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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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Old 05-30-2011, 08:05 PM
confederate confederate is offline
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I have a model 637 I bought about a year ago. I shoot it fair at 7 yards single action but I stink when shooting double action. Im all over the place. I have been shooting guns all my life but not to much with hand guns. I figure I could defend myself at 6 feet ok but not much more. Can some of you guys that may be average shooter tell me what I should expect ?
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:20 PM
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I say don't settle for what you are doing, get better. In slow fire a great J frame shooter can put all 5 shots into 1" @7yards double action. I'm not great and can do between 1-2" at that distance. Practice is free b/c you can dry fire with an empty gun and radically improve your double action shooting.
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:24 PM
fonejack54 fonejack54 is offline
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I've been an above average shooter all my life and I'm on my third 637. The first two I was just like you describe.
When I bought my third, recently, I watched youtube videos for trigger jobs. I installed a 14 lb rebound spring and 8 lb. hammer spring (which I understand is only 1/2 lb. lighter than original) and I polished just where the rebound spring rubs the frame. I now have a 637 with an excellent trigger and it is much more accurate even at 10 yds. I feel that suffices for an SD gun whether it is good farther out or not. Good Luck !!
I forgot, I also got snapcaps and dry fired 1000 times, That helps a lot.
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:34 PM
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Double action shooting is something that has to be developed. Make sure you have enough finger on the trigger. Use the part of your finger between the pad and the first joint. You need a vice like grip. The long pull really tries to pull your sights out of alignment and the gun off target. If your gun has minimalistic grips you might want to get some more hand filling ones to start off with. Once you have the sights aligned and on the target pull on through. Don't pull almost all the way, stop and refine your sight picture, and then pull the trigger the rest of the way. That will make you jerk. Dry firing can really help a lot.
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:42 PM
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time for the ol' "Ball and Dummy" drill

Load 3 live rounds in the cylinder...and two empty cases......spin the cylinder without looking before closing it gently....no "Hollywood" slamming it shut...
SQUEEZE the trigger watching the front sight for EACH round.....if you are flinching, you will know it...and your groups WILL tighten up...
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:45 PM
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Can I dryfire or should I buy snap caps. Also how do yall rank the J frame as far as shootability as compared to the LCR or maybe some of the small 9mm pistols on the market. LC9 or
PF9 ?
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:53 PM
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definitely get snap caps. the shock of the hammer being sent home could damage the firing pin if it has nothing to hit.
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Old 05-30-2011, 09:37 PM
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In my experience, shooting a J-frame requires a dedicated grip:

PRO TIPS with JERRY MICULEK, shootingusa.com/

sixth panel down
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Old 05-31-2011, 05:31 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TNDave View Post
Double action shooting is something that has to be developed. Make sure you have enough finger on the trigger. Use the part of your finger between the pad and the first joint. You need a vice like grip. The long pull really tries to pull your sights out of alignment and the gun off target. If your gun has minimalistic grips you might want to get some more hand filling ones to start off with. Once you have the sights aligned and on the target pull on through. Don't pull almost all the way, stop and refine your sight picture, and then pull the trigger the rest of the way. That will make you jerk. Dry firing can really help a lot.
Excellent advice, especially SAFELY dry firing the revolver with snap caps and making sure the front sight is clear as a bell. If you remove the sideplate and apply Militec-1 grease to all the contact surfaces you'll have a cheap but effective trigger job after dry firing it a couple hundred times. That dry firing will get you used to proper trigger control and sight alignment. If they are the skinny standard grips try a set of Ahrends on it for a better grip and use very light .38's for your live firing drills. You should be able to see where the front sight was when the revolver goes off and call where the bullet struck after alot of firing exercises. The sheriff offered you a great tip also. If you are finching the bit slightest it will show up on paper.

One last tip. Start squeezing a tennis ball the stengthen your hand and forearms.

Best of luck

Your shooting will improve with practice!
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Last edited by Sportsterguy; 05-31-2011 at 05:38 AM.
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Old 05-31-2011, 05:38 AM
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Snap caps or empty cases (much cheaper). And another vote for some after-market grips.

Try this drill: place a dime on the top of the barrel and pull the trigger. The dime will fall off. After several dozen attempts, you can pull the trigger and the dime will stay balanced.

Then Grasshopper, you will have learned ...
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Old 05-31-2011, 07:25 AM
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For years I struggled to master DA shooting using the "stage-the-trigger" method, where you pull the trigger to a point just before the hammer falls, pause briefly the align the sights, then finish the pull. One day I happend to be at the range wtih a retired police officer/competitive shooter shooting next to me. In a 15-minute coaching session, he taught me the "smooth stroke" method, and I never looked back.

Proper dryfire practice is the key. With an UNLOADED gun (I don't even have ammo in the same room), pick a target, align your sights on it, and smoothly stroke the trigger all the way through -- not a jerk, no staging, just a smooth, all-the-way-through stroke. Concentrate on keeping the front sight on your chosen target. At first, the sight will move wildly away from the point of aim. Keep at it, and soon the sight will be staying where it should be. At your next live-fire session, you will see the difference.

As for trigger jobs, I learned long ago not to mess with J-frame springs. The system as it comes from the factory is delicately balanced, and lessening spring power even a little bit can lead to unreliable ignition. If you feel you must improve the trigger, concentrate on smoothing all contact points within the action, and leave the springs alone. Smooth is the key, in the action and in your trigger pull.
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Old 05-31-2011, 08:31 AM
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Great advice in this thread.

My accuracy with my 442 should greatly improve.

Thanks!

The one question about the J-frame vs LCP. We have them both and it's no comparison as the J-frames win in every category except maybe concealability...and I pocket carry a J-frame with supreme ease.
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Old 05-31-2011, 09:07 PM
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Double action shooting is hard to master but worth every minute you spend learning this style. It's a little bit harder with the j-frame because of the coil spring geometry used in the little guns. When I was a wee lad I was taught to shoot D/A.

Dry firing is cheap and available anytime you care to practice. Don't fret it just takes time and patience. I would advise pulling the trigger through without staging unless shooting for score,in real life you don't have time to stage.

I agree about the springs,don't change the weight,they are fine from the factory. The more you dry fire and shoot the stronger your finger becomes, the effect being easier shooting,almost like a trigger job.

Gradually work to longer distances and before long it will become second nature....

Last edited by What the; 05-31-2011 at 09:12 PM.
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Old 12-28-2016, 11:52 PM
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Identify the point of no return in the path of the trigger of your revolver and practice with cold mind all the time. I think that shooting well is more mental than physical. Feeling the trigger point of your trigger will certainly help you.

Enviado desde mi XT1580 mediante Tapatalk
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Old 12-29-2016, 03:32 PM
Dave Baird Dave Baird is offline
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Fantastic thread, guys!!!! Thanks! Just came back from the range with my brand new 360J and was disappointed with accuracy. I've been shooting semis most of my life so guess I have to go back to basics using DA again. I did notice, even in my wide patterns, that ammo makes a big difference. Thank goodness the load I plan to carry did the best! Thanks again!!!!
Dave
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Old 12-29-2016, 03:48 PM
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I've only had my 638 for a few months. Progress does come, but slowly. I've put thru about 200 rounds thru it and on my last outing was able to hit a 8" by 10" paper target @10 yards, 7 out of ten shots. This was in the double action mode.
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