Why is a particular pistol your best and your most accurate?

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R.A.N.G.E.R

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Have to pipe up about my best handgun, it’s a CZ P-07. Between the excellent design, lower recoil of 9mm and factor-x (could this part be my ability?), I’m just plain more accurate shooting that pistol than my other guns. I’ve sent untold paper targets to early graves, often running the target out to 15 yards. I’m sure some of you young folk will laugh at my measly abilities, but remember, I’m an old dog and this is a new trick for me!

At ~45’ I tend to nail a 2” circle with roughly 12 out of 16 (or 17) per mag. It’s taken nearly a 1000 rounds through the P-07 for the trigger to break in and for me to pick it up and then aim in a natural, maybe best shooting position. And with that it surpasses my 96FS, and of course the PK380 that my lass thought would be perfect. Now she loves the Beretta...and I’ve been pushed aside for an Italian! That’s just not right, but I’ll admit that when she takes her time, she is a force to be reckoned with
 
My best and most accurate pistols, of which I have many, are based upon the ideal weight for the caliber and the smoothness of the trigger.

With that said, my 1911s, my S&W 627 8 Shot PC 5” 357 and my S&W 629 7.5” PC 44 Magnums fit that category very nicely.

My Glocks are accurate enough. My CZ SP-01 and Shadow 2 are a lot more accurate.


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There are many characteristics that can make it more accurate for each person.

The most 'normal' components to consider are:
  • Inherent accuracy [if such a thing exists] of the round [.38special gets good marks]
  • length of sight radius for ease of eye alignment.
  • 'feel' in the hand [aka: 'pointability'].
  • quality of muzzle crown
  • quality of trigger and reset. [lightness/crispness/creep issues]
  • type of action [DA/SA, SA, DAO, Striker, etc].
  • smoothness of recoil impulse.
  • recoil power of round [aka: 'kick', etc.]
  • frame/slide material [as relates to recoil 'damping'].


And then, there is the design element:
  • revolver or semi-auto.
  • bore axis height and impact on YOU.
  • delayed recoil or blowback.

And, of course, fatigue/technique/breathing/eye sight quality/psychology all factor in to determining which is my best and most accurate pistol.

It also depends on the day and weather. :)
 
love...….

For me, one gun always seems to be the most accurate, until I pick up another in the collection. Then that one always seems to be more accurate than the last.

This last range visit I took my NEW SP-01 out and right away from 21' I was putting rounds on top of each other, thought to myself "WOW! this is drastically better than my CZ 75B". After a couple hundred rounds I decided to pull my 75B out so it didn't feel neglected. Set the target at 10 yards and put the entire mag in as tight of group as the SP-01.... Couldn't tell you how I did it because im generally not that good but that 75B wasn't gonna let itself get overshadowed by its younger brother.

I always forget about my 1911 now that I have several 9mms and military surplus pistols I don't shoot it much. Every time I do take it out I fall in love all over again. That thing is just so sewing machine smooth that its hard to shoot poorly with it.


There are so many variables that can make a gun a great shooter, most of them previously stated above. But I swear there is an intangible aspect that unless you truly enjoy shooting and taking care of a gun, it wont take care of you.
 
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I would have to say my original S&W m17 K22. From years of carrying and the
thousands of rounds I've put through its my go to 22 handgun. That's a hard
choice because I have target pistols that will outshoot it on the range or at
least shoot as good. I even have other K22s that I can't seem to shoot as well
as my original that I got new in 1964. In fact all my handguns are target grade.
The only 3 guns that don't make this cut are old 3screw Rugers.
 
I wouldn't say that it's accurate to define myself as a trigger snob simply because I can not only shoot and enjoy lousy triggers, I can often enjoy some guns quite a bit with lousy triggers. With that said, however, I have a massive appreciation for fantastic triggers and a phenomenal trigger definitely helps me greatly to wring my best work from a handgun. But it certainly takes more than simply a great trigger.

I have a genuine appreciation for sights that work well for me, that usually means a big Bomar style rear sight with a large blade and a small cut-out that allows precious little light on either side of the front sight blade, and PLEASE make it a solid square black sight -- fiber optic just doesn't jive with me.

Those are the two most important details for me to have the ability to shoot very well, and the third most important is confidence in the handgun and that only comes with familiarity and consistent fantastic shooting with it with few (or no!) blunders.

That 3rd element has proven to be an interesting one for me... I have a couple of handguns that work -SO- well in my hands virtually every time, a session with them just has me oozing with confidence. It trily seems like shooting it well makes me feel like I will shoot it well the NEXT time, too. I have three different pistols I can say are like that for me... my S&W 845, my Tanfoglio Elite Match (9mm) and my Walther GSP-c in .32 Wadcutter.

Of those three, the Tanfoglio either impresses or surprises me the most because it's basically a third or a fourth the price point of the other two, has the worst sights of the three guns and by far the least inspiring trigger of the three. Yet of all the 9mm guns I own, I cannot outshoot that Tanfoglio with another 9mm and that includes a couple elite, expensive 9's.

I also own a few handguns that I simply cannot manage to consistently shoot to their suspected potential-- or for damn sure, I cannot do it consistently. I have a deep, soulful love for my S&W Model 52-2 and can occasionally make an inspiring group with it, but it is horribly difficult to do it with any manner of consistency. Likewise with my 952-1. The pistol seems wholly capable and I can radically outshoot my average production guns with it every time... but with my 52-2 or 952-1, I simply cannot replicate the kinds of groups that seem natural with my 845 or Walther GSP.
 
Beretta PX4
- Fits well, no other guns fits my hand better. Both size and feel to the grip.
- Quality construction
- Full sized, so decent sight radius
- Rotating barrel reduces felt recoil
- DA/SA action - in SA mode light trigger so technique doesn't have to be "perfect."
 
Fits my hand well, big sights, long sight radius, and most importantly a smooth light trigger.

I'm lucky enough to have several that have those attributes. My 7.5" Old Model SBH is probably my favorite of the bunch. I grew up shooting SA revolvers, and they're still my preferred genre.
 
For my most accurate? Several are very accurate for me and others who have given them a try.

My list would be S&W 1911 (modified), XDm, several CZ's, S&W 686 (6").

I find it interesting that others have CZ's as very accurate also. Why is that?

Oh, and I have a bunch of pistols that are not accurate for me or anyone else who has shot them.
 
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All the shooting I do is on the clock, so being able to hit with adequate accuracy, quickly, is more important than absolute mechanical accuracy.

I'd much rather have a gun capable of 4" groups at 25 yards with a great trigger and sights, than one shooting 4" groups at 50 yards with bad ergonomics, bad trigger or tiny sights.

I dabble in DA revolvers, pocket pistols, and a Luger, but the guns I always come back to are 1911s.
I've never had one that held me back due to lack of accuracy.
 
Hard to say. They're all accurate if I have the right ammo and use good shooting techniques.

However, the 92FS fits my hand best and gives me instant sight acquisition at the moment I present it to the target. After that, of course, it's a question of good shooting technique overall.

--Wag--
 
I have a fairly new XD45 5” Tactical Bitone. SA is discontinuing them and they’re available for very low prices right now.

I shoot this gun in a Thursday night pistol league and rarely hit outside the scoring rings.

What makes it so good?
The trigger: After installing a PRP trigger kit and a trigger stop I fabricated,, the pull is very smooth with a fine “surprise break”. I can feel it sliding, but I like that. Somehow it gives me more control than a glass-rod break. Not sure why; maybe from all the years shooting DA revolvers in competition.
The sights: Nice, clean 3-dot sight picture. Yeah, it shoots a bit low and I’ll probably install an adjustable sight at some point, but holding a couple of inches high is no trouble at all.
Sight radius: With the 5” barrel, it’s easy to minimize group size.
Reliability: 100%. With my load (230 gr FMJ / 4.0 gr of Clays) it’s flawless.
Very soft shooting: Using the above load, the gun hardly rises and bounces right back on target. A sharper recoil will sometimes make me blink, but I can shoot this gun fast and accurately with both eyes open and watch the sights dance.

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/Japle/p/3b58cfb8-84fd-4ee6-85f5-ae76173c3ed2
 
My S&W mod 66 is my most accurate. In my younger (and not so bright) days I could shoot sparrows out of trees over 100 feet away.

Why?
Good grip design
Trigger job/SA pull weight
6" barrel
Tailored handloads

I like the trigger pull for target shooting but it's way too light for anything else.
 
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My most accurate pistol is my Ruger Mark IV 22/45 with all Volquartsen upgrades. The only thing left Ruger is the frame. I've shot sub 1 inch groups at 25 yards with it from a sandbag rest.

It's my Steel Challenge gun and has really helped me get my times back to what I use to be able to shoot before all my health issues.
 
For "most accurate", several things come into play.

A couple years ago, I was able to hit styrofoam chunks at 50 yds with a Star Modelo B Super, in 9mm. I was hitting at close to the same % as with my High Standard 22, which I would rate as high praise for any centerfire pistol.

I'd attribute that to the following:
  • good mechanical accuracy- the barrel was good, the ammo didn't drift around.
  • Long sight radius- it's a 5" barrel
  • good mechanical fit- the slide glides smoothly, as nice as my Berettas
  • Nice, crisp and light trigger
  • good weight to the gun, minimizing flip

Not long ago, I went to an indoor range and was bouncing florescent plastic bottles (they let us use them as targets) at about 15 yds, fairly rapidly with a Daewoo DP 51.
Different circumstances, would say the following applied:
  • Nice 3-dot sights with good visability, very easy to pick up on
  • again, good light trigger
  • again, good mechanical accuracy, the bullets went to where the front sight was
  • nice balance and ergonomics- gun handled recoil well, quickly back on target

Rapid 3 rd series, 10 yds, putting all tightly into a small group on-target-
I'd say my pre B CZ 75 slightly outperformed my old Sig P226 and Beretta 92FS, as well as some others.
  • Best controlled recoil
  • best pure point from grip- meaning this was the gun I had to aim the least, that was most on target naturally by simple pointing
  • best trigger reset of the good pointers, in my case

I've got others, each has their own high points. Got a S&W 915 with a good trigger job, has the best trigger reset I've got. CZ is maybe 2nd to that one, and probably ahead of my 39-2.
But the S&Ws don't stay on target like some of the others, not for me. Nor do I find the best mid-to-longer range accuracy from them.

I can't rapidly fire the Star B Super.

The Sig and Beretta both run very well, just not quite with the CZ. Just my case. The funky Daewoo hangs in there with all of them.

Have a Star 30MI that also runs well. Good sights, the mass of the pistol quashes any recoil. Trigger isn't as conducive as the others, but if I do my part it is VERY accurate.

For me, think the common themes are metal frame (seems to absorb recoil and just feels "better"), good ergonomics (I have factory rubber grips on the CZ and Star 30MI, with Hogue rubber grip panels on the Beretta, and Uncle Mike's rubber grips on the Sig).
And a good trigger; for me and me alone, I prefer SA from a DA/SA with a little pivot. That seems to be the best trigger action for me. Bang, slight rock to reset, bang, repeat.
 
6" Taurus 66, bought new, mid 80's. .38 148 wadcutters and it's almost impossible to miss. Balance. It's a copy of the S&W model 19 K frame. Balance with a 6" barrel for target... for me, it's perfect.
 
Why is a particular pistol your best and your most accurate?
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why a particular pistol is my "best" and most accurate is simple, It's the best combination of features for the intended purpose, and I shoot it well.

Now, having said that (as Capt'n Obvious...) which pistol is "best" depends on a lot of different things. And so does "most accurate" and they are not always the same things.

How do you define both?? Most folks will define most accurate as shooting the smallest groups. And that's a fine definition.

My most accurate pistols are Contenders and my XP-100. :D
Better (smaller) groups than any of my others, generally, due to several factors, including outstandingly good triggers. Decent iron sights, scopes and red dot too mean they are easy to shoot accurately.

But they aren't the "best" pistol for defensive use, or regular carry.

My Colt Agent .38 is my best "drop in my pocket just in case" pistol, My Desert Eagle .44Mag? Not so much...

That same Desert Eagle, or Super Blackhawk is a fine gun for hunting deer, my Mauser HSc .32acp? not so much...

There's more to handgunning than just defensive use. Maybe not as important as protecting your life (after all, what is?) but important to some of us. "Best" is determined by intended use first, then how well the pistol (and you) perform in that role. If they job requires one precise shot at 100yards distance then a "pocket rocket" with a groove down the top for sights isn't the best pistol. If the job is a smooth draw and fast shots at belly to belly distance, then a long barrel large gun (maybe with a scope) isn't the best pistol for that job.

And, then there is the additional class, "best" because its the one I like shooting the most, the one I get the most enjoyment from shooting, which could be either of the ones mentioned above, or something else entirely.

Why is a particular pistol your best and your most accurate?
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seems like a simple question, but the answers get complicated..;)
 
.45 Blackhawk convertible, lighter trigger, better grips and sights. My choice for a SHTF sidearm.


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I own a bunch of pistols and a few revolvers. I'm really not a "good shot" with any of them. I think how well I shoot them depends upon the day, but I'm often surprised that my "cheapest" pistols (Ruger 345 and S&W MP45) shoot better than some of my higher priced ones!
 
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