300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

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JimT
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300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by JimT »

I spent some time shooting at rocks out to around 300 yards while at The Shootists Holiday. If you've been there, you know the mountain backstop has a lot of boulders and rocks that make excellent targets. I spent time working on one particular rock that I have shot at over the years. I was using my USFA .44 Special single action.
CIMG4741.JPG
The load was the Keith 250 gr. semi-wadcutter over 16.5 gr. 2400 with CCI Large Pistol primers. I have not chronographed these but they are as much as I want in this gun. At 300 yards the sight picture to hit the rock looked like this:
IMG_2296.JPG
Using a 6 o'clock hold, the rock "perched" on top of the front sight, this gave me perfect elevation to whack the rock ... as long as I did not wobble off to one side or the other.

I did all the shooting standing up on my hind legs, holding the sixgun with two hands. When I was younger I used to do that kind of shooting one-handed but I ain't as steady as I was 50 or 60 years ago. :D
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Old Savage
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Old Savage »

Probably 1150-1200 ish.
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Scott Tschirhart
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

That load is quite a bit in a light gun like that. But that bullet carries really well at long range.
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JimT
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by JimT »

Old Savage wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:33 am Probably 1150-1200 ish.
Yessir. I figure that's close.

Scott .. yes it is. These days I don't care for anything hotter. I really like my 6.5 gr. Unique load. :D
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Grizz
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Grizz »

That's good shooting Jim. doesn't seem like a lot of elevation to get the distance. and your eyes are young. whole lot of fun. about as much fun as rolling boulders downhill.
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Scott Tschirhart
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

JimT wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 11:13 am Scott .. yes it is. These days I don't care for anything hotter. I really like my 6.5 gr. Unique load. :D
Seems like I am always tempted to get the most out of a cartridge, but the lighter loads really take care of everything I need.

My right hand is sore from shooting a bit too much .45 ACP and .44 Special this weekend.
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Old Savage »

Lyman 45 used a 5 1/2” Colt and got bit lower velocity. My impression is later 2400 is a bit faster. I used a 6 1/2” M24 for my tests.
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Sixgun »

Rocks....my near all time favorite target......I like gongs too, probably better than rocks....different sized square 3/8" thick armor for that special ring....I use a 10" for 2-300 meters and a 7" for 100 meters......big enough to make you focus but not so small to make you shoot 10 times in order to hit.....

Jim.....that elevation on your front sight is about what I use for 200 meters with a semi stout load such as the one you mentioned.
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JimT
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by JimT »

Sixgun wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:43 pm Rocks....my near all time favorite target......I like gongs too, probably better than rocks....different sized square 3/8" thick armor for that special ring....I use a 10" for 2-300 meters and a 7" for 100 meters......big enough to make you focus but not so small to make you shoot 10 times in order to hit.....

Jim.....that elevation on your front sight is about what I use for 200 meters with a semi stout load such as the one you mentioned.
The rocks are uphill from the firing line which helps. I am guessing .. maybe 75 to 100 feet above the elevation where I was standing. Some are higher. The 570+ yard steel target us quite a ways above as is the 1100 yard one.
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by AmBraCol »

JimT wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:00 am I spent some time shooting at rocks out to around 300 yards while at The Shootists Holiday. If you've been there, you know the mountain backstop has a lot of boulders and rocks that make excellent targets. I spent time working on one particular rock that I have shot at over the years. I was using my USFA .44 Special single action.

CIMG4741.JPG

The load was the Keith 250 gr. semi-wadcutter over 16.5 gr. 2400 with CCI Large Pistol primers. I have not chronographed these but they are as much as I want in this gun. At 300 yards the sight picture to hit the rock looked like this:

IMG_2296.JPG

Using a 6 o'clock hold, the rock "perched" on top of the front sight, this gave me perfect elevation to whack the rock ... as long as I did not wobble off to one side or the other.

I did all the shooting standing up on my hind legs, holding the sixgun with two hands. When I was younger I used to do that kind of shooting one-handed but I ain't as steady as I was 50 or 60 years ago. :D
Wish I'd seen this post while out there, would have saved some aggravation. Just haven't had much opportunity for long range handgunning and didn't start off right this year. Should have put in more time with the 22 before stepping up to the 38 before jumping to the 44 special. Finally did get the flinch under control, but had a hard time spotting hits way out there, probably because I was shooting too high.
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Old Savage »

My impressions of 2400 were from use in 45-70s. The first was Microgroove rifling. The second had a Ballard rifled barrel, both 22” Marlins. The first had a most accurate load of a 400 gr Speer with 25.0 gr 2400 for 1250 FPS. The Ballard rifled version with the same load gave something over 1400 FPS.
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Wait, Jim. "Off your hind legs," you say? That's some good shootin'. 8)
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JimT
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by JimT »

Bill in Oregon wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 6:10 am Wait, Jim. "Off your hind legs," you say? That's some good shootin'. 8)
My Dad started me shooting longer distances as a kid. We never used rests in those days and had no shooting benches. I grew up watching my Dad shoot targets out to 400 yards with his old S&W 1917. I thought it was normal to do so! I had to grow up a bit, read gun magazines and listen to other shooters to find out that wasn't possible! :roll:
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by .45colt »

If I re member right , a Little Cowboy with a Big Hat wrote in the Rifleman about long range revolver shooting in the 1920's . He shook up the world and was called a liar , many people took a trip out west and were amazed by what they saw Him do at long range. I bet Elmer is sure Happy with your results Jim. :) .
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Jim, your Daddy raised you right. 8)
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Scott Tschirhart
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

My Father believed (and still believes) that pistols are only good for killing people. But, he has gotten to the point that he is so used to me wearing one that he is not above asking me to shoot something that needs shooting.
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by octagon »

My Dad did not believe in handguns for hunting. When I started showing up to deer hunts with my 44 mag Ruger hunter, he would roll his eyes like I was crazy. While he was a real fine shot with a pistol, he believed in rifles and shotguns for killing.
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by samsi »

Scott Tschirhart wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:46 am That load is quite a bit in a light gun like that. But that bullet carries really well at long range.
That's the thing that still makes me scratch my head, how well the Keith bullet flies at extended range - especially when you compare it's BC to the average rifle bullet. As much as I like a 45 Colt, it doesn't have the same mojo as a 44 when it comes to distant targets, in my hands anyhow.

I just looked at my notes and I got an average 1231 f/s from a 5 1/2" Flattop .44 Special, but with 17 grains of 2400.
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Scott Tschirhart
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

samsi wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:57 pm
Scott Tschirhart wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:46 am That load is quite a bit in a light gun like that. But that bullet carries really well at long range.
That's the thing that still makes me scratch my head, how well the Keith bullet flies at extended range - especially when you compare it's BC to the average rifle bullet. As much as I like a 45 Colt, it doesn't have the same mojo as a 44 when it comes to distant targets, in my hands anyhow.
Also interesting is how well that bullet stabilizes at a variety of velocities, particularly since it was designed almost 100 years ago by a man who did not have any formal training in the sciences. There's some magic that goes along with that Keith bullet.
Bill in Oregon
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Re: 300 yard rocks with .44 Special sixgun

Post by Bill in Oregon »

I pour mine from the RCBS mold. I like 'em.
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