Short range with the J frame – 642.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Short range with the J frame – 642.

I have another thread on Eric's short range match in San Antonio. However, I wanted a new thread to discuss the orientation of this week's shoot.

I decided to shoot my SW 642 that has a CT laser grip. Looks like Tam's 432. I wore a holster as you can't draw from the pocket (Eric wants to avoid the obvious from folks of unknown skills). I had two speed loaders (HKS speed loaders) on the other side. So, gun on the left side and the ammo on the right.

I've previously shot this in IDPA and I took Claude's snubby class.

Eric's match is designed to simulate real and close up encounters that he draws from life and videos of such. Thus, the targets can be complex. There can be no easy cover and clear shot paths. This is unlike IDPA where the design usually gives you cover and the path to shoot fairly easily with cover with a small number of no-shots.

One stage had six targets mixed in with overlapping and close to equal numbers of no-shoots. Another had three close in opponents with t-shirts to obscure the obvious IDPA centers. Third, a drill: three targets, hit the first with two, the second with three , reload and the last with 4. Repeat. Fourth – barricades, no shoots and lots of targets – the kicker – the last target is at 10 yards (the farthest distance) and it is a picture of a terrorist. You have to fire one shot at the head – if you miss – it is considered that he was a bomber and he blows up and you lose 10 seconds (as you are blown up). Last, a series of close targets with a kneeling component. Disclosure- I don't kneel in matches – my knees are shot. I don't need to hurt them and also they can go and over I go. That happened in another match and I kept control of the gun down range and finished from the ground. But I don't want to risk it. So give me a penalty.

So, how did it go?

1. Accuracy – pretty decent – on the first stage before my grip and trigger settled in – I missed two head shots between some no shots but got the body shots.

2. On the others, usually 0-3s (targets were 2 shots, except for some mandated 2 body and 1 head and the bomb dude. So at these distances I was in the range of most of the semi shooters and better than some. I got the head shot on bomb dude – by that stage my muscle memory of the J had returned. Most people in my squad got the bomber but some were blown up. The other squad blew up quite a bit or so I am told.

3. The laser – at the real close – I could see the dot and used it for a fast sequence close up. However, in the TX sun, it was not visible beyond really close and looking for it, is stupid – thus -the old iron fixed sights.

4. The tee shirts – lots of folks shot so low. Below the bottom of the 0 circle. Hmm? I dealt with those by remembering what I was taught and shot between the shoulders.

5. The no – shoots. In the very crowded stage, about 5 out of 8 people hit a no shoot. The shots were usually on their edges, I don't recall a center mass shoot through but there could have been one. Something to think about for the Internet dude who will not shoot an innocent in a Orlando scenario because he is soooo good.

Take away about the J as a gun. Well, I could use it. With multiple targets – oh, are those reloads slow – no I'm not Jerry and I run out three times in a stage.

Thus, it is a nice one or two mugger at the gas pump gun. In the pocket and let's hope they flee in terror. In some horror show – I would prefer my Glock. I shot that the match before and it was much, much easier.

The J is uncomfortable to shoot after 90 rounds – ouch. 130 gr. UMC. Started to feel it. Usually never feel my 9mm, 45 ACP or a 380. These weren't +Ps, my usual carry.

It's not a gun for the nongunner if you take it seriously as compared to pulling it out and scaring the bad guy away. Yes, folks do use these successful and shoot them better than me.

Conclude, it's a bug or mowing the lawn gun. Today's world, I want better for the extreme case. Taking Claude's class was a big help. Laser – maybe at night or from a weird angle with no time for a sight picture but I like the sights better. The match is a good one as it moves away from some of the artificiality of the big games.

Note – don't trust the spell checker – it turns UMC into a bad word.

[Edster]

I have a similar take on the CT grip. Up close and with bad lighting conditions, it can be a useful alternative to the iron sights. At longer distances, I find that chasing the dot slows me down.

[Duelist]

I've shot my 642 in a match before. It's an eye opening experience. It has its place, but I don't think its place is as my primary anymore.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Sadly, looking at the results - my times were so slow. That's to be expected in that I had three reloads in a run compared to none for the semis in some stages and shot cadence was slower. Also, a snubby isn't a moonclip gun. However, I was going for a realistic test of the gun in something beyond the single mugger scenario. Accuracy - not that great in total as some early stages gave me some misses. Could I practice intensively with it to be as good as some, probably. But time and expense argues against it. In the previous match, with a Glock, I was 5th out of 30 for accuracy. That's a hint.

I see concealed carry usage intensity as a bimodal distribution:

1. First peak, no shots or deterrence and maybe a small number at a single mugger close up. Dude at the gas station pump kind of deal.
2. 2nd and lower peak - more than one attacker and perhaps a rampage horror.

While having the snubby for #2 is better than nothing, I'm thinking the semi and extra mag or two is the way to carry unless really not permitted by circumstance. Snubby can go to the mail box, mow the lawn or some dress occasion for which it is a good solution. Hope I run into no zombies. I do feel I shoot it competently but ...

Matches are great practice for basic semi skills but it's good to test an actual EDC if it isn't the 'match' gun.

[Edster]

Was the reload the biggest negative impact on your times? I find my time to first shot and splits with the J Frame are a little slower than my Glock 19 but not dramatically.

Accuracy between the two isn't terribly different at ten yards or less. The misses are different, though. A miss with the Glock tends to be low and a miss with the J frame tends to be high and/or right.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I'm not a terribly fast shooter, far from it. However, the reloads were the significant factor. If you have to do three of them with a clunky HKS speed loader - that's not fast. Like I said, I wanted to use something I carried. I suppose I could have slowed down even more with a speed strip. If I used the technique of only have 4 on the strip for a quicker two round at a time reload but generating even more reloads - that would have been interesting.

Split times - It took more time between shots, the recoil was a touch more. Sight picture took a bit to recover. However, in a close string of targets that really didn't need a sighted picture, it was reasonable fast.