Federal Hydra-Shok out of a Lady Smith

N

notbubba

New member
I took my .38 special Lady Smith to the range to day.

I changed the pretty wood grips for Houge mono grips.
It's now more comfortable to shoot.

In the past I have shot Winclean .38, S&B .38, and Winchester .38+P out of her(she is a Lady;) )
All were fairly large grouping.

Today I shot some Federal 110 grian Hydra-Shok JHP.

Nice tight group:cool:
I feel much better about this gun for self defence.
 
Proper grips make all the difference in the world, don't they?

I've often wondered why they put the obsolete "splinter" grips on the LS wheelguns, which are designed for people who have, on average, less grip strength. A J-frame with smooth splinter grips and hot loads is no picnic to shoot, and this is being said by somebody who owns a .44 mag snubby.
 
"A J-frame with smooth splinter grips and hot loads is no picnic to shoot..."

My 65LS came with these "smooth splinter grips"! If you think .38 is bad, try some .357 with the same style grips. A pair of modified Hogue's did a wonder on the piece.

I have always been fond of Hydra-Shock's, but lately have been thinking it's time to run another test.



-Wheelgun
 
A "Lady Smith" is basically a mod. #36...right?

Mine is an older model 36 and the manual says, "Do not fire +P ammunition from this pistol".
Federal Hydra-Shok in .38 special comes in "PD". What do you think about shooting that instead of the regular pressure "Nyclads" that I usually use? (Man! I've got to get some new grips too! After feeling how comfortable the grips on my new Taurus are, it's no contest!)

Kentucky Rifle
 
A Lady Smith is not necessarily a Model 36, although he did say .38. My wife has a Model 65 Lady Smith .357/.38. I like it better than the regular Model 65.
 
To the best of my knowledge, S&W has used the "LadySmith" label on recent Model 36's, 60's, 642's, 65's and 3913's...Hope I didn't leave any out...FWIW, Mrs. 3-5-7's Model 60 "LS" AND Model 642 "LS" are both said to be safe for use with "Plus-P's" by the factory...also, about 100 years ago, they DID use the "LadySmith" name on some of the TINY "M"-frame revos, but we won't go there...at least for now....mikey357
 
Kentucky Rifle,

What do you think about shooting that instead of the regular pressure "Nyclads" that I usually use?
Click to expand...

Well, the Personal Defense Hydrashoks are standard pressure loads with 110gr bullets. They'd be fine for the gun, but I have no idea how the terminal ballistics compare. 125gr Nyclads have a very good rep, and I can't say I'd be enamoured with the idea of replacing them with ammunition whose main selling point is "reduced recoil"...

(P.S. Hogue makes their "Bantam" line of grips for J-frames now that are virtually identical to what's on that Taurus you just bought...)
 
My Lady Smith is a model 60.

2 1/8" barrel.

+P rated.

I put on the Hogue Bantam grip.
IMO it's more comfortable than Taurus grips.
 
Tamara...

"Bantam Line", eh? I haven't noticed that name on any of them, but there is a large gun store just across the river with a large Hogue selection. If I can buy some grips which are "virtually identical" to the ones on my new 731UL, that's for me! Thanks for the tip!
In regards to switching to .38 caliber Hydra-Shok "PD's", the reason I mentioned it is that sometimes the Nyclads are difficult to find. (We're not the only ones who think they're great cartridges!) I should have explained that "in lieu" of the Nyclads, are the "PD's" also standard pressure? I'm overly fond of my blue steel 36 (purchased in the mid 70's), and I'd hate to damage it. It's a sweetheart. (What an odd thing for a man to say, however I DO love it!)

KR
 
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