At what distance should I reasonably expect POA to meet POI on a 642? (canted barrel)

[KevinCH]

I had this problem with a Taurus M85 snub I purchased back in the 1990s. From behind the gun looking down the frame & barrel, the entire barrel was rotated to the left; like when installed it had been turned in too far. When looking at the front of the gun, it looked like the front sight was pointing towards 1:00 (or thereabout), not straight up at 12:00. The gun shot way to the right. A trip back to Taurus & it was returned with a new barrel installed, & it then shot dead on.

Like someone posted above, turning the barrel in or out to line up the front sight will only work if the cylinder gap is still within spec once the barrel is set. If not, a new barrel is in order (assuming the rest of the gun is in spec).

 

[vito]

We get a lot of opinions as to the likely range at which one would be shooting in a self defense situation, but I have not seen any real data on this. My gut tells me that if I ever use my 642 for real, it will likely be within about 10 feet or less (years ago I did read an interview with Mickey Spillane, the mystery writer, who was formerly a Chicago police detective, who stated that most real life situations occur within 6 feet and end after 1 or 2 rounds are fired). Aiming (pointing?) at 10 feet at center-of-mass is not difficult even with a 2-inch barrel double-action only, and I would think, even with a slightly canted barrel.

I feel a lot more confident at hitting what I want to hit if shooting at 10 yard distances if I use a gun other than my j-frame. Revolvers or semi's with 3-1/2 or 4 inch barrels are a lot easy to aim, but they also are a lot larger and heavier. While I am relatively new to concealed carry, I find I can easily pocket my 642 and go about my normal life, whereas a larger gun requires a lot more effort to conceal and carry. So unless I see real evidence that I am foolishly anticipating a shooting distance of 10 feet or less, I will continue to see my 642 as my everyday carry gun.

If there is valid data that can resolve this question, I would love to see it or have a link to it.

 

[GreyRider]

GreyRider: Is your 686 a 4 or 6"? Are you shooting it (SA) single action off a rest? 1.5 @ 7 yds would be nice with a J frame, you will find that you should get around 1" group @ 25 yd with practice. Where are there any ranges up in Bergen? Be Safe,

Viper, mine is a 3". I've been shooting mostly single action, off hand at 7.5 yards. As I've gotten better I've moved it out to 10 & sometimes 15 yards and now mixing it a fair amount of DA. My new 617 gets a lot of DA pulls. I hope to shoot steel with it very soon.

There's a GREAT new range in Bergen that I've joined called Gun for Hire and I don't mind plugging it here. Anthony Colandro runs a great facility. Family friendly, classes, everyone is helpful & friendly. Please look it up if you're up this way.