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Do you test your new pistols for accuracy?

1K views 31 replies 30 participants last post by  Turn4811 
#1 ·
I was incredulous when I read that some on here are carrying pistols to defend their lives with that they've never fired.

Apparently that is fairly common.

I've also seen several people comment that they have only shot their carry gun at 7yds or less since most shootings only occur at that distance or less.

I've also seen some say their pistol is incredibly accurate and only post targets from 7yds.

I contend that a pistol owner has no idea how "accurate" their pistol is if they only shoot it at 7yds or less.

I bought a new S&W Performance Center Shield in 9mm.

Shot it at 7yds and was happy with the results...

Shot it at 25yds and discovered that it had a serious problem. I never would have realized that the pistol had a bad barrel if I hadn't tested it at longer distances.

Just curious how many actually do a thorough evaluation of the tools they use to defend their lives.
 
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#2 ·
I think you are definitely right, you need to know how your go-to defensive gun shoots at all practical distances. I like to test my thoroughly at 7 yards and 25 yards, and even on a limited basis at 50 and 100 yards.

I know you made it clear we are talking concealed carry pistols here. Hunting revolvers start at 25 yards with most emphasis at 50 and 100 yards.
 
#5 ·
I shoot my pistols at longer distances, such as 10 to 20 yards. I want to know I can hit a specific area even at a distance in the heat of the moment. I also want to feel good with the pistol, comfortable shooting it, and confidant that I'll hit what I shoot at, at any reasonable distance. At shorter distances I find I shoot at the spot I'm looking at.

I figure accuracy doesn't degrade with less distance, but I know doesn't increase without being tested.
 
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#6 ·
25 yards is the traditional yardstick of pistol accuracy, so knowing how your pistol stacks up at that distance gives you a meaningful comparison. Granted the chances of a defensive encounter occurring beyond 20 feet is a billion to one. It there is something to be said with having confidence in the guns capability. Most you think 7 yards is good enough probably also think a group the size of the fist is good enough. I attended a class with a respected btdt trainer who said the best trained special ops peaople expect group size to double under stress of the two way range. A five inch group become ten which when a thin bodied adversary moves and is bladed to you means half your ten inch groups shots are missing at seven yards.
There is an old saying when carrying a gun it can't be too light or small but in a fight it can't be too big heavy in caliber or capacity. No one trying to hit a target under stress will ever wish for a gun that was less accurate!
 
#7 ·
I've been buying a lot of pistols recently...

My process these days with a new pistol:
  1. Zero up the sights on the gun with a sight pusher.
  2. Laser bullet in the chamber to get a sense of the sight picture.
  3. Continue with the laser bullet to see if I have a tendency towards a particular type of error with the trigger / gun.
  4. Then go to the range and use 6" steel plates at 25 yards for the auditory feedback.
  5. When I can hit the plates slow fire, I speed it up and do transitions.
  6. If I can hit a 6" plate quickly at 25 yards on the move, I'm not worried about 7 yards.
 
#8 ·
25 yards is going to have to wait until after I get the cataracts done.
 
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#10 ·
I shoot all my new pistols for accuracy and to check sight alignment and point of aim/point of impact. I typically will shoot 7, 10, 16 and 25 yards both benched and offhand. I only use the 50 yard line for target pistols. I also want to check any defensive pistol for reliability with the ammunition that I want to use.

I don't change defensive pistols very often at all although I acquire a lot of pistols for target shooting and collecting purposes. I'm very happy with the USP for defense and that's all I run for home defense. When it comes to defending myself, I don't feel the need to chase trends once I have pistols that work for me.
 
#13 ·
I shoot my guns to whatever distances I feel like.

I could give a rat's ass what others do with theirs or think what I should do with mine.

However, upon saying that, I do shoot some handguns to much greater distances than 25-yards: P210 (Swiss and German), and the various sweet ass .44 Mag and .357 Mag revolvers.
 
#15 ·
I've seen a surprising number of ads on Armslist that have said something along the lines of, "It has holster wear, but it's unfired."

I'm amazed that someone would carry a firearm they haven't thoroughly tested for reliability and accuracy. I don't even put new magazines in the carry rotation until I've tested them.
 
#17 ·
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I am no GREAT marksman and my 67 year old eyes I'm pretty good up to about 17 yards. So my pistols go through a drill 5-10 & 15 yards. 5 shots in ten seconds (Public range . They do not allow rapid fire) Two handed strong side, two handed weak side, repeat for one handed strong and one handed weak. Repeat at each distance.

G26 One Handed Left @ 15 yards
 
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#19 ·
I do not carry a gun unless I can shoot it proficiently, at least out to 25 yards. I also check zero of the irons sights, as many come improperly aligned or sighted from the factory. Not knowing your point of impact for various distances is unwise. Use ballistic apps to determine bullet drop and determine the consistency of that number to actual. Differences in environmental conditions can alter what really happens versus theoretical.

I will also test different defensive ammunition to determine reliability and accuracy.

7 yards is inadequate. Some people I have observed shoot even shorter distances.
 
#20 ·
I thought I was pretty hot stuff when slow-firing my pistols at 25yds and getting incredible groups.

Then I shot GSSF and had to fire 10 rounds in 15 seconds at 25yds. It was very humbling. A one inch group capable pistol and I was barely getting groups in under a foot.
 
#21 ·
I don't consider a handgun as a self defense weapon until I have put at least 500 rounds through it to verify it's reliability.
And yes, consistant accuracy is one of the measures of reliability.
 
#23 ·
I like to test-fire to confirm normal functioning, which includes sights and expected POI.

I typically start by seeing how well I can hit small wooden clothespins (standing, 2 handed unsupported) placed at different angles from 5-7yds, and occasionally out to 10yds.

By differently angled, I mean checking for elevation and windage problems by pinning them to a cardboard backboard vertically (check for windage issues), horizontally (check for elevation issues), and then lastly, angled (makes absolutely no allowance for any shooter anticipatory issues, as you have to hit the exact spot on the clothespin at which you're aiming, or you miss the whole thing).

If I'm double checking to assess a possible problem, I'll bring my POI back to the half of the clothespin that's pinned to the target, so I can see if there's a consistent direction of missing, visible off the clothespin, on the target backboard, and to better assess whether there's any shooter-involvement.

Why the little wooden clothespins? Well, because they're an interesting target that stands out from the paper and cardboard; they're instantly "reactive"; they're fun ... and they annoyed the daylights out of a former head of the FTU who didn't like replacing them when they got destroyed. I finally started buying and bringing my own. ;)

Then, I'll progressively back out to 25, 35 and up to 50yds, looking for any obvious problems when shooting various paper or steel targets.

I stopped "benching" pistols as a common "check accuracy" practice years ago. Too many ways for a shooter to unintentionally grasp and "rest" a handgun so that the normal grip/sight alignment is somehow "different" than when just standing and shooting 1 & 2-handed.

If I'm having a day when I suspect any wild, or just erratic, POA/POI differences may be shooter-induced, I'll ask one or another of the other instructors I trust to try the gun (as they often do with me).

There was a brief time when I enjoyed using some unbroken inert pepperball gun balls left around the range. They were fun to carefully press into an existing hole in a target backboard, and then back off to 10yds and use for a slow-fire shot. My Colt XSE Government made that a fun and simple chore.
 
#24 ·
I recently went almost two days between buying a pistol and shooting it for the first time. My wife congratulated me on my self control.

Most of my shooting is between 25 and 30 feet, but I occasionally run targets out to the 75 foot mark (max at my range). When I get a new pistol, I generally see the group size get smaller for the first three range trips or so as I get used to the feel of it, then it stabilizes. The only time I bench rest a pistol is if I think the sights are off.
 
#25 ·
I do not carry a gun unless I can shoot it proficiently, at least out to 25 yards.
I don't carry a gun unless I can shoot it proficiently, PERIOD. Developing an almost instinctive familiarity with any handgun is the only way to ensure that you will be able to use it under extreme stress under a variety of different conditions including different distances.

What if you couldn't carry a gun and only were able to carry a knife instead? Would you carry a knife for self defense if you weren't physically fit and trained in hand-to-hand combat? Or would you just carry it simply because it was a knife and was a potentially deadly weapon?

The decision to carry a gun should never be a casual one.
 
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