Any J frame shooting tips?

[DuneShoot]

I'm having the same issues with a 442. One reason I bought it was because the grips had the built in clip to clip it on your belt or pocket for carry.

1st few times shooting it the cylinder release dug into my thumb knuckle. I tried other grip techniques but they felt awkward.

After reading this thread I tried Jerry's thumb over method on the small J frame but found that the back of the gun was pushed right up against the bone where my thumb meets the hand. This was painful to shoot with the recoil basically going directly into bone.

I guess I need longer 3 finger grips?

This Pachmayr gardian 'pop-out' grip looks interesting but it appears to be a hard plastic and I'd prefer a more rubbery grip.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcvsDhNtLw0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcvsDhNtLw0[/ame]

Suggestions for a 3 finger grip? I saw the ones mentioned here but don't see them listed on S&W site.

 

[sturtyboy]

I carry a M337. Airlite Ti. It must be one of the litest "J's" built. Around 10.5oz. I can put .38spl in a 4" group @ 7 yrds, D/A, in 3.5sec.; comfortably. The more I rush it the wider the group. But it has taken a lot of practice for me.
I start at the range session cold. Shooting as if I'm drawing for self defense. Sometimes not as good and sometimes good. But at that range, that'll do it for me.

Here's my handicap... I've got big mitts and the "J" is a small one to grip.

I installed a Crimson Trace grip. That is a tremendous benefit! I can usually reduce the group in half at the same rate of fire. C/T is the ticket for me on all my carry's

I love my Kimber Ultra Carry II with C/T. I can nail it tighter than the M337 without the light and 50cent piece with it. But it's much heavier than the M337.

 

[usmc2427765]

Hold on tight and watch the front sight.
H.P.D. Firearms Instructor 1981-1992

 

[InTheBlack]

J frames MUST be DAO since the design basis is for use at grappling distance. Need to be able to shoot from underneath a coat or in a pocket or purse, and not get hung up on clothing when doing a contact shot. Contact distance shooting also involves your hand being right up against your own body & clothing.

Due to an injury, I have learned to shoot with my thumb on top of the backstrap. Pushing down works one handed, and leaves plenty of room for my support hand to grip tightly otherwise.

Miculik has huge hands. Trainers usually do. People with small hands need to do things differently from what is usually presented.

Experiment with different grip panels. Don't forget the old fashioned Hip Grip, which is hard plastic but nicely shaped. You can even put different shapes on each side, to optimize the strong hand. Cushiony rubber tape is useful, even though you feel like a Mafia hit man. Sorbothane absorbs a lot of recoil.

If you have distance & time to shoot two handed, the biggest problem is the lousy sights. You can paint the backstrap behind the front sight, and if you can see the paint, your vertical alignment is high. Aiming at chest, low is OK. Learn exactly how high or low at distances by shooting mis-aligned.

You can also alter the shape & smooth out the cylinder release. Can even buy different styles. And reduce the trigger pull a good bit, & tune it up.

 

[mmesa005]

I think this is a good video regarding revolver shooting techniques:

Getting Started Shooting a Revolver | Personal Defense Network - YouTube

 

[pomonapete]

how to shoot j frames? beats me.

let me talk. my dear brother, 17 months behind me, went schizophrenic at 18 and raved for 20 years before suiciding and our, and his, nightmare was over.

one day my dad visited him sleeping in the bedroom with a model 36-2 on the pillow next to his head. it was dad's thereafter until he died and now it's mine.

I remember when Barney bought it from a garage shop in a Diamond Bar house - probably illegal. it may have fallen off his motorcycle once.

it has a square butt, a bull barrel and a grooved target trigger that slices and dices and shreds. I remember taking a gal to an indoor shooting range and we couldn't hit anything with it. I even scotch taped balloons to the target. nothing. I ended up joking that those were really tough balloons.

I love the gun so much probably due to Dick Tracy cartoons with his Crimestoppers' Textbook, or scrapbook. that plus the toy gun with the spring-loaded bullets you actually 're-loaded' and loaded into the gun.

so I looked at the gun. the barrel seemed bent to the left. I took it to a major brand name gun store, and the guy said 'don't tell me'...and said it's bent to the left. I FedEx'd it to S&W, and it came back.

I bought a T-grip from Tyler, Texas. that made it a miniature of my 586 4", the greatest handgun ever made. oh, that's nice.

nowthen: to shoot it in its new config. Burro Canyon's pistol range has a dirt backstop of 87 yards, I think. I put clays on the dirt backstop to shoot my dad's M1 carbine at. I decided to try the hapless aimless 36.

single action puff of dirt to the left. woa. that's weird. close. way the freak out there? another, low. the third shot, disintegration!

I double clutched, practically threw the gun down on the bench and jumped up and looked around for corroboration. there was none on that blustery weekday.

hoke a moke! no, I can't tell you how to shoot a snubbie, but I CAN tell you they'll plug just about anything you can see if you do it right.

 

[BDC5109]

Hi,

I saw some snap caps passing by.
A friend of mine did too. After 3months his firing pin broke.
So I would say, never use snap caps!
They will ruine/break your firing pin. Seen it happening.
A Smith can handle dry firing, it is in the manual.
I did so for years, no problems.

Best regards, HP

 

[mfoley]

Shooing a light J Frame my take on it

My M&P340 was interesting to learn how to shoot.

I found that using snap caps indoors and aiming at a black spot on a white background that the position of my trigger finger was critical and different than any of my other S&W revolvers.

Normally I use the first pad of my index finger on the trigger.

When I did this with the M&P340 I got side to side variation while watching the front sight.

I had to move the M&P340 trigger to the joint of my index finger to get the revolver to stop the side to side motion.

What I would recommend to you is to use this simple method to see where your front sight is moving to when you squeeze through your trigger pull.

It was an eye opener to me.

Once you have the dry fire down then add ammo and have fun with it.

 

[petewoodland]

Grips and ammo make a difference

I've carried a model 60 (stainless) for nearly fifty years and my practice load is 38 wadcutters with about 3 grains of Bullseye. Hardly much more recoil than dry firing. Of course I finish up range time with "carry" ammunition. Sometime in the last ten years I put on a set of Pachmayer Decelerater grips and find them to work perfectly for me. Enough so that I bought several extra sets for my N frame Mountain Guns.
A few years ago I bought an alloy J Frame Hammerless (can't remember the model number) but ended up giving it to my son as I could never control it as well as the stainless model.

 

[haywood]

That's exactly what I did. I used Laser grips to help me watch.

I also recommend a good trigger job to lower the Heavy stock pull from around 14 pounds down to about 8 and smoothing it out a lot. I used Jerrys Video and did my trigger job and dry fired a thousand times or so.

Now a question for you folks, how do you keep the trigger guard from banging the snot out of your Strong hand middle finger? That's what kills me.

I have to change grips on most Revolvers to make them fit my old busted up hand.

 

[Dirtman]

I put Crimson Trace laser grips on my 442 and 642. Helps with accuracy.
J frames weren't meant for plinking because of recoil. Practice with standard 38 caliber ammo and occasionally +P just to know what to expect. In a critical situation, you won't remember recoil anyway.

 

[Dirtman]

let me talk. my dear brother, 17 months behind me, went schizophrenic at 18 and raved for 20 years before suiciding and our, and his, nightmare was over.

one day my dad visited him sleeping in the bedroom with a model 36-2 on the pillow next to his head. it was dad's thereafter until he died and now it's mine.

I remember when Barney bought it from a garage shop in a Diamond Bar house - probably illegal. it may have fallen off his motorcycle once.

it has a square butt, a bull barrel and a grooved target trigger that slices and dices and shreds. I remember taking a gal to an indoor shooting range and we couldn't hit anything with it. I even scotch taped balloons to the target. nothing. I ended up joking that those were really tough balloons.

I love the gun so much probably due to Dick Tracy cartoons with his Crimestoppers' Textbook, or scrapbook. that plus the toy gun with the spring-loaded bullets you actually 're-loaded' and loaded into the gun.

so I looked at the gun. the barrel seemed bent to the left. I took it to a major brand name gun store, and the guy said 'don't tell me'...and said it's bent to the left. I FedEx'd it to S&W, and it came back.

I bought a T-grip from Tyler, Texas. that made it a miniature of my 586 4", the greatest handgun ever made. oh, that's nice.

nowthen: to shoot it in its new config. Burro Canyon's pistol range has a dirt backstop of 87 yards, I think. I put clays on the dirt backstop to shoot my dad's M1 carbine at. I decided to try the hapless aimless 36.

single action puff of dirt to the left. woa. that's weird. close. way the freak out there? another, low. the third shot, disintegration!

I double clutched, practically threw the gun down on the bench and jumped up and looked around for corroboration. there was none on that blustery weekday.

hoke a moke! no, I can't tell you how to shoot a snubbie, but I CAN tell you they'll plug just about anything you can see if you do it right.

Great post!

 

[Chubbo]

I'm Sorry

nanney1:
I hope you will forgive me for "Pulling Your Leg", a little, in my thoughtless post #53. I couldn't resist. All joking aside, you are going about your quest, to be a good "belly gun" shooter, correctly. After "Joshing" you, you probably won't take any suggestions that I offer. I can't blame you, but, I'd like to encourage you to follow your quest. Any "Belly Gun" will abuse your hands, in use. In my opinion, Target grade, wadcutter ammunition, is the way to go, for both, practice, and defense use. PRACTICE A LOT, Consider wisely, the wealth of information offered by, the great people of this forum. You won't go wrong.

Chubbo

 

[gwpercle]

Tried the crossover thumb grip which solved the cylinder release bite...but still suck wind shooting. Will order some new grips and march onward. All 638 shots were SA....DA aren't even on target.
The FIRM grip also helped....thanks for the tips!

That's NOT bad grouping at all....I have seen some who couldn't hit the paper single action. .
You doing just fine...shooting double action with a J frame is tough, the most difficult shooting you can do ,
I shoot a lot SA just to practice sight picture control . DA shooting will require some more practice to master.
Don't get hung up on buying "things" to improve your shooting, shooting improves your shooting.
Gary

 

[one eye joe]

I think if you ever have to use it, it will be up close and personal and as long as you practice shooting it you will be fine. Could also try some laser grips.... I have CT LG-405's on my 442 and they really help.

I AGREE WITH mgriffin......

THE 442/642 IS MEANT FOR PERSONAL DEFENSE, AND WILL LIKELY BE USED AT UNDER 7 YARDS, OR SO. IF YOU DEVELOP YOUR SKILL LEVEL, THROUGH PRACTICE, TO WHERE YOU CAN EMPTY A CYLINDER ON CENTER MASS, YOU SHOULD BE FINE......

MANY YEARS AGO, I TOOK A 2 DAY COURSE ON DEFENSIVE SHOOTING, WITH MASSAD AYOOB. HIS PERSONAL CCW WAS A J FRAME, CARRYING LASER GRIPS. HE EXTOLLED THEIR VIRTUES, AND THE SHOOT/DON'T SHOOT EXERCISES WERE CONDUCTED, USING HIS WEAPON, AGAINST SCENARIOS PROJECTED ON A WALL......

AS A RESULT OF THAT, COMBINED WITH MY OWN SUBSEQUENT EXPERIENCE---I BELIEVE THAT THE BIGGEST AID TO SHOOTING THE J-FRAMES, ESPECIALLY THE AIRWEIGHTS, IS THE CRIMSON TRACE, LASER GRIP......

IT SOLVES THE PROBLEM OF GETTING THE GUN ON TARGET, UNDER STRESS, IN ANY LEVEL OF LIGHT, AND FROM ANY BODY POSITION THAT YOU MAY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO SHOOT FROM.....

ALSO IMHO---THE BEST OF THE LOT IS THE LG-405 MODEL. THE LG-405 FEATURES AN AIR CHAMBER, MOLDED IN AT THE TOP OF THE COVERED BACK STRAP. THE GRIP IS LONG ENOUGH TO AFFORD A GOOD PURCHASE, AND CONTROL OF WEAPON, WHILE THE AIR CHAMBER, AND COVERED BACK STRAP REDUCES FELT RECOIL.........

MY 642-1, WITH LG-405s IS PICTURED BELOW......

 

[les_garten]

I have to change grips on most Revolvers to make them fit my old busted up hand.

I have Laser Grips I would rather not lose.

But I have CT LG-105

Maybe I should switch up to something else? Like the 405 or 305?

 

[one eye joe]

I have Laser Grips I would rather not lose.

But I have CT LG-105

Maybe I should switch up to something else? Like the 405 or 305?[/QUOTE

IMHO, THERE IS NO GREAT ADVANTAGE GAINED BY GOING FROM THE 105 TO THE 305......

A GREAT DEAL IS GAINED, IN THE REDUCTION OF FELT RECOIL, BY MOVING UP TO THE LG-405.....

RATHER THAN BEING REDUNDANT, I WILL REFER YOU TO MY POST #75 ABOVE, WHEREIN I EXPLAIN MY REASONS, FOR FAVORING THE LG-405.....

 

[oldiesradio1560]

The bottom grip is...

Those bottom rubber grip is a 640 j frame Smith & Wesson grip. It can be ordered by calling Smith customer service Part# 41304000 $27.95 & $6.95 shipping. I have a 640-1 Pro Series and have No problem shooting full 158gr FMJ .357 magnum factory load. No bite at all.

 

[Walkingwolf]

442 was purchased new on Dec. 30, so it's not even a month old. First range trip was 50 rounds of Remington UMC 125 grain fmj and 15 rounds of Hornady Critical Defense +P 110 grain FTX.

2nd range trip yesterday was 50 rounds of Remington 130 grain fmj and 5 rounds of the Hornady +P. So, only 120 rounds total. And probably an equal number of dry fires.

Stick with jacketed bullets instead of plated until the barrel breaks in. This can take anywhere from a 100 to 500 rounds. It took 200 for my 625 PC to lap, and get bullseye accurate.

I second the dry fire, and possibly practicing with low recoil ammo, or 22 lr.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Now a question for you folks, how do you keep the trigger guard from banging the snot out of your Strong hand middle finger? That's what kills me.

The right answer will almost surely vary from person to person, because of differences in certain linear dimensions of the hand.


Although I generally get along well with Magnas and a Tyler, I found that on a S&W J frame RB Airweight, I had to remove the Tyler because of the additional recoil compared to a steel gun. On steel Js, I use a Tyler. On square butt Airweights (I have several), I use a Tyler. On RB Airweights, a Tyler gets me rapped on the knuckle, so I don't use it.

My 642 has factory Magnas from a RB 36, no Tyler. If you don't like this, you might consider trying S&W factory J targets, which fit both RB & SB models, making the the 642 feel about like a SB with a Tyler, or maybe a little better. These still seem to be about $50-65 for a nice pair. Of course, Pach Presentations may be just as good or better, if you can tolerate the size and the material.