chaim
Member
I finally got to shoot my S&W 442 today. Man, there is a reason almost all these aluminum snubs are equipped with rubber grips. I went shooting after 8PM this evening, it is now past 1AM and the swelling on my hand is only now starting to go down (it had been about the size of a quarter) . I only shot 15 rounds out of it!!!
While it has been a while I am pretty sure that the Taurus 605 I used to have was more comfortable shooting magnums than this thing was, and I was shooting moderate to average reloads .
It is definately NOT a fun gun to shoot. My groups haven't been this bad since I started shooting (at around 15 feet at least one shot didn't even make it onto the paper).
I LOVE wood grips. The grips on this thing were one of the reasons I had to have this gun over the 642s I've seen around here. I WILL be ordering some rubber grips of some kind soon (and I may invest in shooting gloves).
We'll see how it goes with the rubber, and the shooting gloves if needed. I know most people only shoot a few cylinders out of the lightweight snubs and practice mostly with a steel snubby (which I have in my Taurus 85CH), but I'm not sure if I like the idea of relying on a gun for defense that I don't shoot fairly regularly.
If I can't get used to it I'll probably trade it on an auto for pocket use (the action of an auto soaks up a good deal of recoil) or maybe another lightweight snub in a lighter caliber (.32H&R mag, .22mag). At least I did get a great price on this thing- I've seen 442s used around here for as much and more as I paid new on mine, and those didn't have the nice wood mine does ($60 option from S&W). I should be able to sell it pretty easily for what I paid (with consignment fees if I sell through a shop I'll lose a few bucks- $40-80).
Hmm, how do the lightweight .32H&R mags recoil? S&W has a Centennial style in titanium that only weighs 12oz (I think it is the 432), though with the 3oz less it may recoil similar to this 442. Certainly, a .22mag lightweight snub won't recoil too badly and .22mag is decent for defense (though not ideal) and will hold 8 rounds. Maybe I'll just trade (if I have to) for a Kahr PM9 or a Glock 26, though funds aren't great right now. Or maybe, due to cost issues, maybe I'll go with the NAA Guardian in .32 or .380 after all, or even try to find a used Kel-tec P11 (they aren't legal new in MD anymore, and the smaller Kel-tecs have never been MD legal).
While it has been a while I am pretty sure that the Taurus 605 I used to have was more comfortable shooting magnums than this thing was, and I was shooting moderate to average reloads .
It is definately NOT a fun gun to shoot. My groups haven't been this bad since I started shooting (at around 15 feet at least one shot didn't even make it onto the paper).
I LOVE wood grips. The grips on this thing were one of the reasons I had to have this gun over the 642s I've seen around here. I WILL be ordering some rubber grips of some kind soon (and I may invest in shooting gloves).
We'll see how it goes with the rubber, and the shooting gloves if needed. I know most people only shoot a few cylinders out of the lightweight snubs and practice mostly with a steel snubby (which I have in my Taurus 85CH), but I'm not sure if I like the idea of relying on a gun for defense that I don't shoot fairly regularly.
If I can't get used to it I'll probably trade it on an auto for pocket use (the action of an auto soaks up a good deal of recoil) or maybe another lightweight snub in a lighter caliber (.32H&R mag, .22mag). At least I did get a great price on this thing- I've seen 442s used around here for as much and more as I paid new on mine, and those didn't have the nice wood mine does ($60 option from S&W). I should be able to sell it pretty easily for what I paid (with consignment fees if I sell through a shop I'll lose a few bucks- $40-80).
Hmm, how do the lightweight .32H&R mags recoil? S&W has a Centennial style in titanium that only weighs 12oz (I think it is the 432), though with the 3oz less it may recoil similar to this 442. Certainly, a .22mag lightweight snub won't recoil too badly and .22mag is decent for defense (though not ideal) and will hold 8 rounds. Maybe I'll just trade (if I have to) for a Kahr PM9 or a Glock 26, though funds aren't great right now. Or maybe, due to cost issues, maybe I'll go with the NAA Guardian in .32 or .380 after all, or even try to find a used Kel-tec P11 (they aren't legal new in MD anymore, and the smaller Kel-tecs have never been MD legal).