accuracy out of a 929

[richrd]

has anyone gotten decent accuracy out of the 929? As an old bullseye shooter maybe I expect too much out of today's guns, but I dont think holding the ten ring on a twenty five yard target off sandbags is out of line.

If all the stories about Smith using .357 tooling on this 9mm are true, that could explain a lot, but I have tried .356, .357, and .358 bullets,

anyone????

 

[burneyr]

I have shot a few at steel plate matches. Never had any issue hitting out to the max distance of 25 yards the club uses on their courses of fire. So it's minute of plate out that far at least.

I expect it wouldn't make the best bullseye gun with all that freebore in the cylinder. Bullet goes a good ways before it hits the forcing cone and makes that transition to rotation.

 

[CheyenneBodie]

I had a 929 and I couldn't get it to shoot accurately either. Tried all kind bullets --best results were with jacketed. Results with lead were terrible and I tried different sizes. There are a few good ones out there but it appears accuracy is all over the place. I used it in steel challenge and it worked OK for the sizes of the targets and the distances involved. IMO the gun is best suited for ICORE, USPSA, and Steel Challenge. I mainly shoot NRA Action Pistol which is much more accuracy based with longer distances -- in that game if a gun won't hold the 4 inch diameter X- ring at 50 yards it's not worth keeping. My 929 would not group at that distance so I said adios and went back to a K-38 and 686.

 

[steelslaver]

I have to wonder why 929s would be less accurate than a 38, land and groove DIA would not explain it, if different sized bullets tried. Forcing cone, chambers, muzzle?? To many chambers to align?? OD

There must be a reason.

 

[Protocall_Design]

A 929 will shoot as well as any other gun, IF it's mechanically correct. Like all of them, it has to be timed right, have a good forcing cone, no constriction, good muzzle crown, proper cylinder throats, good rifling, the right bullets, etc. When a revolver doesn't shoot tight groups, something needs fixed.

You have to deal with them on an individual gun basis. One model doesn't shoot any better or worse than another model. Individual guns shoot better or worse.

 

[steelslaver]

A 929 will shoot as well as any other gun, IF it's mechanically correct. Like all of them, it has to be timed right, have a good forcing cone, no constriction, good muzzle crown, proper cylinder throats, good rifling, the right bullets, etc. When a revolver doesn't shoot tight groups, something needs fixed.

You have to deal with them on an individual gun basis. One model doesn't shoot any better or worse than another model. Individual guns shoot better or worse.

I tend to agree. But, it is possible something was off when they ran the 929 barrels, frames or cylinders. Should be able to figure it out. Getting 8 separate chambers to group well would be 33% less likely that 6. Have you tried checking groupings from of each chamber and locations of each chambers group in comparison to the others??

 

[richrd]

my next try will be marking and tracking each seperate chamber.

Todays definition of accuracy has changed. If it will hit a large steel plate at close range thats good enough. Last time I read gun mags they were only testing hand guns at 7 yards.

I tried asking one of the better steel shooters about accuracy and he acted like he didn't know what I was talking about. He had never shot a group.

 

[Ignatz]

I have three 929's. All 3 needed the forcing cone cut and the barrel crown cut. The forcing cone is the most important part.
Two of my 929's were untouched from new and would print about a 4.5"-5" group at 25 yards. When you would look at the groups, there would be about 5 to 6 bullets in a 3" group, but by measuring all the extreme bullets, the group would measure about 5".
After the forcing cone gets cut, the groups shrink to about 5 in a tight hole and 2 or 3 fliers making the 929 shoot just under 2" at 25 yards.
My spare 929 was already cut when I purchased it, and still exhibited the same ragged hole with 2 or so fliers.....but under 2".
My 8 shot 5" 627 and 586 will probably shoot 1" at 25 yards.
My theory is that the 929's cylinder isn't as precision made as other cylinders.
When I would push different quality brand bullets thru the cylinder, some would drop thru and some would have to be pushed thru.
For me shooting USPSA and being just under 2" at 25 yards is great, for Bullseye, that's not good.
The barrel is good after the forcing cone is cut and they time up fine, I think its all in the lack of a precision cylinder chamber cut that is not equal in all the cylinders. Again, just my opinion.

 

[JDinAZ]

has anyone gotten decent accuracy out of the 929? As an old bullseye shooter maybe I expect too much out of today's guns, but I dont think holding the ten ring on a twenty five yard target off sandbags is out of line.

If all the stories about Smith using .357 tooling on this 9mm are true, that could explain a lot, but I have tried .356, .357, and .358 bullets,

anyone????

The 929 is sold as 9x19 but is chambered in 9x21 if I remember correctly. I'd swear I saw that posted here before in a 929 thread

Could projo jump of that 2mm in case length have negative effect on bullseye accuracy. I know that if you ream a 38/357 to 9mm the jump is a pretty good distance and does effect the longer range bullseye accuracy

Maybe 9x21 cases loaded to 9x19 data would help

 

[357 shooter]

my next try will be marking and tracking each seperate chamber.

Todays definition of accuracy has changed. If it will hit a large steel plate at close range thats good enough. Last time I read gun mags they were only testing hand guns at 7 yards.

I tried asking one of the better steel shooters about accuracy and he acted like he didn't know what I was talking about. He had never shot a group.

Old school pistol marksmanship is a definitely a dying art. Seems like getting rounds downrange as fast as possible is the order of the day. Not saying some can't shoot fast and accurately but shotgun patterns at close range are more common where I shoot.

A lot of the youtube gun reviews never cover accuracy. A lot are closeup of the guy shooting the gun with the dinging of a steel target you often aren't shown.

As to holding the 10 ring at 25 yards if you are referring to the NRA Bullseye 10 ring I would expect many target sighted Smith revolver can easily do it off sandbags.

 

[reddog81]

I've got sub 4" groups at 50 yards with a scope and using a rest.

I use .357 or .358 lead bullets and 9x21 starline cases. 3.4 grains N340 with a 160 WFN is my favorite load. The .357 bullets will push through the cylinders with a small amount of force. I haven't done any gunsmithing other than go to a lighter trigger return spring.

 

[Ignatz]

My wife and I this weekend with 929's.

 

[richrd]

Ignatz, tell me a bit more about cutting the cone. Just what is it and where did you have it done?

 

[Wee Hooker]

I purchased a new one in 2017 with high expectations. Yet no mater what I fed it (115,124 , 135 or 147 gr hand loads) , I struggled to get 5-6" groups at 50'. Even 4" at 30' off hand was a struggle. Mine had a horrible looking forcing cone so I sent it back. SW returned it with a statement that said the gun was in spec. After it's second return, I gave up and traded it in on a 986 (which had it's own issues.) Maybe it's just me but for a PC product well north of $1000, I expected better. I'm done with 9mm revolvers and won't get another PC offering either ( unless I can pre-inspect it)

 

[Ignatz]

Ignatz, tell me a bit more about cutting the cone. Just what is it and where did you have it done?

I did it myself by getting an 11 degree forcing cone reamer for 38/.357 as a complete cutting assembly from Brownells. I also got a 45 degree cutter for the barrel crown. My Brownell's account will not let me see past orders, so I can't provide a link. Here's what they look like.
Remember, this gives me great accuracy for action sports with large A zones. Not NRA Bullseye accuracy. My 586 shoots like a laser gun!

 

[richrd]

I started by pulling out the longest bullets I had and seating them as long as I could..

I marked 4 holes and shot 5 rounds thru each. There were still flyers but it was definitely an improvement. So I shot an 8 shot group using the same hole for every shot. 5 shots were very tight, two were mild flyers and one I threw.

I'm going to order the f cone cutter and play with it some more.

 

[Lou_the_welder]

How does your crown look like?

 

[6string]

Old school pistol marksmanship is a definitely a dying art. Seems like getting rounds downrange as fast as possible is the order of the day. Not saying some can't shoot fast and accurately but shotgun patterns at close range are more common where I shoot.

A lot of the youtube gun reviews never cover accuracy. A lot are closeup of the guy shooting the gun with the dinging of a steel target you often aren't shown.

As to holding the 10 ring at 25 yards if you are referring to the NRA Bullseye 10 ring I would expect many target sighted Smith revolver can easily do it off sandbags.

YEP! We're living in the age of instant gratification. When watching porn and smoking pot have gone mainstream as leisure pastimes, can we really expect people to invest the time and effort to acquire any learned skills?
Learning to shoot well, especially offhand Bullseye with a pistol just isn't in the cards for most people.
Sadly, quite often neither is basic range safety either!

Just blast a mag at the "bad guy" target 10-20 feet away and post a selfie video online. What a "Big Hero"!!

 

[CGA]

Can anyone tell me what the hex screw size is for the 929's compensator/muzzle cap attachment? Thanks.

 

[Protocall_Design]

It's a #10-32 x 5/8" long stainless steel socket head cap screw.