Switch to S&W 351c from 442?

[OlongJohnson]

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.

It's possible you're not actually flinching. I've been dabbling with an LCP Custom. It's possible to shoot it reasonably accurately, but it requires a very firm grip clamping the shit out of that tiny grip. If it's not in a meat vise, the gun will jump all over the place before the bullet leaves the barrel and send bullets in random directions. If the target starts to look sloppy, it cleans up just by clamping the grip harder and doing everything else the same.

The Taurus boot grip may be well worth the $17 it costs, shipped directly from Taurus.

I didn't see you mention having done this, but orange paint over white paint on the front sight is a major improvement for hi-viz on J frames. Tom Givens has written about doing that on his service-size Glocks.

I'm still working my way through a couple cases of wadcutter reloads from Precision Delta, when they went on sale for 25% off, resulting in $0.17/rd price.

There's a thread/post over on arfcom that has links to four different ammo price indexing sights. They are different enough to be worth searching all four. You may find some useful results there.

[Chuck Whitlock]

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

Launch a projectile into a target.

I don't know if they would be a help or hindrance, but they popped to mind with respect to ammo costs.

[MandoWookie]

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.

As I said in my original post, I have pretty much talked myself into it. But I wanted to see if there was an argument against it I hadn't considered. I fully acknowledge it might not work out as the improvement I've told myself it would be. The 442 is the first snubbie I've ever used, and as a learning gun, it has done its job excellently. Its low price and basic features made it a low risk entry into that type of gun, and let me find out if it had a role for me.

It does, but now its limitations, as I try to become a better shooter, are becoming more obvious. I want to try a different solution for the role it serves, and if that solution doesn't pan out, I can move back to .38 with more of an idea of want I want out of it, and what compromises I find acceptable, without being tied to a gun I'm not happy with.

I can force myself to shoot the .38, and get better with it, but would rather have a gun I want to shoot, because I want to, not because I have to.

[MandoWookie]

It's possible you're not actually flinching. I've been dabbling with an LCP Custom. It's possible to shoot it reasonably accurately, but it requires a very firm grip clamping the shit out of that tiny grip. If it's not in a meat vise, the gun will jump all over the place before the bullet leaves the barrel and send bullets in random directions. If the target starts to look sloppy, it cleans up just by clamping the grip harder and doing everything else the same.

The Taurus boot grip may be well worth the $17 it costs, shipped directly from Taurus.

I didn't see you mention having done this, but orange paint over white paint on the front sight is a major improvement for hi-viz on J frames. Tom Givens has written about doing that on his service-size Glocks.

I'm still working my way through a couple cases of wadcutter reloads from Precision Delta, when they went on sale for 25% off, resulting in $0.17/rd price.

There's a thread/post over on arfcom that has links to four different ammo price indexing sights. They are different enough to be worth searching all four. You may find some useful results there.

Clamping down on the gun gets me through the first couple cylinders reasonably well, but fatigue starts setting in fast, and then I'm fighting a losing battle between me and the gun. It makes staying focused difficult, and hard to track whats working and whats not, making improvement more frustrating to realize.

Redneck night sights help draw focus in the lighting conditions I can see the unpainted sights in fine, but don't help much in the conditions that aren't ideal, like the ones I would likely be in if I had to actually use it for its intended purpose.

The ammo cost issue is probably my weakest argument for changing calibers. Practically speaking it's the easiest to solve, but mentally I have hard time with it. The recurring cost that is ammo makes me overly sensitive to minor differences, and thus it holds more sway over me than it probably should.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I'll practice with a box of 50 WWB 130 gr. I'll shoot the stuff at an IDPA match (about 90 ish rounds). It will sting a bit.

As to switching gun - I've been carrying a 432 (a 32 HR mag) J frame, with Hornaday Critical Defense, when I carry a J frame. Not made anymore though. There are Ruger LCR versions.

[MandoWookie]

Was able to handle a used 351c at a local LGS today. I was surprised they had one, as well as a 43c and a 351pd. They were gracious enough to let me dryfire it even though it's a rimfire. Really good trigger pull....probably because the trigger return was broken. Trigger became stuck all the way rearward, locking up the gun. Methinks prior owner tried to do some home gunsmithing. Fortunate for my pocketbook though, as it was a really tempting price. The LGS will be sending back to Smith for repairs.

I will say in handling, up to that point, I was liking it a lot. The XS big dot wasn't a tritium night sight like I thought, but the difference in sight picture surprising for what little is really different. The rear notch isn't just larger, but a U-notch, and for just being a white dot the front stood out pretty well. And being pinned in, replaceable without much hassle for a true night sight. Noticeably lighter, somehow 4oz makes a difference, even if it shouldn't. I will say I don't see why the 442 & 642 don't come with this sight picture as standard. It's just better without seeming to be much more difficult to make than the current setup.

As a consolation, for the 351c malfunction, the salesman pushed his luck and let me dryfire the 351pd, I guess he figured I was unlikely to break two guns in a row. I don't know if the hammer on the 351pd affects its DA trigger compared to 351c, but it was surprisingly not bad. I was expecting Nagant revolver/ PA-63 heavy pull, and got just.... normal J-Frame DA heavy pull. If its representative what what I can expect from a (functioning) 351c, then one of my major worries has been alleviated.

I plan on letting the idea of trading the 442 for the 351 stew for a few months, and work on my performance with 442 while I'm doing so, and see if my perspective changes. But right now, it's looking like the way I want to go.

[OlongJohnson]

As to switching gun - I've been carrying a 432 (a 32 HR mag) J frame, with Hornaday Critical Defense, when I carry a J frame. Not made anymore though. There are Ruger LCR versions.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/783489915

[Jim Watson]

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,

So liquidate the .45 and get something you will use more.

[RevolverRob]

@MandoWookie I think we might need to start over for a minute - can you answer these questions, please?

1) What are the standards that you are using to measure your success in shooting your 442? Are we talking straight accuracy or shooting at speed? What distances? What par times? Etc.

2) How much dryfire do you dedicate to the 442 vs. the Glock weekly?

3) How many rounds weekly are you firing in a Glock vs. in a 442?

4) How often do you carry the 442 compared to a Glock?

[JAD]

So liquidate the .45 and get something you will use more.

Yes, like a 650 set up for .45.