Long Range shooting

[Ron Smith]

I've talked about how a friend and I enjoy the challenge of informal long range shooting.

We try to get out at least once or twice a week to just relax, enjoy being in the mountains and blow off stress. I'm retired, but he has a very stressful job. Shooting challenges are a great stress therapy. We had a great day yesterday. He can best me somewhat with a rifle, but I'm a little better than him with a handgun. We kind of balance out...

Having worked in and for gun shops part time, for nearly 30 years. The accuracy of handguns is often a discussed topic. The vast majority of people believe that handguns are not accurate beyond 50 yds. Some even claim , "You can't hit anything with a handgun beyond 25 yards."

These were taken at one of our favorite shooting spots. 40 miles from the nearest civilization.

I was shooting my .41 magnum Model 57 S&W 8-3/8" barrel. Using one of my favorite hand loads.

An 8-10" dia. rock, at a ranged 410 yds, faced with quartz, and highly visible from that distance. The result is from the first 6 shots I fired in gusty wind coming out of the canyon. The first two shots struck approx 2-3 feet to the right, one high one low. Once I figured the wind drift and elevation I got on target. I'm hoping the wind will cooperate next time.

I wanted to dispel some myths about handgun accuracy.