Airweight Blues

[617X10]

Point of Impact problems

I just sent a M&P 340 back to Smith because of a misaligned barrel shroud. It was clocked off center. Never going to be as accurate as it could be like that. I hope they don't use a "Minor adjustment" to fix it. On second thought, they'd probably crack the frame and I'd get a new one.

 

[tom turner]

Glad you found the gun's defect. S&W will be glad to replace it for you!

T.

 

[coltgun]

o well

I too am a retired LEO and carry daily. Of the three J's I own (M&P 360, 637 & 638) I shoot the 638 the best. I've encountered similar problems with the other two and thought it was just me. I'd call S&W and see what they say, I plan to do the same.

i dont shoot airweight snubbys well and i never have, that coupled with the fact we are all getting older, has led me to carry my Glock as my main Ret LEO gun, i seem to shoot it well, its not as light as i would like but not as heavy as the mod 28, hwy ptlman i carried a lot of yrs otj...I will say that non plus p ammo and a crimsontrace laser on the j frame herlped me a great deal, but i shoot my annual leosa qual at a score of 100 per cent with the Glock 23..and feel safer with more rounds as the stick ups now seem to all have more then one perp..

 

[chief38]

Different weight and brands of ammo will shoot to slightly different points of aim. You can always try a few different loads in a particular gun. One might be right.

While this would be a LAST resort, you actually can adjust the point of impact with a file. The sight track can be opened up one way or the other, and the front sight can be filed down or thinned on either side. I know you can not increase the front sight height, but you can lower the rear notch, which is has the same effect of raising the front sight. I hate to take a file to a fixed sight gun, but once in a blue moon it is necessary. I have done this only once and it was on a clone of a Colt SAA revolver made by Umberti. Being that it was not a genuine Colt, I did not loose sleep over it and it did work very nicely.

I own a bunch of 2" Chief's, a M60, M36, M37 etc, and my choice for pocket carry is the M60. It is just easier to shoot Buffalo Bore 158grain +P ammo in, and the extra 4 ounces does not bother me. The only time I carry the M37 is when I wear a suit or dress pants that are thinner and pull easier.

Personally, if after trying different ammo and bullets it did not solve your problem, I would use a file to correct the point of impact rather than to smack the barrel with a Babbitt! Remember that when you have such a small stubby barrel you would have to move the barrel quite a bit to change the impact that much, which in turn (IMHO) affect the thread alignment.

Chief38

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
I am required to qualifiy yearly also which means a trip from Tennessee to Florida.
I had the same problem with a S&W Model 638. I added Pachmayr Gripper Grips, put "White Out" on the front sight, and used standard velocity ammo and my marksmanship improved 100%.
With the knowledge that telling this "Secret" might get me kicked off the Forum and my wife leaving me: My regular CCW is a Glock Model 27 .40 using 180gr Speer ammo. Nine rounds in the weapon with an extra nine round magazine equals 18 round verus five rounds with an extra speedloader equals 10 rounds. CCW with the Glock doubles my fire power plus the Glock I am more accurate with.
Jimmy (don't let the Forum guys or my Wife know)

 

[oldman45]

A quick question for the group here.

In 1965, I was in school with a man that carried a snub nose "airweight" by S&W. In 1972, I bought a snub nose model 36. Both guns shot .38spc only and five shot. His gun was so much lighter than the one I bought and still own.

Does anyone know what the number for the old airweight would be? I sure would love to find one for the collection

 

[ladder13]

M37 I think.

 

[Bert Man]

Dave, 10-4 on the old S&W minor adjustment. Don't know if you were at the armorer school close to when I was (1979) but we may have had the same instructors 'cause we were taught the same thing to "adjust" POI on fixed sight revolvers and they swore it works for minor adjustments. They also strongly advised that we never employ this method in the presence of the gun's owner, wonder why? Anyway I have never been able to force myself to do it.

 

[Bert Man]

Dave, 10-4 on the old S&W minor adjustment. Don't know if you were at the armorer school close to when I was (1979) but we may have had the same instructors 'cause we were taught the same thing to "adjust" POI on fixed sight revolvers and they swore it works for minor adjustments. They also strongly advised that we never employ this method in the presence of the gun's owner, wonder why? Anyway I have never been able to force myself to do it.

Well, bust my chops! Finally noticed the OP is almost a year old. Ain't it great growing old?

 

[Old cop]

Re: Difficulty shooting the airweight J's - Now in my mid 60's this does not get easier. I shoot my M442 and M38 monthly. Fifty to 100 rounds rapid fire at distances out to 15 yards and have gotten pretty good with both.

For those who walk in my shoes just invest the time & practice. While it will never be as easy as a service size weapon, your confidence will increase - you really can shoot these little guns well.

 

[jtpur]

I carry as a retired LEO which also means I have to qualify yearly. I've been carrying a M60 since I retired but thought I'd like to have something lighter and picked up the little Ruger 380 for pocket carry. I don't have a problem qualifying with either gun. However, the 380 doesn't give me a lot of confidence in certain areas of town. So I picked up a new Airweight and took it to the range. I've owned and shot a lot of snubbies and they normally hit pretty close to where I aim but not my Airweight. At 15 yards it was hitting 3-4 inches high and 5-6 inches to the left. I figured no way the sights can be that far off it had to be me. So I slow fired the gun SA from a rest same thing. I next tried it at twenty five yards, SA slow fire from a rest on a silhouette target. All the shots hit in the upper right shoulder outside the eight ring. Only shots inside the eight ring count in qualification. There is no way shooting timed rapid fire I'll ever be able to pass qualification with this gun. My little 380 is lighter with just a nub of a sight but I have no trouble keeping the rounds upper center mass. I don't know if I should send it in to S&W or trade it off, I'd like to keep it cause it sure rides nice in a pocket holster in my front pocket.

suggest you have it bore sighted first so you can tell them somehthing more definitive. I have a 638 it hits pretty accurately......at fifteen I'm on the target but only the guy upstairs knows where they are going to land...SA Im pretty much in the center. Double tapping the first hits where I aim the second is a guess. are you using +P if so try some Federal Hydrashok 110 grn low recoicl JHP

 

[26Ford]

Practice with NON Plus P ammo, and CHANGE THE GRIPS!!!!!!!!!