My new (to me) S&W snubbie

I ran .357 Federal HSTs through mine once..... ONCE! Mine being a 340.

Aside from how awful I found it, there's a better than even chance my wife will have it on her from time to time so between that and abusing my wrists, I keep .38s only in it.

I'm out of them now but as with my .41s, and .44s - I have a couple of loads that I built *magnum* cased Special loads for. Regardless the points of view which might exist to the contrary - if I can limit the jump to the cone, I like to do so.



Todd.

 

That is a real beauty, Broccolis.

 

Thanks a lot, its one of my favorite. I am a die hard S&W and Colt snubbie fan.

 

They really are quite a fun little gun and I can see why you love them. This is my first, but probably not last, foray into snubbies.

 

Yous should check out Colt snubbies, Trust me you would be tempted to spend your kids college funds

 

Well I took it to the range today and WHOA you guys weren’t kidding about trying out standard loads before jumping to +P. I’m getting physical therapy at the moment for a case of tennis elbow in my dominant arm and that made the recoil on regular ball ammo rather unpleasant with the two-finger grip.

Regardless, even when the arm recovers I think I’ll stick to standard pressure. Apparently a 14oz frame and no springs or other moving parts really makes a difference.

 

I took two observations away from mine with .357 loads. One was the immediate impact.

Obvious and relatively expected.

The other took me by surprise. I had such a tingle and residual *buzz* to my right hand and wrist afterwards that it felt like I'd been riding one of my old 2 strokes or using a chain-saw all day.

Very strange and previously not experienced, that last.

Todd.

 

Pretty sure 38 S&W has been considered obsolete for a long time. S&W has not produced a gun in that caliber for 60-70 years.

 

It definitely shoots .38 special according to my "experiments" today...

 

The other observation I would make from putting a couple boxes through it is: the black front sight is terrible. I'm going to replace it with something better, or at least bust out the white nail polish.

 

My S&W 360 is a scandium in .357 magnum

I also have the 340 in the same caliber.

I have fired a few [ VERY FEW ] 125 grain magnums from both.

To say it is not pleasant is an understatement.

At my age I see trying to do so is silly and dangerous to my hands.

I carry either + P in both,or any other non + P rated .38's.

The S&W 442 is much easier on the hand even with + P's.

And that only weighs 14 ounces,compared to about 9 or 10 for the scandiums.

Hope you post your findings about you gun from S&W,when you find out.

 

There is a 1941 Colt Detective Model on consignment right now at one of my LGS. It is SWEET. The seller wants I think $1580 for it if I remember correctly. At that price, I am content to take it out of case once a month and marvel at its craftsmanship because I do have three kids to put through college and I'm only a poor, hand-to-mouth attorney.

Or, as Capt. Renault puts it:
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/637b549d-ee7b-4e8e-9cc9-2b931dd9af79

 

You re not alone, My wife will kill me if i buy another gun. lol

 

We have an "understanding." I don't look closely at her monthly credit card statement and she doesn't ask what's in the gun safe. I feel like maintaining a sense of mystery is important to any happy marriage.

 

Quite long, but an interesting read. Thanks for sharing.

@Tayne - cool revolver. Looks great and kind of unique. Enjoy!

 

I talked to Smith & Wesson customer service just now - helpful female looked up my serial number and confirmed that this revolver can indeed fire +P ammo. Good to know straight from the source.

See my post from yesterday at 7:05 pm for how likely I personally am to shoot very much hot ammo from this gun... (tl;dnr not very)

 

@Tayne glad S&W was helpful.

If that tennis elbow gives you fits shooting that snubbie you may want to consider a longer grip. I have found the Hogue Monogrips help. I have a screwed up wrist with arthritis. The Hogue helps with my model 36.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. It did come with some 3-finger rubber grips so I’ll try them the next time I work up the nerve to take it to the range. Everyone’s telling me I just need practice to get used to it. The good news is I can shoot it reliably and accurately at the kind of distances it’s meant for, even if I’m whining about the recoil.

Love the Model 36, Pat. That’s a slick little piece. Thanks for sharing.

 

It's also one of the few lightweight Js with that pinned front sight. Nice find.

 

Now see, you had to go and bring that up...I was almost perfectly happy not thinking about buying one of these, but now I really want one!
I was just complaining yesterday that I wish I could change the front sights on my models 36 and 442.

 

“Everyone’s telling me I just need practice to get used to it”

that’s what I thought the secret to painful snubbies was: just practice more.

Now I have a wicked flinch and scabs on my thumb knuckle.

Here’s to cowboy loads from here on out!

 

I already started looking at fiber optics. Funny how whenever I get a great deal on a gun I’ve got to spend more money on it to get it “just right.”

 

Take a breath or two and consider for what purpose that gun will be used. I have the 340 version which is hammerless and I consider it to be a last ditch SD weapon and the sights will likely never be used. I do have a set of Crimson Trace LG405' laser grips which allow me good accuracy at 20 yards but they are really there to hopefully intimidate my aggressor and prevent me from having to fire a shot.

 

I hear you. I just like the high visibility of the bright front sight for quick target acquisition; my current carry gun is the P365 and the nitron sights are great. As I mentioned before, the black-on-black just doesn't work for my suddenly aging eyes, so I'm going to have to make some kind of change, even if this gun only remains a range toy.