Snubby revolvers are not hard to shoot accurately

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Exchipy said:
Far too many of the law enforcement people I worked with, over the years, firmly believed they would be perfectly safe from any miscreant shooting at them with a handgun from more than 50 yards away. Well, that’s often true, but certainly not always. During my first retirement job, as a U.S. Justice Advisor for the U.S. State Department in Afghanistan, our security team leader firmly believed what “everyone knows,” until I borrowed his M9 pistol at the range and bounced an empty ammo can around on the 100 meter berm. He began training his guys to consider that potential.
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At a range I was at, I overheard an instructor teaching either a CCW or armed security guard class tell his students that they had to shoot at 25 yds for the class to qualify but they shouldn’t bother with it in practice because if they ever shot someone that far away, they’d be going to jail.

Uhhh, what if they were shooting at you from that far away?
 
TF82 said:
At a range I was at, I overheard an instructor teaching either a CCW or armed security guard class tell his students that they had to shoot at 25 yds for the class to qualify but they shouldn’t bother with it in practice because if they ever shot someone that far away, they’d be going to jail.

Uhhh, what if they were shooting at you from that far away?
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Run Forest, run. LOL
 
Their mechanical accuracy from a Ransom Rest is decent enough, but due to their inherent ergonomics, their practical accuracy in the hands of most shooters is definitely lacking.

Folks who recommend them for inexperienced shooters are mistaken; they're expert's revolvers.
 
Oldsalt66 said:
Their mechanical accuracy from a Ransom Rest is decent enough, but due to their inherent ergonomics, their practical accuracy in the hands of most shooters is definitely lacking.

Folks who recommend them for inexperienced shooters are mistaken; they're expert's revolvers.
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And I would add that they require regular practice to develop and retain your skills with them.
 
23669d said:
Difference in accuracy is based on two things shooting load snub nose was regulated for and sight radius of longer barreled guns is superior for most shooters performance.
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This is accurate 3 in clays at 50 yards all day. Snubby not so much. It will out shoot any snub you choose. 004.webp
 
Alk8944 said:
The only reason many have a hard time shooting a snubby revolver is because so many make the claim they are hard to shoot to excuse their poor performance. They have heard this so long, and believe it so they accept poor shooting because they believe it is the guns fault, not theirs.

Let me give you an example of my own experience. Years ago when I was regularly shooting the PPC, Police Pistol Course, with my department. The state competitions included shooting the full course of 600 points with both target revolvers and snubbies, full course with either gun. At the time I shot NRA Master Class with both guns. My typical scores were in the 590s/600 with my 6" K-38. My scores with my snubby, a 2" Model 12 Airweight typically were only 12-15 points less than with the K-38. These were for the full PPC course that extended to 50 yards and included both single and double action fire for those of you unfamiliar with the PPC.

Snub nose revolvers are just as inherently accurate as longer barrels, don't let anyone tell you differently! All you need to do is put in the shooting time to achieve this level of accuracy.

Now, what is your excuse?
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Yeah man. There is NO substitute for putting in the shooting time.
 
I generally shoot small snubbies great. I have found that each one of them requires me to get to know their unique quirks regarding trigger, matched ammo, and sight picture.

There is no free lunch. Effort in results in excellence out.

For example, I figured out my little 442 is an absolute tack driver and point shoots COM for a cylinder dump with Buffalo Bore 158gr LSWCHP.

My 649-1, loves 125 gr critical defense. My 640nd wrecks it with Golden Sabre +p .38. I have a lot more and all of them act differently with the same ammo.

Never gets boring to work on figuring all this out, but is also gets a bit expensive.

Someone would not be safe from getting dirt-napped within 25 yards of me and a snubnose. At least one that I have sufficient trigger time behind it.
 
They are hard to shoot. It can be done, but it’s hard.
You do you.
I don’t get why anyone carries a snub nose revolver anymore.

The SIG at 50 feet, sitting braced.
 

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I’ve recently assigned this (only slightly altered) 60-4 as my new 50 yard revolver:

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It’s already been keeping Winchester Defender 130gr +P HP factory ammo (971 fps average; 53 E.S.; 19 S.D.) just a smidge over 4” at 50 yards. I hope to try it again at 50 yards this week, using some of my better homemade cast bullet ammo. Then, we’ll see if I’m still as good as I like to think I am (advancing age-related decrepitude can be extremely deceitful when it comes to such self-assessment).
 
ispcapt said:
Several years ago I was teaching a class and had the one blowhard in class that everyone quickly gets fed up with. He knew everything there was to know about guns, just ask him. He made the comment that at 100 yards he'd let someone with a 2" snub shoot at him all day long. They were inaccurate. When we went to the range I set up a B-27 target and we got back to 100 yards. I had my S&W 49. Load was my standard carry W-W 158 gr LSWCHP. I said we'll see how accurate a 2" snub is at 100 yards. I fired 5 rounds standing 2 hand and we checked the target. All 5 rounds center mass. The blowhard said anyone can get lucky. So back to the 100 yard line and fired 5 more rounds. All 5 center mass.
100 yards is really not difficult. Rest the head on top of the front sight. Makes a great reference point. Then remember the basics of shooting. Too many never learned them. Sight alignment, breath control, trigger pull.
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Had an instructor who said he could do what you described holding it upside down. Never saw him do it, but he wasn't bragging, just trying to explain the capability of the firearm/ammo. And folks certainly can good with a given gun with practice. Reminds me of the saying along the lines of "Beware the man who only owns one gun - he probably knows how to use it".
 
L-2 said:
I admit, I do shoot my K-frame (older Mod. 66-2), better than my J-frames (642, 638, 60, 432UC, but not too bad with my 640Pro) or my LCRX 327. I wouldn't mind a good Mod. 12 snubnose, I just never came across one to buy.
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I often treat myself to light loads when I practice with my J. Regarding Alk’s take on the police shoot, my annual CCW qualification at my old PD covers the same exercises. But for my performance of 2 rounds at 50 yards I Am with him . Practice makes me proficient
 
Alk8944 said:
"...so many make the claim they are hard to shoot to excuse their poor performance. They have heard this so long, and believe it so they accept poor shooting because they believe it is the guns fault, not theirs."
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Same can be said about the 1911. The Government model, anyway. The mystique was always that you couldn't hit a bull in the ass with one, which was, and is, not at all true.
 
I shoot weekly for past 2 years, exclusively revolvers. I shot sporadically before. I agree, I think a lot of it is the trigger. If its a sweet trigger like my 642 or my Colt Police Positive or Detective Special, it shoots just as accurately. This was Thursday.

642 at 11 yards. (Paper target was angled right and I was standing in entrance to left on 10 yard range, alone)

IMG_1571.webp

IMG_1575.webp

In comparison the 4” 64 at 11 yards.

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Same WC load in both. 642 has nicer trigger, shorter barrel, better result.

And that is not to say that the 64 has a bad trigger. Its to say the 642 has a smoother trigger. My current goal is to shoot all double action triggers good or better. My difficult one is my beloved Ruger SP101 and its lonnnnggggg and strong factory trigger. Its a puzzle I look forward to improving weekly.

You get what you put into it.
 
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TF82 said:
At a range I was at, I overheard an instructor teaching either a CCW or armed security guard class tell his students that they had to shoot at 25 yds for the class to qualify but they shouldn’t bother with it in practice because if they ever shot someone that far away, they’d be going to jail.

Uhhh, what if they were shooting at you from that far away?
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That's why I carry a 638 not 642. Single action brother, single action. Okay truthfully, humpbacks are just cooler.
 
Yes, where are these scallywags claiming that shorts aren't accurate? I'll tie them to a post and flog them!
Seriously, I don't recall a bunch of threads about short barrels not being as accurate as longer barrel. Not saying there are none only that they don't appear often enough to warrant an unsolicited rebuttal. I don't think Ive ever complained about it.
Of course a short barrel has about as much accuracy potential as any other but the pitfall may be the gct that the shorter sight plane is less forgiving of misalignment.
Personally I can't anything with long or short barrels, and I don't blame it on my guns. I let other people shoot them and they hit every time.🤣
 
My snubby Ruger Alaskan I can shoot good with my J frames not so much. I find full hand grip beats a 2-3 finger grip pretty much every time.
 
A Model 36 using 158 gr bullets shoots to point of aim. It will shoot very accurately. The problem is with the grip. People hold them loosely and they bite, take that and add a poor trigger pull and you'll be all over the paper. Really good pistol shots all have one thing in common: strong hands, usually large strong hands. They grip any pistol firmly and hold while paying attention to the trigger. Even a good target grade 1911 will do the same thing. You'll have a good group but it will be high and left.
Also IMO anything closer than 25 yds is a waste of time. I just don't understand using a 7 yd or 11 yd target for accuracy testing, in a match fine, you point shoot. Why not make it 5? A great target group from 7 yds is kind of silly to me.
 
The long and heavy DA pull gives a lot of people difficulty, especially so when the gun is light and more prone to wiggling while you exert the necessary force to pull the trigger. Then you have a short sight radius with (usually) fixed sights which may not be 100% in line. And to top it all off, they can have quite the kick and people will develop a flinch. It's definitely more common to be a bad shot with one than a good shot with one.
 
sniper said:
I was at the range some time ago, and a young-ish man was there. He went up to the bench, took a Ruger SP 101 out of a factory box, and shot a cylinderful of 5. He retrieved his target, looked at it; most rounds were on the paper, packed up his gun and left. Probably where some of the reputation for "hard to shoot well" originated.
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With the current cost of factory 38/357 this is understandable especially for a young-ish man . I remember times many years ago ammo was a luxury until after the bills were paid.

At least most hit his target. I see more young ins doing mag dumps and lucky if any are on the paper.
 
Alk8944 said:
The only reason many have a hard time shooting a snubby revolver is because so many make the claim they are hard to shoot to excuse their poor performance. They have heard this so long, and believe it so they accept poor shooting because they believe it is the guns fault, not theirs.

Let me give you an example of my own experience. Years ago when I was regularly shooting the PPC, Police Pistol Course, with my department. The state competitions included shooting the full course of 600 points with both target revolvers and snubbies, full course with either gun. At the time I shot NRA Master Class with both guns. My typical scores were in the 590s/600 with my 6" K-38. My scores with my snubby, a 2" Model 12 Airweight typically were only 12-15 points less than with the K-38. These were for the full PPC course that extended to 50 yards and included both single and double action fire for those of you unfamiliar with the PPC.

Snub nose revolvers are just as inherently accurate as longer barrels, don't let anyone tell you differently! All you need to do is put in the shooting time to achieve this level of accuracy.

Now, what is your excuse?
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They’re not hard to shoot accurately, especially at point blank range, just as they’re intended for 😎
 
"All you need to do is put in the shooting time to achieve this level of accuracy."
This is profoundly true. But is it not also true about any firearm. Or for that matter, just about anything in life.
I shoot a Model 10, 2 inch as well as a 6 inch. But I'll confess, I put many more rounds down range with the
2 inch. Practice makes perfect.
 
Alk8944 said:
...Snub nose revolvers are just as inherently accurate as longer barrels, don't let anyone tell you differently! All you need to do is put in the shooting time to achieve this level of accuracy. ...
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Yup. Once I used to be able to actually hit a target!!
Chief Wellfleet PD at the time this qualification was shot.

IMG_3535_Qual Target_07-03-11.webpIMG_3542_Qual Target Words_07-03-11.webp
 
What improved my accuracy with my model 36 are the Pachmayr Compac grips. And my hand loaded 158 gr LSWC ammo with 4.5 gr of 700X powder. I also painted the front sight with fluorescent orange nail polish. That little gun amazes people with its accuracy, and it's a pleasure to shoot. Several people have wanted to buy it from me, but it ain't for sale.
 
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