Exposed hammer J frames

[SLG]

Without a doubt. Other than fun "stupid pet tricks". Like walkback drills thst way. That's basically what Spaulding called all over 25 yard pistol shooting on his FB page last year. To get me killed on the streets etc.

That's funny to me, because we certainly have at least a few examples of long range pistol shots being needed and being successful. One in my own agency as well. I'm sure Spaulding was speaking of probabilities, rather than absolutes, but I am a big believer in long range practice, and at speed as well. I just don't think there are too many times that actual conditions will allow for a precise long range shot to be safely fired.

I know I've written this before, but I've won money shooting a 442 at 50 yard head plates. Those plates never move till after they get hit though :-).

[Wheeler]

Not very. But I'm focused on my own shooting. The first cold shot of my weekly warm up with a G17 or G19 (150 aggregate on a B8) is a 10 more often than not. Time 4-5 sec. Slowfire. The trick is repeating that focus for 5 I shoot maybe 100 rounds a year from a J frame, and never carry it. Just own it. hammerless are pretty cool. I just don't do the dogma that's it's the only way to fly when TDA and SA pistols spend a fair amount of time being fired SA too.

It's not in a direct defensive context, but it's a building block towards other applications. I lIke to hunt with pistols too. And its fun.

There's not much dogma that I buy into. One of the few bits of dogma you'll hear from me is, if you're going to carry a revolver (or a DAO semi auto) for defensive purposes, you need to shoot double action all the time. That also goes hand in hand with the mantra of knowing your limitations and those of your preferred firearm.

[RevolverRob]

That's funny to me, because we certainly have at least a few examples of long range pistol shots being needed and being successful. One in my own agency as well. I'm sure Spaulding was speaking of probabilities, rather than absolutes, but I am a big believer in long range practice, and at speed as well. I just don't think there are too many times that actual conditions will allow for a precise long range shot to be safely fired.

I know I've written this before, but I've won money shooting a 442 at 50 yard head plates. Those plates never move till after they get hit though :-).

So do you suggest more frequently using moving targets for ranged shots in this realm? This is the one thing were I will say handgun hunting helped me as a teenager. Rolling a jackrabbit at 20-30 yards with a .22 Magnum revolver teaches you to lead, aim, squeeze, and follow through. Although, I discovered in the same instance that while you can miss easily a moving target, it helps to not wait for the perfect sight picture. Get the sights aligned, push the trigger smooth, and keep the front sight down (i.e., proper follow through).

I've also won money shooting snubs at distance. Not so much money, but shooting a 642 at 24-yards and chewing the center out of a B8 shuts up the Range Fudds that want to tell you, you can't hit anything with a snub.

There's not much dogma that I buy into. One of the few bits of dogma you'll hear from me is, if you're going to carry a revolver (or a DAO semi auto) for defensive purposes, you need to shoot double action all the time. That also goes hand in hand with the mantra of knowing your limitations and those of your preferred firearm.

This x1000!

[SLG]

So do you suggest more frequently using moving targets for ranged shots in this realm? This is the one thing were I will say handgun hunting helped me as a teenager. Rolling a jackrabbit at 20-30 yards with a .22 Magnum revolver teaches you to lead, aim, squeeze, and follow through. Although, I discovered in the same instance that while you can miss easily a moving target, it helps to not wait for the perfect sight picture. Get the sights aligned, push the trigger smooth, and keep the front sight down (i.e., proper follow through).

I've also won money shooting snubs at distance. Not so much money, but shooting a 642 at 24-yards and chewing the center out of a B8 shuts up the Range Fudds that want to tell you, you can't hit anything with a snub.



This x1000!

I think that is great practice. One area that I am weak in is moving targets. The problem is, range targets are really easy, and I have not found my range ability to meet my off range ability. Or vice versa, I guess.

[FotoTomas]

I started my handgun love affair with a S&W model 37 over 40 years ago. Most of the first 20 plus years were with the m36, m37 and m60. Once I got my hands on an old flatlach m38 I was done with exposed hammer "J" frames. My current stable has a pair of no locks. A 638 and a 642. A 442 is coming home soon. The hammer less models are the cats meow for pocket carry.

[LSP972]

Yeah, I started with spur hammer J frames myself; a 37 (1966 made flat-latch version) and a 60, right after I got hired in '78. I carried the 60 in an ankle holster, so I kept the hammer spur intact for use with the thumb strap. But I whacked the 37's hammer spur right away, and pocket-carried it on occasion, until 1992 when LSP552 and I bought a new 642 each. My 37 was blued, and I needed to clean it almost every day. The 642's stainless barrel/yoke/cylinder and clear-coated aluminum frame fixed all of that.

Daughter #1 ended up with the 642, so I bought a 360PD in 2002, whacked the hammer spur, and have been carrying it almost every day since. I had the 37 Black-T'ed shortly after getting the 360PD, and its been stored away since… waiting.

While I do prefer the Centennial J frames for pocket carry, the spur hammer J frames work fine for pocket carry IF you whack the hammer spur. Not hard to do, and it doesn't affect the hammer/trigger pull. The scandium frame/barrel shroud/yoke, plus the titanium cylinder on the 360PD, has been absolutely rust-proof. I've been pocket carrying the thing practically every day for 14 years, got it wet with both rain and sweat, and it hasn't rusted yet. I clean once a week or so, to get all the dust and lint out of it. I've shot this one for about 5K rounds or so, but I'm done with that now because even with light wadcutters this super-light revolver is just NOT fun to shoot. Nothing better for pocket carry, IMO though; except a 340/Centennial-type frame with the titanium cylinder. If I ever run across one not feloniously priced, I'll grab it.

For now, though, the 360PD and its whacked hammer spur is doing quite nicely… although it looks pretty beat up these days.

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