Hi everyone! New to this forum. Recently bought a S&W 460 with an 8" barrel. Put a fancy leupold vx3 scope. I'm having a hard time sightingit in. Went to my local outdoor range and used sandbags at 25 yards. When I went to 50 yards and tried to use shooting stick as i would in hunting situation, I was all over the place. I am using Hornady 200 grain ammo. I know it could use 454 or 45 long colt. Should I use either one of these to sight it in. I guess the kick on this thing and the scope not being steady is hard for me because of my inexperience. Real frustrated right now. Can i get some feedback? Cant find enough info on internet. Sorry if i'm long winded. Greg

Are you on paper? If not my suggestion would be to have a spotter and shoot at an object on the ground (if your on an outdoor range) pick a mud clump something that will provide a point of impact. Many of rounds have been wasted by myself trying to get on paper. I dont care for a magnified scoped pistol as the window to see the target is very small...I find myself chasing the crosshairs trying to find the target..sold all my ler scopes

The First thing to address is probably ammunition. Reload, or find someone who will and tone it down a few notches to start with. Big guns with full house loads take some getting aquainted with. Reduced loads will really help. I would take a look over on the Handgun Hunting Forum for some reduced loads you will not find in a reloading manual. If it were me, I would look for a load using Unique powder and a 255 thru 300 grain Lead bullet.

I have scopes on my Contender barrels. I have a 30mm UltraDot on my 480 Ruger Super RedHawk. I much prefer the UltraDot for revolver distances.
For sight in I make a target using Bright White Card Stock or Constructioin paper. I use a can or some other round object of around 2" - 4" Diameter for the template, and mark circles, then cut them out with scisors. I then glue them to cardboard with contact spray adhesive. Basicly I am making Bright White Target Dots. You can now center the Red Dot on the White Target Dot for Sight In.

Cross sticks are not as steady as sand bags. Practice is the key to using them. I use a Wal-Mart Monopod that I have added a rubber cane tip to. I use epoxy putty to attach the tip. The main advantage to the rubber tip is making the monopod quiet in a tree stand. The metal point clanks and makes too much noise. For walk about I have a wood walking stick with a forked deer antler on the top.

Holster, I do not use one. I would carry the hand cannon in a Boyt rectangular case for a Contender. Have Dee Rings attached to the web handles just above the case at all 4 points. Then get or make a strap with detachable clips to carry the handgun like a possible bag under your arm.
I would try and find Stainless Steel D Rings about 1" size. Attach with 1" OD Webbing I got from Army Surplus. Also use the 1" webbing to make the carry strap. I got the steel clips from a U.S. Surplus sleeping bag harness.

I have 2 each 480 Rugers. I have 2 seperate loads for them. I have my 400 grain plinking load using unique running at about 800 fps. This is my every day carry load for general use. Light enough it does not ring your ears.
The hunting load for my other 480 uses the same 400 grain lead bullet, only it has a healthy charge of AA#9 under it.

Tuning down the ammo, and practice will probably help you the most.

Bob

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A pistol scope is just hard to shoot with...and on top of the XVR, well that makes it 4 times as hard. Look up the term "parallax". It is a way complicated thing for me to understand. But you MUST look exactly throught the center of the scope.

If the parallax of your scope is set at say 100 yds, then it is nearly impossible to sight through the scope at anything but straight through. Shooting at 25yrds with a scope is a waste of ammo, unless you are looking exactly staight throught he center of the scope. At short distances that is hard to do. The cross hairs must be exactly centered in the scope and on the target at the same time.

I have an XVR with a Burris 2x7 and it took me 2-3 yrs to be "comfortable" with it. The 200 gr Hornady is the most accurate of all ammo in my gun. I handload that bullet under the max, but still at 2200fps.

Shoot it off a sandbag and bench. That will allow your entire forearm a place to rest. Use a towel on top of the bench. it will keep your skin where it belongs. don't put the barrel on the sandbag. Put the frame on the sandbag just forward of the trigger gaurd.

Shoot it single action. Hold the gun as far up on the frame as possible. I even slightly cover the tip of the hammer with the thumb- finger web. Hold it tight. try to crush the frame, but relax your trigger finger. Apply pressure to the trigger until it goes off. It should come as a surprise when the gun goes off.

Shoot a couple of hundred rounds and by next hunting season, you might be ready to shoot an animal.

Have fun.

Wow guys, great feeback, thanks. I didn't mention i did use sandbags and did fairly weel at 25. It was the shooting stick at 50 that got me. Would it be accurate to use 45 long colt or 454 to learn not just to use the 460, but to sight in or are these ammos just too different? I think I need to rethink this 100 yard deer thing or go broke in ammo learning! What red dot sight would you guys use that can take the pounding it has to offer? How far can a red dot sight be used and what model should i get? I can't seem to find this info or feedback opn the internet.Mostly sales. Greg

If you are looking to sight in the gun, no matter the distance, have a good rest. Once you get your gun sighted in for the range you want, and you can consistently get a good group, then start shooting off shooting sticks or however you think you need to replicate feed conditions. Almost all the time the shooter is the weak link to accuracy. Second, if you are going to be shooting under 100 yards, I would suggest a red-dot, they make it easier to acquire your target.

The only red-dot I use, and have used for the past 10 years has been Ultra-dot, they hold up to the recoil and work great. As for the 45 Colt or 454 Casull ammo, I never used them in my 460 mag, the point of impact will be different. My other suggestion is learn to reload, you don't save any money, but you get to shoot a lot more for the same price. Plus you can work up your load for accuracy.

I have owned 6 different S&W 460 mags, and they all were tack drivers. Practice with the ammo you intend to hunt with. The only way you will become proficient with the a handgun is to shoot it often. I shoot my handguns a least once a week.

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Give up on the shooting sticks for a while and just use a bench and a bag. In my XVR the 45 Colt ammo IS NOT accurate. I handload, and I have found NO lead bullet that shoots worth a **** past 25 yards. Lead will hit a pie plate at 50 yds and that's about it.

Go ahead and use 45 Colt ammo to get the "process" like your grip and breathing down. It is a step above dry firing the gun to get use to the trigger pull. Make sure to clean the chambers well. with your favorite solvent. Chuck a bore brush up in a drill and scrub them well. Make sure to use the "lead" compensator on your gun. It will be a pain to clean, and you do not want all that lead fouling in the "jacketed" compensotor.


I reloaded and shot 100's of 240, 250 and 300 gr jacketed bullets out of my XVR. It wasn't until Hornady's 200 gr FTX bullet became available for reloading that I really started shooting well. I think that barrel was made to shoot a "light" and very fast bullet. I wear ear plugs and muffs, and will only shoot 10 or so 200 gr screamers at a time.

You will get there. The gun is capable. You will get to the range one day and it will come to you. Keep the cross hairs on the target AND in the center of the scope. Take a deep breath. Let it out. Crush the frame and slowly pull the trigger until it goes off.

If you can't do all the above in 5-10 seconds, then ease the hammer down and start the process over. The longer you wait the harder everything will get and your shooting will go to ****.

Good luck.

For what its worth when I bench fired my 686 with a red dot and rested the barrel on the rest, accuracy was terrible. When I fired with the bottom of the hand resting on the bench accuracy improved greatly.

The only Red Dot I would recommend is an Ultra Dot. I have both a 1" and a 30mm. You definently want to go with a 30mm, you can see much better through it.
The best source I have found is UltraDot West. Heather will take care of you.

I like shooting at White Target Dots when using a Red Dot Scope. Adjust the dot size for distance. The Ultra Dot has a 4 MOA Dot at 100 yards. That should be 2" at 50, and 1" at 25 yards. A Target Dot size of 1.5" thru 2" for 25 yards. For 50 yards probably 3" to as larget as 4" should work. Once you get to the range and start placing the dots, you will figure what size works best for you.

Reloading jacketed bullets I would probably go with the Flex Tip also. I would still turn it down until you get more comfortable with shooting it.

For lead bullets I would go heavy. The 480 shoots 325 jacketed bullets very well. I have a 325 grain Gas Check mold that makes some very good looking lead bullets. My gun does not shoot them well at all. It likes 400 grain lead bullets. This is supposed to be caused by the short bullet length with a very large Meplate. A Big Flat Point is ok as long as it is on a Big Long Heavy Bullet.

Lyman lists a 460 load with a 325 grain gas check bullets, with starting loads around 1500 fps. That starting load is 150 fps hotter than a 454 Max Load, by the way. They show a plinking load using Trail Boss at 824 fps.

My old Super RedHawk 44 Magnum was fed a diet of 310 gr Lead Gas Check Hammer Heads. A buddy of mine bought it for Hog Hunting. He is using my 310 gr. Cast Bullets and Loading data in it exclusively.

As you have probably figured out, I like big heavy cast bullets in my hunting handguns. I try and set my shots up for 35 thru 50 yards if possible. I consider 100 yards my absolute maximum, if I can get rock solid off a rest.

You have 8 months till deer season rolls around again. I recommend turning the loads down using 460 brass. You can increase the velocity as you get more comfortable, and confident shooting it. The 460 is not an entry level Hunting Handgun.

I do not plan to ever own a 460. If I get an X Frame it will be a 500, and probably the Bone Collector version. I have done a little looking along those lines. I would start it out with 370 to 440 grain cast bullets at around 1000 fps to start with, and go up from their.

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