Funny how it looks so much like mine.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

The 2" (actually 1+7/8") barrel with a round butt is tougher to hold on to and remain somewhat accurate with +P ammo. A square butt Chief is a bit easier.

A guy with large hands, like me, discovered very early that I need a serious vise-grip on the round butt Chief to stay somewhere in the area of aim. A frustration compounded when using +P ammo. It was better with oversized Pachmayrs (with the finger grooves) and a lot more pleasant to shoot but a lot less concealable.

The Chief's special is a "up-close and personal" concealed carry weapon and a favorite of many here. There is no such thing as a sight-aimed self defense shot with any firearm but even more so, not with a Chief, even harder with a round butt. It is an instinctual point and shoot CCW.

Take it to the range, start at 15 feet, using standard .38 Special then try some +P ammo. Then practice the point and shoot method. The round butt with standard stocks is a handful to keep on target albeit not near as bad as a .44 Magnum with Magnum ammo.

I found the old S&W brand, Nyclad HP in .38 Special (no longer manufactured) worked fine for me. Years back Federal made a Hydra-Shok in .38 Special (non +P) that also work well for me. I don't know if anyone currently manufactures a HP .38 Special (non+P) but it's worth the research to find out.

I'd rather be on target with .38 Special ammo than less accurate with the +P. It's a personal preference, for sure.

As I got older and my eyes started losing some depth of field vision I was convinced by fellow member and friend, Mark Calzaretta, to try a set of Crimson Trace laser sights.

While I complained and cussed I went along with the suggestion. The little Chief hits exactly where the green dot shines.

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

Here’s my regular practice: Using a standard paper plate at three, five and seven yards empty the gun into the target as fast as possible, reload w/a speed loader or strip and repeat. Slow down some as distance increases, but your goal is to keep all shots on the plate. If your range will allow start w/a holstered gun the way your normally carry.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Got it to the range a few months back and was really pleased with how well it shot and how controllable the placement of rounds was. Sticking with 38 special ammo as I am confident I can hit what I need to. It does take some thought in how you wrap your hand around the grip but once a proper grip was found it was easier to come back to it quickly

Since I reload, my favorite load for shooting my 36 (for fun) is the Hornady 140 grain Cowboy bullet over about 3.5 grains of Red Dot or Bullseye.

For self defense, I carry Buffalo Bore's and Underwood's FBI load, and also Buffalo Bore's hard cast double ended wadcutter +P.
The little Chief is my most often carried revolver.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?