Federal .38 Special Match uses a 148-grain wadcutter bullet that produces velocity at the muzzle of 690 ft./sec. At 25 yards the bullet is moving at 648 ft./sec and at 50 yards, just 609 ft./sec. For a gun zeroed at 25 yards, the bullet will drop 4.3 inches below the muzzle at 50 yards.

Compare these statistics to those for Federal’s .45 caliber 185-grain match semi-wadcutter. That load produces muzzle velocity of 770 ft./sec. At 25 yards the projectile is moving at 735 ft./sec, and at 50 yards, 703. For a gun zeroed at 25 yards, at 50 yards bullet drop is 3.1 inches.

All of this is to demonstrate why the .45 round is less subject to displacement by wind than is the .38 – it has greater momentum. If you’ve ever shot at Camp Perry, you will be acutely sensitive to the impact of intermittent 25 mph crosswinds on shot trajectory. Xs become 10s. 10s become 9s, or, in gusts, 8s. This is why the Model 52-2, marvelous as it is, is not a competitive 50-yard gun in outdoor 2700s, except those that are shot on the calmest of days. The situation is even worse for the 32s, of course. However, in the hands of a skilled marksman, at 25 yards the 52 will eat the lunch of every other weapon on the line and that goes double for indoor 2700s shot at 25 yards.

For me, this is all about the 52-2's incomparable trigger. Yes, it is by definition, light, just 2-1/2 pounds, a distinct advantage over the 3-1/2 pound triggers on .45 caliber 1911s. But the 52-2's trigger is also smooth, crisp, short, and has a very palpable and quick reset – so important for maintaining one’s rhythm during strings of sustained fire.

To actualize this trigger’s potential, especially at 50 yards, I have found that the scrupulous practice of follow through is essential. Allan Loszan describes follow-through like this:

“Perfect control of a shot demands full attention, as the critical moment of actual shot release cannot be precisely determined. To ensure that concentration goes beyond the hammer fall and the projectile leaving the barrel, all efforts towards creating a perfect shot must be extended beyond the actual shot release. Only full awareness of all fundamentals can bring about correct analysis of technique.”

Indicators of lack of follow through include:

• Increased muzzle wobble at the moment the shot breaks.

• A sudden rise in the muzzle – often while the bullet is still in barrel.

• Inability to correctly call one’s shots.


Many shooters see the sights while holding in the aiming area and then see the sights after the shot breaks. But very few shooters actually see the sights through the shot, including the precise instant at which the shot breaks.

So, the question becomes “how does one learn to pay close attention to sight alignment while seamlessly integrating that awareness with control of the trigger?”


Schematic Representation of Follow Through

I hit upon the following technique one afternoon in practice while working on my 50-yard slow fire technique. It is quite simply a meditative approach that gives one’s subconscious mind permission to release the shot since the subconscious is much more aware of when to break the shot than is one’s conscious mind.

First, in your most relaxed stance with your pistol in the low ready position, as you run through the mental checklist of fundamentals before you begin the string of fire, close your eyes and visualize being the bullet leaving the barrel with the sights perfectly aligned and flying downrange until it strikes the center of the X-ring. This visualization is from first the shooter’s and then the bullet’s perspective.

After I do that for a while, and it feels comfortable and unforced, I then call up a second visualization, which is from the target’s perspective. It begins with a view of the muzzle of the pistol I am holding in the ready position with the sights perfectly aligned on the target, progresses through the bullet flying downrange directly at the center of the target, and ends with the bullet piercing the X-ring, all visualized from the target’s perspective.

That’s the second step.

After I do that for a while, and it feels comfortable, natural, and unforced, I then try to visualize both scenes – the bullet striking the X-ring from both perspectives -- at once. The goal is just to hold those two images in my mind simultaneously, if only briefly. If I can do that, I have found that I shoot more 10s and Xs. I believe that this technique works because in essence we give permission to the subconscious to successfully complete the task – shooting 10s and Xs – and give our conscious minds permission to step out of the way.

Better shooters than me have other techniques, but one this has worked for me over a lot of years now, so I thought I would pass it on.

I hope some of you will share yours with the rest of us.

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Five screws and 3-1/2 inches.

Excellent, good process linking thinking and action. Been many, many years since fired Nation Match courses when in Army. AMTU training was hard to beat with great pistols and free ammo , hard to beat,LOL Fired a 1911 type most of the time, got to fire a few Mdl- 52’s, super pistol as were M-41’s. Had a 41 back in 90’s when still shot at few indoor matches, wish had kept it.

Excellent write up, but one term is a bit misleading. Bullet momentum has nothing to do with wind drift. Wind drift is simply determined by the actual time to target, and the 45ACP in this example is starting 11% faster giving it a slight edge.

Any pilot can tell you in great detail that wind has the same effect on a Boeing 747 as it does on a two seat Piper Cub. Artillerymen and long range rifle shooters determine bullet wind drift based on the time of flight between the muzzle and the target. The faster arriving bullets will always drift less and the fastest bullet is the one that arrives in the least amount of time. That time is influenced more by aerodynamics than just weight. The higher the ballistic coefficient, the more retained speed.

Otherwise, I love your post.

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Captain Dave Funk

Liked your post. Years, many years ago, I studied the book Zen in the Art of Archery. Passed copies to several new shooters over the years. Same practice , seeing the shot hit the target, doing without thinking, being in the zone, whatever you want to call it. A National Champ once told me "if you think,you stink" . Also a lot of PPC shooters manage to get those 38WCs into the X and 10 ring on some windy days,even hurricanes. I did learn , when we started shooting semi autos that you needed alot less correction if any with the 9mms on windy days. I assumed due to velocity and B/C , the bullet weight I used being almost the same 147 to 148.
Its great to pass on tips and information to other and especially newer shooters , to hopefully shortcut their improvement.