How bad does snub nose kick?

[CRSIII]

I bet this one is a bit snappy.

But seriously, like others have said, heavy is more manageable.
Think sp101.

 

[Qwikdraw45]

9mm LCR is pretty snappy. Even hickok45 agrees.

But honestly, if the time ever comes, I don't think you're going to be aiming your sights at 100yds. Just be glad you can reach into your pocket quickly and unload lead.

Even an SP-101 in 9mm is too. Surprisingly. You'd think it was close to .38spl. in ballistics and wouldn't be that bad.

My wife had a Colt Lawman. 2" barrel .357
For whatever reason the grips fit her hands so well she could shoot that thing all day.
Most other people would fire one or two shots and nope it right back.

Had a Model 10 S&W with a 2in barrel. Pleasant to shoot and surprisingly accurate compared to any other snubby I've ever shot. Same barrel length, but I could hit the target as compared to carefully firing the small frames with the hammer cocked.

 

[yogi]

You have to shoot a few different ones to know whats right for you but the common rule has been noted above. For example, I can shoot my Ruger alaskan in 44 all day but screw those light weight J frames in a lower caliber that torture my hand. Good luck!!

 

[Polibious]

I have an S&W 637 as my EDC. 38 spcl in 125/130 gr is no trouble to practice with at the range. Start going heavier or into the +p rounds and it starts to hurt a little. It is fun to watch the flame come out the barrel with the +ps though. Listen to what everyone else said about trying them out for yourself to see what you like. It did take some time and practice to get good and comfortable with it, which should be expected. Good luck.

 

[Picton]

Had a Model 10 S&W with a 2in barrel. Pleasant to shoot and surprisingly accurate compared to any other snubby I've ever shot. Same barrel length, but I could hit the target as compared to carefully firing the small frames with the hammer cocked.

YES!

A Model 10 snubbie is my sweet spot too, though I do all right with a 36.

 

[sig shooter]

It depends on a bunch of factors: caliber, type of load, weight of the revolver, stocks used(rubber vs wood). If you compare a ruger LCR 9mm & LCP 9mm, you will find that the revolver has more felt recoil. More recoil is absorbed by the semiauto operating system, verses a revolver. My range sessions with snubbies involve around 50 rounds due to this. And any kind of enjoyable shooting must take place with lighter loads.

 

[cathouse01]

I like the .327 Fed Mag in a snubby. See my post here:

OK you all have talked about it so much, even I want to see yours !

Mike did tell me, after my noggin being knocked around too much, it has been lost

www.northeastshooters.com

 

[Randy Lahey]

What’s the intended use? If it’s for target shooting fun, the recoil is too much and will leave your hand bleeding after a few rounds. If it’s to carry for defense then a light weight snub nose revolver in .357 is a great choice.

 

[meh]

Say compared to a sub-compact polymer 9? Not micro 9 of course.

More. Even with light 38's for practice, I don't feel like shooting more than about 35-40 rounds out of my 642 in a day. With subcompact 9's I don't get to that same point where I feel like I ought to stop.

 

[drgrant]

Worst recoil gun I’ve ever shot is a S&W 640 .357 2.125” barrel.
Bloody scrapes on the hand after firing magnums.

That’s with an all steel gun.

I can (and will) only imagine what the recoil is on the lighter scandium 357’s.

Lol, if a 640 beats you up that bad then the 340PD would probably send you to the hospital.

I fired full house out of my 640 with the big grips that it had come with, it was stupid, but didnt hurt. It hurt a lot more when I changed it to hogue boot grips.

Honestly for 357 snubs if you're not shooting stuff like speer short barrel 357 mag (for SD purposes) you're just punishing yourself for not much benefit. It's 90% the juice of
full blown 357 magnum with a lot less recoil and drama.

 

[Davidk]

A few years ago David Santurri had a scandium snub on consignment. I ask him why the owner was selling it. He replied “because he shot it”

Best way to mitigate recoil is with a very firm grip, both hands gripping tightly and pushing the gun forward

When I first started experimenting with pocket carry years ago, I put an aluminum J-Frame in one pocket and a steel SP101 in the other. By the end of the day, I couldn’t tell the difference. Carried the SP101 from then on

 

[MaverickNH]

The lighter the gun and bigger the round, the more recoil you get. Newton and all that stuff,

I have an LCR and it’s totally fine with .38 rounds.

Yep - my Ruger LCR is nasty with 357 but nice with 38sp.

 

[Cur]

Worst recoil gun I’ve ever shot is a S&W 640 .357 2.125” barrel.
Bloody scrapes on the hand after firing magnums.

That’s with an all steel gun.

I can (and will) only imagine what the recoil is on the lighter scandium 357’s.

I concur, I have a 340PD, and a friend who reloads .357. I have some near max pressure 158gr loads from him that will actually hurt when shooting.
.38's are actually fine, however, out of the gun.

 

[kalash]

My 19oz Model 36 kicks less than my 13oz LCR, both in .38 - especially since I replaced the skinny wood grips with big rubber Pachmayrs.

At first I thought both recoiled a huge amount but I got used to it. It's manageable and I'm fairly proficient with both guns.

If offered to shoot a .357mag from a jframe or LCR, I'd probably pass.

To me it doesn't matter how much my snubbies recoil because they're the only choice (again, FOR ME). I don't like itty bitty little semi-autos with their tiny grips and levers. A snubbie just slips into my pocket for the day and I forget it's there. Point being, there are other factors besides felt recoil.

 

[Road_Clam]

They got a vicious kick, just like this 4 ga shotgun :


View: https://youtu.be/8uJouw9uh84

 

[drgrant]

My 19oz Model 36 kicks less than my 13oz LCR, both in .38 - especially since I replaced the skinny wood grips with big rubber Pachmayrs.

At first I thought both recoiled a huge amount but I got used to it. It's manageable and I'm fairly proficient with both guns.

If offered to shoot a .357mag from a jframe or LCR, I'd probably pass.

To me it doesn't matter how much my snubbies recoil because they're the only choice (again, FOR ME). I don't like itty bitty little semi-autos with their tiny grips and levers. A snubbie just slips into my pocket for the day and I forget it's there. Point being, there are other factors besides felt recoil.

With the 640 it was honestly more about the concussion and blast. With full house 357 it would part your hair and wake up the sinuses a bit....

 

[TOM1960]

I have a both a Smith 642 and a Ruger SP101 in .38. The Smith is lighter and kicks more, I have factory .38 +P in both. Remember the function of the firearm. They are meant to deliver 5-6 rounds at close range to defend yourself and do it quite well. I would not want to shoot a box of 50 for range fun. .357 Snubbies just make more noise, flame and pain with an extra 50 fps, not worth it for me.

My friend's father was a police officer in Methuen, back in the day the issue duty gun was a 4" service revolver and the off-duty/backup was a 2" snubnose. One day, he let his son and I fire the .38 snubnose, a S&W Airweight. The ammo was called NyClad and had some type of plastic jacket around the bullet. I remember the recoil being a bit stiff but controllable.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I believe NyClad was Federal

 

[drgrant]

I believe NyClad was Federal

The Fed NyClad 158+P was generally considered a good load. Used to be able to get those suckers for cheap, too.

 

[Sterg]

I down a handful of Advil after shooting my 642. I can get good groups at 7 yards on the broad side of a barn. The classic rosewood grips help with the recoil

 

[TOM1960]

The Fed NyClad 158+P was generally considered a good load. Used to be able to get those suckers for cheap, too.

What happened to it? In my untrained hands (my friend and I were only 15 and that was his dad's off-duty gun), I didn't do too bad. I hit the bad guy silhouette target in the kill zone 3 times out of 5. The gun only held 5 rounds. My friend hit it 4 times out of 5.

 

[rscalzo]

I believe NyClad was Federal

It was.. S&W packaged under their brand. I carried it on duty for a while.

The Nyclad line of ammunition was developed several decades ago and became popular as one of Federal’s self-defense lines of cartridges. The .38 Special self-defense load was a 125 grain, standard pressure round that featured a soft-lead bullet with a very deep hollow point. The bullet was coated in a jacket of polymer, similar to nylon, that allowed the bullet to reliably expand all even low velocities.

 

[MisterHappy]

My heaviest-recoiling handgun weighs ~3 pounds.

Of course, it's .45-70, so.....

 

[drgrant]

What happened to it? In my untrained hands (my friend and I were only 15 and that was his dad's off-duty gun), I didn't do too bad. I hit the bad guy silhouette target in the kill zone 3 times out of 5. The gun only held 5 rounds. My friend hit it 4 times out of 5.

That load was 1000 years old. The only reason it was kept around was there were older cops that used to carry snubs as back up guns. Once those cops died off or retired or agencies started dumping revolvers altogether, federal stopped making the stuff. Or at least ive never seen any newer boxes of it. I used to buy it in early 2000s but then it disappeared.

 

[chris_1001]

I have several snubbies. My 337 air weight Ti sucks to shoot. But it’s an awesome carry gun due to its weight.

Paid ~$100 more over the regular air weight as the weight difference was that noticeable.

None of these are range guns. Embrace the suck recoil wise for a small profile

 

[Sterg]

No.
Except on school grounds, “firearm” means a gunpowder powered gun that is not a rifle or a shotgun.

I have several snubbies. My 337 air weight Ti sucks to shoot. But it’s an awesome carry gun due to its weight.

Paid ~$100 more over the regular air weight as the weight difference was that noticeable.

None of these are range guns. Embrace the suck recoil wise for a small profile

View attachment 584731

They always look good in a group. Are the two Colts the same?

 

[chris_1001]

They always look good in a group. Are the two Colts the same?

No. One is the “cobra” and the other is a “detective special”

The cobra has an alloy frame and the detective is all steel.

They do look identical, but lightweight vs not.

 

[Mark from MA]

I down a handful of Advil after shooting my 642. I can get good groups at 7 yards on the broad side of a barn. The classic rosewood grips help with the recoil View attachment 584697

I used to love to plink with the 642 regular with regular strength 38's. I'd even shoot a few boxes of +p out of it. Never needed any Midol.....er.....Advil.

 

[jakesplanet]

I've got a model 19-4 and with .38 its at as comfortable as my 365XL, with .357 it's definitely got more punch but the biggest thing is it is so much louder. If I carry it, it is with .38 critical defense. Feels good in the pocket. Also if you're local to Woburn I'll even let you shoot it as that's probably going to be the best answer to how much kick you can find. If you really like it I'll even sell it to you

 

[Mark from MA]

If shooting your snubby hurts your hand just tear off a piece of your skirt and wrap it around the grip. And afterwards make sure you dab at your tears. If you wipe you'll smear your makeup.

Some guys are just meant to only shoot 9mm....not 38 special, or jeez..... even...... .40.