What is a good resource for snub shooting?

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SamV

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
1,017
Location
Missouri
After about a years absence from the range, I went out and burned through some ammo. I stared at the safe and decided to bring some different guns.
Ruger P90. It has been sitting in the safe for at least a dozen years. I probably only put a hundred rounds through it many years ago. I didn't shoot it well when I first got it. So it just sat there while other guns got used. Well, it must have aged like a good wine sitting there. Now it shoots really small groups. Ran about a hundred rounds through it. I think it will go into carry rotation now that it has matured and learned to shoot really well.

Taurus G2 9mm. This was a replacement for another Taurus PT140 that was recalled. Don't even get me started on the Taurus lawsuit/ settlement/ customer service hell that was. I know that it was a crippling blow to them. I want them to turn around and be successful, but I will never be their customer again. That being said, the new G2 ran flawlessly through about 150 rounds of mixed brands of ammo. Fits my hand well and points well. Nice small groups. Funky trigger.

Ruger LCP. I carry it a lot just because it is so small. Felt really weird alternating with the P90. I was happy with my shooting with it. Ran about 60 rounds through it.
Basically I was content with my shooting. Even after a year away from the range, everything was in about a six inch group even rapid fire. About 50 feet and a target bouncing up and down about 2 inches from the ventilation system. Plus geezer eyes.

Ruger LCR. I have shot this gun in the past with equally good results. But not this time. I had no clue where that shot was going to go. After about three cylinders, I called it a day. I thought 18 inch groups, yuck. When I got home I looked at the targets again. It was about 18 inches but really the group was only about 4 inches wide. It was strung out vertically about a foot and a half. I have done that before with various snub revolvers. I don't have that problem with full size revolvers with regular sights.
I understand that at bad breath distances, this is irrelevant. Especially in a situation where the gun may not even be raised to aim. But still I would like to improve that aimed shot. Any words of wisdom from the forum.
 

pisgah

Buckeye
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
1,633
Location
Upstate SC
The big secret to mastering any DAO revolver is dry firing. With the gun unloaded, pick a small target. Line up your sights then stroke the trigger through without pause or hesitation -- smooth, but quick. As you are doing this, focus on the front sight. At first, you will see the sight dipping at each shot. This is where the vertical stringing is coming from. Modify your grip and trigger pull to keep that front sight where it's supposed to be as the shot is fired. Once you have found out what works, practice it a bunch, THEN go out and shoot. The difference will amaze and delight you.
 

daveg.inkc

Hunter
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
2,503
Location
Kansas City, MO
pisgah said:
The big secret to mastering any DAO revolver is dry firing. With the gun unloaded, pick a small target. Line up your sights then stroke the trigger through without pause or hesitation -- smooth, but quick. As you are doing this, focus on the front sight. At first, you will see the sight dipping at each shot. This is where the vertical stringing is coming from. Modify your grip and trigger pull to keep that front sight where it's supposed to be as the shot is fired. Once you have found out what works, practice it a bunch, THEN go out and shoot. The difference will amaze and delight you.
. Exactly correct! A person should dry fire as much as live ammo. Focus on front sight. My dry fire practice sure made me a better shot. Keep front sight steady when hammer falls.
 

WheelGunMan

Bearcat
Joined
Sep 14, 2016
Messages
17
Location
U S A
As I sit and watch TV in the evening I dry fire my LCR's at a wall outlet 10 feet away. I concentrate on staging and then finishing the shot. That requires me to smoothly pull until staged and fired. I pay attention to my front site and its relation to the outlet I'm aiming at. How much if any did it move during the trigger pulling sequence. Then when I go to the range I've trained my pull so it's repetitious and I end up with 3" and 4" groups at 21'.
 

SamV

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
1,017
Location
Missouri
Thanks for the replies. I really don't think that it is a trigger control issue. I don't have that problem with other handguns. I seem to be pretty consistent with other guns including other double action revolvers. I am kind of thinking that I just can not really get a confident feel for where the front sight is in relation to the rear sight. I think my brain just can't deal with the grooved channel verses a standard rear sight. Maybe I am moving the gun because I have difficulty perceiving the front /rear line up.
You would think that I would have a similar problem with the little LCP sights, but they seem more clear to me.
Now that I think about it, I do have similar problems with a Smith model 64. It has a rear groove also. I don't shoot it often either. My other DA revolvers have target sights and I get one ragged hole targets.
I guess I will practice more dry fire. It won't hurt and the cost is cheap. I might try a little white paint on the rear too.
 

rammerjammer

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
734
Another dry firing technique to apply is putting a dime or penny on the barrel when dry firing. Keep trying until you get your trigger pull so smooth and steady that the coin doesn't fall off the barrel.
 

daveg.inkc

Hunter
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
2,503
Location
Kansas City, MO
One thing that might help, bigger grips? I keep extra grips with my 2 3/4" Security Six. The small grips to carry, the larger grips when busting clay birds.
 
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
4,415
Location
Lemont, PA, USA 16851
Sam, I also think it might have been because you shot it last. Not necessarily because of fatigue, but you got use to particular sights and sight pictures during that outing. Then the switch to a vastly different sight picture. I wonder what would happen if you shot it first? A lot of people have problems when switching guns mid stream, the grip, sights, sight picture, trigger feel, etc. are different and it can through you off a bit until you get use to that particular firearm.

Another thing you can do, if you have the resources, is to get a laser boresighter (a cheap one will do what you want), mount it in the gun and do some dry fire practice. I took an older LaserLyte bore sighter and modified it so that it would fit in various revolvers (so that i could do a DA cycle). First, sight your handgun and see where the beam is, that will tell you if you are using the correct sight picture for that gun. Then watch what the laser is doing while you are pulling through the DA cycle. This will/may give you an idea about what you might be doing during the firing.
 
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