Post by hammerdown77 on Mar 10, 2013 12:21:17 GMT -5
Yesterday leftysrh and I met up at our local outdoor range for some shooting. Temps were nice, in the low sixties, but it was pretty dang windy. I had a chance to swing by the FFL on the way out to pick up the new to me Smith Model 57 that I just bought from bigbore45colt, and brought some different loads using Hornady and Speer jacketed soft point bullets for the initial testing. Spent a majority of my time shooting the 41, although the initial results indicated I don't have a load yet that the gun likes (see my other thread in the reloading section about the Speer bullets).
I also brought along the Huntington 500L, as well as my Freedom Arms in 454 Casull. THIS time, I brought a glove for shooting the full power 500L loads. Warmed up with some loads using 15.5 and 16 grains of HS6 under a 420 gr Hunters Supply LFP, and had respectable results with those (still think my mid-range loads need some tweaking, or a different bullet, or powder). Ran the 16 grain load across the chrono and it was doing 950-ish fps. It's a great shoot all day load, and allows you to work on grip, trigger, and sights, without having to bear down to keep the gun out of your forehead.
Next I went to the 25.5 grains of AA9 load, under the same bullet. I shot this MUCH better this time out, as I think the glove helped with consistent grip. I shot 3-shot groups, as per Mr. Bradshaw's suggestion last time. Usually the first two were pretty close, then I'd drop the last one. But I could consistently place the first and second shots, which is progress.
Next, I had some loads using 31.5 grains of H110, same Hunters Supply bullet. I shot these offhand at 25 yards, blowing in the wind. I actually I think I shot this gun offhand better than off the bench (probably because of grip consistency). I always tell people that all of that swaying around of the sights on target isn't as critical as sights and trigger, although sometimes it's hard to believe until you actually see the group on target. So long as I broke the trigger cleanly and kept the sight alignment, it didn't seem to matter as much that the muzzle appeared to be blowing back and forth across the target stand.
Here's a decent offhand group at 25 yards with the H110 load.
And here's why I'm considering selling all of my guns and just buying Freedom Arms revolvers from here on out. This is a load and bullet I've never tried before, using the Leadheads 335 gr "short" WFN gas checked bullet over 25.5 grains of H110. I haven't shot my FA since probably last October, and this was the first five shots out of it on the day. The first shot is the one out of the group, took me a bit by surprise, and the next four were clean, predicted trigger breaks. I then stood up off the bench and fired another five offhand, blowing in the wind, using a well-known load of a 300 gr LTC from Missouri Bullet over 26.5 gr H110. Again, it appeared the muzzle was all over the target, but the group clustered nicely around the 1" sticky dot. You just have to try really really hard to shoot this gun badly, and it's definitely one of my "never ever sell" pistolas.
335 gr Leadheads, rested
300 gr Missouri Bullet, offhand
Lastly, here's a little action footage of us shooting the Huntington 500L. That's me the first two times, and leftysrh at the end. I think he's shaking his head because he just realized his career as a hand model was over ;D
I also brought along the Huntington 500L, as well as my Freedom Arms in 454 Casull. THIS time, I brought a glove for shooting the full power 500L loads. Warmed up with some loads using 15.5 and 16 grains of HS6 under a 420 gr Hunters Supply LFP, and had respectable results with those (still think my mid-range loads need some tweaking, or a different bullet, or powder). Ran the 16 grain load across the chrono and it was doing 950-ish fps. It's a great shoot all day load, and allows you to work on grip, trigger, and sights, without having to bear down to keep the gun out of your forehead.
Next I went to the 25.5 grains of AA9 load, under the same bullet. I shot this MUCH better this time out, as I think the glove helped with consistent grip. I shot 3-shot groups, as per Mr. Bradshaw's suggestion last time. Usually the first two were pretty close, then I'd drop the last one. But I could consistently place the first and second shots, which is progress.
Next, I had some loads using 31.5 grains of H110, same Hunters Supply bullet. I shot these offhand at 25 yards, blowing in the wind. I actually I think I shot this gun offhand better than off the bench (probably because of grip consistency). I always tell people that all of that swaying around of the sights on target isn't as critical as sights and trigger, although sometimes it's hard to believe until you actually see the group on target. So long as I broke the trigger cleanly and kept the sight alignment, it didn't seem to matter as much that the muzzle appeared to be blowing back and forth across the target stand.
Here's a decent offhand group at 25 yards with the H110 load.
And here's why I'm considering selling all of my guns and just buying Freedom Arms revolvers from here on out. This is a load and bullet I've never tried before, using the Leadheads 335 gr "short" WFN gas checked bullet over 25.5 grains of H110. I haven't shot my FA since probably last October, and this was the first five shots out of it on the day. The first shot is the one out of the group, took me a bit by surprise, and the next four were clean, predicted trigger breaks. I then stood up off the bench and fired another five offhand, blowing in the wind, using a well-known load of a 300 gr LTC from Missouri Bullet over 26.5 gr H110. Again, it appeared the muzzle was all over the target, but the group clustered nicely around the 1" sticky dot. You just have to try really really hard to shoot this gun badly, and it's definitely one of my "never ever sell" pistolas.
335 gr Leadheads, rested
300 gr Missouri Bullet, offhand
Lastly, here's a little action footage of us shooting the Huntington 500L. That's me the first two times, and leftysrh at the end. I think he's shaking his head because he just realized his career as a hand model was over ;D
