Snub nosed learning curve?

[Dr_Kaufman]

howdy,
how long did it take you to learn how to shoot your 2" revolver reasonably well? Also, what were your circumstances when you started shooting it (i.e. had experience with longer barrel revos, came over from semi autos, new to shooting, etc.)?

 

[huntershooter]

A "J" frame revolver is extremely difficult to shoot well, particularly double action-as would be the case in a SD scenario. It is an "experts" gun. I am baffled at how gun shop sales people frequently recommend this type revolver for "your wife". As a rule, the J frames have crap double action triggers, coupled with a 2" or shorter barrel, are bears to shoot accurately and rapidly. I've shot a lot of rds. competitively-thru 1911's-and consider myslf adequate with a J frame to 15-20 yds. I dry fire a lot and shoot several cyl.'s each trip to the range.

 

[Preacherman]

+1 huntershooter!

The snubby is perhaps the most difficult handgun to learn to shoot well, for a novice. Miniscule sights, short sight radius, a tiny grip, and (in the Airweight and lighter versions) recoil out of all proportion to its size (using decent defensive ammo) are real handicaps.

I'm pretty good with my snubbies, but I already knew how to shoot well before I started using a snubby. I always recommend learning on a full-size gun first, then moving to the more difficult weapon. When I'm teaching my disabled and handicapped students, they always start with a K-frame S&W revolver. If you can shoot this well, you can handle almost anything else. (Start someone on a 1911 and they'll have a terrible time mastering a K-frame! )

Another tip: if you plan to shoot a snubby extensively, get a .22LR version for training. I have a S&W 317 as a 'training gun' for my 442 and 642. Same size, grips, etc. (and even lighter weight), but I can put 500 rounds through it all day, every day, without being bothered by cost or recoil. The training translates directly across to my Airweights, too, due to the similarity of the guns.

 

[Surefire]

I never had any problems hitting the black the first time I tried my 2.25" barrel SP 101. Having said this, it definitely helped to be an experienced shooter. I think that people that are learning shooting for the first time would definitely have issues learning with a snub.

 

[Ultraman]

Dry Fire, Dry Fire, Dry Fire.

Get a Snubby .22 LR and Practice, Practice, Practice.
Remember the purpose of a snub nose revolver is for close & personal action so don't stress yourself out trying to get sub 2" groups at 25 yards.

SP101 in .22LR

 

[dbarale]

My wife asked me how accurate she had to be with her M60 LS before she could carry it.
I figured she was ready when she became able to hit consistently a 4" plate at 10yds shooting pretty fast.
I think it's about as good as most people will ever get with a 2" J frame, I also feel it's adequate for self-defense.

 

[baker]

Mine was my first handgun. I didn't know it was supposed to be difficult, i just kept shooting 'till I felt I had become reasonably proficient.

 

[Standing Wolf]

How accurate do you have to be with a snub-nosed revolver?

Accurate enough to hit a man-sized object at distances of up to five yards. That's what they're for.

That said™, I've never owned a snubby that wasn't amazingly accurate. The accuracy "problems" have nothing to do with the barrels and everything to do with mediocre fixed sights and puny stocks.

 

[benelli12]

I haven't heard of J-frames because I havent read any information on them, what snubbies are not J-frames.(brands)

 

[gezzer]

J frames are Smith & Wesson, all others are not.

 

[Jkwas]

My first handgun was my Taurus 605 snub. It just shot dead accurate right from the get-go. Dry firing helps a lot. Finding the right ammunition makes a big difference. Some ammo just doesn't shoot straight out of a short barrel.
I don't practice more than 20 ft out. If I'm further than that, I'm running the 100yd dash!

 

[Kor]

Well, my first snubby was a Ruger SP101 that I bought in 1994 - I had owned 2 .40S&W autos previously, and I bought the SP101 because I wanted a good snubby for CCW.

I attribute my present proficiency with and affinity for snub-nosed revolvers to the excellent design and manufacture of that first Ruger, and to the "honeymoon period" I went through with it. For about 3-4 months, I was handling the gun for at least 30 minutes a day, and dry-firing it at least 100 times every single day. Not out of any conscious desire to become a master wheelgunner or anything, simply because I was in love with the gun and couldn't resist fondling it. I supplemented this where I could, with 50-100 rounds of live-fire a month when I could afford it(at the time, my only regular income was Army Reserve weekend drill pay). Between hundreds of practice draws and thousands of flash-sight-pictures and dry-fires, I finally got to be pretty good with that SP101.

Alas, that first Ruger had to be sold at a time when I needed cash, but I have kept the flame(and my skills) alive with my 3 Centennials(1 640-1, 1 642 and 1 442). Now, I can usually shoot a low-90th-percentile score with my EDC 642 or 442 on a POST qualification, and I've been able to astonish one of my shooting buddies by going 5-for-5 rapid-fire on a steel torso target at 25 yds with the same 642 and some old carry ammo I was burning up at the time.

 

[pedaldude]

My 642 is ridiculously accurate, the trigger is awful and the cylinder lockup aint great either but it outshoots my 4" security six all the time, at 10' 15' and if I'm feeling lucky 30' I can take the center out of a target if I concentrate, much harder than my single action CZ97 but just as accurate.

the gun didn't point as well for me as I would have liked but I have gotten used to it and just don't hold it as high as my others which works well since it doesn't have to come as far out of my pocket.

I just hold the thing as tight as I can and dry firing is a good thing with the snub as trigger pull is important on any gun but when you look at the sights when you yank the trigger it goes real far off,

I can shoot 12 gauge high brass all day, love shooting hot magnum loads out of my Ruger and I can't believe I'm saying it but the little snub is quite the hand full shooting +P and if you aren't holding really tight it'll take the skin off the web of your hand after enough cylinders full. I have no desire now for a 10oz .357 or even one as light as my 642 since I'm in no rush to develop a flinch.

The 642 trigger while real rough when I got it has smoothed up noticeably after lots of dry firing and it stacks a bit so you can take up all the slack and cock the hammer and then line up the shot and take out the bullseye at a distance if you haven't developed a smooth enough DA trigger pull yet, since you aren't gonna be shooting SA in one. Although it would be cool if someone figured out a way to convert the stupid lock into some kind of cocking mechanism, absolutely useless and excessive, but it would be funny.

I would say that it isn't alot harder to shoot a snub, but that it is easier to learn bad habits and get frustrated.

 

[Old Fuff]

The word “snubby” covers a lot of ground, and some are a lot easier to shoot then others. A K-frame Smith & Wesson (especially one with the old long-action) or a Colt Detective Special are much easier to master then a J-frame S&W.

So of course the J-frames are the most popular of all. What can be done? Well first of all ditch those little 2 finger-grooved boot grips that come on them and buy replacements that actually give you something to hold on to. Then get a set of snap-caps and dry fire all you can. This not only smoothes the action, but also builds up the wrist and finger muscles that are needed. If you are shooting at eye level, concentrate on keeping a sight picture at the end of the trigger stroke.

The basic rules of marksmanship still apply. You just have to work harder to employ them.

Last but not least, if it won’t interfere with your mode of carry, consider that a 3 inch barrel will do everything a 2 inch or less will, but do it better. I carry snubbies when nothing else will do.

 

[Deanimator]

That said™, I've never owned a snubby that wasn't amazingly accurate. The accuracy "problems" have nothing to do with the barrels and everything to do with mediocre fixed sights and puny stocks.

...and a failure to practice sufficiently. Revolvers with short barrels require a certain amount of skill to employ effectively. That skill isn't acquired by throwing it in a drawer and forgetting about it.

 

[Jkwas]

+1 to lots of practice. After about 1000 rnds or so it'll be second nature.
Seriously, get good snap caps, put a dime on top of the barrel and work on that trigger squeeze. Also, you may find changing grips will give you a better natural "point". Put enough time into it and it'll all come together.

 

[Dr_Kaufman]

follow up question:

would it be easier to learn on an external hammer version, so you can practice sa/da?

 

[redneckrepairs]

IMHO single action has NO use on a defensive revolver . You may howeaver want to give your snubby to a good gunsmith and have the action slicked up a bit .. Do be shure and tell him its a defensive / carry gun tho so he wont lighten the pull to the point that you have mis fires .

 

[c_yeager]

A snubby (sp101) was the first gun I owned myself. I had learned how to shoot with my father, but he didnt go to the range very often, so I didnt have a lot of skills built up. Based on advice from some friends I resisted the temptation to fire single action and stuck exclusively with double action shooting, I am glad that I did. It was frustrating and took a long time to get decent but once I did shooting all other weapons became remarkably easy. Starting off with the hardest weapon to master can be frustrating at first, but I think its pretty rewarding in the long run, besides there arent many people who can shoot snubbies these days and it can be fun to let some loudmouth shoot yours and then show him how it's done.

 

[Ichiro]

+1. If you can develop decent trigger control with a DA snubby, every other gun should be a breeze.

 

[springmom]

It just takes practice. I had an XD-40 and a Bersa Thunder .380 before I got the m37 I have. It took some time, and if I don't fire it regularly, my next range time will be less than acceptable. Keep practicing with it, a lot.

The good news is that .38spl is not terribly expensive and it won't break your bank to do this.

Have fun with it. Everybody achieves competency with any gun at different rates. Keep at it.

Springmom

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Dry fire. Lots of it. Watch many of your favorite good guy/bad guy movies. Just DON'T shoot the tv.

 

[MCgunner]

I seriously shot well with the first one I ever bought. I'd already been shooting DA revolvers for about 20 years when I got my first snubby. We didn't get concealed carry in this state until 1996 and I had little use for one before that. I bought a little Rossi M88 and it was quite accurate, shot to POA with 158 grain stuff and 3" at 25 yards accurate. The trigger left a little to be desired, though.

Now, I have a Taurus M85UL and the trigger on this thing is as slick as any out of the box trigger I've ever tried, awesome! It beats every Smith I've ever picked up and I don't need to mention it's better than that Rossi's DA. It's also a 3" at 25 yard gun. I can routinely roll five out of five 6" plates at 25 yards with it fairly fast shooting DA. I really like the thing.

As I see it, if you know DA shooting, the only thing to a snubby that's different is the short sight radius. You need to concentrate on sight alignment a little harder than is necessary with your 6" 686, but practice makes perfect. A few range trips with that Rossi and I was in the groove.

Now, if you've never shot DA much, that's a whole nuther story. But, all that takes is just a little more practice. Get a .22, cheaper practice. And, get some snap caps and dry fire while watching your sight alignment. Concentrate on smooth trigger control and proper grip.

 

[Ala Dan]

The only shooting I had done prior to using a .22 caliber snubby was in
Uncle Sam's Army~! It didn't take long too get acquainted with the
loss of accuracy from a short barreled revolver; but I was shooting at
'bout or close to 75-80 yards away.

 

[M2 Carbine]

In 1960 I bought a 2 inch S&W Model 10 for off duty carry. The police department issued 4 inch 38's then.

I don't recall having any problem shooting either 38. At that time friends and I shot up to 90 yards at an old gravel pit with the 38's, Lugers and a couple other guns..
Using two hands wasn't done and ear protection wasn't heard of.

Now, I still have that Model 10 and it shoots as well, if not better than when it was new.
I also have a number of 2 and 3 inch J frames and a couple other brands with 2 inch barrels.

I'm not really concerned with what I shoot, just maintain a good sight picture and squeeze the trigger and the gun will do the rest.

A couple weeks ago I got interested again in shooting a hundred yards with small defense guns. I tried out my S&W Model 60 and it did good.