Accuracy of 2" snub nose?

[MrDuke]

I plan to purchase a Taurus 605 soon to carry for SD. I am wondering how accurate this gun would be. Could I hit someone that was shooting at me 50 feet away? That is, with practice, as I plan on getting.

Will shooting .357 mags in this baby make it more accurate than the .38 special?

By the way, this is my first post and I'm glad to have found such a cool forum.

Happy shootings

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Welcome to The High Road!

50 feet in the open? The pistol will easily be accurate enough to hit a target at that distance.

You'll need some practice (quite a bit, probably) to make sure *you* can do it.

(This leaves aside the much larger issue of how to handle a firearm in a combat situation. I can reliably hit a paper target at that range; how I'd do with the target shooting back is something I can't guarantee.)

 

[kevin387]

The longest shot I ever made was with a snubby. For a long time it was my only gun and I could hit from pretty far off with it. It is my understanding that they are in reality just as accurate but the short sight radius makes it more difficult to aim well.

 

[ChuckB]

I recently shot a Colt Detective Special at a local range. In single action, I put six shots into a 3/4" circle at 21 feet. The snubbies have good inherent accuracy but, that said, I don't think I'd make 50 foot COM accuracy a major criterion for choosing a pocketable handgun. Just my $0.02, of course!

Chuck

 

[Peter M. Eick]

My observation of myself and others with little snubbies is they can be very very accurate, but they take a lot of skill to shoot well. Practice a lot and understand that the gun is very unforgiving and you will be pleased. It is also my observation that those who say the snubbie is inaccurate are also those who do not shoot one well.

I wish I could shoot mine better, but I also recognize it is me and not the gun. This fall I plan upon really putting some time on the little DS till I get it mastered!

 

[scubie02]

snubbies are often CAPABLE of quite good accuracy, but many people tend to not shoot them as well because of the short sight radius, etc. Regardless, nobody can predict the accuracy of any particular specimen of handgun.

No, 357 mags will not likely make it more accurate, and the resultant increase in noise and recoil might well mean you don't shoot it as well with them

 

[Kramer Krazy]

At the indoor range doing some standing, two-handed, single-action, slow fire....I've done a 3" group of 18 rounds at 15 yrds with a Colt Detective Special. Usually, though, I have a few strays that like to make the groups 5"-6" at that distance.

 

[TonyB]

Just shoot it alot....I'm not one of those "carry alot,shoot a little" guys.....I recently bought a cheap Rossi 2" 357 and am amazed at how accurate it is...I'm going to use it tonight in an IDPA classifier......my SP101 2.25" er is one of the most accurate guns I've ever shot.....plus I love seeing the look on guys faces when a snubby shooter can really shoot accurately.....practice man practice...

 

[Old Fuff]

Used to have a pencil barreled Colt Detective Special, with which I could drop 6 out of 6 shots into the "K" zone of a B-27 silhouette target ...

At 100 yards (measured)...

 

[Ala Dan]

The 2" snubby's in .38 Special, .32 S&W Long, and .32 H&R Magnum can be
surprisingly accurate. I've qualified on a 25 yard Police qualification course
many times with a S&W old model 60 in .38 Special. It takes lots of practice
but it can be done.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Will shooting .357 mags in this baby make it more accurate than the .38 special?

Not necessarily. Most people are more accurate with lighter loads because they deliver less recoil. It's well within the realm of possibility to work up super-accurate loads at virtually any power level. All it takes is persistence, patience, and plenty of cartridge cases, powder, primers, and bullets.

 

[eagle45]

I have three snubbies, one .357, one .38+p and one .38. When I practice with them I shoot mainly at the 7 yard range. But I also make it a point to shoot at the 25 yard range as well. I've found the accuracy at that distance to be more than sufficient for self defense.

Of course no one was shooting back

 

[PowderBurn]

Practice is key, but make sure you practice with a gun the way you intend to use it. I used to practice shooting my S&W M60 2-1/8" single-action at 50 feet on a bullseye target. I eventually realized that, while interesting and challenging, that didn't make any practical sense (once I assured myself of the weapon's inherent accuracy). Now I always practice DA at 21-35 feet, fairly rapid fire at a silhoutte target. If I ever HAVE to use this gun, it won't be to leisurely punch holes in a black paper dot.

 

[isp2605]

When I was doing some teaching I use to use my 49 and 649 at 100 yds and put 5 rds COM just to show it's not the gun, it's the shooter. The guns are quite capable of doing a lot better than most shooters are capable.
So the answer to the question "Could I hit someone that was shooting at me 50 feet away?" is "Can you? The gun certain can."

 

[BluesBear]

Practice is half of the secret. The other half is finding just what loadings shoot best in your particular gun. I can quite easily hit the YIKES! area of a B-27 target at 50 feet with a 2" Taurus .357 using just about any ammo.

With the right loading, (Speer 135gr GD .38+P or Silveretip .357) I can hit the DANG! Ya got me! portion.