[Mauser720]

Michael -

I do not disagree with anything you have written.

I would only add one opinion, and two facts:

Opinion: Most rifled firearms are capable of far greater accuracy than the average marksman is able to achieve. In other words, the inherent accuracy of the weapon is usually always greater than the skill level of the average marksman. One way to verify this is to let two individuals shoot the same weapon with the same ammunition, and compare their results.

Fact #1: Regardless of the quality of the firearm, and the skill of the marksman, if the ammunition used is not of the highest quality in terms of consistently identical bullet weights and consistently identical (or nearly identical) chamber pressures, the results will never be satisfactory. In other words, the ammunition used can and often does greatly affect the accuracy too. There are wide variations in quality in over-the-counter ammunition, and all hand loaders know the importance of precision in loading cartridges.

Fact #2: At longer ranges, there are other circumstances which begin to affect accuracy. These include the effect of wind on the bullet(wind direction and speed of the wind, versus the weight and velocity of the bullet used) and visual distortion due to heat ("mirage"). While we may not think of the pistol as a long range weapon, remember that Ed McGivern used a .357 Magnum revolver to consistently hit targets at a range of 600 yards. And the LP-08 is living proof that someone did not think it unrealistic to take a shot at someone who was 800 meters away with a pistol and actually hit them. G. Gordon Liddy regarded three city blocks as "well within pistol range."

Mauser720 - Ron