How bad does snub nose kick?

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.
 
It depends on the frame size. I have an N frame snub in .44 spl that seems to kick less than a J frame snub in .38 spl. Also, how much a gun kicks is a very subjective topic
 
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.
 
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 have a scandium 357 and I'm nasty with it, can get all 5 in a golfball group at 10 yards pretty quick with short barrel 125Grain gold dots. wouldn't want to try and shoot a lot further than that.
if you can shoot that well without flinching then you can shoot anything. makes a nice fireball too. one time, this nice lady in the next stall waited for me to empty the cylinder and said 'excuse me young man would you mind moving over one your muzzle flash is coming into my stall'.
 
my s&w 340pd (scandium/titanium, under 12ounces, tiny handle) is comical in .357. I put 1 round in and let ppl shoot it for giggles

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if you get a crimson trace laser grip and practice dry firing you'll see undeniably how good your trigger control is. if you can break the trigger in double action without the dot dancing around on the wall you know you're proficient. takes a lot of practice, hand strengthening, and index finger athleticism. also smooths out the mechanism.

just be sure to watch for flame cutting on the forcing cone. these guns don't have an expected service life of multiple-thousands of rounds. The frame basically starts melting.
 
If shooting your snubby hurts your hand just tear off a pice 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.

even worse than my 360pd is my scandium 44 mag. I never even shoot the thing, it's really only for backpacking. I always just bring the 357 because I absolutely hate to shoot the .44. It's like slamming your hand in a ford econoline sliding door.
 
Bought a used Taurus 450 alloy framed 2" revolver. Really thought it would be brutal, with some pretty bad arthritis in my wrists. Not real pleasant, 10 rounds was enough for me, but not nearly as bad as expected. The ported barrel might have helped.
 
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.
 
depending on your location, go to an indoor range like Mass Firearms School in Holliston and try a few out from their armory.
 
Snubbies are best when they are j-frames loaded with federal 38S gold medal match 148 wadcutters.
Punches nice holes in paper and dirtbags and smells like the 4th of July and Victory.

.357 out of a small frame snubbie is just noise and nerve damage. Although there is very valid argument to load 4 38S and one 1 .357 mag.
That way you know that you are out of ammo, and you finish strong with a bang!

Ammo selection is most important that your load, shoots to your sights. Terminal performance is probably a tertiary consideration
 
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my buddy has an ruger alaskan in 454. he handloaded some really hot loads. we would take it to the range and se how many rounds you could manage before saying no more. it was fun, but i didnt make it to 12 round.
 
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.
A Det. on my old dept bought one in the 340PD verity. Loaded it with full power magnum loads. Five shots and it went back in the box...to stay.
 
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