# Considering new handgun.



## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

This isn't for concealed carry or for just practice or for home defense. There have been many times here on the farm where the shot was way too far to even bother with my sidearm or by the time I retrieved a long gun that coyote or some other unnamed varmint would be out of range. I have been considering this as something that I could strap to my belt to carry during my daily rounds on the grounds:

Ruger 57

Do any of you own one or have experience with it?


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## Wellbuilt (Dec 25, 2020)

Pall Harrell has a really good review on u tube . 

It a Ruger so I’m sure it’s going to work .
I like big holes I could shoot 100yards with my 357 and tap steal 
often . 
Not so much now I’m loosing my site .


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

your ability to aim has a lot more to do with hitting at distance.

how far are you planning to shoot.

9mm actually hits remarkably well at 100 yards

improving the sighting system will do more to aid in hitting at distance than just a change in cartridge.

you can't exactly strap it to your belt but you can put it on your back relatively easy , a AR pistol with 10 inch barrel , brace and optic they shoot very well at 200 yards

22lr can aslo get to 100 decently but really hasn't got a lot of steam left when it gets there.

not sure what pistol your shooting now , but if you can find a decent size peice of steel 12x12 inch is good paint it , fill a tube sock with rice tie off the open end and head out to shoot , if you lay the sock of rice on the hood of your truck and wrest your wrists on it , with a little practice you should be able to figure out where to hold squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze the trigger till it breaks keep your hold. I got to where about 9 out of 10 I could hit a steel plate at 100 yards standing. that turned into 1 handed 22lr on the 100 yard plate


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> your ability to aim has a lot more to do with hitting at distance.
> 
> how far are you planning to shoot.
> 
> ...


The sidearms that I typically carry, either Walther PPS or Glock 19, do not have sights set up to have a hold high enough for a long range shot >50 yards. The barrel would completely obscure the target. I have a Beretta 92 that I trained on that could work...maybe. I really haven't tried it out beyond 100 ft. ever and honestly haven't fired it in several years. I'll have to give it a try before I spend any more funds on a firearm with hard to find cartridges. 

Thanks for your input.


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## Wellbuilt (Dec 25, 2020)

I could hit steel with my 92fs I would try it , I never really liked it my wife picked it out . 
It is a sweet shooter not much recoil night sites 6 mags and holster came with it for thin money 300 bucks I think .
357 44mag both hit at 100yards the 357 flys flatter .


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

The ability to hit your target comes from practice, not changing to a different gun. If you wish to become a good shot with a handgun, practice. I am a slow learner, so it took me longer than most. I shot 500 rounds a week for a year, of hand loaded .44 magnum. At six months I was hitting jackrabbits at 100 yards, 9 times out of 10. Once I made a very long shot at a jackrabbit. Three hundred paces, in front of two coworkers. First shot was high, second was low, third rolled him.

Forty years later I am still a fair shot. I hunt with a Glock Mod 21, with my own handloads. At 25 yards I can hit a pig in the shoulder, or a jackrabbit in the middle. At ten feet I can still shoot the head off a rattlesnake. I practice with ping pong balls, or snake sized sticks. Lay a stick across your path and cut it into chunks at ten feet. You will soon learn where to hold. Trigger control is more important than sights. I have found that a large heavy bullet is best for long range shooting. I have had good luck with a SS 5" Ruger Redhawk, shooting a 240 gr bullet at 1000 fps. 

The gun companies love it every time you buy a new gun. But buying a new gun won't make you a better shot.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

muleskinner2 said:


> The ability to hit your target comes from practice, not changing to a different gun. If you wish to become a good shot with a handgun, practice. I am a slow learner, so it took me longer than most. I shot 500 rounds a week for a year, of hand loaded .44 magnum. At six months I was hitting jackrabbits at 100 yards, 9 times out of 10. Once I made a very long shot at a jackrabbit. Three hundred paces, in front of two coworkers. First shot was high, second was low, third rolled him.
> 
> Forty years later I am still a fair shot. I hunt with a Glock Mod 21, with my own handloads. At 25 yards I can hit a pig in the shoulder, or a jackrabbit in the middle. At ten feet I can still shoot the head off a rattlesnake. I practice with ping pong balls, or snake sized sticks. Lay a stick across your path and cut it into chunks at ten feet. You will soon learn where to hold. Trigger control is more important than sights. I have found that a large heavy bullet is best for long range shooting. I have had good luck with a SS 5" Ruger Redhawk, shooting a 240 gr bullet at 1000 fps.
> 
> The gun companies love it every time you buy a new gun. But buying a new gun won't make you a better shot.


There is no question if you have poor fundamentals, it doesn't matter what you are shooting. It does make a difference on long shots with a handgun the trajectory of the bullet, distance between the rear and front sight, or in this case, the sights themselves. I never have achieved your proficiency level, but it would be much simpler to hit a 10 x 10 target on a varmint with a side arm other than a compact handgun chambered in 9mm designed to shoot at targets inside 50 ft., all else being equal.


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## TripleD (Feb 12, 2011)

Hiro said:


> The sidearms that I typically carry, either Walther PPS or Glock 19, do not have sights set up to have a hold high enough for a long range shot >50 yards. The barrel would completely obscure the target. I have a Beretta 92 that I trained on that could work...maybe. I really haven't tried it out beyond 100 ft. ever and honestly haven't fired it in several years. I'll have to give it a try before I spend any more funds on a firearm with hard to find cartridges.
> 
> Thanks for your input.


That 92fs is good if you practice enough. I've not worn mine out yet. It doesn't like aluminum cased ammo. It's my every day carry. I've only had it since 1992!


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

the Glock 17 &19 shoots 100 yards just fine you just need to find where to hold for your load , what weight bullet are you using?

you might be surprised since the sights are about .050 to .625 above the center of the bore and it hits on at 7 yards or even a bullet width or two high at 7 yards it is not very low at 100 yards .

find a good size piece of steel , hang it out at 100 yards and get a good steady rest with a sock full or rice for under your wrists and figure it out if you paint white then use a magnet and a coffee can lid or cereal box cut out and a magnet you can paint the rest of the steel black lead splatter on black is easy to see with binoculars and the instant feed back makes figuring out your hold faster.

the 92 should also work , thumb the hammer back and you even have a decent single action trigger

you may not get a perfect little group , but any hit on a yote is better than no hit at all because you never shot.

I have two relatives both hunted since the could carry a gun so about 10 both have 55-65 years years of hunting experience. one never missed a deer , because he never took a shot he couldn't make with complete certainty. the other missed some deer but he was completely un-afraid of trying. you had zero chance of getting a deer if you didn't shoot and he made some shots that were out there. farmers want deer dead that are eating their crops and he was a farmer , he farmed worked a second job and fed his family heavily on venison.
the other often worked 2 jobs one was typically commercial fishing and he fed his family heavily on non quota fish and some on venison.

who do you think shot more deer in their life time , the one that was unafraid to take a shot as long as the shot was safe. since I think he is close to 200 deer he used to fill a lot of damage tags. the has the other who has 10 years on him by and was a very good hunter has half as many or less deer.

I know ammo is sparse right now but give it a try with what you have you might just be surprised


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I know most people think 9mm pistol is only good for 50 feet or so

it just isn't the case once you learn how , it is a real eye opener how far out you can shoot with a 9mm


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

I am going to give it a whirl this week with the Beretta at 50 yards. I wasn't awful with it at the 100 ft. mark. It was just long ago and back then there was no purpose to practice longer ranges with it. My vocation is different now and it is wiser to at least investigate rather than spend more money on a weapon/cartridge that I am unfamiliar with and do not know when I can even find a reasonable supply of ammo.

Thanks again.


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## Wellbuilt (Dec 25, 2020)

I can even make hits with my 1911 but I did a lot of long range shooting with my 45/70s


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## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

50 yards should be a snap.

I can take my .45 acp revolver and hit at 50 yards all day every day. 75 yards isn't hard. The 1911 is about the same.

I think you will be surprised. I'm not hitting dime sized targets, but mansized and critter sized is all I need.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Posted 3/8/21 12:33 AM CST

I found it overkill since it blew it apart but while shooting my single action Colt .45 Peacemaker with 7 1/2 inch barrel , I sent an armadillo to the next world at about 80 yards on the rifle lane beside our pistol lanes in or field berm range.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Hiro said:


> There is no question if you have poor fundamentals, it doesn't matter what you are shooting. It does make a difference on long shots with a handgun the trajectory of the bullet, distance between the rear and front sight, or in this case, the sights themselves. I never have achieved your proficiency level, but it would be much simpler to hit a 10 x 10 target on a varmint with a side arm other than a compact handgun chambered in 9mm designed to shoot at targets inside 50 ft., all else being equal.


There isn't a varmint in North America with a 10x10 inch vital zone. More like a 4 or 6 inch zone. If you can't put your shots in a 4 inch circle at fifty feet, don't take the shot.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

My carry around gun is a Colt Woodsman .22 LR. It's got a ten shot magazine and I carry another loaded spare. Had a nice full cover holster made which keeps it well protected.
Does most everything I need it to.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Hiro said:


> here is no question if you have poor fundamentals, it doesn't matter what you are shooting. It does make a difference on long shots with a handgun the trajectory of the bullet, distance between the rear and front sight, or in this case, the sights themselves.


The length of the barrel has nothing to do with accuracy. Unless the gun is somehow defective, the bullet will go to the same spot every time. With practice you will learn where this is. Adjustable sights will make this process a lot easier but it can be done with fixed sights as well. With a rifle, a longer sight radius may make it easier to hit with. With a pistol a long barrel is harder to hold steady than a short one. A longer barrel gives the powder more time to burn, thus increasing the speed of the bullet. This does not make it more accurate, it just gets there faster. 

I have a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum with a three inch barrel. At fifty yards I can hit gallon milk jugs all day long. It has good adjustable sights, that haven't been moved in twenty years. A longer sight radius, and even scopes don't make you shoot better. They allow you to see better. The shooting is up to you.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

muleskinner2 said:


> The length of the barrel has nothing to do with accuracy. Unless the gun is somehow defective, the bullet will go to the same spot every time. With practice you will learn where this is. Adjustable sights will make this process a lot easier but it can be done with fixed sights as well. With a rifle, a longer sight radius may make it easier to hit with. With a pistol a long barrel is harder to hold steady than a short one. A longer barrel gives the powder more time to burn, thus increasing the speed of the bullet. This does not make it more accurate, it just gets there faster.
> 
> I have a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum with a three inch barrel. At fifty yards I can hit gallon milk jugs all day long. It has good adjustable sights, that haven't been moved in twenty years. A longer sight radius, and even scopes don't make you shoot better. They allow you to see better. The shooting is up to you.


Kinda true, but kinda untrue. 
If we're talking about open sights, a longer barrel with more distance between front and rear sights is typically easier for a shooter to keep the sights steady on target. This applies to both handguns or rifles, however at some point a really long barrel will be more than the shooter can easily support so accuracy will go south with a super long or heavy barrel. Need to find what works for you.
I'm certain I can shoot better with a handgun with 6" barrel, than I can with a snubnose 1.5" barrel of same caliber.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Steel targets are too pricey for me. I use old brake rotors. Paint them yellow or orange with a rattle can and tape a piece of copy paper inside the center hole for the bullseye. I can hear the hits and I can repaint them to use again. From 22 to .270 they hold up pretty good.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

Fishindude said:


> Kinda true, but kinda untrue.
> If we're talking about open sights, a longer barrel with more distance between front and rear sights is typically easier for a shooter to keep the sights steady on target. This applies to both handguns or rifles, however at some point a really long barrel will be more than the shooter can easily support so accuracy will go south with a super long or heavy barrel. Need to find what works for you.
> I'm certain I can shoot better with a handgun with 6" barrel, than I can with a snubnose 1.5" barrel of same caliber.


Mule touched on that when he mentioned the longer sight radius of a rifle. It’s not that the sights are easier to hold steady, it’s that extended angles between the sights are narrower and any adjustment you make in sighting can be more precise.

You’re absolutely right that it can make a difference in handgun barrels, though. Your example 6” barrel will have somewhere around 2-3x the sight radius of that 1.5” barrel (once you account for the length of the top strap and rear sight position). Doubling or tripling sight radius can make a big difference in accuracy potential.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

Fishindude said:


> Kinda true, but kinda untrue.
> If we're talking about open sights, a longer barrel with more distance between front and rear sights is typically easier for a shooter to keep the sights steady on target. This applies to both handguns or rifles, however at some point a really long barrel will be more than the shooter can easily support so accuracy will go south with a super long or heavy barrel. Need to find what works for you.
> I'm certain I can shoot better with a handgun with 6" barrel, than I can with a snubnose 1.5" barrel of same caliber.


Exactly right.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

GTX63 said:


> and tape a piece of copy paper inside the center hole for the bullseye. I can hear the hits


Unless you're a good shot


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