How accurate are you with a snub nose pistol?

[esq_stu]

I don't even try beyond 7 yds. I can hit the golden triangle on a man-sized target at about 15 feet in rapid fire. That will have to do.

 

[rklessdriver]

With either of my Colt Cobras I can shoot 2" at 15yrds double action just squeezing them off, not rapid fire point shooting but still maybe a second a round. I can do much better single action taking my time.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Also, M2, I envy your DA shooting.

I didn't point it out but only the 2nd and 3rd targets were DA, the rest were shot SA. I'm not a big fan of DA but do practice it a little.

About the original question concerning shooting at the BG's head when he's got a hostage.
I'd shoot SA.

Friends and I have a shooting contest where we do this type shooting with 1/4 scale targets, shooting from 6-7 yards. We freely harass the shooter and severely criticize any misses and especially if the hostage is hit.


Full size hostage target.

 

[AKCOP]

Shooting at the range and being faced with this reality is vey different.
You also need to add movement as part of the reality of a situation like this as the bad guy is not going to be standing still for you to take aim. Plus if he sees you aiming at him he will reduce his target as well, unlike the bad guy in the target leaving his head right out there to shoot at.
On a lighter side their is a big difference between a friend and family member. I mean how many of us have in laws that....well I better not go there.

 

[The Bushmaster]

tblt...Under your scenario I wouldn't be shooting double action...I'd have the hammer back in single action mode, but I can still hit a 4" dot at 15 yards double action if needed...In all reality someone holding my family member would, in all probability, be much closer then 15 yards anyway. Probably closer the 7 yards even...

 

[MrBorland]

Under your scenario I wouldn't be shooting double action...I'd have the hammer back in single action mode

Not trying to start an argument, but I'd think twice about cocking the hammer in a high-stress defensive situation. Here's a blurp on this issue from Cunningham's blog.

To the OP, no picture, but one of the best groups I ever shot was with a rented S&W 640 snubbie shooting full house .357s. DA at 10 yards, 5 rounds inside a dime. I'd be hard-pressed to do that again, but it shows it's at least possible to be accurate with a snubbie. Generally, though, when I want "accurate", I don't grab a snubbie.

http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/the_case_for_dao.html
With all that adrenaline now flowing through your system, is this really the time that you want a light, short trigger pull that is very easy to accidentally release? Not me, bunky!

This is the reason for DAO: light single action triggers are great on the calm shooting range, but pose a liability risk for unintentional discharges under stress. As Massad Ayoob says, single action triggers are great shooting tools, but lousy threat management tools.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I don't shoot them worth a darn, so I went to a Kahr PM9 instead. With that one I could hit that four-inch circle out to about 10 yards provided it was slow fire. Except for the Ruger SP101, with the revolvers I was lucky to get the shots even on the paper.

 

[tipoc]

That's the problem with messy questions they raise things that get in the way of what you are looking to have answered.

The OPs question is actually three questions in one. First part; "How accurate are you with a snubby revolver shooting double action and out to what range". There is a poll on that question.

Second part posed by the scenario; "Would you take a head shot?"

Third part which is implied and invited by the second; "Would you and should you take a head shot, or any other shot, da or sa in a gunfight?"

All of which is why folks are offering opinions on head shots, da vs. sa in a fight etc.

Messy question.

So let's ask it another way: You and Paris Hilton are lost in the woods. Three days nothing to eat but pine cones and grubs. A nice young 80 pd. pig steps out of the brush 20 yards away. You have your snub and 2 bullets. Paris or the hog?

Actually this is a messy question too, darn it.

tipoc

 

[rcmodel]

but I'd think twice about cocking the hammer in a high-stress defensive situation.

I wouldn't.

If I couldn't make the shot SA because of high stress, I darn sure know I couldn't make it DA!

BTW: I used to be able to keep 4 out of 5, and quite often 5 out of 5, on a 5 gallon bucket at 100 yards with a snubbie in my younger days. But DA was/is reserved for up close & personal.

rcmodel

 

[Hawk]

I took the last option. But then I'm the poster child for why some people that appreciate revolvers really need to accept that they'll likely always be shooting their 1911-ish things better.

I'm starting to see improvement with a 686 6" barrel example but the 640 (not 642) I picked up on a whim has proven to be a tireless lesson in humility.

I probably absorbed most of Cunningham's blog prior to buying most of my wheelguns and I find the DAO argument to be compelling. Given that self-imposed handicap I don't expect I'll be doing any braggin' on groups for the foreseeable future.

 

[Walkalong]

I shoot bowling pins at the range pretty regular with a 2 1/2" 686. They are around 35 yards away and as long as I don't get sloppy I can hit them 90% of the time single action and probably 80% double action.

I would hope I never have to take that head shot and could only make that decision at that time.

In a non hostage situation I am going to shoot center of mass to get started, period.

 

[snubfan]

25,50,100yds! I often find when shooting my snubs into dixie cups at those distances I tend to shoot high and right due to the fact that my 19.5 inches of limp Johnson swings so low and left.(overcompensating I guess!)

 

[M2 Carbine]

If you had to shoot someone in the head,

I made this target up on the computer and printed a few hundred of them on 8.5x11 inch paper.
At first I didn't especially like the target but it's growing on me.
The head is about the size of COM, so I use it for fast defense as well as bullseye shooting. Fun practice.
(I don't have a picture of the target with a revolver. The gun is my old Kimber Ultra Carry)

 

[wraco]

I've got a 4-screw S&W, K frame snubby with a 2" barrel. I don't really notice any difference between that and my 4" barrels. What I have noticed is the cylinder to barrel gap on the snubby is quite a bit tighter.

Regards:
Rod

 

[Marshall]

As Uneasy Rider (CDB) might say, "He's a ferly dangerous & accurate man."

 

[BlindJustice]

I voted 15 yards but note I have a J-frame yes but
it's a 60 stainless Steel, in .357 Mag. with the 3" Bbl.
I've never shot a lightweight framed snub and I use .38
SPecial +P for the HD/SD load for the 60.

 

[DAdams]

Snub Shot

DA. 5 yards yes. 7 yards yes. Beyond that and I wouldn't take the shot as proposed unless it was the snub with CTs or my 686 in SA mode.



The snubs are capable, me I need some work.

 

[tblt]

Thanks, I think I need to practic more so I get better at 15 yards

 

[Dismantler]

I guess that I am going to have to go out with my snubbies and find out just how accurate we are together! My criteria is to be able to place shots center of mass...which is in the center of a 12" X 20" cardboard target. That is the size of my upper torso.

I carry a Model 442 loaded with wadcutters. NO WAY am I EVER going to take a head shot when there is a chance of collateral damage. I am not LEO, and I do not want a stray bullet incident on my conscience.

 

[Old 112]

With my S&W 19 21/2" putting them in at 15 yards single action is very doable. Fast fire D/A will open up quite a bit.

I do not know if all short 19s are as accurate in S/A as mine, but mine sure makes me look like a good shooter.

Regards
Old 112

 

[shooter429]

25 yards is about it

depending on the gun, sights etc. With a 3" AJ much further

Shooter429

 

[DarkSoldier]

I often carry a two inch as a BUG so if I ever need it I will already be soul deep into a dark place. Bad things will have already happened and everything that could go wrong will have done so.

It's a pretty good bet that by that time, I definitely will not be on top of my game. That little gun represents the last and maybe the only chance to turn it around. Consequently, I practice with it as much as my 1911s and S&W 29s.

As other posters have said, the limitations are not set by the gun as much as they are by the shooter's skill level. I try to do my part. That includes practice from contact distance to 50 yards.

 

[springmom]

Seven yards, every time. From there on out, though, accuracy goes down. Except for my 66-3...I can hit the 4" circle at 15 yards consistently with it.

Springmom

 

[Dirtypacman]

I am pretty dam confident out to 15 yards past that gets a little iffy.

 

[conw]

MrBorland,

I think that's talking about walking around in a dangerous place with SA cocked...not cocking SA to take a risky shot, vs using it to take a shot without cocking, DA style.

M2 Carbine wrote:

No misses but you can't cover the group with one hand.

From 100 yards you could!