Doc7
Member
Hello all!
As someone who likes shooting, but am not a "hunter" except for planning to visit the squirrel woods with a 22, I want to focus my limited budget on firearms from a defensive standpoint. To that end, my next purchase is a Mossberg 500 for HD and then I want to look into the world of CCW, which I can do in my 2nd home state, even though I cant in my primary residence of NJ. For purpose of discussion i also plan on taking several safety classes, including defense specific mindset/legal issues and implementing non-firearm layers of protection and behaviors, so let's leave that aside and I will go to my main question. Reloading is also an interest of mine so cost savings in ammo are available.
I have been reading that a 38 special snubnose (or a 357 etc) is not a good "first handgun" because it is less than pleasant to practice with as frequently as necessary. However, what if i approach it from this angle?
I will be renting from a place that has literally dozens of CCW-type handguns and trying out many. If i find a 38 special i like, lets say an S&W or Ruger, and pick up both that revolver AND its 22LR cousin in the same barrel length (of which it seems that S&Ws and Ruger LCR and SP101 have available), could i implement practice techniques that overcome the less-optimal snubnose 38 as a first/only gun?
For instance, dry fire practice frequently with the 38 (keeping sights on target with a dime on the barrel etc), practice with a lot of rounds of 22LR with same sight picture and barrel as the 38, and practice a few cylinders worth of the 38? This way, caliber/recoil doesnt keep me from live-fire practicing with the 38 special "EDC" gun, though i still shoot it. I feel like i could get hundreds more rounds of sight-picture practice in this way, similar to an Appleseed for rifles.
So let me know please, if the advice about snubnose revolvers being poor first gun choices changes if i simultaneously get a similar snubnose 22.
Thanks!
As someone who likes shooting, but am not a "hunter" except for planning to visit the squirrel woods with a 22, I want to focus my limited budget on firearms from a defensive standpoint. To that end, my next purchase is a Mossberg 500 for HD and then I want to look into the world of CCW, which I can do in my 2nd home state, even though I cant in my primary residence of NJ. For purpose of discussion i also plan on taking several safety classes, including defense specific mindset/legal issues and implementing non-firearm layers of protection and behaviors, so let's leave that aside and I will go to my main question. Reloading is also an interest of mine so cost savings in ammo are available.
I have been reading that a 38 special snubnose (or a 357 etc) is not a good "first handgun" because it is less than pleasant to practice with as frequently as necessary. However, what if i approach it from this angle?
I will be renting from a place that has literally dozens of CCW-type handguns and trying out many. If i find a 38 special i like, lets say an S&W or Ruger, and pick up both that revolver AND its 22LR cousin in the same barrel length (of which it seems that S&Ws and Ruger LCR and SP101 have available), could i implement practice techniques that overcome the less-optimal snubnose 38 as a first/only gun?
For instance, dry fire practice frequently with the 38 (keeping sights on target with a dime on the barrel etc), practice with a lot of rounds of 22LR with same sight picture and barrel as the 38, and practice a few cylinders worth of the 38? This way, caliber/recoil doesnt keep me from live-fire practicing with the 38 special "EDC" gun, though i still shoot it. I feel like i could get hundreds more rounds of sight-picture practice in this way, similar to an Appleseed for rifles.
So let me know please, if the advice about snubnose revolvers being poor first gun choices changes if i simultaneously get a similar snubnose 22.
Thanks!