Shooting .36 Navies at 100 yards and other fun..

[Whughett]

I feel like once you get past 50 yards , hitting with a handgun really becomes a game of skill

By his Book “SixGun” Elmer Keith was a master at it. He illustrates a prone on the back cocked knee as a rest for long range shooting with his 44’s. There’s a chapter on it and how much over hold at what yardage he used to shoot coy dogs and others. I might add he mentions misses as aim correction points.

 

[CyrusP]

Great posts on my favorite type of shooting! Love long range handgun with unmentionables and can’t wait to do it with cap and ball beauties! I’m a huge Elmer Keith/Skeeter Skelton fan. Keep it coming everyone!

 

[Stantheman86]

Great posts on my favorite type of shooting! Love long range handgun with unmentionables and can’t wait to do it with cap and ball beauties! I’m a huge Elmer Keith/Skeeter Skelton fan. Keep it coming everyone!

I do it because it's easier to pack a couple wheelguns than a 40" Rifle-Musket , and I find some odd fun in popping at targets from 100-300 with big revolvers

Steel swingers are my favorite , I set one up at 100 and just leisurely pop away at it

 

[Malamute]

By his Book “SixGun” Elmer Keith was a master at it. He illustrates a prone on the back cocked knee as a rest for long range shooting with his 44’s. There’s a chapter on it and how much over hold at what yardage he used to shoot coy dogs and others. I might add he mentions misses as aim correction points.

Great posts on my favorite type of shooting! Love long range handgun with unmentionables and can’t wait to do it with cap and ball beauties! I’m a huge Elmer Keith/Skeeter Skelton fan. Keep it coming everyone!

I do it because it's easier to pack a couple wheelguns than a 40" Rifle-Musket , and I find some odd fun in popping at targets from 100-300 with big revolvers

Steel swingers are my favorite , I set one up at 100 and just leisurely pop away at it

Keith was my inspiration for trying longer distance shooting with pistols. I read all his old magazine pieces back in the day and his books. Many misunderstand how to hold the sights and try "holding over" with the same sight picture they use at closer distances (tops of sights even) only "aiming higher" over the target. It can be done that way but its harder to do consistently and at various places that arent your normal favorite or familiar range. Holding the front sight and target the same, and lowering the rear sight in relation to the front is the generally preferred method in longer ranger iron sighted pistol shooting. Hitting an 18" plate at 300 yards isnt that tough once one gets a feel for it.

Im hoping to get the 3rd Dragoon out and shoot at our 300 yard plate. I may try the Navy also, but the smaller bullets are harder to see the hits unless conditions are just right.

Our shooting spot with 300 and 600 yard plates indicated. Various rocks at around 200 yards are also great pistol targets. About 3/4 or more of my pistol shooting over the past 15 or so years had been here, mostly at the 300 yard plate, and mostly one handed just to try getting it figured out.

 

[Bibs]

I shocked my friend when I was hitting steel at 300 with my .30 Blackhawk which really is a "hand rifle "

300 yards is very impressive from a 7 1/2" barrel. What ammo were you shooting?

 

[CyrusP]

Keith was my inspiration for trying longer distance shooting with pistols. I read all his old magazine pieces back in the day and his books. Many misunderstand how to hold the sights and try "holding over" with the same sight picture they use at closer distances (tops of sights even) only "aiming higher" over the target. It can be done that way but its harder to do consistently and at various places that arent your normal favorite or familiar range. Holding the front sight and target the same, and lowering the rear sight in relation to the front is the generally preferred method in longer ranger iron sighted pistol shooting. Hitting an 18" plate at 300 yards isnt that tough once one gets a feel for it.

Im hoping to get the 3rd Dragoon out and shoot at our 300 yard plate. I may try the Navy also, but the smaller bullets are harder to see the hits unless conditions are just right.

Our shooting spot with 300 and 600 yard plates indicated. Various rocks at around 200 yards are also great pistol targets. About 3/4 or more of my pistol shooting over the past 15 or so years had been here, mostly at the 300 yard plate, and mostly one handed just to try getting it figured out.

View attachment 136743

I could not agree more with everything you said. I lived in the desert of Las Vegas NV 26 years back and there is NOTHING like the feedback of a bullet splash in dry dirt to correct your aim. Drop that rear sight and lob them in!

 

[Malamute]

I lived in Las Vegas NV for a while 25+ years back and there is NOTHING like the feedback of a dry dirt bullet splash to correct ones aim.

I could not agree more with everything you said. I lived in the desert of Las Vegas NV 26 years back and there is NOTHING like the feedback of a bullet splash in dry dirt to correct your aim. Drop that rear sight and lob them in!

It was a regular part of our shooting in Az in the 80s, I did it some when I moved north, then met quite a few people that were actively shooting distance with pistols. I decided to try shooting one handed with pistols and offhand with rifles almost exclusively for most of my practice about 16 or 18 years ago after knowing a guy that was absolutely phenomenal at it.

The distance shooting sounds like voodoo or phony balony to some, but Ive shown quite a few people how to do it and within about 5 minutes or less they can generally get hits on steel pretty easily, especially at our old plate in Az that was 18w x 36h. The trick is doing it consistently, which takes practice and very close attention to all the fundamentals of shooting. Most throw some wild shots at first, then focus and start walking them in. Its a great thing seeing the huge grin of someone that did it for the first time after thinking its not possible or they couldnt do it.

 

[Stantheman86]

300 yards is very impressive from a 7 1/2" barrel. What ammo were you shooting?

I had Tulammo .30, that gun loves it

 

[Coinneach]

Wild Bill Hickok kill Tutt at 75 yards with a .36 right here in Missouri.

And some rumours had it that ol Bill was short sighted !
There's plenty of us wouldn't mind being that "short sighted" if it came to a snap shot in an emergency.

 

[jimhallam]

I agree, the guns are entirely capable at 75 or 100 yard, either Dragoons or Navies.

The info ive seen is the engraved Navies Hickok is best know for were made in 1868. I dont know if thats the ones in the Autry Museum or the Cody Museum. I did find the pics of the ones in the Cody museum, its interesting that one has a dovetailed front sight, possibly he wasnt satisfied with the point of impact of that individual gun. Ive seen others so done in the Cody Museum, i think it was a somewhat common modification.

Rosas information mentions other Navies he had before the engraved ones. They may have been standard blued guns, but I havent seen any info about them other than the basic mention that he had one or more in an earlier period.

I found the pics, btw,

View attachment 136586

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View attachment 136588

I note that the display label says "SAID to be a pair" -- -- I wonder whether that was wishful thinking? Is there any hard provenance to many / most of the firearms claimed to have been owned by the famous?

 

[Stantheman86]

I note that the display label says "SAID to be a pair" -- -- I wonder whether that was wishful thinking? Is there any hard provenance to many / most of the firearms claimed to have been owned by the famous?

I'm sure some facts are stretched , Bill was probably gifted many firearms

Like trying to figure out what pistols Custer was carrying at Little Big Horn

 

[Oldhickory]

The Colt .36 Navy becomes a much more accurate long range shooter when you pair the cylinder bore to the barrel groove diameter. Ask Gary Barnes about this combination. I had my Navy reamed to a .375 from whatever factory diameter and got a more harmonious outcome with conical bullets.

 

[Stantheman86]

I also need to try this shoulder stock out

 

[windini]

View attachment 137022

I also need to try this shoulder stock out

Did that come from Poland? I seem to recall a company/person over there having some, but they weren't obviously available in the US.

 

[Stantheman86]

Did that come from Poland? I seem to recall a company/person over there having some, but they weren't obviously available in the US.

I got it from Cimarron probably 4 years ago when they still actually had things in stock, it's a copy of the skeleton stock for the Buntline Peacemaker

 

[Whitworth]

I'm a big Navy fan, a Dragoon would be a pain to belt carry but if I went looking for a fight.......I'd prefer my Dragoon for power. Since I want to hit who I was shooting at I would take my Navy which I shoot best and would be faster handling. Better a solid hit with a .36 than a loud miss with .44 A .36 ball slipped between the 5th and 7th ribs on the side would be a lungs and heart shot. No mention is made of an exit wound, again pointing to the lower powered .36. It obviously missed the spine since Tutt ran a bit after being shot, I doubt a Dragoon would have been a much faster killer with that type shot. Just like the same shot with a 9mm or .45, dead is dead, just might take a wee bit longer. YMMV

 

[NorthFork]

I absolutely love my pair of accidental Schneider and Glassick replica Piettas. Pietta did not intend to actually make replica of the S/G. They were being 'cheap' and we all happened to notice the similarity.

 

[Stantheman86]

I absolutely love my pair of accidental Schneider and Glassick replica Piettas. Pietta did not intend to actually make replica of the S/G. They were being 'cheap' and we all happened to notice the similarity.

The more I shoot them, the more I love them.

 

[Boston Bill]

Surprising what can be done at 100yds with a pistol. My 75 yard "Davis Tutt target is a hanging steel plate ,human sized from top of head to the knees. I enjoy banging away with my Colt Navy like Bill Hickok

My 75 yard "Davis Tutt target is a hanging steel plate ,human sized from top of head to the knees: Did you make it or buy it?

 

[Whitworth]

My 75 yard "Davis Tutt target is a hanging steel plate ,human sized from top of head to the knees: Did you make it or buy it?

Made it from a scrounged industrial steel step. It hangs from a repurposed wooden cross armed Real Estate sign holder.