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chilic82
02-09-11, 10:50
I am interested in gaining knowledge in this area. I am curious what makes a gun more accurate than another, and what the main lockup points are that contribute to it. Which hanguns seem to exhibit greater mechanical accuracy while maintaining reliability than others? I am looking in the $1000 less class.
Pistol Shooter
02-09-11, 15:37
I am interested in gaining knowledge in this area. I am curious what makes a gun more accurate than another, and what the main lockup points are that contribute to it. Which hanguns seem to exhibit greater mechanical accuracy while maintaining reliability than others? I am looking in the $1000 less class.

I'm no gunsmith so I cannot answer the first part of your question. :(

But if you want suggestions for dead nuts reliable, accurate handguns I can suggest a few.

Anything made by H&K. My first choice.

Beretta 92FS/M9.

S&W M&P series.

Glock products.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

ETA

I've left out 1911's (which I love) because I consider them tinkerer's pistols and generally not nearly as reliable as what I listed.
gillian_seed
02-09-11, 16:33
I'm not a gunsmith either so take this with a grain of salt, but it's my understanding that the most important factor in a handgun's accuracy is the slide to barrel/chamber fit.

Moreover the slide to frame fit is minor when compared to the importance of the barrel and chamber fit (I suppose this makes sense because revolvers and blow back handguns are considered the epitome of accuracy, and their barrels are obviously fixed in place). So the closer the barrel to slide fit can get close to the rigidness of a fixed barrel, the more accurate it will be.

Again, I'm no gunsmith, but this is what I've gathered after years of gleaning information from various internet sources. That said I very well could be wrong, so I look forward from a reply from an expert. :D
BCmJUnKie
02-09-11, 17:28
Thats a good question. Im interested in knowing also. I own an XD. If the above posts are correct and its barrel to slide fit the XD looks good also. The barrel hood has a superb fit to the slide
skyugo
02-10-11, 01:35
HK is probably making the most accurate service handguns out of the box right now.
the P30, hk45, the USPs...
all very accurate. the old p7's are simply exceptional, both due to mechanical accuracy and a great trigger.

Basically you want the slide/barrel to lock up exactly the same every time. Given that the sights are on the slide, this means that the barrel is pointing in the same place every time. There's more to it than that, but in handguns that's pretty much the jist of it. You'll notice a lot of combat type guns have quite a bit of slide/frame play. This seems bad, but keep in mind that the sights control where the bullet points. clearance is generally good for reliability. that's why rattly stuff like glocks and AK's work so good.

now before someone else steps in and asks, is mechanical accuracy really your ultimate goal in a sidearm? Mostly any modern handgun will hold 4" or so at 25 yards with a good shooter.
I'd spend more time figuring out which guns feel good in your hands, and what level of mag/parts/accesory availability and price you want. (hint-glocks are the cheapest easiest guns to keep working)
BCmJUnKie
02-10-11, 11:28
[QUOTE=.
I'd spend more time figuring out which guns feel good in your hands, and what level of mag/parts/accesory availability and price you want. (hint-glocks are the cheapest easiest guns to keep working)[/QUOTE]

Very good. I think people need to think about this more than anything else. What good is the most accurate gun in the world if it doesnt even fit in your hand.
John_Wayne777
02-12-11, 15:47
I did some shooting today with this question in mind, contrasting the H&K P30 (by reputation a very accurate pistol) and a run of the mill Glock 17 (which is much cheaper than the P30) to demonstrate some truths about accuracy.

Using the same ammo, let's compare a 5 shot group fired through each weapon back to back at 25 yards:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMG_20110212_123632.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMG_20110212_123533.jpg

The G17 is equipped with Warren 2 dot night sights. The P30 has Heinie's "quick" sight setup. Those are both slowfire groups going for maximum accuracy offhand. With my best effort, the P30 outscores the Glock 17 by precisely one point.

Now let's look at the results of shooting at a 1" target at 10 yards:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMG_20110212_123409.jpg

The last test I did was shooting at a 2" circle at 25 yards with both weapons back to back.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMG_20110212_124050.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMG_20110212_124411.jpg

At 25 yards with a hard front sight focus and my eyesight, the 2" circles were not visible. I was shooting at more or less where I knew they were on the paper. 5 shots were fired at 5 circles. I managed to hit two circles with each weapon. (I got a little wild on the sights with the Glock on a couple of shots)

So what does this all mean?

That when it comes to accuracy for any reasonable target at any reasonable distance, the $495 dollar Glock designed to be cheap and reliable really isn't holding me back over the more expensive, more mechanically accurate, more meticulously manufactured P30.

...and the results wouldn't change if I was using my expensive custom 1911 with the accuracy guarantee...I would still be the weak link. I may have done slightly better with the more precise sights and the crisp 4.5 pound trigger, but at my best with the expensive custom 1911 I would best the polymer guns which cost fractions of the price of the 1911 by only a point or two. This would be a textbook example of the law of diminishing returns...multiplying the money spent on the weapon does not multiply the accuracy I get out of the weapon.

The simple truth is that unless you buy a specimen that has some sort of problem due to a defect, any decent service grade handgun you pick up will be more than sufficient for any reasonable task as far as accuracy goes. There's nothing wrong with having a weapon that exhibits excellent mechanical accuracy, but there are other factors that are far more important than how tiny the groups are when you are shooting slowfire bullseye. Pick a handgun that is reliable, that fits you well, that is safe, and that you can afford to practice with.

Over time you may find that some weapons suit your purposes better than others, but I doubt you'll ever find that some weapons are simply too inaccurate to be of any use to you.
Pistol Shooter
02-12-11, 16:21
Excellent information as usual JW. :)

Thanks for sharing.
S-1
02-13-11, 18:51
Sorry that this is off subject, but where did you get the PT targets, J-W? I want some!:D
pennzoil
02-13-11, 19:08
Sorry that this is off subject, but where did you get the PT targets, J-W? I want some!:D

Not JW but you can print the targets off pistol training website in the drill section.The one pictured is press 6.

Drills- Good Favorites Material (http://pistol-training.com/drills)
S-1
02-13-11, 19:12
Not JW but you can print the targets off pistol training website in the drill section.The one pictured is press 6.

Drills- Good Favorites Material (http://pistol-training.com/drills)

Thanks... must have missed that when I've gone there.
skyugo
02-13-11, 19:24
cool writeup jw.

the p30 is maybe marginally more accurate, but at that sort of range using a standard service handgun, you're really not going to see a difference.

If i can hold em all on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper at 25 yards i'm happy. that's an a-zone.
pennzoil
02-13-11, 19:24
No problem, Not to derail but that website has helped me improve my pistol shooting drastically since I found it. I need alot of work and far from a great pistol shooter but imho regular reading on that website will help more towards accuracy then an expensive handgun. I used to think it was the gun and now I know it me.:secret: