Revolver newbie

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vicvan901

New member
I have been reading all kinds of revolvers posts and Grant Cunningham book Protect yourself with your snubnose revolver. Nothing like the glock pistols I use.

Half my original post got cut! Not really a question but was asking for any hints/tips for revolver shooting. I tried both LCR 38 and sw442 today at lgs for hand fitting and trigger feel. Some posts I had read mentioned the “tricky “ reset on LCR. Dryfire sure presented the happening. The reason I wanted to go to revolver was for pocket carry. The Ruger “tamer” grip showed me I couldn’t get it back out of the jean pocket. The 442 slips in/out perfect. Long and short of it is the 442 is what I chose. Now I begin the revolver learning curve. Thanks for reading my confession and hope to join in here on forum. Vic
 
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I carried a Ruger sp101 .357 magnum for a while. It was a little bulky so I switched to a Sig p238 .380. I prefer the Sp101, but it was more difficult to conceal wearing blue jeans and relatively tight fitting shirts. I carried it in the waist, but it was often getting uncovered while working.
 
When comes to mini conceal guns, the small 38 revolvers really have the notch over the semi. When you get down to 11 or 12oz for a 380 or 9mm, reliability suffers according to my research. More importantly, from my gun smithing experience(not professional).

I am into semi auto, but for very light and small ones, I am looking between Ruger LCR and S&W 340PD.

Now, I would not think about a K-frame, that's when semi auto shines. Can't beat Glock or the like.
 
You've chosen one of the best .38 snubbys on the market. Great for pocket carry. I predict that after a couple of range trips you'll begin doubting it's suitability for self defense due to the challenge of shooting it accurately. Don't.

The J frame smith, which you have, is far more capable (accurate) than many give them credit for but it is more difficult than with a larger gun with a longer sight radius. Dry fire practice between range trips will help a lot.
 
Just remember you don’t hold a revolver like a semi auto. Keep your fingers away from the cylinder gap or your going to get injured from hot gases escaping through the cylinder gap.
 
vicvan901 said:
I have been reading all kinds of revolvers posts and Grant Cunningham book Protect yourself with your snubnose revolver. Nothing like the glock pistols I use.

Half my original post got cut! Not really a question but was asking for any hints/tips for revolver shooting. I tried both LCR 38 and sw442 today at lgs for hand fitting and trigger feel.
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Hand fit changes with different grips ("stocks"). I take it as a given when I buy a revolver that I'll end up on a hunt for grips more to my liking.

There are more grip options for the S&W J-frame, than the LCR.

Some posts I had read mentioned the “tricky “ reset on LCR. Dryfire sure presented the happening.
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I've never had that happen with my LCR.

Dry firing doesn't tell you everything about how well a trigger will work in real use. And heed what Mr. Cunningham (and others) say about trigger return.

The reason I wanted to go to revolver was for pocket carry.
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Great for pocket carry.

The Ruger “tamer” grip showed me I couldn’t get it back out of the jean pocket.
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Maybe you need different pants, with large enough pockets.

The 442 slips in/out perfect. Long and short of it is the 442 is what I chose. Now I begin the revolver learning curve. Thanks for reading my confession and hope to join in here on forum. Vic
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The usual stock grips for the 442 are (for me, YMMV) "suboptimal". Painful to use. They superficially resemble the Uncle Mike's boot grip, but don't feel the same. My usual slightly into +P handloads were painful to shoot with those. (Hands vary greatly from person to person, and (with the face) are the most innervated part of the body. It should not be surprising that what one person likes another doesn't,)

Don't even think about changing out your springs to lighten the trigger. Shoot it as is. Trigger weight isn't everything.
 
Snubby revolvers are a fantastic illustration of compromise and give and take.

On the one hand they are easy to conceal based on their size, and in alloy framed examples, light weight. The trade offs are increased felt recoil and a low tollerance for poor shooting technique.

The long and heavy trigger pull that makes them safe for carry, is harder for many to really master and requires quite a bit of practice. Their short sight radius and barrel length magnify mistakes made during the trigger stroke. The light weight makes long range sessions…uncomfortable, at least with most grips designed to maximize concealment.

Switching to more comfortable grips usually comes at a cost to concealment in bulk and more slightly in weight.

My 442 is probably the most “enjoyable” snubby for me to carry, but also probably the least comfortable to shoot (except maybe when my 640 is loaded with full strength .357 magnum loads).

My steel framed snubby revolvers are fairly pleasant to shoot in .38 Special, even with +P rounds, but being a bit heavier, I may still tend to reach for the lighter 442 first, when heading out the door.

I may do a ugly but effective mod on my 442 that I saw on another forum. Placing a piece of leather on the back strap of the frame and holding it in place with either athletic wrap or some bicycle inner tube. This way the dimensions stay largely the same, but the sting in the web of my hand may be reduced.

Snubbies are great, but when it comes down to it, my S&W 640-1 Pro is close in weight and size to my Beretta Px4 compact which gives me 15 rounds of 9mm vs. 5 rounds of .38/.357 mag.
 
Get a Crimson Trace laser grip.

Focus on the dot and slowly squeeze the trigger until it breaks without moving the dot.

When you can do that, you've mastered the trigger for the most part.
 
Get a Crimson Trace laser grip.

Focus on the dot and slowly squeeze the trigger until it breaks without moving the dot.

When you can do that, you've mastered the trigger for the most part
Click to expand...

Did this with an SP101 and shot it DAO and dry fired it the same. It significantly improved my pistol shooting with every other handgun I own.
 
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