Getting To That Accuracy Goal
Developing accuracy with a particular handgun usually requires a series of procedures. I would begin by having the gun tuned up. I want it to have sights, not necessarily adjustable, that are easy to see. And I want it to have a light, clean-breaking trigger; 3-4 pounds is usually about right.

In an autoloading pistol I want the slide rails, barrel, and barrel bushing, if there is one, to be mated for smooth, reliable function.

In a revolver it's important that the chamber throats of the cylinder be very closely matched to the barrel diameter. If I plan to shoot a lot of cast-bullet loads I will also have the barrel throat opened to about 11 degrees. All of these functions will allow a bullet of the proper diameter to travel smoothly from the cylinder through the barrel without distortion.

The next step is to carefully select the ammunition that will be used. The shooter must first decide which bullet weight and velocity he wants and find the most accurate load, factory or handload, in that category. There's no quick fix to this task. You're going to put a lot of lead downrange.

Finally, you become a part of the practical accuracy equation. Make sure you are holding the gun the same way for each shot. It's amazing how much a change of grip can change group size and location. Also, when shooting from sandbags, or any other kind of rest, I don't recommend letting any part of the handgun touch any part of the rest. I hold the handgun in a two-hand hold and rest my forearms on the sandbags. I don't want the gun smacking into anything while I am trying to obtain an accurate group.

Sometimes it's not as much about an accurate handgun as it is becoming a more accurate shot. Several years ago, a handgun manufacturer sent the same .44 Magnum revolver to me, Layne Simpson, and a third writer for gun test articles in our various magazines. None of us knew that we were testing the same gun (I only found out after the fact). In our separate reports Layne and I pretty well scored the .44 Magnum the same.

We used similar ammo, at similar ranges, and obtained similar accuracy results. This was a pretty nice, accurate sixgun. The third writer reported terrible groups and poor accuracy and just really didn't have too much good to say about this particular handgun. I've often wondered if the gun just suddenly got bad or if the writer might have needed to spend a bit more time on the shooting range.

By now you should realize that there are a lot of factors involved in this business of handgun accuracy. And it is not an issue that will be resolved with one 30-minute stint at the shooting range. Start with a fine-tuned, well-fitted handgun. Shoot enough ammo to find the bullet weight and velocity your gun seems to like best. And, finally, develop a personal shooting style that encourages continuity and accuracy.

This search for an accurate handgun will take time at the shooting bench and many trips to the gun range. So, let me see...you're going to go to the range more often, you're going to shoot more ammo and a larger variety of ammo, and you're going to improve your shooting skills. And you're doing all of this for the sake of improving accuracy. If there's a downside to this plan, I can't find it.

See you on the range.