642 Recoil

[Riverkilt]

Bought my first 642 without being able to test fire it - live in the boonies. Was rough on an olde man's wrist but figured I'd get used to it. Then bought a second 642 figuring that was faster than reloading. It beat my wrist up too. Figured it was some olde age and some carpal tunnel from over 30 years on computers. So, decided to sell them both. Haven't got to it yet. Today figured that it'd be good to have a range day with them. Took them both out to the local range with my old Model 10 that I carried as a youthful LEO in the mid to late 1960s. I like the Model 10 a lot. Shoots well. Single action trigger is so smooth its scary...surprise when it fires out of single action. But with the Model 10s weight and an olde pair of big grips the recoil is nil.
To the point - it was below freezing out today and I expected both 642s to beat my wrists up. They didn't. Good recoil but not the impact that I remembered. Shot well. 8 of 10 shots in a 4" pattern at about 20 feet.

I have been doing some wrist exercises with spring grip thingies...but not that much....don't think I've become wrist strong from it.

Bottom line, now I'm thinking about keeping the 642s around after all. No clue if my perceived recoil reduction is all in my mind, if there's some way the recoil gets reduced by running more rounds through them. Guessing 2-300 rounds each by now, or if its the wrist work...or even cold weather - was about 30 degrees Farenheit today. No gloves...maybe my wrists were just numb.

I'm 68-years-old....there was a younger guy at the range in a wheelchair. Maybe my "macho" was up thinking if he can, I can...

Maybe there's no answer...but thanks for any thoughts.

 

[ogilvyspecial]

Everybody is different, for me, I find that when I first go out and shoot that the recoil on
the lightweight J's seems a little brisk, but after shooting them a bit things calm down.

Usually, by the end of a range session I'm doing one handed point shooting and it's
not bothering me a bit. It's almost like gettin' into cold water, which seems
real cold at first, then not so bad after you get used to it.

 

[DAinTX]

My opinion has always been that whether or not recoil is going to 'bother you' has a lot more to do with mindset than any other single factor (unless, of course, you have some sort of physical disability that recoil impacts).

 

[Edmo]

Snappy recoil, and a really heavy out of box trigger pull...

These are the reasons I never suggest an airweight snubbie for a first time shooter - especially a wife, daughter, or girlfriend.

Edmo

 

[kenjen]

sometimes a new set of stocks will do wounders on controling recoil

 

[Old cop]

I'm 66 and suffer from soreness, attributable to arthritis, after a range session w/my 442. Oversize Pachmeyer rubber grips help at the range and I find that the shock of the recoil lessens, mentally, after about 20 rounds.

The 442 goes to the range monthly for about 100 rounds (10 +P) to maintain my profeciency & confidence. If I can keep all five rounds of +P on a paper plate at 5 yards shooting as fast as possible confidence is maintained.

 

[smitty_bs]

I just went through this with my 77 year old father. He had been shooting an S&W380 and thought the kick was too much now. I let him shoot my M642 loaded with wadcutter target loads. He loved it and is now planning on buying a 642.

The wadcutters may not be the best self defense loads on the market, but they aren't the worst either. Some people swear by them and if it allows for a more controllable gun and less painful wrists, you may want to give them a try.