Accuracy

[ss1]

Looking at a 1911 for carry,
A Smith and Wesson 3" or 4.5 and the Ruger 4.25"
At what length does Accuracy degrade in these pistols?

 

[Ringo]

Looking at a 1911 for carry,
A Smith and Wesson 3" or 4.5 and the Ruger 4.25"
At what length does Accuracy degrade in these pistols?

I believe accuracy degrades with anything shorter than 4.25". I often carry the S&W Scandium 1911 4.25", wouldn't trade it for anything.
Link Removed

 

[walknotinfear]

The longer the better (That is what my wife says).

 

[Firefighterchen]

For what it's worth, besides my p238, I've never been able to shoot short barrels (<3.5") very accurately passed 15 yards (com was easy but bullseye shooting was out of the question)...until I shot the XDS. I am able to repeatedly hit a 4" x 4" steel plate out to 50 yards with the 3.3" barrel which has now got me to believe in accuracy with short barrels if the firearm is right for you.

 

[apvbguy]

for most SD purposes you really don't need to be shooting at things that are more than a few feet away, most weapons are accurate enough to hit an 8 inch plate at 15 feet or so, remember for SD purposes the shots don't need to be pretty they need to be effective.
If you are interested in target shooting for accuracy the longer the barrel usually means better accuracy
YMMV

 

[ss1]

Thank You.
This piece will be for carry, So conceal-ability is in the top spot, But will be utilized for target, for practice.

 

[gunnerbob]

Within 15ft... you probably won't notice much difference between these options, if training like you should be (quick draw, point shooting, etc.) so it is more about comfort and conceal-ability. Well, given you can shoot it well enough that is. Best thing to do: Go try them all out, then decide.

 

[ss1]

Went to the local store tried out the 4.5 and the 3" but they they had limited holsters to try and they did not feel comfortable
So still contemplating, But leaning towards the 3". Felt a little better,
Was good to actually try them out.

 

[jcreek]

Looking at a 1911 for carry,
A Smith and Wesson 3" or 4.5 and the Ruger 4.25"
At what length does Accuracy degrade in these pistols?

There isn't any cutoff point at which a gun all of a sudden becomes less accurate. If a gun was all of sudden accurate at 4.25" then there would be no need for rifles with barrels longer than that. Progressively, the shorter the barrel the less accurate it will be. At handgun and specifically SD distances, usually between 0-10yds, in a quality pistol the difference will be so negligible so you won't notice it shooting from a supported position. However a few different factors (weapon-related and human come into play.

As far as weapon related factors, sight radius and trigger characteristics play a role. The shorter the sight radius, the greater the margin of error. The heavier and longer the trigger, the less accurate it will be when shooting unsupported. Off a bench, I can shoot my .357 J-frame with a 12lb trigger and 1 7/8in barrel just as accurately at 10yds as I can with my 5in, 3.5lb 1911. The same is not true when shooting unsupported and quickly while running SD drills.

With humans, shooter stability is a big factor. With a shorter barrel, the effect any movement or hand wobble has is going to be amplified, thereby affecting accuracy.

 

[whodat2710]

I have found that practice more than anything contributes to accuracy. I have an assortment of barrel lengths, but I am more accurate with my primary carry gun (LC9) which only has a 3.12" barrel since I practice with it regularly. My BUG (LCP) only has a 2.75" barrel, but I can hit center mass consistently out to about 5yds. Because of it's intended use (up close and personal) I don't even practice with it beyond that. The indoor range I go to is only 10yds (old building) and this was with the LC9 at 10yds.
Link Removed
This was deliberate target shooting after hundreds of rounds with the gun. Now that I know I can, I don't waste much ammo target shooting with it.

 

[walknotinfear]

Practice makes perfect.




Fast Glock 35 Magazine Exchange. - YouTube

 

[JCliff]

:biggrin:

Practice makes perfect....

.
As Vince Lombardi once said, "only perfect practice makes perfect.":biggrin:

 

[AndeyHall]

I used a 5" 1911 for my CWP class and my buddy used a 3" 1911 in the same class. Both of our targets had one big hole in the center. So for self defense purposes, I doubt barrel length is going to be of any concern. And for our qualification, he got some of us guys to go out to 30 yards for a few shots and we were both still tagging towards the center pretty good. I'd say with enough practice you could get as good with a 3" as some are with a 4.25"