About 25 years ago, I was partners in a Ransom Rest and a chronogoraph. We were shooting in PPC competition and looking for both the most accurate suitable guns but which ammo shot best in each gun. We had inserts for the K and N frames and, pretty much by accident a set for J frames.
The Ransom Rest takes most of the human element out of the results if it is used properly. It was time consuming to use because you had to scrub barrels between kinds of bullets and then foul them with the ammo you wanted to test next, and you had to re-seat the guns in the inserts of you removed them between shootings. We spent several days working at this.
Finally we had what we thought were our best customized match guns and pretty stock guns for 'Distinguished' and 'Service' matches. All that was left to pick was a service snub and ammo for them. The guns usually used were S&W 2 inch Model 15 Combat Masterpieces, 2-1/2 and 3 inch Combat Magnums and short Colt Pythons and Diamondbacks.
We were shooting mostly at 25 yards but did our final selections at 50 yards.
We were pretty well done for the last day. We still had ammo left and we each had a Chiefs Special, mine a blue Model 36 and his a stainless Model 60. As much for our entertainment as our edification, we swapped out the grip inserts and bolted down my Model 36. We fired a fast 10 rounds to settle it down, using factory loaded W-W 148 grain mid-range match wadcutters. I put up a new B-27 at 25 yards and we shot 5 more for group. You could cover the group with a half dollar coin! My mind was boggled and we re-shot, thinking we had a fluke. The second 5 was better, with 4 not just touching but overlapping and the fifth just nicking another's hole.
Putting up targets at 50 yards, the groups opened all the way up to silver dollar size!
My buddy's Model 60 didn't shoot quite as goood but not a whole lot worse. Had we been able to hold the guns and shoot them as well as the Ransom Rest, we could shoot perfect scores. My blue J frame shot the two best groups of the day!
Of course we couldn't hold them so still ourselves, and no way we would have won any matches; the snubs are just harder to shoot well. They are light and wobble more. They have a short sight radius. They have small grips and generally stiffer actions and trigger pulls.
All that said, I can make standing head shots at 25 yards all day with my current Model 642's. At 10 yards, I can pick the eyeball or nostril I want to hit, while shooting fairly fast.
The small guns have the pure mechanical accuracy of their bigger brothers. It just takes a lot more work to get it. Practice, practice, practice that trigger stroke and that front sight blade.
The snubs have it in them, to get good hits at 25 yards, do we?
I know 'cause if you put a set of Crimson Trace lasers on it you will see how unsteady the hand can be with a small frame snub nose revolver. The revolver is trying to do it's part.
