Some guns are just hard to shoot

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WestKentucky

WestKentucky

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Some guns are hard to shoot well, some guns are painful to shoot, but some guns are just plain hard to operate. That’s my case with one of last years purchases that I finally got around to shooting more than just enough to say I have fired it. Before yesterday I had put 1 cylinder through this one of ridiculously light handloads.

I finally got some factory loaded ammo for 32sw (randomly given to me by a coworker even) and I was shooting the old 32 Safety Hammerless in the yard. Popping snap caps is no issue as your not trying to aim, but trying to actually shoot the gun is very hard for me. The gun is so small it’s hard for me to squeeze down on the safety without putting my hand into a very awkward position. Likely because my hands are on the large side.
 
That is why I don’t own one of the NA black widows. I could not come up with a way that I felt I could consistently pull the trigger. Tried several times, wanted one in 22mag. But decided it wasn’t gonna work.
 
webrx said:
That is why I don’t own one of the NA black widows. I could not come up with a way that I felt I could consistently pull the trigger. Tried several times, wanted one in 22mag. But decided it wasn’t gonna work.
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That's interesting. I took to my NAA Black widow right away. Don't know how that happened. I also had no trouble with my Glock 29. I decided I have long fingers when I seemed to have more hand than gun with my K6s. The gun I think I had the hardest time with was a LCP.
 
Glocks are the bane of my existence. I want to like them. They're dead nuts reliable, whatever size or caliber you'd want, every aftermarket part or holster. Get deals on used ones...

Something about them though. I've owned four of them... and even with a decent amount of trigger time can only hold a group about the size of a paper plate at 10yrds. It's still just about the first gun I suggest to people (26 if they want to carry, 17 for the nightstand, 19 for both) so I'm not in any way a hater.

I like my revolvers, 1911's and CZ's. I've found what works for me. I like trying new things though, but I'm much more picky about what I'll spend my money on anymore.
 
WestKentucky said:
I finally got some factory loaded ammo for 32sw (randomly given to me by a coworker even) and I was shooting the old 32 Safety Hammerless in the yard.
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I have a break top 32 S&W safety hammerless that belonged to my wife's uncle. I've put about half of a box of ammunition through it.

I agree, I'd have a tough time hitting the broad side of the barn with it.

On to other things, single action revolvers are hard on my knuckles. I just cannot keep my fingers out of the way of the trigger guard although Pachmayr rubber grips help alot.

My Bond Arms with the 4" 45 Colt/.410 shot shell barrel is brutal. The gun is alot more pleasant with softer loaded, smaller caliber cartridges like 38 Special wadcutters or 32 S&WL.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Early Police Positives whack my knuckles, but Ive never had PPK slide bite- go figure.:)
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Total opposite for me.

gotboostvr said:
Glocks are the bane of my existence. I want to like them. They're dead nuts reliable, whatever size or caliber you'd want, every aftermarket part or holster. Get deals on used ones...

Something about them though. I've owned four of them... and even with a decent amount of trigger time can only hold a group about the size of a paper plate at 10yrds. It's still just about the first gun I suggest to people (26 if they want to carry, 17 for the nightstand, 19 for both) so I'm not in any way a hater.

I like my revolvers, 1911's and CZ's. I've found what works for me. I like trying new things though, but I'm much more picky about what I'll spend my money on anymore.
Click to expand...

Again the opposite for me. I shoot Glocks very well. But I hate the way they feel, and the way they look. I keep telling myself I'll eventually get a G19, but now it won't be until prices and availability are in the sane arena again.
 
Always had a difficult time with factory grips on the Ruger Super Blackhawk; most likely because I couldn't get a good grip on it with my smaller size hand. Finally tried a friend's gun which had large, oversize target grips on it and they made all the difference in the world!
 
gotboostvr said:
Glocks are the bane of my existence. I want to like them. They're dead nuts reliable, whatever size or caliber you'd want, every aftermarket part or holster.
Click to expand...
I have tried all manner of glocks and after giving up on them and selling off the last one I owned to rid myself of them I got married to a wonderful woman who at the time was an EMT serving 1 community full time, and 3 others part time on an as needed basis. She decided she wanted a pistol and ended up selecting a brand new offering that had just hit the shelves called the Glock 42. I hated it but I bit my tongue and supported her decision to buy blue label because the gun fit her well, pointed naturally, and was one of only a few that she could easily rack the slide on. I can’t hit squat with it where I could hit well with the medium and large frame guns which are a pain for me. Literally. I have some odd bone structure in the joint where my thumb attaches to my hand and it rides where the small divot is on a Glock frame, and somehow that section of grip rips the knuckle open in the first magazine every time I fire a Glock pistol. Large frames less than medium frame guns. The 42 however is a sweet little gun that I have learned quickly to love. I have carried one a lot, and when I still carried regularly it was with me 99% of the time.
 
I have big hands. I bought a Kel-Tec P3AT because of it’s size and weight. That little gun was the most painful gun I have ever fired. The trigger would somehow pinch the bottom of my trigger finger when firing. At the same time the recoil would cause my trigger finger to smack the bottom of the frame inside the trigger guard. I hated that little pistol. I think the only thing more painful in regards to handguns was firing a Thompson Center in 30-30...actually, I would rather shoot that than the P3AT. :rofl:

I bought it for $225 and sold it for the same price with two additional mags. Good riddance!
 
I have a p32. It's fun to shoot, but very difficult to shoot well.

I also don't shoot Glocks, even tho I actually shoot them well. My thumb knuckle gets up alongside the slide and the serrations will give me a cut in a shot or two. If I consciously stick my thumb out to the side it's fine but the gun then twists around. I've just sworn off them, there's plenty of other options that I do shoot well and don't cut me open. Browning Hi-powers are the same way, except the web of my thumb gets opened up. Again if I'm very deliberate in how I grip the gun it's fine, but as much as I like the design and the way the gun feels, Ill just shoot something else.
 
I can shoot most handguns okay, but some are very difficult for me.

Maybe it's because of my XXL hands.

Two recent examples are a little tip-up Beretta 22lr and a small top-break 32 revolver. They are both too small for my hands and have tiny sights. I can't shoot either one with any accuracy.
 
I owned a couple of 38 snubs (j-frame) and 380 LCP/P3AT and they were not pleasant to shoot nor easy to shoot quick & accurate.
Had a mag-na-ported j-frame, still abusive to shoot; LCP 380 had more felt recoil than a Kahr PM9 with +P it was on par with PM40
Once I was not limited by work attire I sold them and have not carried smaller than a Glock 19/23 or lightweight commander 1911 since.
Glock 19 or commander size 1911 is much easier to shoot quick & accurate than a 38 snub or LCP 380.
 
WestKentucky said:
The gun is so small it’s hard for me to squeeze down on the safety without putting my hand into a very awkward position
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EF049CB9-B14F-419D-92D5-E7B18AA63FE1.jpeg
My H&R model ‘04 is a larger pocket revolver(in .32S&W), My hand fits comfortably on it, but if I want to hit the target, I have to aim at the ground in front of the backstop to hit it.
Horribly inaccurate, but loads of fun to shoot.
 
Been that way for a few..NOT 'FTS'(Fun To Shoot), for me..so away they go...If I have a gun, gotta be FTS, cuz I do, shoot, a lot.
Ruger LCP
Ruger LC-9S
Glock 43
S&W 642
 
My long gone NAA Guardian was my toughest to shoot.

I had to fire it with some agression or it wouldn't run consistently. Slack off just a tad of that aggression and the thing would slip in my hand just enough to get a limp wrist jam.

I have to fire some snub nose revolvers with a bit of aggression as well to forget about the hand smacking that can happen with hot loads.
 
One of my most heartbreaking was a .45 Firestar. Well made, all-steel, reliable feeding, mild recoil, but-

It just wouldnt group. Rounds were going all over the place, so badly that a 10-yard center mass POA might actually miss altogether. Even so, I might have kept it for night stand duty except that it was utterly impossible to pull the slide back unless you grabbed the muzzle. The spring was hella stiff and the slide serrations useless.

Its quirks made it a poor choice for a serious defensive gun that might have to be used under stress, in the dark. Down the road it went, sigh.:(
 
mokin said:
That's interesting. I took to my NAA Black widow right away. Don't know how that happened. I also had no trouble with my Glock 29. I decided I have long fingers when I seemed to have more hand than gun with my K6s. The gun I think I had the hardest time with was a LCP.
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That's funny from my side also, because I pocket an original LCP and have no issues shooting it or with its trigger pull, other than it being a little snappy (i did change springs and guide rod). I have medium sized hands, so, maybe there is something to the hand size. I really wanted to love the BW, as I said, picked one up several times in the LGS's trying to convince myself to buy it. I Just could not get there due to not being able to feel comfortable with it. So, the little LCP became my church/bug gun.

I have to be 100% confident with a gun to carry it (I know it is me not the gun with the NAA) nothing against them just did not work for me.


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