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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.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.
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.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.
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.Say compared to a sub-compact polymer 9? Not micro 9 of course.
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.
Yep - my Ruger LCR is nasty with 357 but nice with 38sp.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.
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.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.
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....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.
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.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.
I believe NyClad was Federal
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.The Fed NyClad 158+P was generally considered a good load. Used to be able to get those suckers for cheap, too.
It was.. S&W packaged under their brand. I carried it on duty for a while.I believe NyClad was Federal
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.
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.
No.
Except on school grounds, “firearm” means a gunpowder powered gun that is not a rifle or a shotgun.
They always look good in a group. Are the two Colts the same?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
No. One is the “cobra” and the other is a “detective special”They always look good in a group. Are the two Colts the same?
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.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
Some guys are just meant to only shoot 9mm....not 38 special, or jeez..... even...... .40.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.