"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Matt Barrow wrote:

"W P Dixon" wrote in message
...

I believe Mr Whiting is speaking of a standard issue 1911 Colt .45.
Which
does have an awful pattern even at 50 yards.


Mine is a Springfield Armory, with a bit of trigger work and my onw
reloads.
At 50 yards through a Ransom rest it shoots about a 4-5" group. The load
I
use has been tweaked for this particular gun and it's had a couple
thousand
rounds through it.

Mine is a Colt (I believe series 70, but can't remember for sure) that
is factory stock and it only groups 3-4" at 25 yards off a sandbag (I
don't have access to a machine rest. I'd say I could hit a 12" pie
plate at 100 yards maybe 50% of the time if I was shooting off a
sandbag. Shooting off-hand would probably lower than to less than 25%
of the time. That was my point.

I shoot offhand, but brace against the support beams for the roof cover at
our range. I never could get comfortable shooting a pistol off sandbags.
Rifles, though, are a different story.

My Super Blackhawk is much more accurate and will group about 2" at 25
yards, but even that would have a pretty low hit rate at 100 yards,
especially shooting off-hand and at a 12" target moving at 80 MPH or more!

I have a Wilson Combat KZ45 which is even more accurate, but much more
expensive. Also, you probably won't get optimal accuracy with factory ammo.
They'll be good, but not your smallest groups.

There are some mods that can be
done, as in with some of the new modified 1911's. Which very few of
those
are "real" 1911's, but aftermarket copies.


The term "1911" is for any version of the original J.M. Borwning design.

True, but very few short of match tuned will shoot less than 12" at 100
yards with factory ammo.

I haven't bought factory ammo (other than for carry/defense, or .22's) in
probably 30 years. My load of choice is 5.4grains of WW-231 behind a Montana
Gold 200gr JHP, using WW military match brass.

A Kimber 1911 come to mind. Which
is a very nice weapon with alot better patterns than it's old standard
US
military version. Just a good old Colt .45! Great for close combat, but

not

a reach out and touch someone kind of weapon.


Which is the point I made about a .44 Mag being much better at 100 yards
and
further.

Could I hit a Cessna 150 at 100 yards? Sure. Every time? Probably not.

The point wasn't to hit a 150, but to hit something the size of a
pilot's head!

I doubt the dirtbag was aiming for a head shot; hitting the plane was
intentional/basic skill, hitting the guy in the head was coincidental.

Hitting a 150 that was sitting still would be trivial.
Hitting one that was moving at 80 MPH would be tougher, but not
impossible to be sure. To consisently hit a spot the size of a human
head, would be nigh on impossible.

Like I said, I doubt he was trying for a head shot.