S&W .460 XVR zero-in

Eric300

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A buddy recently purchased a 7.5" Performance Center S&W .460 Mag XVR and topped it off with a Trijicon Type 2 RMR with a 3.25 dot. He calls me and says he is having trouble getting it zeroed using Federal Vital Shok 275 gr. Barnes Expander rounds and asks me to come over and give him a hand. (It's a poor carpenter who blames his tools, right? :D)

I looked at his target and even shooting rested off a bench he had 5 shots all over the place. I brought my laser bore sight with me and after making sure everything was mounted properly and locked-down, bore sighted it.

We set up a fresh target at 25 yards and I fired two bore sight shots single action off the bench rest. Both were side-by-side at about 4 o'clock and a tad low/right. Made a couple click windage & elevation adjustments to the Trijicon and I took 2 more shots. Those were in the bullseye but still just a tad right. A couple more clicks left and the next 3 shots I fire were in the center.

We moved the target out to 50 yards, and I took one more shot. That one was just a tad high close to 12 o'clock. I told him he had better take a shot because he's the one who's going to be hunting with it. His shot hit just outside the bullseye at about 7 o'clock. That was good enough for him because he only had 5 rounds left and needed those for hunting. I'm guessing it should be pretty close out to 100 yards (in the right hands).

This was the first time I have ever shot a .460. Even with the muzzle brake that baby has some recoil to it! But it seems to be a pretty good shooting handgun. Me like! :D

25 Yards
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50 Yards
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Bench rest work to sight in a 460 EVR is not high on my list of pleasurable activities. They don't kick that hard, but the muzzle blast concussion has to be experienced to appreciate. It also has a unique radiant heat energy flash. Flinch monster.
 
Similar to a paper towel holder that is upside down, but wider and taller, is a big bore rifle rest that I saw years ago.
Carpeted roller suspended between two pieces of wood.
Wide at the bottoms and narrower towards the top.
Rifle's forearm/barrel rests on the roller and the shooter rolls a bit with the recoil.

Can't find those old pics from the web.
Have seen pics of them for the bench as well.

Decades ago a buddy, who was a mighty fine guitarist/teacher and a really big strong man, said he would like to try my No.1H/458 with one hand.
My response was that he wouldn't need to bring his first baseman's glove to the next softball game, as he could catch the ball with his modified face.
 
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460 daytime flash

Bench rest work to sight in a 460 EVR is not high on my list of pleasurable activities. They don't kick that hard, but the muzzle blast concussion has to be experienced to appreciate. It also has a unique radiant heat energy flash. Flinch monster.

I have pictures of me shooting mine in daylight the flash is unreal.
I aslo agreed the report is amazing people come up and just ask what the heck are you shooting! At first I thought people were complaining or making sure i was shooting something allowed at our private range. After a while I just realized people are amazed that you fire 20 of them down range
 
Well, it sounds accurate enough. Shouldn't need more than 5 cartridges. Take a good "Rambo" knife with you & you'll only need 1.
Sounds like a fun gun to shoot. I never shot a .44 Magnum till I bought one. Once I found a set of rubbers to keep my shooting hand middle finger from shattering, it's probably the most accurate handgun I own, besides my K22. The 629-6 has been a pleasure to shoot, as it usually hits within an inch from POA from about 25 yds. I haven't tried the 50 or 100 yard shots yet, but I'm sure I could hit the gong within 3 shots. Really like that gun. I need some sandbags. (The cheapest pieces of target practice besides the targets.)
I have a GP100 in .327 FM that is about as accurate in my hands. The 629-6 and the GP100, both stainless, 6", Ruger has full underlug but an extra hole drilled out in the cylinder, but they weigh in within .25 oz. of each other and the single and double actions are very close. The .32 cal. has virtually no kick, maybe close to a .38 Spl., with the 120 (?) g bullets.
That .44 is a nice gun; now I must try the bigger ones. Knowing the weight of the gun is going to deflate the recoil is a plus, also. The 460 XVR sounds like a fun gun.
Curious: isn't there a caliber/gun that shoots 2 or 3 different sized cannon balls, er, cartridges, that Ruger or someone has? That's why I liked the .32FM, the .357/.38, .44 spl. & mag, etc. Several octanes to burn in the same engine.
I can handle the sledgehammer against my palm but my middle finger must know that it's not going to get shattered by the trigger guard.
 
Sounds like it's sighted in.

What disturbs me is that the gun's owner plans to try to shoot a deer after firing about 10 total shots through it. That's a recipe for a hunting disaster!

Years ago I guided hunters here in Colorado. When we had a hunter with a brand new rifle who hadn't hunted big game, we had them shoot at least a box of ammo spread over offhand, kneeling, and sitting with their new gun. We were looking to determine whether they could handle their gun safely and proficiently enough to hit a deer at 100 yards.

Interestingly, a few nimrods weren't able to pass our rudimentary test! Those I remember were outfitted with magnums: either a Weatherby 300, a Weatherby 375 or a 338 magnum.

In each case, after they couldn't pass our test, we lent them a gun: a 30-06 or 270. The nimrods were all successful with our dialed down guns both in passing our test and bagging their deer or elk.
 
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Curious: isn't there a caliber/gun that shoots 2 or 3 different sized cannon balls, er, cartridges, that Ruger or someone has? That's why I liked the .32FM, the .357/.38, .44 spl. & mag, etc. Several octanes to burn in the same engine.
I can handle the sledgehammer against my palm but my middle finger must know that it's not going to get shattered by the trigger guard.


The 460XVR can shoot 45Colt, 454 Casull and 460S&W - so you have a choice. Just be sure to clean chambers well if you shoot the shorter cased ammo.

Additionally, like all the big magnums, if you reload for them they are extremely versatile.
 
Once I found a set of rubbers to keep my shooting hand middle finger from shattering

I don't know what grips you have, but the Houge Rubber Tamer Grips work real well on my Ruger SRH .44 Mag. No more shooting hand middle finger knuckle pain with these. :D

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Sounds like it's sighted in.

What disturbs me is that the gun's owner plans to try to shoot a deer after firing about 10 total shots through it. That's a recipe for a hunting disaster!

Oh, it's definitely sighted it. But this 'nimrod' actually called me at 0800 this morning and asked me to come over to help him track a deer that he shot yesterday afternoon with his (scoped) .460 Bushmaster. He said it was a 60-yard shot and the deer ran off. We went to the area where he said the deer was. I found a drop of blood and some WHITE hair. Confidence is LOW. We tracked what very little blood drops we could find but I've been to this dance many times before helping guys track deer they've wounded. It makes me sick. So, after a couple of hours of tracking/searching (because it's the humane thing to do), we came up empty.

I told him maybe he should consider taking up fishing.
 
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