Snubs - Expert's Gun?

[Cecil Burch]

I can’t add anything to what you wrote and agree. Reading and listening to podcasts with the people you mentioned and the reasoning has been very useful for me. Going to digress for a moment. I believe you replaced the front sight on a 327 LCR, what did you use and how close was it?

Thanks
Jason

I used a Hi Viz green fiber optic.

Do you mean how close the rounds hit to the sight? If so, for the 327 I had to hold really high, for 32HR I had to hold somewhat high, and for for 32long I only had to hold just a fraction high.

[onehalfmvsquared]

the biggest boost for me was getting a slightly longer grip so I could get a pinky on the frame. these are Altamonts from their gunbroker seconds account, $20

[sharps54]

the biggest boost for me was getting a slightly longer grip so I could get a pinky on the frame. these are Altamonts from their gunbroker seconds account, $20

Those look like the ones they make for S&W to put on the Model 60 Pro.

Does everyone put the same grips on their carry guns? Meaning if you rotate between three J frames in your carry rotation do they all wear the same ones?

[mmc45414]

A few months ago I wrote an article talking about how easy it is to find a perfect aftermarket grip that can be installed in minutes by anyone. This is one of the easiest fixes to a snub, and some of the newer ones come from the factory with better grips anyway. While it can be a pain to try to shoot a typical out of the box grip, it is dead simple to make monumentally better.

the biggest boost for me was getting a slightly longer grip so I could get a pinky on the frame. these are Altamonts from their gunbroker seconds account, $20

I think this right here is the biggest thing that creates a significant amount of the negativity associated with them. People that are never going to actually pocket carry get the tiniest two-finger grips, and they cannot hit anything and the missing hurts.

I even went with the slightly larger Altamonts that cover the backstrap. The way my soft pooch belly melds around them means the shape of the grip is really not impacting concealment negatively...

Also a great gun if the alternative is carrying no gun in your man jams or equivalent.

My rational is that whenever I am carrying one of my J-Frames realistically I wouldn't be carrying a gun if I wasn't.

The smaller than .38 caliber certainly makes them more enjoyable to shoot.

This is also where reloading can be handy. I keep some minimally charged 125gn coated bullets loaded for beginners (typically female), more and more I find myself liking them as well, turns out I am not quite as not recoil sensitive as I used to be.

Does everyone put the same grips on their carry guns? Meaning if you rotate between three J frames in your carry rotation do they all wear the same ones?

Sorta...
I have the 360PD pictured and a 637 that is more of a trainer/shooter (so the titanium cylinder is more reserved for actual carry) and they wear the same grips.
And I have a 638 that has the banana style grip. Am doing a little more pocket carry because I bought some overalls that are comfortable for work in the house/yard/garage and sometimes that means a trip to the store with the 638 in the pocket A-holster.
I also have a no dash 60 that wears the Altamonts @onehalfmvsquared pictured, but it is mainly an heirloom that lives in the safe.

I personally wouldn't recommend a sub caliber snub to someone I care about, as a replacement for a 9mm slimline or midsize pistol

Absolutely agreed, except I speculate many (most?) of those slimline pistols end up being carried in condition three. Recently had some longtime friends ask me to meet them after work at the nearby (excellent) LGS to help advise them on something for her, I suggested they come here first. They never went to the LGS that day, said they were glad because they said they would have bought something, and it would have probably been wrong. I explained the short trigger stroke of a striker gun, explained the requirement for safely carrying one, and the drawbacks of condition three. While she was racking the slide on my Shield I asked her if she thought she could pull that off while somebody was kicking her ass? "No..."

[rawkguitarist]

Well Cecil... the more stripes on your belt, the less gun you need right?

I've had an LCR on my wish list for a while myself. Definitely going to get into that world soon.

[camsdaddy]

Those look like the ones they make for S&W to put on the Model 60 Pro.

Does everyone put the same grips on their carry guns? Meaning if you rotate between three J frames in your carry rotation do they all wear the same ones?

I have uncle mike boot grips on both of my J frames.

[JCN]

I think this right here is the biggest thing that creates a significant amount of the negativity associated with them. People that are never going to actually pocket carry get the tiniest two-finger grips, and they cannot hit anything and the missing hurts.

I even went with the slightly larger Altamonts that cover the backstrap. The way my soft pooch belly melds around them means the shape of the grip is really not impacting concealment negatively...

When we start talking about longer grips it also opens up more options.



6 shot 9mm no moon clip Korth snub.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I can shoot decently in IDPA or USPSA matches with a 642. By that I mean decent hits. The grip is a CT laser but I found the laser actually to be pretty useless in day light. The gun has the fixed sight, painted yellow for visibility. I shoot it periodically with Winchester 130 FMJ. It is a pocket gun and thus larger grips are not for me, the SD load is a Buffalo Bore wadcutter. I've also mentioned I have a rare 432PD, that I bought cheap when they were dumped. It's my favorite J carry with again a Buffalo Bore load - front sight against painted, just redid the orange.

Did take Claude's snubby class and wrote it up for Concealed Carry Mag, before the editors changed. I also wrote up here, a short range match in TX where the snubby worked - even made the longer distance, one round head shot on the guy with a bomb.

I've also mentioned my favorite belt revolver. I had a SW Model 19 but it was a pain to carry for little me. SW dumped some 632's, SS, hammered, 3 inch barrels, comped. I put a fiber optic front sight on it. Six shots, fits my hand. Loaded 327. The 327 Federal load recoil is substantial even in a steel gun. I shot it outlaw in IDPA with 32 SW Longs but that wouldn't knock down steel, so I had a speed loader with 327 and I've mentioned a few times, the first time it went off, it scared the SO and the crowd. If I were walking in the woods here, that might my hike gun with the Buffalo Bore:

This 130gr., hard cast, 327 Federal load is the direct result of customer-request for such a load. It is designed primarily as an 'outdoor' load as it penetrates deeply and does not expand. It will perforate a large bear's skull and will also serve well for any application that requires very deep penetration. This load utilizes flash suppressed powder, so the shooter will not be blinded by his own gunfire should he need to fire in low light situations.

The bears are 8 miles away, probably not a threat and park carry is a no-no till Clarence stops yachting.

[Screwball]

I’ve always felt the J-frame is an expert’s gun… only because it does require a degree of training on the shooter’s part. If I don’t shoot/dry fire my 642-1 for awhile, accuracy does suffer. If someone isn’t going to shoot more than 100 rounds a year… I think a larger gun (better grip, better sights and more ammo) is easier to shoot.

When I first converted it to 9mm, it was out of rotation for about 3 months. Going back into it, it took some time to get adjusted… adding in the difference with reloads with moonclips instead of speedloaders.

I personally prefer 9mm to .38 +P. Granted… 9mm is standard pressure 147 grain. Compared to .38 +P 110 grain, I’m getting identical velocity with a heavier bullet. Might not be for everyone, but zero issues with a 9mm Airweight.

[camsdaddy]

I’ve always felt the J-frame is an expert’s gun… only because it does require a degree of training on the shooter’s part. If I don’t shoot/dry fire my 642-1 for awhile, accuracy does suffer. If someone isn’t going to shoot more than 100 rounds a year… I think a larger gun (better grip, better sights and more ammo) is easier to shoot.

When I first converted it to 9mm, it was out of rotation for about 3 months. Going back into it, it took some time to get adjusted… adding in the difference with reloads with moonclips instead of speedloaders.

I personally prefer 9mm to .38 +P. Granted… 9mm is standard pressure 147 grain. Compared to .38 +P 110 grain, I’m getting identical velocity with a heavier bullet. Might not be for everyone, but zero issues with a 9mm Airweight.

Ive considered converting my 2" 60 to 9mm. My 642 is wadcutter only gun. I just dont know how long I would have to shoot 9mm from it to justify the cost of the conversion. I would guess I shoot between 500-1000 a year so not sure its worth it. I also worry that accuracy would suffer and I enjoy shooting my 60 from contact to 25+ yards and accuracy is important to me.


I used the search function and see where you addressed this in 2018.