S&W J Frame Revolver Advise

[Whiteymin]

I recently purchased a S&W J frame 38 special model # 637. I am Left Handed and Upon shooting I am consistently hitting to the right and low.I do occasionally hit in the bullseye area but mostly by far low and right. I have tried to figure it out myself and want your opinion. Now, on this J Frame 637 is some compac, concealable, small grips. When I take aim the gun feels lost or to loose in my hand, so on every shot I will reposition my grip and have the gun setting more to back of my hand feeling like I have better control and my trigger finger is positioned in a way that the second pad or below the first joint is on the trigger. I kind of feel like Im choking the grip. Is it possible that because of the small for my hands grip, in combination with my hold described above, as I pull the trigger Im torque the pistol to right? Should I order a bigger aftermarket grip to cure this or is it something that I can do to keep the grip it came with? Thank you

Brian

 

[Fumbler]

That is very possible.

I have a 637 and when I bought it I had never owned anything that small.
I have large hands with long skinny fingers.

At first I held the gun with a high grip (hand close to hammer) and with the trigger at my second knuckle.

I started having accuracy problems. On my wife's Taurus 85, my hand stays lower on the grip because the grips on that gun cover the backstrap. I tried holding it the same way with the S&W and it's a little awkward, but now I can shoot the gun well.

So, try changing your grip by putting your hand a little lower. For me it helped because it put the trigger farther from my hand and allowed me to use my first knuckle.

 

[Vonderek]

Is it possible you are not used to the DA trigger pull? You might be jerking the gun slightly if the pull is longer than you are used to. A lot of dry fire practice may be useful.

 

[md7]

whiteymin,

i have the sw 642 model, am right handed and had problems with hitting the target low and to the left. i had to practice ALOT before i became proficient with it. my advice would be pretty much the same as Fumbler's. try a lower, and firm grip. and practice. snubs can be harder to shoot than bigger revolvers. good luck to you and i hope that helps.

 

[easyg]

I recently purchased a S&W J frame 38 special model # 637. I am Left Handed and Upon shooting I am consistently hitting to the right and low.

Well, as long as you're consistant, just aim a little high and to the left.
Problem solved.

 

[snooperman]

Same problem with me

I have had these types of problems with 2 of my snub nose revolvers and I had to change the grips on one and had to just practice more with them as well.

 

[TimM]

The smartest thing that I ever did with my snubs was to put wood stocks and T-grips on them. Increased my accuracy tremendously.

 

[mpmax]

The T-Grip helps alot.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

You have to realize a revolver with fixed sights probable will not hit where you aim with all ammo. Usually a fixed site S&W .38 Special revolver is sighted in at the factory with 158gr ammo. If you are shooting 125gr ammo you will hit lower. Hitting off to the side is probably your fault. (but we all go through it with the heavy trigger on a small pocket revolver)

Along with the other good suggestions I would suggest a lot of dry firing using snap-caps. When dry firing you will easily see if you are pulling or pushing the revolver when you pull the trigger. You will also strengthen your trigger finger. The added benefit is a smoother trigger because of all the trigger pulls. Don't give up and practice a lot. A snub nose revolver is harder to shoot well but once you get used to the trigger you will be fine.

Side note, snap caps aren't usually necessary with anything but a .22 except you will probably fire the revolver 500+ times. That many dry fires just might damage the firing mechanism in the revolver. For the little it will cost you for snap-caps I feel it's worth the money, just to be sure not to damage a $400+ gun. The cheaper one cost ~$10 (Tipton) but I would suggest spending the extra $5 to get better snap-caps. (Pachmayr) They will last you much longer and save you money in the end.

 

[Elvishead]

Put some rubber a Hogue mono grip on it. That should help.