3 Screw .357 accuracy woes.

[shootin-blanks]

I have an old worn three screw in the safe, picked up long ago.. Thought I would load up some ammo and give it some range time last weekend.
A dinner plate @ 25 yards was mostly safe. I had loaded up some SNS coated .358 158 FN over 7.6g of WSF. I also tried some factory, with the same results.
They shot minute of clay-bird @ 50yd out of my JM Marlin .357 rifle.
I was getting 1400 out of the rifle and 1200 from the pistol.

I have shot 100k's of rounds out of a 2011/1911 competing in USPSA for 17+ years.. While the Ruger doesnt have a 2# trigger or the fit of a good 1911 barrel, I has mortified by how it shot.

I can easly push the .358s thru the cleaned cylinder in 4 of the holes. two require low to medium force. None will fall thru by just dropping them in.

The crown looks pretty crappy, I have Manson crown kit, but the 11 degree cutter cant reach the rifling as it is/was a 45 degree crown. I called and they don't make an inside 45 degree cutter for the kit.....I got it close, but not enough to clean things up.

Suggestions?

thanks
Scott

 

[contender]

I too shoot USPSA & have for decades. And I own a range. But quite often,, people who are unfamiliar with a SA handgun,, aren't as "accurate" as they thought they were. (Just like I thought I was a pretty good gun handler until I tried USPSA in 1998.) I see it often in dedicated USPSA shooters when I break out a SA handgun after a match to let them try one.

Here is where I would start.

Buy a quality factory JHP 158 grn .357 load.
Then take the Ruger & clean it completely. Especially the bore & chambers.
Find a person who shoots a SA handgun a lot & let them shoot it for accuracy.

If it still shoots poorly,, THEN start looking at the mechanics of WHY it may be inaccurate.

 

[bisleyfan41]

Agree with Contender.

1911s and 2011s with tuned triggers cant be fairly compared to single action Rugers with a factory trigger.

Also, the Ruger just may not like the loads you're using. Each gun is unique. What works in your Marlin may perform terribly in the Ruger. Or vice versa.

In a perfect world, it would be neat and tidy if you could come up with one load that would shoot across every gun in a caliber. Reality says otherwise. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

[Richard76]

you also may try putting the pistol in a clamp of some sort to determine if it gun or you.

 

[ADP3]

It's a long shot but after a steady diet of jacketed ammo you can often get significant copper buildup in the barrel. Try a good copper solvent followed by a penetrating oil to get the solvent residue out (so it doesn't etch the bore). Just use a jag and patches, don't use a bronze bristle brush although a nylon brush works okay, and clean until the patch doesn't come out blue-green. Accuracy often improves after the copper buildup is gone. Good luck.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[rmc25]

Barrel buildup is bad. Say that 3 times fast. A gun novice friend showed me his newly acquired single action complaining he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it. Turns out the previous owner shot soft lead bullets at max velocity. A Lewis Led Remover AND a lot of work fixed him up. Jacketed or lead - buildup is bad.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

All good suggestions above. Another factor can be your grip. Single actions grip frame shape makes it easy to be inconsistent in the way you grip the gun, especially if you dont shoot them much or often. Find your most comfortable grip and note some "index" points to ensure you are gripping it as consistently as possible from shot to shot.

Or, your gun may have just seen better days. A rebuild could be a fun project, or the basis for a custom sixgun?

 

[41Dude]

I have an old worn three screw in the safe, picked up long ago.. Thought I would load up some ammo and give it some range time last weekend.
A dinner plate @ 25 yards was mostly safe. I had loaded up some SNS coated .358 158 FN over 7.6g of WSF. I also tried some factory, with the same results.
They shot minute of clay-bird @ 50yd out of my JM Marlin .357 rifle.
I was getting 1400 out of the rifle and 1200 from the pistol.

I have shot 100k's of rounds out of a 2011/1911 competing in USPSA for 17+ years.. While the Ruger doesnt have a 2# trigger or the fit of a good 1911 barrel, I has mortified by how it shot.

I can easly push the .358s thru the cleaned cylinder in 4 of the holes. two require low to medium force. None will fall thru by just dropping them in.

The crown looks pretty crappy, I have Manson crown kit, but the 11 degree cutter cant reach the rifling as it is/was a 45 degree crown. I called and they don't make an inside 45 degree cutter for the kit.....I got it close, but not enough to clean things up.

Suggestions?

thanks
Scott

I also had an older Blackhawk with scrubby barrel. Other posters mention good cleaning.
I would also suggest this product. You can cut it up easily into patch sizes for barrel it is not an abrasive. Also works great to remove leading. I have used it for many years. Real happy with it.