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Best practice/resources for snub nose accuracy?

This is actually amazing to some that you can hit a man sized target well with out "aiming".
It's like when you take that shot with the beer bottle with out hesitation to the trash can and it goes right in.....then the focused or shots you try miss by a,mile.
Often you need to just let your mind do it. Once YOU start thinking things don't go as well...
It's on the lines of "lucky" shot.
Practice is key....I will chime in to say start close and work your way out. Have goals and do not advance until you make them...

My point is that raising the gun to your eye level, even while not using the sights but using target focus instead, is just as fast as hip shooting, but more accurate.
 
My point is that raising the gun to your eye level, even while not using the sights but using target focus instead, is just as fast as hip shooting, but more accurate.
I think hip shooting proves effective with in bad breath distance. Any more than that, index the sights on the target.

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I used to shoot small paper plates at around twenty feet with my 642. I want head shot ability at that distance on s more or less stationary target. Rapid cylinder dumps at ten feet make sense too.
I agree with Slap Shot- 3 yards, 5 tops. I myself would be more accurate throwing a snub nose at a bad guy.
 
My point is that raising the gun to your eye level, even while not using the sights but using target focus instead, is just as fast as hip shooting, but more accurate.

I would guess that raising the gun to your eye is undoubtedly more accurate--but there is no physical way that it could possibly be faster.

Your hand cannot travel 10X the distance "faster".

That being said--hip shooting may well be foolishness in most situations, but I'm sure there are situations where breaking off a shot at hip level, even an innacurate shot, might buy you enough time to potentiallly save your life.

Last point inre: instincive shooting. There are no sights on a baseball, and yet as children we all learned the complex motions and miniscule fingertip pressure inputs necessary to hit a target with a thrown ball. We stared fixedly at the target and learned to adjust our muscular inputs until we accomplished the desired effect. We even learned (by familiarity and repetition) how to quickly judge the weight and shape and even the aerodynamics of random stones, and adjust our delivery with impressive accuracy (at least I know I did). It is far earier and more cost effective to teach someone to shoot by visually indexing the sights, but if you have enough ammo and time to build muscle memory awareness, I think it is quite possible to develop an uncanny awareness of muzzle inclination. A laser snap cap (or a on/off tape switch wedged into the trigger guard behind the trigger) would give you a lot of muscle-memory experience, and at some point you would no doubt cultivate a Zen-like knowledge about instinctive shooting, the same way a basketball player can hit a three-pointer with very little conscious input.

Anyhow--that's my .02.


ETA: If anybody is looking for an "FBI Load" variant for personal protection, Bass Pro Hooksett has eight or ten boxes of Remington +P 158 gr. SWC-HP on the shelf. Cost is $30.99 for a 50 round box. I haven't seen it anywhere else, so I thought I'd mention it.

This is the stuff:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...ecial-p-158-grain-lead-hollow-point-box-of-50

Also--a guy in the Walmart (next door to the Bass Pro) pointed out the Perfecta 158 grain .38 Special to me. It was like $14 for a box of 50. There were six or eight boxes in the case.
 
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Faster on the first shot? No. faster on the follow up shots? Absolutely. Because you can control recoil better with two hands than one.

Try it both ways using a shot timer.
 
I agree with Slap Shot- 3 yards, 5 tops. I myself would be more accurate throwing a snub nose at a bad guy.

Not true. You are selling yourself short. With enough practice you should be able to do OK out to 25 yds. A 2 in snubbie is at least that accurate. Practice with a revolver should be DA only as that is how you will be using it for real.

A friend of mine trained under a local "Guru" who literally convinced him that he could't hit past seven yards to the point that he won't even try in practice. This is erroneous and potentially fatal advice. In self defense situation you can't dictate your terms, i.e. target size and distance. What happens if all you get is a head shot at ten yds? Throw the snubbie at your assailant?
 
Practice proper form and trigger control with a 1895 Nagant revolver. After mastering that any modern snubby will seem like child's play and your trigger finger will be godly strong.
 
Faster on the first shot? No. faster on the follow up shots? Absolutely. Because you can control recoil better with two hands than one.

Try it both ways using a shot timer.

We don't disagree. The real metric is "faster at making the threat stop", (agreed?)--and for that, especially with a somewhat underpowered weapon like a .38 snub, carefully aimed fire is absolutely critical. That being said, during aviolent assault, the very act of breaking a shot creates its own dynamic in the psyche and limbic system of an opponent/assailant, and might interrupt his own carefully aimed shot--but we can agree that given two equally proficient marksmen, the one who uses his sights at eye level will consistently post higher scores on a bullseye target.
 
Shot my 642 out about 20 feet. I got better groups when I shot Buffalo Bore +P SWCHP than I did with Winchester fmj. I ended up putting the original grips back on for better control. I was using Federal Hydra Shock low recoil as a carry round but I seem to shoot the wadcutters better for some reason. I couldn't feel a lighter recoil off the Federal any different from the fmj on the snub, but the Federal in .380 helped ease the pain shooting the mouse gun. I feel more confident with the Buffalo Bore +P. I call it a hand cannon.
 
We don't disagree. The real metric is "faster at making the threat stop", (agreed?)--and for that, especially with a somewhat underpowered weapon like a .38 snub, carefully aimed fire is absolutely critical. That being said, during aviolent assault, the very act of breaking a shot creates its own dynamic in the psyche and limbic system of an opponent/assailant, and might interrupt his own carefully aimed shot--but we can agree that given two equally proficient marksmen, the one who uses his sights at eye level will consistently post higher scores on a bullseye target.

I think you are misunderstanding me. I'm not talking about bringing the gun to eye level and using the sights. I'm talking about bringing the gun to eye level and focusing on the target, not the sights.

At close range, you can be accurate enough with target focus and be faster than using the sights. In my opinion, using target focus with the gun at eye level is more effective than hip shooting.

If you are within arms reach of your attacker, then that is a time when it makes sense to shoot with the gun in a retention position, without bringing the gun to eye level. But in almost every other situation, you are far better off bringing the gun to eye level, whether you use the sights or not.


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I think you are misunderstanding me. I'm not talking about bringing the gun to eye level and using the sights. I'm talking about bringing the gun to eye level and focusing on the target, not the sights.

At close range, you can be accurate enough with target focus and be faster than using the sights. In my opinion, using target focus with the gun at eye level is more effective than hip shooting.

If you are within arms reach of your attacker, then that is a time when it makes sense to shoot with the gun in a retention position, without bringing the gun to eye level. But in almost every other situation, you are far better off bringing the gun to eye level, whether you use the sights or not.


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Ah. You're right--I was misunderstanding you. I also note that we have different definitions of "close range". If someone is attacking me in an elevator I'm not going to bring my pistol up in front of my face and use "target focus"--I'm more likey going to (instinctively) index on hip, rib, or pectoral muscle while fending or grappling with my weak hand, because that would make more sense to me at the time.

But I hear you. "Target Focus" (or body indexing) at certain ranges works great.
 
Ah. You're right--I was misunderstanding you. I also note that we have different definitions of "close range". If someone is attacking me in an elevator I'm not going to bring my pistol up in front of my face and use "target focus"--I'm more likey going to (instinctively) index on hip, rib, or pectoral muscle while fending or grappling with my weak hand, because that would make more sense to me at the time.

But I hear you. "Target Focus" (or body indexing) at certain ranges works great.

If you are in an elevator, you aren't going to use the hip shooting posture shown in that video, with both hands in front of you at mid-level. Instead, you are going to use a retention position, with your strong arm close to your side.

If you are further away, you have room to extend and bring the gun to eye level.

So my point is that the position shown in that video, with both arms outstretched at mid level but only one hand on the gun, is truly pointless. If you are within arms reach, use retention. If you are outside of arms reach, bring the gun to your eyes (whether you are using the sights or not).


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If you are in an elevator, you aren't going to use the hip shooting posture shown in that video, with both hands in front of you at mid-level. Instead, you are going to use a retention position, with your strong arm close to your side.

If you are further away, you have room to extend and bring the gun to eye level.

So my point is that the position shown in that video,, with both arms outstretched at mid level but only one hand on the gun, is truly pointless. If you are within arms reach, use retention. If you are outside of arms reach, bring the gun to your eyes (whether you are using the sights or not).


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Actually I posted the video because I found it kitschy, not because I thought it was a tremendously effective technique--note the lol (lol).

Sorry for the misunderstanding.
 
Dry fire it without using the sights. Until you can pull the trigger without moving the gun don't even use the sights. Hold the gun tightly with 30% strength on your strong hand and 70% with your supporting hand. Once you get that down then start using the sights.
 
Dry fire it without using the sights. Until you can pull the trigger without moving the gun don't even use the sights. Hold the gun tightly with 30% strength on your strong hand and 70% with your supporting hand. Once you get that down then start using the sights.

I used to grip a gun that way. Now I try to grip it as hard as I can unless I'm trying to make a long precision shot.
 
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