What are your expectations of your pistol? What should the average
GLOCK< XD< MNP shoot at 25yards? 3 inch group, 5 inch group???
Do you use a rest to test this accuracy?
What should a 1911 Nighthawk or Springfield Pro shoot? 1-3 inches?
Or an HK45 or P30L?
If you have any experiences with these guns, lets hear it? Yes, we all know MNP’s have had issues, but what SHOULD it be?
5 shot group at 25m. Preferably a 2.5’’ group or less.
I consider my handguns accurate when I can consistently hit a 10" steel plate with them at 50yds off hand.
All I need mine to do is reliably allow me to hit an IPSC sized steel target at 100 yards. We regulary do this during our range qualifications and it is very easy with my department issue M&P 40. I have no idea what groups mine shots at 25 yards, because I have never tried. I’m not a big bullseye shooter though so accuracy is a relative term to me.
My understanding of handgun accuracy is of two forms: mechanical. and practical.
In my view, acceptable accuracy for a combat pistol at 25 yards would be 4-5 inch groups.
An accurate combat/ full-size pistol would deliver groups half that size 2" or less.
A Nighthawk, is a very accurate combat type pistol. The GRP .45 ACP model I fired at 50 ft. was grouping around 2.5-3" firing at a rapid pace. At 21 feet the pistol shot a group, one large hole, less than a half-inch.
The most accurate pistols that I have owned were a 1990s produced SIG 220 .45 ACP, SIG 226 9mm, and HK P7M8 9mm.
If you are looking for the most accuracy out of a particular handgun, then be certain to try-out a variety of loads. All guns will usually favor a particular brand/ weight. Federal match rounds are a good place to start in 9mm or .45 ACP.
The HK P7 shot into almost the same hole at 7 yards with German 115gr Geco rounds. I never shot it at 25 yards, but at 50 ft. around an inch.
Shooting the pistol/ handgun off a sand bag or with a ransom rest would provide the best reflection of a gun’s mechanical accuracy. Of course the shooters ability is always a factor.
Very important factor for pistol accuracy is sights radius. I Some very technically accurate pistols are hard to shoot accurately at longer ranges (over 15m) due to short sights radius. Good example is HK P2000SK.
Personally I look for pistol that will allow me to put 10 rounds at 25m (about 27 yard) within 5". P2000SK 9mm is at this limit, HK45C allows me to go down to same 4". With HK P30L 9mm it is about 3". Same performance I had with STI 2011 in .40SW. I think that for combat purposes 5" at 25 yard is good enough, for practical competition purposes I look for less than 3", for formal target shooting it should be capable of sub-inch at 27 yard (all 10 shot groups, and I shot some sub-inch groups at 27 yard with .22lr target pistol). I witnessed repeatable groups under 1.5" shot at 27yard with HK USP Elite 9mm (during formal target competition).
Here is my best (so far) group with P30L (10 shots, Geco FMJ 124gr, 27yrd (25m), two hand grip, separated shots):
“Outer 10” ring is 30mm in size (1.18"). Group shows both my errors and how pistol wants to shoot if shooter allows it. So it is “accurate pistol” in my book.
You can see crappy sights that I put on this pistol. Now I have Dawson sights, so I will try to shoot it better. 
All combat guns should be capable of 3-4" groups.
Do you use a rest to test this accuracy?
Yes as you want to remove the “human” factor out as much as possible.
What should a 1911 Nighthawk or Springfield Pro shoot? 1-3 inches?
1-3 is more typical for these type of pistols.
Or an HK45 or P30L?
3-4" (minimum).
C4
Sub MOA or sell it.
Ummm, that’s 1/4" groups at 25 yards. You have awfully high standards.
I’d appreciate 2" or less at 25 yards. Won’t accept more than 4" at 25 yards.
Hey Jack, I got 10 handguns for sale. 
I’m eager to run some test on some of my junk. We can take tannerite with us in case anything won’t group.
Its funny before this thread I had never even considered if my pistols were accurate or not. I guess with the pistol, I have always just thought of the shooter as the weak link.
It was a joke, Raymond.
My personal standard is a guaranteed head shoot at 10 yards.
I would think 4-6" groups at 25 yds is acceptable, but I would lean more towards 2" groups at 25 to be considered an accurate pistol. You would need quality ammo to achieve this.
For me an acceptable accuracy standard for a service pistol would be 4" ten shot groups at 25 yards from the bench. An accurate pistol would be 2.5" or less, with anything under 2" as very accurate.
Now, I also want a pistol that has inherent practical accuracy when shooting offhand. I’m no bullseye shooter, so 5-6" at 25 yards would be “acceptable”. I’d really prefer to have one that can print 4" or less at that range.
Most of the Glocks and M&P’s I’ve shot will meet the acceptable standard. Most of the 1911’s would fall into or very near what I’d call accurate. The only very accurate one’s I’ve had were S&W revolvers, a Wilson Combat 5" 1911 and a Glock 34 with a Bar-Sto barrel and Dawson Precision sights.
Same here. My custom 1911’s always came with target etc, which made me think, Its better than me. It was the S&W M&P thread discussing accuracy issues that made me start wondering. All my M&P’s shoot a ragged hole at 7 yards, but I never shoot for accuracy at 25yards. At 25 yards Im doing tactical drills trying to hit steel fast.
Your question implied that you are looking at pure mechanical accuracy. In that case, I think service pistols need to shoot 2.5"-3" at 25 as a maximum allowable standard. I don’t have much experience with M&P’s, but the HK’s and Glocks I shoot/have shot are pretty much all capable of that (with the advantage in accuracy obviously going to the HK’s).
Generally yes, but it is very important to understand where your pistol “hits” at 25yds. IMHO, EVERYONE should shoot off of a bag/rest to see (as you might find out that it shoots way high, way low or doesn’t hold a group).
C4
Going along with what Grant is saying. To find the accuracy of the pistol itself you should do everything possible to eliminate human error such as sand bagging, sighting rest, etc.
Then there is what you yourself can achieve with the pistol where to no fault of the pistol the group may be large where you may need to improve your skill or in the case of a particular difficult pistol a sign you should make a switch.
I think 4" max at 25 is a good standard for a combat pistol.
If your asking what is acceptable than I will go along with the 3-4" at 25 yards standard.
However, when I think of an accurate pistol I think of the 1911 I had built for me when I shot Bullseye. That gun shoots a 1 5/16th" group at FIFTY YARDS with Federal 185gr swc in a Ransom Rest. My reloads are pretty close.
To me that is about as good as it gets with a major caliber pistol.
All of the armory berattas ive shot are good from 3in easy. For me, 2in is what i want. The pistol should be able to keep rounds inside the ipsc reduced a zone bc i can.
sent from mah gun,using my sights