Sighting in a gun: handheld vs. rested on bags.

[andyo5]

I have recently noticed that my method of sighting in a gun may not be the best. I normally rest the gun on sandbags, usually with the gun's muzzle or trigger guard resting against the top bag. I shoot for group size and also use this method to determine the correct windage and elevation settings for adjustable rear sights.
But I noticed lately with my fixed sight Peacemaker that although this method showed it shooting low and left, when handheld the gun was shooting dead on. I recently tried two of my Model 686s that had already been adjusted. This time, I rested my hand against the bag instead of the gun, so no part of the gun touched the bags. I found that both were shooting high. And when I readjusted the sights using the new method, I was able to hit the steel plates with much better frequency.
Has anyone else found this to be true?

 

[kraigwy]

I don't care what my gun will do from the bench. I don't shoot from the bench, I shoot standing up holding the gun with one/two hands.

So if I'm going to sight in a pistol/revolver (or rifle for that matter) I sight it in the way I'm going to shoot it.

The groups may not be the smallest, but they are where I want them.

I shoot a lot of action style matches, so what I like to do, is shoot the gun, reload a couple times and shoot those loads as well. So my groups contain 18-24 rounds.

I divide up the targets drawing a line from 12 to 6 and 3 to 9. Count the rounds in each quarter, then adjust the sights until I can get an equal number of hits in each quarter.

Then I figured I'm sighted in to what ever style I'm shooting.

Same with rifle. I shoot High Power and CMP-GSM matches. I do the same thing, not 3 or 5 round groups, but 10-20 from the position I'm going to shoot in a match.

Like I said, I don't get the small groups I would get from a sand bagged bench, but I get a more accurate - honest zero that matches how I'm going to shoot the gun.

 

[OKFC05]

With a handgun, the usual method is to rest your forearms on the sandbags, not the gun. The gun will tend to shoot away from any object it rests on.

 

[Biginge]

Plus 1 on CraigWy. I ,too, shoot action and don't really care that three are in one hole at X yds downrange. If my pistol shoots to point of aim and I miss, I am the one to blame. Many folks I shoot with want the small groups shooting from a rest. A rest is not a real world scenario. It is kinda like taking your blood pressure while laying down. In mho only. I find that the more I practice the better I get (with much room for improvement I might add).

Regards
Bill

 

[webley green]

I've really never had any luck trying to use a pistol rest or sand bag with my handgun. I shoot bullseye and plates/pins and use a double hand hold during zeroing in. I did learn it pays me to shoot the first ones real close, adjusting the sights to get the groups where they need to be and then move back, again, shooting groups. I've recently started shooting black powder handgun, both at 25 and 50 yards. Those 50 yard targets can be humbling.

 

[one eye joe]

DO NOT rest the barrel of any weapon on a sandbag when sighting in. The barrel has certain harmonic movement when fired w/o support. The weapon must be sighted to allow that movement to occur unhampered.

 

[andyo5]

Thanks, all. You are confirming that I am on the right track. I did not realize until recently that resting the gun on the bag would alter the point of impact downrange. I'm sure glad to be finding this out.
Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

[Ed45]

I don't care what my gun will do from the bench. I don't shoot from the bench, I shoot standing up holding the gun with one/two hands.

So if I'm going to sight in a pistol/revolver (or rifle for that matter) I sight it in the way I'm going to shoot it.

The groups may not be the smallest, but they are where I want them.

I shoot a lot of action style matches, so what I like to do, is shoot the gun, reload a couple times and shoot those loads as well. So my groups contain 18-24 rounds.

I divide up the targets drawing a line from 12 to 6 and 3 to 9. Count the rounds in each quarter, then adjust the sights until I can get an equal number of hits in each quarter.

Then I figured I'm sighted in to what ever style I'm shooting.

Same with rifle. I shoot High Power and CMP-GSM matches. I do the same thing, not 3 or 5 round groups, but 10-20 from the position I'm going to shoot in a match.

Like I said, I don't get the small groups I would get from a sand bagged bench, but I get a more accurate - honest zero that matches how I'm going to shoot the gun.

Practically speaking, no one could argue with your approach and I agree. I do like to shoot a new or newly modified gun from a rest the first time to assess its inherent precision and get a feel for what is doing. From there on, I follow the same practical approach that you do.

 

[TSQUARED]

I never rest the barrel on the sandbag only the frame with my hands wrapped around it.

 

[Joni_Lynn]

With some guns resting the butt of the gun will cause vertical stringing. When I shoot from a bench I do so with my forearms rested across something.

 

[Smith357]

I don't use a rest other than leaning up against something. All my handgun ammo is tested and sight in is done off hand. I sight in a hunting rifle from a rest using a clean cold bore zero, or my small bore target rifle with a seasoned bore.