Accuracy of single action revolvers vs “modern” style pistols.

[bripro]

I currently have one single action revolver, a Virginian dragoon 357 with 7 1/2 inch barrel. I am on the fence about picking up a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 10 1/2 barrel since I seem to be on a run acquiring 44s. The thing that’s keeping me from looking harder into that is the fact that I feel I just can’t shoot my single action as accurately as my modern style pistols. My long barrel revolvers produce groups I am proud of but the Dragoon is a different story.
The obvious place to put the blame would be on the different grip style or the gun itself. I’ve done research on the Virginian Dragones and they’re generally considered quite accurate. I’ve also watched some tutorials on grip technique for single actions so I’m not going at this blindly.
While I figure this out I would love to know, from the forum, how you fare when you bounce back to the single actions after long runs with your Sigs, CZs, Glock’s, etc, etc.

[raxar]

Your gun is from the 70's, a modern gun is going to be made with a lot more precision. That being said my 80's era blackhawk .45lc will shoot as well as any of my other pistols

[DucatiRon]

Your title says it all. Single action is almost always harder to keep accurate because of usually a longer harder trigger pull than a double action.

Shoot a modern revolver in single action and I would bet you have similar groups. Keep in mind that is with out a trigger job. I'm talking crappy factory trigger.

[bamboomaster]

Umm, not sure if you're talking about cartridge or black powder.

Others may disagree with my preference and I'm fine with that. But the missus and I participate in a black-powder pistol shoot every year using our black powder Ruger Old Army .45's. If you know how to reload them, they shoot as accurate as a Wilson Combat - well, at least out to 20 yds. which is the distance at which we compete.

FWIW, I do use Hornady .457 round balls (which I sort by weight - yes, that means five boxes and weighing each bullet then segregating them in different 3x5 inch plastic bags), the correct primers, 18-21 grns. 3F powder, filling each cylinder to 1/4 inch below the top with corn meal, seat the bullet, and a dab of Bore Butter over each cylinder. While they have six cylinders, we only load five at a time for safety issues.

At last year's shoot, the missus beat me despite my having a 50-3x an a 50-2x on my two best targets.

Practicing dry-firing - say 100x per day at least two weeks before your match - seriously helps reduce the size of your groups. No need to pull the trigger and mash the nipples, just work on stance, breath control, acquiring the target, pretending to press the trigger, and follow-through.

You'll be good to go...

[cdi]

Long, slow heavy hammer fall does not help single action revolver design.
The Virginian series of revolvers were also not especially noted for their precision or quality.

[SgtRecon]

I will compare single actions to "modern" revolvers. I have a ruger Blackhawk 6.5" 41 Mag and a S&W M657 41 Mag Mountain gun 4". while the ruger was bought used and a bit weathered, I can not get it to shoot as nice as the Smith, although I have not experimented with it as much to find that sweet load as I have done with the 657. Im focusing more finding nice loads with the Henry 41 Big Boy recently acquired. I will hunt with the Ruger as a companion to the Henry before I take the 657 afield just because levers and SA's belong together. but the Smith I feel will always have the better SA trigger and accuracy. Single actions can be capable of amazing accuracy, several friends of mine have many good shooting SA's, I am still chasing my tail
cant get the ruger anywhere close to this :
20170507_165129.jpg

although I'll admit, this is my mouse fart load of 7.0 grains of Unique under a Berrys plated 210 grain (@ 15 yards). my business load of 20 gr H110 and hornady 210 gr XTP HP tend to spread a bit more along with the recoil

[Gunsnwater]

Your title says it all. Single action is almost always harder to keep accurate because of usually a longer harder trigger pull than a double action.

Shoot a modern revolver in single action and I would bet you have similar groups. Keep in mind that is with out a trigger job. I'm talking crappy factory trigger.

Is this Opposite Day?

[Gunsnwater]

Long, slow heavy hammer fall does not help single action revolver design.
The Virginian series of revolvers were also not especially noted for their precision or quality.

I guess flintlocks got me over that stuff without noticing.

[abner13]

Didn't see very many auto-pistols when I competed in metallic silhouette shooting. Saw probably better than 50% single action revolvers , including a few Virginian Dragoons.

[rkrcpa]

My first thought was IHMSA also. The single action revolver proved itself at 200m.

This is 6 shots at 25 yards from a 41 mag Blackhawk. Seems accurate enough to me.