S&W J Frame limitations?

I can hit a paper plate every time at seven yards with my 2" 38. That is plenty good enough for its purpose, self defense. Like the man said, anything farther than that and chances are good that you will need an attorney.

It is interesting to see how well I can shoot it at 15 or 25 yards, but that is "just for fun". It is not the gun's intended purpose.
 
Snubs are awesome, but humbling to shoot for even the best pistol/auto shooters.

No doubt, snubby's require more practice and patience than other pistols or revolvers.
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BINGO!!!!! Give the man a CIGAR:D:D
 
I'm on my 5th J-frame (just scored a nice little 637 Monday), and I will say this; GRIPS, find one that you like,fits you, and lends to accuracy.
The factory Boot grip is ok, but does not lend to accuracy for me. I have a 3 finger grip now on the latest one, and it changes the behavior of the gun noticeably.
The biggest limitation to the gun is round capacity compared to all the available Semi-Autos available today.
I personally carry my J frames for SD(especially when on my motorcycles) because they are the most simple and reliable point and shoot weapon in my arsenal. Not to mention they are timeless design and aesthetically appealing.
It's a close in weapon. A game changer if you will. If you dont' "outkick your coverage" so to speak, you should be fine.-
 
2' and 3" guns can be just as accurate as a 4" or 6" BUT they are much harder to shoot. In my younger day I had a 3" 36 that would do 2" groups at 25 yds. all day long off bags, off hand was another story.
 
kristop64089 said:
I'm on my 5th J-frame (just scored a nice little 637 Monday), and I will say this; GRIPS, find one that you like,fits you, and lends to accuracy.

The factory Boot grip is ok, but does not lend to accuracy for me. I have a 3 finger grip now on the latest one, and it changes the behavior of the gun noticeably.

The biggest limitation to the gun is round capacity compared to all the available Semi-Autos available today.

I personally carry my J frames for SD(especially when on my motorcycles) because they are the most simple and reliable point and shoot weapon in my arsenal. Not to mention they are timeless design and aesthetically appealing.

It's a close in weapon. A game changer if you will. If you dont' "outkick your coverage" so to speak, you should be fine.-
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What grips do you have in yours? We love pictures! [emoji3]
 
This little gem came with a Holster, Speed loader, factory grips, and 50 rounds. If I told You what I paid for it, you'd probably say some bad words. All because of some wear on the backstrap, and carry wear by the hammer.




The guy took my offer of $250, but because I asked him to hold i(it was listed as first come first served), I gave him $280. He was asking $300 OBO
 
The secret of accurate shooting with a "snubbie" is the same as with any other gun - keep the sights lined up and squeeze the trigger.

Oddly, where the snubbie is not very good is at short range firing from a low position without using the sights, something most folks think a snubbie is made for. But a longer barrel is more visible in the peripheral vision and makes pointing (rather than aiming) easier and hits a lot more likely.

I once did a lot of point shooting (the old FBI style) and did best with a 6" K-22; I later went to a 6" K-38 and did almost as well - the extra recoil (mostly wadcutters) made no real difference. I could never do as well with a 2 or 3 inch barrel, though a Model 19 4" was OK.

Jim
 
I think most shooters brain wash themselves into thinking that since the gun is designed for SD, then they should only practice at close range.

And they also then brainwash themselves into thinking that the gun is limited in the range that it can be accurate.

The true test of course as far as the potential accuracy of a particular short barrel snub nose revolver would be in a ransom rest. That would definitely give the potential accuracy of the gun minus the operator errors.

In the discussion of short sight radius, again, too many believe that the short sight radius contributes to poor shot alignment.
But consider that a centered sight is a centered sight, no matter what the sight radius.

If you tell yourself that the short barreled gun is limited, then it will be for you, and you can then feel better about your abilities, I guess.

Of course, it may be a difficult gun to master, but it has been done and it can be done. Like in the movie the Edge with Anthony Hopkins:
"What one man has done before, another man can also do!"
(or something like that!LOL)

Oh, by the way. At my CCW qualifications yesterday, out of 14 shooters, only two of us used revolvers for qualification. It's a dying art?
 
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Mike38 said:
I’m not a revolver guy, semi’s are the thing for me. Now, with that out of the way….
I finally got around to shooting my late Mother’s S&W J frame M-60-7 in .38 Special. 1.5 inch barrel, I think. At 5 yards I was some what impressed. Shot in single action. Nice tight group, all 5 rounds in the 10 ring, but slightly to the left. So I shot the next 5 in double action, same results. Moved out to 7 yards, same results, but maybe a couple rounds out in the 9 ring. Moved out to 10 yards, holy cow, it looked like a shotgun blast not a group. Is it me, or is 7 yards pretty much the limit for a snub nose revolver? I put the S&W away and took out my Berretta 92FS, and at 10 yards all shots in the 10 ring. Maybe it’s not me, must be the short barrel?
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Are you left or right handed? Are you left or right eye dominant? Are you cross-dominant?

What does your grip *while pulling the trigger* look like?

I bet you're muscling the trigger.
 
Moved out to 7 yards, same results, but maybe a couple rounds out in the 9 ring. Moved out to 10 yards, holy cow, it looked like a shotgun blast not a group.
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Nothing in the gun can change that dramatically from 7 yards to 10 yards!
Bullets fly in a straight line, they don't all of a sudden vere off course at a specific distance!

Is it me, or is 7 yards pretty much the limit for a snub nose revolver? I put the S&W away and took out my Berretta 92FS, and at 10 yards all shots in the 10 ring. Maybe it’s not me, must be the short barrel?
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So this is the problem we find. Blame the gun, it's not you, it's the short barrel.
And the second probelm is as soon as you had one problem, you put the gun away and ran to something you felt comfortable with. Work on weak points, not the strong point to improve your shooting!
 
Are you left or right handed? Are you left or right eye dominant? Are you cross-dominant?

What does your grip *while pulling the trigger* look like?

I bet you're muscling the trigger.
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Right handed, right eye dominant.

Compared to a full size semi-auto, I do stick my trigger finger farther onto the trigger on this revolver because of it's small size. Problem? Probably.
 
So this is the problem we find. Blame the gun, it's not you, it's the short barrel.
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The revolver has a 3.5 inch sight radius and the 92FS has a 7 inch sight radius, with a target rear sight. I'm sure that makes a big difference.
 
The revolver has a 3.5 inch sight radius and the 92FS has a 7 inch sight radius, with a target rear sight. I'm sure that makes a big difference.
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NO, as long as one is perfectly centered in the sight alignment, it doesn't make a wit of difference in the actual sight radius. Center is Center.

Do you understand the difference between the error in sight alignment and an error in sight picture. Which is worst?

Besides which you stated that you were pretty much center punching the shots at 7 yards and moved only out another three yards ( 9 feet) .
Going from a nice group to shotgun pattern could not be due to the difference in sight radius.

I used to use a 4" Smith 586 in one handed bullseye competition, and shot my highest slow fire score of 97 with it at 50 yards (ten ring is 3 inches), so believe me when I say that sight radius is not the problem.
 
There's a youtube video of hickok45 shooting an unfamiliar LCR from 5 to 50 yards hitting just about everything.
Think that he's convinced that a short sight radius is a problem?

Sooner you stop telling yourself that, the sooner your shooting will improve.
 
If you compare the two, a S&W J Frame might as well not have sights next to something with Bo-Mar sights. A notch in the top strap is not a rear sight to me. Maybe I've been pampered shooting target pistols?

Anyhow, I know that I can hit a man sized target out to 7 yards with it.

Practice, practice, practice!

At the range today I was shooting a Ruger Single Six with great results, so I know I can shoot a revolver, one with sights anyhow. :o
 
kristop64089 said:
This little gem came with a Holster, Speed loader, factory grips, and 50 rounds. If I told You what I paid for it, you'd probably say some bad words. All because of some wear on the backstrap, and carry wear by the hammer.









The guy took my offer of $250, but because I asked him to hold i(it was listed as first come first served), I gave him $280. He was asking $300 OBO
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Beautiful!
 
The secret of accurate shooting with a "snubbie" is the same as with any other gun - keep the sights lined up and squeeze the trigger.

Oddly, where the snubbie is not very good is at short range firing from a low position without using the sights, something most folks think a snubbie is made for. But a longer barrel is more visible in the peripheral vision and makes pointing (rather than aiming) easier and hits a lot more likely.
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Its a little ironic, isn't it? I do agree, its a lot easier to point shoot my 4" 686 at close range than my 642.

In the years I carried and fired (a lot!) my square butt Model 36, I used it almost entirely in double action. I never used any aftermarket grips or special grips. I found that for best control, having the middle finger all the way up in the grip worked for me. IMHO, the idea that there is a need for some kind of grip filler just isn't true. People will object that the hand will be "bent" and that the index finger will not be parallel to the barrel. So? The gun is a revolver, not an auto pistol and it is best controlled if it is used the way it was made to be used. If filler grips or something like the Tyler filler is used, the grip is not tight enough for good control in recoil.
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This matches my personal experience as well.

Oddly for me, when using the factory S&W service stocks on a K Frame I have to use the T Grips to keep my middle finger knuckle from getting banged up by the back of the trigger guard. But I don't have that issue with the J Frame service stocks. The geometry of the J Frame puts my middle finger knuckle out of harms way from the trigger guard.

I actually really like the service stocks on my square butt 3", despite my 6' 7" and corresponding big hands. A surprisingly pointable little gun too with its 3" heavy barrel. That said, the factory Uncle Mikes boot grips on my 642 work fine for me, so I've not felt the need to change them out.








I recently changed my grip technique on my J Frames based on the below linked Jerry Miculek video with great results. He discusses gripping the J Frame starting around the 8 minute mark:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEHNZFTfSD8
 
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