Holy Horrible Trigger

[Dr.Midnight]

what are you looking for in a gun? Are you looking for something that you can use for an everyday carry but that you can also shoot hundreds of rounds through at the range? If so, maybe the J isn't for you. It's a close quarters gun that is going to have some pretty good snap when you shoot it and not really a target gun. So shooting hundreds of rounds during a day at the range may not be that fun for you.

Now I have to say that mine was not fun when I first got it. But after the work, I really like shooting it at the range. I shoot 38's at the range and carry +P. But if it were my only gun then I would probably be looking for something else/additonal.

I have a .40, 357 k frame, a 45 and a Beretta M9 as well as Ruger .22's. So when I go to the range I have a number of different guns to play with but I choose to carry the J for the size. So maybe you should keep the J, do the work to it but look for something that you might enjoy punching paper with better.

Good luck to you in your quest. But IMHO I would suggest adding an additonal gun rather than trading this one out. I always kick myself later when I get rid of one.

I couldn't agree more. The J frame is not what I would consider a range gun. It's one that I may fire a box of ammo through each time I go shooting, but for extended sessions, I would look at other options.

You really can't go wrong with a good 9mm, or if you really want to shoot for an affordable price, you can get a .22. I have a Ruger Mark III, and that thing is great to plink with.

 

[Hanu]

I couldn't agree more. The J frame is not what I would consider a range gun. It's one that I may fire a box of ammo through each time I go shooting, but for extended sessions, I would look at other options.

You really can't go wrong with a good 9mm, or if you really want to shoot for an affordable price, you can get a .22. I have a Ruger Mark III, and that thing is great to plink with.

The 642 was intended to be my carry gun. I was firing it at the range to familiarize myself with it; there are definitely no plans to shoot hundres of rounds through it. I probably will pick up a .22 for fun. I hadn't been to the range in a long time and had forgotten how much fun it is. I really liked my friends .40 also. Might be one of those in my future too (maybe a Glock 23 or 27?). Just hoping I don't have to sell the Colt Python to finance everything else.

 

[Dr.Midnight]

The 642 was intended to be my carry gun. I was firing it at the range to familiarize myself with it; there are definitely no plans to shoot hundres of rounds through it. I probably will pick up a .22 for fun. I hadn't been to the range in a long time and had forgotten how much fun it is. I really liked my friends .40 also. Might be one of those in my future too (maybe a Glock 23 or 27?). Just hoping I don't have to sell the Colt Python to finance everything else.

The G23 is a quality gun. In fact, I had one up until a month ago. I tried to make myself love the .40 caliber, but it just wasn't for me. While the recoil wasn't bad, it was what I would call "snappy". Also, I felt like having a .40 was adding a caliber I just didn't need, so I thinned that gun out of the group.

Good luck on whatever you choose to do!

 

[Denny347]

I couldn't agree more. The J frame is not what I would consider a range gun. It's one that I may fire a box of ammo through each time I go shooting, but for extended sessions, I would look at other options.

You really can't go wrong with a good 9mm, or if you really want to shoot for an affordable price, you can get a .22. I have a Ruger Mark III, and that thing is great to plink with.

If you carry it, it better be your "range gun". I have a friend that had a KelTec P3At that he hated to fire. He told me that it was meant to be carried and not fired a lot . As a firearms instructor, I cannot stress enough the idea that your carry gun should be the most fired weapon you own. Now I have an off-duty 642 that I shoot ok with, my groups are not as tight as I would like. I am REALLY wanting to find someone to give it a nice trigger job. It is a S&W so it is worthy of such work.

 

[Dr.Midnight]

If you carry it, it better be your "range gun". I have a friend that had a KelTec P3At that he hated to fire. He told me that it was meant to be carried and not fired a lot . As a firearms instructor, I cannot stress enough the idea that your carry gun should be the most fired weapon you own. Now I have an off-duty 642 that I shoot ok with, my groups are not as tight as I would like. I am REALLY wanting to find someone to give it a nice trigger job. It is a S&W so it is worthy of such work.

As an instructor, I'm curious what your opinion is on this topic. My 642 is the weapon I fire the most, not in quantity of rounds, but in frequency. I make it a point to shoot at least a box of ammo every time I go out, so that means 50 rounds 2-3 times per week. Other guns I shoot may get 250-300 rounds through them, but that only happens maybe every 4-6 weeks.

 

[Denny347]

As an instructor, I'm curious what your opinion is on this topic. My 642 is the weapon I fire the most, not in quantity of rounds, but in frequency. I make it a point to shoot at least a box of ammo every time I go out, so that means 50 rounds 2-3 times per week. Other guns I shoot may get 250-300 rounds through them, but that only happens maybe every 4-6 weeks.

Is shooting it second nature? If so, you are doing fine. I guess it is not an absolute. I was just warning of the thought process of "It is my carry gun but it sucks to shoot, therefore I will shoot something else at the range but carry this." We get admin that carry the ultra lightweight .357 snubbie but since it hurts, only practice with .38spl. If you carry .357 in it, you shoot/qualify with .357. Know your weapon system and trust your ability to bring it to bear when you need it the most.