...went to the range again today to find out my hand was still pretty sore...
daddy-o - These little
mules didn't get that nickname for nothing...the only way to tame a mule is with a firm hand. Grip position and firmness make a real difference and the goal is to get a high grip tight enough to prevent any gun movement in the hand and allow the forearm or upper body to absorb the recoil depending on your engagement position. The stronger your grip the better, this will also help in point alignment, and in my CQC training I term it my "death grip".
jmswat - 642 or 342PD, both are welcome here at the 642 Club...and so are you...and dad too!
Am I flinching and rationalizing? If so, why aren't my live rounds low?
davidconatser - Well grasshopper, perhaps you have achieved the perfect balance...have you developed your technique to the point that you are compensating for jump/recoil to keep the target covered and therefore reduce your recovery time?
tilden - Congrats on your CCP, Now it's time for you, and the rest of us, to take a few minutes and reflect on the responsibility that comes along with exercising this right. I stand with
Camjr and
davidconatser in supporting the 158gr LSWCHP/LSWC and the Speer gold dot. My personal preference is to go with the Buff Bore 20A, as I feel this is the max available (and I would not care to try anything hotter than this loading, if any exist) and while it is a bit more costly, in this case I think you get what you pay for and IMO it's worth it.
Some newer members may not be aware of the following sites that have done extensive ammo testing and are a great resource when researching carry loads:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/oldindex.html
http://www.theboxotruth.com/
I carry the SWCHP in the gun and Gold Dot in the speedloader because it is a lot easier and quicker to load jacketed cartridges. Much less friction.
davidconatser - Hmmmm....This is interesting...OTOH, if you need to reload to reduce a threat you might need all the punch you can get...
like a back-up X42 with 20A's...
Johnan said:
why didn't Speer use 158gr lead since these guys were sighted with 158gr lead?
Nem said:
I'll bet the choice of 135's has more to do with velocity & foot pounds than POA.
gman said:
Johnan - I can't speak for Speer, but I'll bet that
Nem has it right, terminal effectiveness was probably the primary concern here and with all factors considered, the SGD is an effective round.
gman asks the critical question here, POA/POI at what range? While the Snubnose is capable of accurate fire at all ranges by qualified operators, it's forte is close quarters combat, anywhere from contact range out to 7 meters or so is where this gun earns it keep. This is not a target gun, and the ability to shoot tight groups at SD range is, IMO, not really necessary, or even desirable. As I have said before, better to spread it around a bit and hit something important than to have a nice, tight group in a non-vital spot. If you can keep fiVe rounds COM on a mover while seeking cover you are good to go, and this is fairly easy to obtain point shooting. With aimed fire you should not notice any significant POA/POI deviation at 7 meters.
Here is some insight to this issue:
TBT said:
Can anyone here speak a little on how bullet weight affects accuracy as in POI? Does a 125 grain bullet shoot say, 2" low at 25 yards while the 158 grain hits POI? I've always heard this was an issue but to what extent I'm not sure.
Stellacotton said:
That's the theory. Lighter bullet is faster and is gone before muzzle has time to rise.. Heavier bullet slower and more time for muzzle rise, thus it hits a bit higher.
jfh said:
POI is just that--Point of Impact. All other variables being equal, POI can be adjusted by sight adjustment. The sight adjustment can be made by the adjustments possible in the mechanical characteristics (or lack thereof) of the sights.
Accuracy--and I think most of us mean inherent accuracy of a firearm is impacted by the characteristics of the complete cycle of events that comprise shooting one round. If more than one round hits the same spot on a target, we consider that (exceptional) accuracy.
Insofar as bullet weight goes, CW (conventional wisdom) holds that a heavier bullet travels slower--and because of that, the harder recoil of a heavier bullet has more time to raise the muzzle, hence it shoots higher than a lighter-weight bullet.
Enter the human variable--and that is anything from the way our eyes see the target to how our brain interprets what is seen, on through to the mechanical / physical 'habits' we develop for shooting a round. And those habits all over the map: I am willing to bet that if you and I shoot the same firearm, with the same loads, the POI would be notably different for both of us, even though we both may shoot equally-accurate groups.
Overall, most people will shoot lower with a higher-velocity round than with a lower-velocity one, and the POI will also be impacted by the bullet weight
jt said:
In my own experience I have seen little difference with the X42's at typical SD ranges between the SGD 135's (lightest) and the BB 158's (heaviest, and my recommend carry load) rounds I have tried.
Jfh said:
And there it is, in a nutshell. The lighter bullet / higher POI I mentioned in my preceding post amounted to about a 1" increase--and that was at 15 yards, off a benchrest...
For those that are concerned with bullseye accuracy I will relate this:
jt said:
I met a 360PD shooter at the club awhile back that was a 1911 convert who was complaining about "missing the target", once we got to shooting the guy was just deadly, really good COM at all ranges and drills. He was not happy and considered anything out of the black spot a "miss"...I wish I could "miss" as good as he did!