[Guitargod1985]

Can anyone give me a ballpark estimate on what an average five shot grouping looks like from a .357 mag 2" barrel at about ten yards or maybe fifteen?

[yongxingfreesty]

when i had my model 66 snub, I shot 2-2.5" at that distance. this is pretty good for me.

[esti]

As a newbie, first time firing .357 rounds with S&W 60LS
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/estiokojones/gunners/g.jpg
Winchester "white box" 110 gr. JHP at 7 yds

[Guitargod1985]

Oh, well, that isn't really as bad as I had expected. Man I can't wait to go shoot my new snubbie :D

[Matt Almeda]

Hi,
For some reason 2.5 inches at 25 feet fired from a mechanical rest springs to mind.
I know I have it somewhere in the shop, it will just take a little bit of digging.

I'll find it today.

Have a great day!

[Iggy]

Mechanically speaking a snubby is as accurate as one with a longer barrel. It is the nut behind the grips that problem;)

It is harder to shoot a snubby than the longer guns because of the limited sight radius, but the gun will do it's part if you do.

[Logos]

For me, a good six rounds offhand at 10-15 yards will be four or five inches with iron sights and if I sit down at the bench using Crimson Trace laser grips I can pretty much get everything into one ragged hole shooting single action.

Things sure do improve with good sights.

[MCgunner]

Off the bench, I can put most snubbies that shoot well (never found too many that didn't) into 3" at 25 yards with iron sights. A 3" gun will shoot an inch tighter than that or more for me. The extra inch of sight radius does wonders. What would that be at 10 yards? Good 'nuf to hit with, I reckon. I tend to accuracy test at 25 yards. If the gun'll shoot 4" or tighter at 25 yards, it's okay for carry. Many little pocket guns won't make that criteria and I don't really like a lot of little pocket guns, but snubbies will normally group within that level of accuracy and that's one reason I like snubbies so much.

[YosemiteSam357]

Off the bench, I can put most snubbies that shoot well (never found too many that didn't) into 3" at 25 yards with iron sights.What, you never shot one with a scope? ;) How about the stainless steel sights on my Model 60? (Sorry, not picking on you, your wording just hit my funny bone. Weird day.)

The big issue with a snubbie is not how accurate the gun is, but how accurate the shooter is with the gun. Well, that's critical with all guns, but snubbies tend to amplify poor skills. There's little weight, little sight radius, and it's easy to pull off target in DA trigger pull. That's not to say they're not great guns, you just have to practice.

-- Sam

[ZeSpectre]

Take a look at the "Post your Targets 3 - Long Walk Short Pier Challenge (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=282395)" to see how people are shooting short barrels.

In fact this sort of thing is exactly why I posted this challenge :)

[ArmedBear]

Those light little alloy guns from Smith and Wesson will shoot TINY groups at 10 yards, in my experience. Until your hand gives out, which doesn't take long with a .357.

[M2 Carbine]

If you are having a good day the 2 inch guns will do very well.

(38, not .357)
Standing, about 10 yards.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/Mod10targetclose.jpg

Sitting, 30 yards.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/30yardSW.jpg

If you add Crimson Trace Laser Grips the little guns really shine. Pun intended.:D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/CTlefthand15shots.jpg

[Vern Humphrey]

Personally, I worry more about time than accuracy. Anything under 6" at 21 feet is "good enough" and from there on, work on time. Hit him before he hits you.

[MCgunner]

What, you never shot one with a scope? How about the stainless steel sights on my Model 60? (Sorry, not picking on you, your wording just hit my funny bone. Weird day.)

Well, I said iron sights because a previous shooter said something about Crimson Trace grips.....

For me, a good six rounds offhand at 10-15 yards will be four or five inches with iron sights and if I sit down at the bench using Crimson Trace laser grips I can pretty much get everything into one ragged hole shooting single action.

Things sure do improve with good sights.

So, you see, you didn't read all the posts. LOL!

BTW, I did have one stainless/alloy .38 revolver's front sight milled off and a BLACK sight dove tailed in its place. I prefer black sights in strong light to shiny stainless and don't find stainless any better in the dark. What I'd like to do, sometime or another, is have one of my revolvers fitted with tritium inserts. I prefer tritium in dim light to things with batteries and electronics. I guess I'm a techno-phobe, but I don't like relying on things that can break. Simple means better. I don't even have tritium on my revolvers, though, just irons. I guess I shouldn't be down on the laser thing, though. I mean, it ain't like you take your irons off to install 'em.

Some danged good groups there, M2!

[M2 Carbine]

Vern Humphrey
Personally, I worry more about time than accuracy. Anything under 6" at 21 feet is "good enough" and from there on, work on time. Hit him before he hits you.

Vern, what kind of time are you getting?

I can't seem to break a second a shot and be positive of a good hit.
I can get five good hits in 2.3 seconds, at 15 yards , with my Ruger 22/45 but not the 38.
I'm afraid my age is catching up to me.:uhoh:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/5yardsrapidfire.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/38timedlaser.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/Bell406_206B/THRtarget38timed.jpg

[Vern Humphrey]

Drawing from the holster and empting my Detective Special, around 2 seconds more or less. With an M1911, pretty close to that.

[M2 Carbine]

Vern Humphrey
Drawing from the holster and empting my Detective Special, around 2 seconds more or less. With an M1911, pretty close to that.

Man that's fast.

I have a self imposed rule that a single miss at whatever I'm shooting at, whether a 4 inch circle or the whole 8x11 inch target, disqualifies the whole target.
So I'm still putting accuracy before time.

Fast is easy. Accurate is easy. Both are hard.
But it's fun trying.:D
Using a timer has been an eye opener.

[Vern Humphrey]

I live on a 185 acre farm in the middle of nowhere, and I'm retired. I have several thousand pieces of brass (in both .38 Special and .45 ACP), 6-cavity Lee molds for both calibers and a good relationship with my local tire dealer. I buy Bullseye by the 8-lb keg. And I shoot a lot of cheap Wal-Mart .22 LR on top of that.

[esti]

Wow, you all amaze me. I'm happy I hit the target at 15 yards. Thanks, ZeSpectre, for the posting the challenge.

[XavierBreath]

Truth be told, a .357 snubbie is one of the most difficult handguns to shoot well. The caliber is high recoil, the weight of the gun is light, and the sight radius is short. It is not a target gun, it's a fighting gun. Still, to persevere in a gunfight, you gotta hit your target.

Most quality .357 snubbies are capable of cloverleaf groups at 10 yards. Very few shooters can harness that capability in the gun.

I agree with Vern a great deal on getting shots on target quickly, although I shoot a bit differently. If I can draw from my pocket and immediately get two of two shots in a paper plate at 5-10 feet while I am moving, I am satisfied. I do that with a .38 special snubbie, not a .357. It is, however, what I feel is the proper application of the gun.

Unlike Vern, I do not empty the gun, but rather get two rounds off, reassess, and reapply as necessary.

[Vern Humphrey]

I don't want to give the impression that I always empty the gun -- I don't. I usually fire two shots at a time, reholstering between sessions. But I have now and then simply fired rapidly with no intermission, just to see how I can do.

I think presentation is the key -- if you can get the gun out and running rapidly, you will probably live. If you get all tangled up and flub the draw, maybe not.

[MCgunner]

I do the draw and double tap drill, myself, when practicing. Don't have a timer, but I ain't that slow, don't think, but I don't shoot as much as Vern anymore. Wish I could just walk out back to a private range, but I live in town. Got a range pretty close, but range trips aren't as easy as just walkin' out back. I try to get out there a couple times a month if I get caught up in the shop. This time of year, with the grass growing the way it is, I get a lot of work (small engine repair) and lately I've been doing a lot of ATVs and motorcycles. I do more shooting in winter months when I ain't huntin'.

All my life I wanted to work for myself. I retired at 51 from a chemical plant and wound up running my own shop. Funny how I had more time to shoot when I was working for someone else...:rolleyes:

[wcwhitey]

I like Vern's thinking. No matter how bad the recoil of a .357 snubbie it only comes into play after the first shot is placed. If that hits its mark quickly you have gained the upper hand. I have had the habbit since the service to fire double taps and evaluate. Used to get me in trouble all the time during qualification. It pissed em off when I shot one to the chest and use the recoil to take one to the head. Now they have incorporated a thing called a "vested advisary drill" which calls for exactly that. I have come full circle. LOL Bill

[Guitargod1985]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Now I have some level of expectations for when I visit the range this weekend and shoot my snubby for the first time. :)

[Coustain]

I recently went to the range with my new .357 and I had to stop after 25 rounds lol. The webbing between my thumb and index finger on my right hand started to hurt and I still had 150 rounds to go on my 9MM :D . Very Very fun to shoot though. Love the BOOM. I think that maybe next time I go to the range I will shoot .38 out of it :o

[MCgunner]

My SP101 is the smallest, lightest .357 magnum I have found that I can shoot well, fast, accurate, without flinch or excessive recovery time. It's quite comfortable to shoot with a Hogue Monogrip on it. I cannot say the same for those little 12 ounce J frame wonders. I ain't in the market for one of those. The SP is easy to tote, won't pocket, but is light and compact on the hip.

[M2 Carbine]

Guitargod1985
Thanks for all the responses guys. Now I have some level of expectations for when I visit the range this weekend and shoot my snubby for the first time.

Just hold the sight picture, as well as you can, through the trigger squeeze, until the gun fires and you'll probably find that you shoot the snubby as well an anything else.

It's just another gun. The bullet goes where you point the barrel.
Well, mostly.:D

[Peter M. Eick]

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/eickpm/ds_target.jpg

Here is 50 shots at 15 yards which is my standard. I would guess that the group is about 4" give or take. I know I could do better but I was just plugging away.

[glockman19]

I would say it's not bad. you're hitting center mass on any target or person and it will work. When I shot my S&W 642/442 I'm trying to simulate a draw and shott at close distances and I'm generally happy if I group them with in the palm of my hand.

[OLD DOMENION]

I can take my little Ruger SP-101and fire a 2 inch 5 shot group double action. The more I shoot the wider the group gets...3 inches?