Can’t hit squat with my 460

[DirtyHairy]

Hello folks.

Went to sight in my 460 yesterday (7.5" PC) and was having trouble putting up good groups. I shouldn't say I couldn't hit squat, but I sent 50 rds down the pipe and my best groups were maybe 5" at 25 yds, and this was from a rest.

I'm betting it's most likely user error, trying to get some feedback on what I might be doing wrong. I was resting my forearms on a wood block and the gun on a U shaped wood cutout, I tried both resting the barrel and the frame just in front of the trigger guard.

The only thing I can think of is maybe I wasn't gripping it hard/firm enough, I was holding it fairly loose and just riding the recoil.

Any tips? What do you guys/gals do when you (successfully as in accurately) shoot from a rest?


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[Nightowl]

I have never been able to shoot very well from a rest position. But, I have read many times never to rest the gun on the ground, or anything solid, to hold the gun and place the forearms on the rest.

If that helps any!!?

 

[Hillbilly77]

If possible, have a friend record you in slow motion.

Most smartphones have that feature built in now. I was filming a friend of mine with his 460 and on one shot we discovered at the last split second he twitched just the slightest amount, missing the target clean.

Other than that, lots of practice. Shooting long range with any handgun requires tons of practice. Even the tiniest fraction of an inch of movement at the muzzle translates into several inches or more at your target.

 

[glenwolde]

Shooting from a rest involves some technique.

I don't do it much anymore, but there was a time when about all I did was shoot from a rest.

From my experience the best results come from the use of sandbags, anything hard is detrimental. I would take one of those u-shaped wooden rifle rests and stack a couple of sandbags on top of it. One flat and one sloped a bit upward as it goes away from you.

Then I had one laying flat on the bench for hand support. My most successful technique would rest only the frame in front of the trigger guard on the forward sloping bag. The butt would not rest on the support sandbag, it was only used to support my hands. I also used some pads for my elbows.

Part of it is comfort. You've got to get everything adjusted height and thickness wise so that everything lines up like that and your comfortable. It's hard to do without proper elbow support.

My grip would be firm-ish, but more importantly consistent. Not as firm as off-hand but not loose.

Over the three years or so I did it, I shot hundreds of sub 2" 25 yard groups that way through a half-dozen .38/.357 revolvers. Sometimes I'd screw up and the group would open up, so it still takes some skill.

The only reason I did it was I was new to shooting and the only range available was 25 yards. Frankly I was pretty bad off-hand at that range when I was learning. So I shot off sandbags for a year first, then I gradually started standing a little each session. Eventually I got to standing full-time.

It still teaches you sight picture and trigger control. Plus it tells you exactly what your gun can do, so you know that lousy target you shot off-hand is you, not the gun.

 

[Krogen]

How experienced are you with handgun shooting? If you're new to this, then we may have different advice than if you've been doing this for ages. As Nightowl said, grip the gun normally and just use the rest to steady your forearms. It's easy forget to hold tightly when you're using a rest. Grip consistency and sight-alignment are two areas to focus on. That's a big boomer, so maybe it's causing you to yank the trigger.

One trick with a revolver is to be sure you see the flash from the gap and the barrel recoiling straight up to the same point each time. If you don't, chances are you're flinching and blinking your eyes.

 

[292]

This is what helped me get better at shooting 44 magnums. I still use this technique when testing reloads. Load 1 cartridge, close your eyes, turn the cylinder and then close it. Concentrate on the front sight and the trigger pull on each "shot". Good luck.

 

[Pisgah]

A gun will rebound away from a hard rest. You'll try to control it by gripping harder and harder, but this only means the gun rebounds from the rest differently with each . At the very least get a sandbag or other soft surface between your gun and the rest. Probably best is to rest your forearms on a soft rest so that the gun and your hands are not resting on anything at all. This will allow a consistent recoil and should quickly improve groups.

 

[LPD256]

The target is probably jumping away scared from the noise and concussion.

 

[silverstateS&W]

shoot a bunch of 45 colt first and get good groups.
THEN move up to some 454 ammo.
THEN move up to 460.
Larry in Reno

 

[dave1918a2]

When shooting a large bore heavy recoiling handgun You must get the same firing grip every time. Take that time. The most important however is the front sight. Concentrate on the front sight with Your forearms on the rest. Concentrate, concentrate, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, BANG, recoil, ouch. Repeat You'll get better.

 

[chris1961]

1. You could try to shoot with a real rest, because i think that you are too low.
2. Try to shoot with 454 Casull and ;45 Long Colt.

 

[6518John]

The target is probably jumping away scared from the noise and concussion.

Post of the month.

 

[dmn57]

When my groups open up, I get closer to the target.

 

[buck460XVR]

Try dry firing the gun from the same position. Take note of where the barrel/sights are when you finish pulling the trigger. Trigger control is probably the issue. Resting the frame or the barrel directly in front of the frame is best and try not to rest your arms on the bench. This eliminates the fulcrum that can change where the barrel is pointed when you squeeze the trigger. Are you shooting in DA or SA?

 

[amazingflapjack]

Possibly a flinch? Doesn't that gun shoot .45 Colt as well? I would back off to some friendlier ammo-and use a real rest and maybe pull the target in to 50 feet from 75. Regards.

 

[reddog81]

Shooting from a rest involves some technique.

I don't do it much anymore, but there was a time when about all I did was shoot from a rest.

From my experience the best results come from the use of sandbags, anything hard is detrimental. I would take one of those u-shaped wooden rifle rests and stack a couple of sandbags on top of it. One flat and one sloped a bit upward as it goes away from you.

Then I had one laying flat on the bench for hand support. My most successful technique would rest only the frame in front of the trigger guard on the forward sloping bag. The butt would not rest on the support sandbag, it was only used to support my hands. I also used some pads for my elbows.

Part of it is comfort. You've got to get everything adjusted height and thickness wise so that everything lines up like that and your comfortable. It's hard to do without proper elbow support.

My grip would be firm-ish, but more importantly consistent. Not as firm as off-hand but not loose.

Over the three years or so I did it, I shot hundreds of sub 2" 25 yard groups that way through a half-dozen .38/.357 revolvers. Sometimes I'd screw up and the group would open up, so it still takes some skill.

The only reason I did it was I was new to shooting and the only range available was 25 yards. Frankly I was pretty bad off-hand at that range when I was learning. So I shot off sandbags for a year first, then I gradually started standing a little each session. Eventually I got to standing full-time.

It still teaches you sight picture and trigger control. Plus it tells you exactly what your gun can do, so you know that lousy target you shot off-hand is you, not the gun.

What glenwolde said... Using a rest isn't necessarily much help if the rest isn't positioned correctly. I've have good luck sitting at a shooting bench and using a rolled up towel on top of my range bag as support for my wrists. The rolled towel is nice because it's kind of adjustable. I've also had good luck just resting elbows on the shooting bench with a towel or "gun rag" as a bit of padding between the wood and elbow. Trying to rest your arms and the gun means that everything has to be aligned just perfectly otherwise it just makes the whole process more awkward.

You can use a spent cartridge or 3 as a dummy round to test your trigger follow through and to see what kind of flinching you are doing.

 

[WR Moore]

I've always treasured Bill Jordan's account of his first shot with a model 19. He missed the target completely and couldn't understand how he'd done it. His sight picture was perfect just before he closed his eyes.

Seriously, probably a combination of sloppy hold, wrong rest/technique and horsing the trigger. I've occasionally proved you can pull a shot a surprising distance with a rifle on a bipod and a bag under the butt.

 

[LPD256]

Post of the month.

Thanks....

 

[toad67]

Did you ever clean the barrel before or during your shooting? Factory barrels can be very dirty from the manufacturing process and really affect accuracy from any firearm. Clean it out good and start from new....

 

[roscoepc]

As was suggested try a lighter load: .45 or the .454.... Then when you go to the .460 mags try some different size loads until you find out which round the pistol "Likes".. When I was first bought my 500 I was lucky in that the dealer had some partial box's lying around and gave then to me to try.

The rounds were: the 270gr Federal Vital Shok, and 400gr Winchester Platinum Tips. I also bought a box of 350gr Winchester Reduced recoil rounds..

The first round I used was the 400gr and it while it had a stout kick it was totally controllable as it was a kind of "straight back at ya", but smooth kick with about 4"-5" of barrel rise. Next was the 270gr and the best way to describe the kick is try say, a short nose M-19 .357 mag with the hottest magnum round you can find. It had an extremely sharp hard kick with about 8" of barrel rise!! Then I tried the 350gr round and I found what the gun liked!! A nice solid kick that is manageable even one handed!! A round that you can run 200 of them downrange without getting beat up!! Only about 2"-3" rise with this one so you can recover quicker for that next shot!!

All the advise in this thread is Good!! But think about trying some different bullet sizes.. It might make all the difference in the world in your enjoyment of the gun!!

Have Fun with Her!!!!