45 & 200 yards on steel

[DAVIDF]

I was shooting at mine and my range's steel yesterday with my 3 3/4" barreled Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley and my Henry Big Boy Classic. I used my hand loads in both. I recently purchased some 240gr RNFP coated hard cast bullets from Missouri Bullet Company due to Squatch's good results with them. I loaded these with Starline .44 Magnum brass, WLP primers and Red Dot powder. I used a 1.0cc Lee powder scoop which is supposed to be 7.1gr and it appears fairly close to that when measured on my extremely poor scale. OAL of these loads are 1.57" with a light crimp in the crimp groove. I chronographed these yesterday with 10 shots, averaging 1141 fps out of the Henry & 972 fps from the revolver. I really like these bullets so far and it seems to be a fairly accurate load even though they are loaded with the scoop rather than weighing each charge on a good scale. Once I get a good scale, I'll try weighing each charge and see if chronograph and accuracy tests results are any better. In the meantime, I am very happy with this load.

First photo was on my 12" X 20" steel plate at 45 yards with my Bisley offhand. Most of the vertical dispersion was adjusting the sight elevation. The first shots were high and I had to move the rear sight down several clicks.

Second photo is 10 shots at 45 yards, same plate with my Henry. 5 shots sitting on the ground resting my elbows on my knees. The 5 remaining were standing resting my palm on an 4X4 with my thumb supporting the forearm. That was a bit more solid rest than sitting.

Third photo was 10 shots with the Henry standing, no support.

After that I moved to a 100, 200, 300 yard range. I sighted the Henry with this load in at 100 yards off the bench. I had to tap the rear sight a bit to the left and raise the tab in the semi buckhorn just a very tiny amount. That movement was barely visible to my eyes. No photos of this target, but for my last three shots I aimed at the 4" X 4" head section of my steel plate. All three were inside that section, about a 2 1/2" group or so. I was happy with that. I then raised the elevator two notches to the second highest notch. I aimed at the very bottom edge of the 20" tall plate and took a couple of shots, both were over the top, either over the shoulders or head, I could not tell. I figured that based on a ballistics calculator with this load, it should be a bit high at 200 yards.

The last photo is the range's steel plate at 200 yards. It is about the same size as my plate, maybe an inch narrower. I hit it the first attempt and got all excited. Next several were misses that were low, so much for that ballistics calculator (or this 200 yard range is actually longer?). I then started getting some hits if I held two thirds up the plate. I then raised the rear sight to the highest notch on the elevator. By holding on the bottom edge of the plate I got consistent hits. Pretty fun to see the plate swing and then wait to hear the plink Cross winds were pretty high yesterday with the range flag extended a full 90 degrees, but most of the range was not exposed except for a section of 40 or 50 yards.

[BigAl52]

Looks like good shooting to me. Shooting steel always puts a smile on my face. Nothin like ringin that steel. Al

[JEBar]

at 200 yards good shooting indeed ....tip of my cap to you ---

[DAVIDF]

Thank you gentlemen. Second time shooting a rifle at that distance. First time was recently with my AR with a variable power scope set at 4 power. Much easier, particularly since it is so flat shooting compared to my rainbow arc loads. I am quite happy with the results. I'll be taking my wife to the range tomorrow and it will be her day to decide what we are doing. Shooting her Henry .22 is first on her agenda but maybe she'll want to go with me to the 200 yard range and we can give it another try. I think she'll find it very entertaining.

[Sir Henry]

You always know if you hit or miss a steel gong. Great shooting!

[North Country Gal]

Nice work, David. Wish our club range allowed steel targets - we're paper, only - but I do understand the rule from the standpoint of keeping the range under control and properly maintained. We do shoot steel, though, on our backyard air gun range, out to 50 yards and a little beyond. Definitely more fun, and more challenging, too, than shooting paper in some ways. Doing the way you did, namely, shooting from a variety of positions and different distances is definitely better practice for hunting or field shooting, too.

I'm definitely getting antsy to get outside and shoot, but we've been stuck with below zero temps for highs the past few days and not much of a warmup in sight. Please keep those range reports, coming. Reading them helps to warm me up.

[DAVIDF]

Thanks North Country Gal. Your shooting inspires me!

This is a great time of year for Florida. It was in the low 70's yesterday while I was at the range. Some days recently, however, it has still been too warm at the range, very sunny and no shade.

I shoot the Henry way too much off the bench. I need to use different positions more often. I meant to when I moved over to the 100 yard range and forgot. I was focused too much on getting the sights adjusted exactly where I wanted them.

Too bad that your range doesn't allow steel targets. They are a great tool. Mine has recently allowed them on all the different ranges except for a 7 yard pistol and a 50 yard rifle range as long as they are within about 10' of the berms. They have also expanded the number of ranges that pistol caliber rifles/carbines can be used to all of them except one 7 yard pistol range. That makes my Henry even more fun as there are a couple of ranges with plate racks. I tend to stand back from the steel plates and plate racks a bit further than most people on the pistol ranges. Most seem to like to stand only 10 yards away which is the minimum required by the range. I prefer at least 15 yards as even at that distance, I occasionally get some splatter. I also only use my lite 44 loads on the steel. I would be hesitant to use hot 44 loads on the steel at close distances.

[North Country Gal]

Thanks for the nice comment.

10 yards is the recommended minimum distance for shooting at steel targets, but that's generally used for shooting 45 auto, 9mm and other chamberings used in the action sports. I'm with you on the big stuff. I want to be at least twice that distance.

[GFK]

Nice shooting! Looks like fun.

[DAVIDF]

I edited my original post to include velocity of my load from both my Henry and my revolver. I originally specified only one velocity and did not say from which firearm it was chronographed. It is a slow load at about 972 fps out of my revolver and 1141 from my Henry.