I chose the .38 Special and the .44 Special. I shoot these two calibers in my revolvers more than anything else. I guess because they are special.

BTW Bob, you forgot the .22LR. I would have picked that one too.

.45 Colt

No, the .22 r.f wasn't forgotten, it was excluded. My poll was for centerfire favorites. The .22 rimfires are in a class by themselves, certainly they are among the most popular.

Maybe a poll for rimfires?


Bob Wright

The .38/.357 has always been my favorite for 40+ years, because I didn't have much faith in auto's. These new automatics are changing things. The companys have started to get their act together. Between these two autos here we have had only one stove pipe in about 2500 rounds. The .45's your are buying now were custom pistols a few years back and cost a whole lot more.
I never give up on my .357's and pack one every day, but I sure am starting to enjoy shooting them .45's.

I tend to lean toward the .44 and .45 caliber revolvers. I enjoy shooting my new .44 Special as its a slightly smaller frame, made on the old Ruger three-screw .357 frame. So the .44 Special is a fine general purpose gun, and uses the ssame bullets as the more potent .44 Magnum.

And the .44 Magnum is one of the most accurate handgun cartridges around, with plenty of remaining power out to a hundred yards or so for most practical hunting. Its flat shooting enough that when my gun is sighted in for 25 yards, its still on out to about 150 yards or so. I've even shot at 200 meters without sight adjustment.

Bear in mind these ranges I'm talking about were for fun targets, not animate things. For hunting, I'll stay within a range of "about" 100 yards. I've passed up closer and taken further shots at game when I felt it was, or was not, within my range. And I was shooting at 200 meters just for fun, not a regular match.

Bob Wright

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

And the .44 Magnum is one of the most accurate handgun cartridges around, with plenty of remaining power out to a hundred yards or so for most practical hunting. Its flat shooting enough that when my gun is sighted in for 25 yards, its still on out to about 150 yards or so. I've even shot at 200 meters without sight adjustment.

Bob Wright

Are you saying you use the same sight picture from 25 through 150-200 yards?

Yes. My Super Blackhawks and S&W Model 29s are sighted in at 25 yards using about a 6" dia, bullseye, using a six o'clock hold. So this puts me dead center at twenty five yards. Most targets I shoot at longer ranges are large enough to be hit without sight adjustments.

I took a ground hog at a paced off 110 yards, aiming about dead center of its chest area. My bullet entered just below its jaw and exited about center of its neck. He went down like he'd been hit by a baseball bat.

This is about the maximum range I'd attempt for an animate target. But the country was open, it was bright afternoon daylight, and conditions were just right. Anything less and I'd have passed up the shot.

My .44 Magnum load was with a 250gr Keith (Actually 245grs as cast) Lyman #429421 and 25.0 grs of IMR4227, this clocked at 1395 FPS out of my Super Blackhawk, 7 1/2" barrel.


Bob Wright

I've slowly sold off all my revolvers, but when I was a revolver shooter, I preferred .45 ACP to anything else. Granted the guns are big, but the reloads are fast and fumble-free with moon clips, and the ammo also worked in the 1911s I preferred for defense at the time.

My perspective is different from Bob's, though. I look at handguns more as defensive tools and competitive implements than instruments for outdoor recreation. Nothing wrong with either view. If I wanted to buy a revolver for outdoor/sporting use, I'd get a .44 Magnum.

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

Yes. My Super Blackhawks and S&W Model 29s are sighted in at 25 yards using about a 6" dia, bullseye, using a six o'clock hold. So this puts me dead center at twenty five yards. Most targets I shoot at longer ranges are large enough to be hit without sight adjustments.

I took a ground hog at a paced off 110 yards, aiming about dead center of its chest area. My bullet entered just below its jaw and exited about center of its neck. He went down like he'd been hit by a baseball bat.

This is about the maximum range I'd attempt for an animate target. But the country was open, it was bright afternoon daylight, and conditions were just right. Anything less and I'd have passed up the shot.

My .44 Magnum load was with a 250gr Keith (Actually 245grs as cast) Lyman #429421 and 25.0 grs of IMR4227, this clocked at 1395 FPS out of my Super Blackhawk, 7 1/2" barrel.


Bob Wright

Let me get this straight. You're sighted in center of aim at 25yrds and you hold the same for 150+ yards?????

Thats the flattest shooting .44mag I've ever heard of.

Not necessarily. I'm 3" above line of sight at 25 yards.

Bob Wright

Originally Posted by 2400

Are you saying you use the same sight picture from 25 through 150-200 yards?

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

Yes. My Super Blackhawks and S&W Model 29s are sighted in at 25 yards using about a 6" dia, bullseye, using a six o'clock hold. So this puts me dead center at twenty five yards. Most targets I shoot at longer ranges are large enough to be hit without sight adjustments.

Its flat shooting enough that when my gun is sighted in for 25 yards, its still on out to about 150 yards or so. I've even shot at 200 meters without sight adjustment.

I took a ground hog at a paced off 110 yards, aiming about dead center of its chest area. My bullet entered just below its jaw and exited about center of its neck. He went down like he'd been hit by a baseball bat.
Bob Wright

I checked a couple of my reloading books ballistics sections. For a 240-245gr 44(.429 dia)cal bullet going 1400 FPS and sighted in at 25 yards the trajectory is,
@25yds 0, @50yds -0.4", @75yds -2.2", @100 -5.4", @150 -16.8", @200yds -35.4"
How can you hold low in the chest and hit high on a target @+/- 110yds?
Since you're such a stickler about getting things right why do you go between yards and meters when discussing the distances you shoot at. There's a 3"+ difference between a yard and a meter, that adds quickly up the her out you get.

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

Yes. My Super Blackhawks and S&W Model 29s are sighted in at 25 yards using about a 6" dia, bullseye, using a six o'clock hold. So this puts me dead center at twenty five yards. Most targets I shoot at longer ranges are large enough to be hit without sight adjustments.

I took a ground hog at a paced off 110 yards, aiming about dead center of its chest area. My bullet entered just below its jaw and exited about center of its neck. He went down like he'd been hit by a baseball bat.

This is about the maximum range I'd attempt for an animate target. But the country was open, it was bright afternoon daylight, and conditions were just right. Anything less and I'd have passed up the shot.

My .44 Magnum load was with a 250gr Keith (Actually 245grs as cast) Lyman #429421 and 25.0 grs of IMR4227, this clocked at 1395 FPS out of my Super Blackhawk, 7 1/2" barrel.


Bob Wright

That is phenomenal shooting, Bob. I'd have a hard time even seeing a ground hog at 110 yds., much less shootin' him in the neck with an iron sighted pistol! Just how big are the ground hogs in Memphis?

O.K. Yards, because the range I normally shot on was set up in increments of yards, with 100 yards being the last line. The 110 yards was paced off, so not truly an accurate measure. The 200 meters was shot on a metallic silhouette range, with the rams set at 200 meters.

And, again, when sighted in at 25 yards, trajectory is not 0" but +3", or 3" high at 25 yards.

The ground hog was sitting erect, facing me, and went probably 20~25 pounds. This shot across an open pasture in northeastern Ohio.

Gentlemen, this happened. That's as accurate as I can be.

Bob Wright

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

Gentlemen, this happened. That's as accurate as I can be.

Bob Wright

Bob, you're telling the story, I was just asking questions about what you wrote.

At that time I was doing a lot of long range shooting. Often we would end up a day's hunting plinking along the river bank. Many times I shot at very long range shooting at logs floating down the river and observing the bullet splash, sometimes at ESTIMATED ranges in excess of 400 yards or more. This shooting over water was not a dangerous practice as the river is over a mile wide and there was no obstruction for maybe another half mile that would prevent our seeing another person on the far bank. We always took binoculars with us and scanned the far bank prior to doing any such shooting. And our field of view was such that we had ample time to see any river boats coming.



Bob Wright

Not saying it couldn't be done. I've made a few LUCKY hits in my day with handguns.

The trajectory(sp) of the .44 mag is such that I find it hard to believe one can be spot on at 25yd and make a hit with the same target alignment at 150.

I could be wrong, its been know to happen on occasion.

I will reiterate:

My gun is sighted in at 25 yards, using a six o'clock hold on a 6" diameter bulleseye. If hitting in the X-Ring, that's 3" high.

At 200 meters, I held about in the neck area, about on a line with the top of the back, sights aligned. I squeezed of a shot and the ram toppled over. At 150 meters, I held at the base of the neck on the turkey.

I didn't clean the racks, but I got a fair share of hits. Was not in a match, just long range plinking. Rotated a few turkeys with some hits.

Lucky? The more you practice, the luckier you get.

Bob Wright

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

I will reiterate:

My gun is sighted in at 25 yards, using a six o'clock hold on a 6" diameter bulleseye. If hitting in the X-Ring, that's 3" high.

No sir. With a 6 O'Clock hold aligning the sights at the bottom of the bull, you should hit the x ring. Thats 0" high.

A .44mag drops somewhere around 16" at 150yrds.

The more you practice, the luckier you get.

I agree.

According to that, I am sighted in only when shooting at a 6" diameter target at 25 yards. If I shoot at larger, or smaller, targets, at twenty five yards, I am no longer sighted in for twenty five yards.

I consider 0" only when my bullet crosses through my line of sight.

But, charts or no, I've hit what I was shooting at. That was my intent when I made the shot.

Bob Wright

I have to disagree, Bob. Your point of aim does not change with the size of your target. I assume you aim for the center regardless of the size. If your gun is sighted in at 25 yds. then it should hit the center (assuming the shooter does his part) of the target if is aimed at the center.

I am NOT aiming at the center, with a six o'clock hold, my point of aim is at the BOTTOM of a circle 6" in diameter. My bullet hits dead center (Well, more or less) of that circle, which is 3" above my line of sight.

In fact, I bought some Shoot-N-See targets lately that were 2" in diamerter. In order to hit these, I had to stick a 1" dot below my target as an aiming point, as without these, my shots were over the target.

I say again, and still say, my gun is sighted in for the distance the trajectory crosses my line of sight on the descending leg of the trajectory.

Bob Wright

Don't guess I'm following you, Bob. Are you saying you are aiming 3" below center on a 25 yd. target to get the bullet to hit center? If that's the case, at what range is your pistol zeroed? Somewhere out there it has a zero.

With a six o'clock hold, sights are aligned, top of my front blade is level with the top of the rear sight, centered in the notch. The 6" diameter bullseye is perched atop my front sight blade. I am actually aiming at the bottom of that circle, and when I fire the round, it hits center, 3" above line of sight.

Where is it actually sighted in?

I have no earthly idea.


Bob Wright

I got it. You've sighted your gun in to where it shoots 3" high at 25 yds. From your previous posts, it looks like it is zeroed at 110 yds. That would be my guess if the bullet hit the groundhog where you were aiming at him.