How to test ammunition in a free psitol

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Rover
Posts: 7004
Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2008 4:20 pm
Location: Idaho panhandle

Post by Rover »

I've observed many types of ammo need to be forced to chamber in my Free Pistol. Usually, they are cammed in while loading, not stuffed in with my thumb.

Upon firing they easily extract. So, if it'll go in, it'll come out. If not, that's why they make big hammers.
David M
Posts: 1641
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2004 6:43 pm

Post by David M »

Rover wrote:... that's why they make big hammers.
If you use the big hammer, hit it on the rim and they will come out on their own.
tqb
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2012 8:06 pm
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Post by tqb »

I went to the range on Monday.

Tested all the ammo I mentioned before.
The best were Eley Match and Topshot. But Eley Macth had a better grouping. These made a group with 10 rounds within the center 10 ring.
The other ammo made goups a bit more scathered, even making nines.

One thing is for sure, the pistol is way more acurate than I am. Anything less than a 9 is all my fault.

This means I've got a lot of trainnig to do...
jliston48
Posts: 145
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 12:44 am
Location: Temora, Australia

Post by jliston48 »

tqb wrote:... even making nines.
Discard this ammo immediately - or use it for rapid fire timing practice - not for 50m shooting.
tqb wrote:One thing is for sure, the pistol is way more acurate than I am. Anything less than a 9 is all my fault.
Not quite true!

If the ammo shoots a 9-ring group through a machine rest and you fire a shot that is a "9" that is an 8/9 line shot, then your point of aim would have been anywhere in a circle that is the size of your test group, centred on the "9" you shot, so you could have fired the perfect shot with the sights aligned correctly to shoot a central "10x" or the sights may have been aligned on the 6/7 ring on a line drawn from the target centre through the actual fall of shot to the 6/7 ring when the shot broke.

This does not help your accuracy training at all - nor does it help you when you are trying to learn to "call your shots".

So, with this ammo, if your sights are on the 8/9 ring when the shot breaks, you may produce a "7" or a "10x".

If the ammo tests with a one-hole group, then the shot will land exactly where the sights were aligned and sighted for the shot to land. So the more accurate and consistent the ammo, the better the training (and competition experiences.

Of course, I haven't considered the "feel" or "usability" or cost or availability. These are all secondary to the accuracy/consistency for ultimate performance. Life is full of compromises! There's no way I could train with Eley Tenex or RWS R50 even if they are the best in my pistol (because I can't afford to - but if I were good enough to be training for the Olympics or World Championships or perhaps the Nationals or selection shoots, I would not compromise - I would use them all the time). Otherwise, I would only use them in competition with a few training matches shot with them before the competition for familiarisation.
tqb wrote:This means I've got a lot of trainnig to do...
And so do we all!
David M
Posts: 1641
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2004 6:43 pm

Post by David M »

To be very frank, until you are shooting into the 550's every shoot, don't even bother with ammo testing or using expensive ammo.
550's is 10's and 9's mostly with a few 8's and a 7 is a bad shot.
560's you have you act together with only 1 or 2 8's.
570's just 10's and 9's.
Use reliable ammo that feeds, extracts and feels good, and is in stock.
jliston48
Posts: 145
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 12:44 am
Location: Temora, Australia

Post by jliston48 »

David M and I are basically on the same track.
David M wrote:To be very frank, until you are shooting into the 550's every shoot, don't even bother with ammo testing or using expensive ammo.
But if tqb uses his "9-ring" ammo, he will probably never get to 550!

You must have CONFIDENCE in your equipment. So, the moment you start shooting at a target, you should start to evaluate all your equipment to know what IT can do. Then you can start to evaluate what YOU are doing and be able to monitor your progress (and in the perfect world, record it in your shooting diary).

Once you believe that your performance is being restricted by your equipment or you have lost confidence in your equipment, you need to change things. You may have to buy a pistol that has a better innate level of performance, modify the grips, the sights and/or the trigger characteristics or use ammo that performs better in your pistol, etc - whatever it takes to get your confidence back.

However, like I said in a previous post, life is full of compromises. Your level of commitment will determine the extent to which you will strive to get the equipment that suits you best.

After that, it's just the hours of training - physical, technical and mental!
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