J-Frame Recommendations & Thoughts

[A-R]

Please educate me, I have 158gr, 130gr, 95gr with silvertip,
what should I use for practice, I don't need any more pains and aches, maybe there is some 50gr
TIA

Well, for practice you should normally use target bullets and not "silvertip" or any high price self-defense ammo. You should run SOME self-defense ammo in any gun to be sure it works well and shoots accurately enough, but other than that your regular practice should be with inexpensive target loads with full metal jacket or semi-jacketed soft point or lead nose etc (.38 special has more variations of inexpensive target bullets than some other calibers)

I practice with whatever is cheapest but will pay a bit more for FMJ (full metal jacket) because it doesn't dirty up the gun as much as the lead-nose bullets.
As for weight, 130-grain seems to be the most readily available and cheapest for practice, though I've found a few inexpensive boxes of 158-grain lead-nose too. Never seen 95-grain 38-special - sure you're not confusing this with .380 automatic? 95-grain is very common in .380 ammo.

[Ldy AlliDu]

Winchester, 38 special, 95gr silvertip
this is what I read.
Forgot: Thanks for the information

[Ldy AlliDu]

I tried the 130gr
I will see if the 95 is any better, I will probably get used to it, if not, I might just have to look for another gun?

[A-R]

Yes, j-frames (especially the lightweights ones) do kick quite a bit with any ammo. Just a fact of life for a gun that lightweight with such a short barrel. Some adjustment of your grip might help. I grip revolvers differently than semi-autos - difficult to explain properly over internet, but I'll try .... basically grip the revolver with your shooting hand as if you're going to fire it one handed, curling thumb down around that side of grip, then place fingers of other hand curled around front of finger of the shooting hand and curl other hand thumb over shooting hand thumb. This gives you a very stable grip and helps absorb a lot of that recoil and muzzle flip

[Oldgringo]

Mrs. Oldgringo's S&W 638-3 is not fun to shoot. These LW revolvers are not supposed to be fun to shoot. They are designed for close quarter Self Defense...aren't they?

[AEA]

Mrs. Oldgringo's S&W 638-3 is not fun to shoot. These LW revolvers are not supposed to be fun to shoot. They are designed for close quarter Self Defense...aren't they?

[Ldy AlliDu]

Yes, this is how I hold it also, I will probably get something else in the future, but I will still bring this one to the range, do they have barn doors there?

[gringop]

I have both a 640 and a 642. Both have snappy recoil with P+ 125gr practice reloads. With serious practice, the lighter weight of the 642 is not a problem when shooting. I would not go any lighter than an Airweight, though (Scandium, Titanium, etc.)

Please understand that shooting a Jframe is very different than the G-19. Different trigger control, sight picture, grip, reloads and malfunction clearing. My draw from concealment goes from sub 2 sec with a G-19 on the belt to around 4 seconds from a pocket with the Jframe. Reloads go from < 3 seconds to around 8 seconds. And that is with serious practice.

As long as you practice with it regularly and know what your capabilities are with it, the Jframe can be a pretty good carry gun. If you don't understand it's limitations, it can be a nightmare.

Gringop

[fickman]

I loved the 640 but just couldn't keep it in my pocket comfortably. I liked it on the ankle. I never tried it on the WB because I'd rather take my Kimber 1911 or Sig P229. I'm very happy with the 642 I traded it for.

Don't neglect the 340PD. It's the lighter weight and gives you the magnum choice. If you stay with a .38 or .38 +P, you just know that you're not stressing the gun at all (like towing a popup camper with a 3/4 ton truck). The extra cost buys you versatility. . . the choice to shoot magnums if you feel comfortable with them.

[rdcrags]

My "Airlite" 38 cal, @ 12 oz empty (no, I don't carry it empty) is my daily carry in the city. As I have stated before, it kills my web to fire it more than 5 times at the range. Original grips. I changed the spring to loosen the trigger pull, but of course that doesn't lessen the recoil. The word "brutal" used by others when describing the lightweight 357's applies here, too. Convenient to carry in pocket holster.

TX CHL 1997
CO CHP 2005

[G.A. Heath]

I have a 442 which occasionally gets rotated in as my BUG. That is when I am not carrying my LCR-LG as a BUG. In my opinion the Ruger LCR is one of the best revolvers for use as a BUG because of the DA trigger (Mine was sweet as can be from the factory) and the light weight. My 442 weighs only a few ounces heavier and the trigger is a few pounds heavier but I am comfortable carrying either. A .38 special +p still isn't in the same class as a .357 mag but either will work well with good modern ammo.

[casingpoint]

If you plan on primarily IWB and OWB carry, forget about the J-frames and get a Model 315 Aluminum-Scandium six-shot K frame. About the same weight and money as a steel Model 60 J, but with more control over the gun and an extra shot. The terminal ballistics are much better from the 2.5 inch barrel. The J frames are really last ditch effort pocket guns unsuitable for gunfighting.

Forget about 357 MAG. Gold Dot 135 grain or 125 grain Golden Saber is all the ammo you need. But if you insist on 357 capability, crank it up a notch to the L frame Smith Night Guard. A little larger, no real weight penalty.

If you want to cut the corner, go with a six-shot, K-frame sized Ruger SP101 in 327 MAG for a little more than half the price. It may be considered cutting a corner by some people, but you will never crash and burn with a Ruger when the lock locks up unexpectedly.

[yerasimos]

If I could carry a handgun strong-side belt (IWB or OWB), and had to engage a target six feet away or further, I would choose my full-size semi-automatic every time.

In my view, the centennial J-frames are good for two things:
1) pocket carry; and
2) engaging a resisting opponent within six feet, in the fuzzy area where marksmanship and empty-hand fighting skills shade into one another and semi-automatics can get jammed up when things go hands-on.

The larger/heavier revolvers would become more difficult/impossible for pocket carry, and offer more barrel for an opponent to grab for muzzle aversion or a disarm attempt.

[Afff_667]

A G19 (stock with the substitution of Warren Tactical sights for the plastic ones) carried IWB in a Milt Sparks VM2 is my preferred CCW. I have run into several occasions lately, however, in which I simply can't carry the Glock. Realizing that the first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun, a J-frame seems to be a very good alternative to trying to find a pointed stick if/when the need arises to defend myself, my wife, etc.

A J-frame will be one more tool in my arsenal of self-protection. I understand and accept the inherent limitations of such a weapon, but, heck, every firearm represents some degree of compromise; no single handgun is perfect for every situation. A J-frame will be for those times when I simply cannot carry the Glock...or LE6920, for that matter.

If I were made of money, I'd like to one day have another S&W 686 with 4" barrel...I had one of those when I was younger but stupidly sold it. Nothing wrong with Ruger...the Single Six I've had for going on thirty years now is one of my most prized possessions.

You folks are great. I really appreciate the kind comments and am paying particular attention to the ammunition recommendations.

[A-R]

In my view, the centennial J-frames are good for two things:
1) pocket carry; and
2) engaging a resisting opponent within six feet, in the fuzzy area where marksmanship and empty-hand fighting skills shade into one another and semi-automatics can get jammed up when things go hands-on.

Sorry, please don't take this the wrong way, but if you can't hit center mass of a human-size target under duress at more than 6 feet with ANY handgun, you need more practice with that handgun. I realize snubbies have a reputation for less than stellar accuracy, and they are a difficult weapon to master by any definition. But they are not so inherently inaccurate that 6 feet is their usable effective distance. I can routinely hit the 5-zone of a DPS-style CHL qualifying target at 15 yards with a J-frame, and I'm not a very good shot. I don't put single-hole sized groups at 15 yards or more with ANY handgun like some really skilled shooters can do. But I am confident in my abilities with a snubbie to put rounds on target under duress within the all-important 7-10 yard distance. They may not group as nicely as they would with my Glock or Walther PPS, but I won't miss the target entirely (thus endangering innocents). In almost any civilian self-defense situation I can imagine, any threat beyond 10 yards will provoke from me a strong oral "STOP!" and a well-planned retreat toward safety with a muzzle pointed in the assailant's direction in case he/she decides to close the 10-yard distance rapidly.