2x scope, shot under two inches, convinced me that my shooting not the gun was where accuracy would come from.  Handload was Lyman 429421 with 22 grains 2400.  With iron sights I celebrate when I shoot half that well.  Those old Super Blackhawks convinced me Bisley grip frames were the way to go for me.


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## flyrod444 (Nov 22, 2014)

GunnSmokeer said:


> Elmer Keith, the guy who helped create the .44 Rem Mag cartridge some 60 years ago as a long-range hunting round, used to shoot it and 400 yards.
> 
> One time he used to to try to finish-off an already-wounded deer that another hunter had hit, and he shot at that deer from 600 yards, and hit it with 2 out of his 4 shots.
> 
> http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=34


If I remember correctly Elmer Keith did this with a 4 inch barrel and open sites as well. He was unreal in his ability to  shoot. In the autobiography I read on him he carried a pistol with him to school because someone was out to get him. All I can say as they couldn't have been the sharpest tool in the shed.
Jack


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## AliBubba (Nov 25, 2014)

I get 4" groups at 100 yds with my Ruger 44 Mag SRH 9.5" barrel using American Eagle 240 gr soft and hollow points of a rest or a bipod.


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## Marlin_444 (Nov 27, 2014)

50 is the Max I'll attempt a kill shot, but hey... I say - - Smoke'm is you got'em!!


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