What do you guys think? A snubby question.

Chaim...

I don't think those .32 H&R Magnums are as hard to find as you think. Georgia Arms makes a new, 100 grain JHP that Tamara uses and I have had no trouble at all finding the Federal 85 grain JHP that I have been using. I make it a policy not to shoot lead if I can avoid it, but I've even found lead wad cutters easily. Look into this great round again. The Georgia Arms fodder is inexpensive and Tamara seems to think it's the best. I'm going to order some myself. It's a bargain!
Plus, there's NO doubt about it. The .32 mag IS a pleasant round to shoot. Quite accurate, to boot.

KR
 
There's an old saying about small, lightweight guns being carried a lot and shot a little. You are doing a lot of shooting with this gun and I don't doubt that it is getting unpleasant. Practice enough to stay familiar with the carry gun, but "fun" shooting should be done with something heftier and more enjoyable to shoot. My $.02 anyway.
 
Snubby accuracy.....

I have agree that the short sight radius takes away from "typical great accuracy" in a snubby. Take away the sight radius and its a whole nother ballgame. Here is a pick of a 5 shot group at 25' with 125gr Gold Dots from my SP101 2 1/4" barrel...with my Crimson doing the sight thing....I cant believe how accurate this gun is.....
 
Eric,

You know that may work. I love the idea of a small framed snub because it is very versitile and can do some things that a small auto can't. However, this gun isn't as comfortable as I originally thought and so I can't shoot it much (also as the session goes on my accuracy decreases quite fast). While I am "combat accurate" I am uncomfortable with settling with that (keep in mind that in a self defense situation that we will be so nervous and outright scared that our accuracy will be nothing like it is on the range). I never thought about using Crimson Trace grips. With Crimson Trace I could get a laser sight (which should help my accuracy) and still not add to the gun's size and lose its advantage.


All,

While I am still less happy with the gun because it isn't very comfortable to shoot I'm starting to be less sure that the pain in my hand is due to this gun. I actually AM starting to think it may have been the .22 rifle. Sounds odd, but as the pain is getting better so it hurts just where I injured my hand and not throughout my wrist and hand I think I may have jammed it while working the bolt (I wasn't being very careful and after the new scope was sighted in I was going for speed). The pain happens to be centered in a small area about the size of the nub of the bolt (what do you call the round part of the bolt handle?) right where it tends to contact my hand. I must have bruised or cracked the bone.

Still I am thinking about my options. This gun isn't very comfortable to practice with more than a box or so and it is a hard gun to get good with. Right now I am leaning towards the .22 or .22mag snub to go with it for easier practice so I can get good with it without the pain. Though as soon as I can spare a couple bills I'll try the Crimson Trace idea to see how it goes.
 
Chaim,
A lot of positive and a little negative about the Crimson. I have owned and shot alot of snubbies. They all had the rubber grip with finger grooves...helps with 357 full house loads. The rubber grips absorb "ALOT" of recoil. The Crimson LG is an excellent tool on my SP...but its hard plastic and doesnt give at all. Its very punishing to shoot....I actually bought a set of batting gloves to shoot the gun after my first time shooting it. I still love it....its just a trade off. The gloves make it alot more friendly to shoot.
Just thought I would mention it....Shoot well
 
Practice drawing and dry firing the snub from concealment.

Its for self defense and being quick on the draw and smooth from practice is GOOD.

Reload and/ or find someone who does, low power wadcutters are GOOD.

practice with a j frame size .22 the ammo cost savings will pay for the gun pretty fast if you shoot alot, ditto the reloading equipment cost.

taurus makes the 94 in .22lr a similar sized frame and trigger pull
maybe, not sure cause I dont own a taurus .357 snub.

Shoot a cylinder full of the high powered stuff once in a while, that way you wont teach yourself to flinch with the snub.

My suggestions.:)
 
I shot my 605 again today. Well, I still don't like it as much as my other guns but I think I'll keep it. I followed everyone's advice and kept my round count down and I kinda enjoyed shooting it and my accuracy did get a bit better about halfway through. I shot a box of 50 UMC 158gr LRN in .38 and a box of 20 Gold Dot .38+Ps and that was enough that it was fairly comfortable. In addition I didn't shoot it straight through, I alternated every few cylinders with my 9mm CZ.

I guess I'll just have to keep it to a box of 50 .38s and a max of 20 +Ps OR a cylinder or two of .357 per trip. So that I can get better with a small snub I will certainly get myself a .22lr or, more likely, a .22 mag Taurus for more practice that will be easier on my hand. Probably the 8 round Taurus 941 in .22mag since .22mag has more power than a .32auto making it a decent backup gun yet it is still quite affordable (though not as much as .22lr) and low in recoil.

I probably will eventually get the 731. The posts here have interested me in the .32 H&R mag. However, I'll probably wait a couple years since I think I'll try to make the 605 work out for me.
 
I have an Taurus M85 UL. It is a 38splc. I practice with 158g cast swc from Georgia Arms and usually only put 10-15 rounds of the +P stuff through her. I see no reason to shoot the hot stuff all the time. At the club there is a steel plate target range for short range handguns. My little snubby perfoms flawlessly.
 
This is my final update.

I am definately keeping the gun. A small snub is simply too versitile to be without and I think I can deal with the gun.

If I keep it to a box or, occasionally, two of full power .38s I seem to be ok. A box of .38+P is a bit painful by the end but not too much so I can do that occasionally. Also, I can add a couple cylinders of .357 if I limit it to the Winchester white box without hurting (though a box of the stuff, or even half a box, would really hurt my bad wrist). At the range they have some .38 140gr flatpoint FMJ ammo that are reloads from 3D that are loaded pretty weak and I could shoot this gun with these almost all day. Also, I find with this gun that my accuracy is improving faster now that I am LIMITING my shooting (before I must have been training myself to flinch with the gun). It is also easier to shoot (and I can shoot more or stronger ammo) if I alternate it with other guns.

Yesterday I took it to the range along with some other guns and actually enjoyed shooting it (with the exception of one kind of ammo). I shot 50 rounds of the .38 140gr FMJ reloads and they were outright comfortable. I shot about 10 rounds of Winchester USA (white box) .357s which are on the weaker side for .357s and about 8 rounds of full power .357s (OUCH). Limited to those numbers and that ammo all but the full power .357s were pretty comfortable and fun (though the full power .357s were fun simply due to the reactions of the people at the next lane, they were new shooters and they were VERY impressed).

I will still get a Taurus 94 or 941 for easier and more practice but it no longer seems to be as urgent. I may get one or two other guns first.
 
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