Switch to S&W 351c from 442?

[MandoWookie]

while these might not help with recoil control, it might be an option for you without purchasing another gun:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...iber-box-of-50

https://www.natchezss.com/speer-plas...cal-50-ct.html

While not really a solution for my conundrum, WOW that is something I was not aware of, and is possibly the neatest thing I've seen in awhile! Those would definitely be stupid fun! Are they hearing safe? Would they be safe to use in a 4-inch Security Six? Do you need a reloading setup for these? I'm thinking a backyard shooting gallery that doesn't freak out my dogs or neighbors, like using CB caps in a .22 rifle.
Edited to add.
(You have no idea the force of will it took not to immediately order 100ct of each of those, only the $20 shipping and haz-mat fee stayed my hand. And checking my account balance. )

[Chuck Whitlock]

While not really a solution for my conundrum, WOW that is something I was not aware of, and is possibly the neatest thing I've seen in awhile! Those would definitely be stupid fun! Are they hearing safe? Would they be safe to use in a 4-inch Security Six? Do you need a reloading setup for these? I'm thinking a backyard shooting gallery that doesn't freak out my dogs or neighbors, like using CB caps in a .22 rifle.

You only need to be able to seat a primer in the case. (Don't buy magnum primers by mistake)
I don't know your neighborhood, but my first exposure to them was in an uncle's garage, in a 6-ish" Ruger Blackhawk, using a heavy cardboard box for a trap. The cops didn't show up.

[MandoWookie]

You only need to be able to seat a primer in the case.
I don't know your neighborhood, but my first exposure to them was in an uncle's garage, in a 6-ish" Ruger Blackhawk, using a heavy cardboard box for a trap.

Can seating the primer be done without tools? Sounds like exactly what I was hoping it would be! Like those turn of the century wax bullet gallery guns.

Also reminded me of this for some reason:
https://youtu.be/oM4nE7e1AnE

[Mark D]

The 442 sounds like a faithful companion. How about keeping it for carry, and using a steel framed J frame for training?


My Model 60 snubbie weighs over 20 oz and the recoil is pretty tame, even with .38+P.

[TheNewbie]

while these might not help with recoil control, it might be an option for you without purchasing another gun:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...iber-box-of-50

https://www.natchezss.com/speer-plas...cal-50-ct.html

I am sure I am missing the obvious, but what do these do for you over dry fire?

[MandoWookie]

A quick look shows new .22 Mag selling for roughly .20/round, which is comparable to 9mm and not much less than .38spl wadcutter remans.

If you can go from a two-finger grip to a three-finger grip that covers the backstrap, I think you’ll feel a huge increase in shooting comfort. If your use can’t accomodate that size increase then stepping down in caliber might make sense.
Examples:
https://www.amazon.com/Pachmayr-0325.../dp/B0018EXSXS
https://www.hogueinc.com/s-w-j-frame...mer-grip-black

Yep, comparable in price to 9mm, and less than reman .38, means still less than .38. The main impetus for me to start to reevaluate the 442, was that I went from shooting once a month, to every week. I also went from shooting 50 rounds out of each of my guns(9mm, .45, .38, .357, .22), to focusing on my Glocks, then on my Glock 17 to do a 2000 round challenge, which meant I started shooting 150-200 rounds a week, and I saw concrete improvement in my shooting from "sucks" to "sucks less". When I was buying a box or two of each caliber I shoot, the price difference wasn't enough to really bug me. When I was doing that I didn't really care how I shot the 442, basically "Is it on paper at 7 feet? Yes? Good to go!" I would shoot 20-25 rounds of whatever .38 I had on hand, enough to fulfill the requirement to have "shot the gun", then proceed to merrily blast the rest of the 125-ish rounds through the Security Six and call it good.

Now when I look at putting even half as many rounds through the 442 a week as I do for the Glock, the ammo costs start creeping up higher than I can comfortably sustain, and when I look at what it would take to mitigate the deficiencies that I feel the 442 has for me, I think of the M&P 45 with Apex parts and Wilson Combat sights that sits in the safe most of the time because due to how much .45 costs compared to 9mm I am less likely to shoot it. Thus I shoot nearly bone stock Glocks better than the Apex'd M&P, because I can afford to put the time in on them. That I think is why I'm hesitant to try to make the 442 work, because it would require further investment into a gun I find myself liking less the more I shoot. And the things I can do to make it more tolerable, are all workarounds that don't really address my fundamental problems with it.

I like the 442 for its intended niche, its an awesome pocket gun, in a holster on a belt it disappears, it doesn't way on me while hiking or jogging like the Glock, so I actually take it with me, and as a backup to the Glock its not really anymore inconvenient than a spare mag. I love it. Until I have to pull the trigger, then things fall apart. Because as a gun,it kinda sucks. At least with the Apex'd M&P its enjoyable to shoot while the ammo lasts, if not enough so to justify the money poured into it, that money bought (perceived) improvements. Its a niche gun. Anything I do to make it better as a shooter, takes it away from its niche, into areas better served by different guns, guns that can't perform in its niche. And anything I do too it, can't overcome that it is in .38. I'm already compromising in ballistics by having to shoot wadcutters,( I see it as a gun for shooting .38 wadcuttters, that I can occasionally shoot regular .38 out of, like some .357 revolvers are really .38's with options), so I don't see .22 mag as huge step down, and I see somewhat improved improved sights, couple more rounds , same overall size , lower recoil, and less expensive, even if only slightly so, ammo, I start seeing the 351c as a gun I might actually shoot. And not just carry.

[MandoWookie]

The 442 sounds like a faithful companion. How about keeping it for carry, and using a steel framed J frame for training?


My Model 60 snubbie weighs over 20 oz and the recoil is pretty tame, even with .38+P.

Because then I'm buying a second gun that is easier to shoot, but not shooting the gun I'm carrying. A second gun doesn't fix the sights, ammo costs, and recoil management issues with the carry gun, and thus the carry gun doesn't get shot, and I'm not confident the reps with one would translate to the other. I can dry fire the 442 till the cows come home, focus on sight alignment, smooth trigger pull , and good grip, then load up, step up to the line and when that first round goes off the flinch fairy flies in and punches me face, and all that goes out the window. I want the gun I'm shooting to be the one I'm carrying, or at least as close as is feasible. Practicing with a G17 and carrying a G19 works, because they are practically the same gun. Same triggers, same recoil, same ammo, and close enough in size I can carry them interchangeably. The 351c appeals to me because it fixes the three major complaints I have with the 442, at not much of a cost premium, and ( looks at S&W's site) , WOW, is LIGHTER than the 442, and has a nearly identical trainer gun in the 43c should I want one down the line, that would work as just as good in the niche I want the 351c for if the need arises. I want to get better at shooting my carry guns, which means I need to shoot my carry guns. I don't see my myself shooting the 442 more, therefore I feel I need to replace it with a gun I will shoot more, even if that means compromising on caliber.

[Hambo]

Seven of seventeen posts are yours, all making the case for why your 442 sucks and a 351c won't. To me that says you're convinced it's a good idea.

[1slow]

I want an alloy frame version of 640 Pro with the dovetail tritium sights !

[Joe45]

Sounds to me like you need to buy a reloading press instead of a new gun. Other than the sights, it could solve several of your issues with the 442.