Snub Nose Technique

[rvb]

One of the things Denny will teach you is that you need to have your finger far enough into the trigger guard so that the left edge of the trigger is touching the first joint of your finger (if you are shooting right-handed). That can really help get a more consistent trigger press directly to the rear without disturbing the alignment of the gun.

rhino makes an important point. the part in bold is what really matters. It's not about a specific "put finger here" instruction. The reach is so short on these little guns that for most that probably means sticking more finger through the trigger. I basically put the tip of the middle part of my finger on the face of my 642 trigger (sounds similar to what you are saying). The downside is the tip of my finger often rubs my WH if shooting two handed. Little bugger'll shoot 1" groups at 10 yds if I do my part.

edit to add: a side benefit of more finger through the trigger you'll perceive the trigger to feel a bit lighter than pulling with the tip of the finger. rhino should like that one... it's a fulcrum/leverage thing.

4. If you are going to use your other hand to support the trigger hand, grip snugly, but the grip should be less than the trigger hand. The grip should never be more with the support hand than the trigger hand.

sloughfoot, I agree with most of what you posted, except the parts I quoted here.

I disagree with the above. "never" is a strong word; there is no 100% right answer. But I prefer equal pressure for high-speed, it's the only way I've found to get a neutral grip. But if accuracy is called for, I tend to notice the strong hand relax a bit to better issolate the trigger finger from the rest, resulting in the WH gripping stronger than the left. True whether I am shooting a full-size semi-auto or my 642.

learn to "stage" the trigger.

I disagree very much with this. Press smoothly and evenly all the way through. How fast you work the trigger depends on the the shot. Staging is considerably slower, it is impossible to stop the pull at exactly the same place every time, and if you do in under the clock or under stress there is a very good chance you'll get a bang when you don't expect it. I've shot beretta 92's in uspsa for over a decade now and I have never staged the 1st shot. I wouldn't do it on my 642, either.

-rvb

 

[sloughfoot]

rvb, I guess you have never held someone at gunpoint, or smacked steel at 100 yards, or shot a mover at 25 yards. I have, and it was with a 442 or a 642 or a third Gen S&W. You can indeed train yourself to know your trigger so intimately well that you know that when you squeeze it that last 1/4 ounce and fraction of movement, that the hammer will fall. Precisely when you want it to.

Heck if someone hands me their revolver, I am going to dry fire it very slowly, feeling for that point where the hammer is about to fall, then squeezing that last little bit. It is how I learn about a trigger. It is how I learn to shoot fast, accurate double action.

I have more, but a customer just got on the truck. Gotta go for now.

 

[goinggreyfast]

My hands are somewhat large. More long and narrow fingers than anything. I know that some may not like the Hogue grip I have on my S&W 38, but it serves me well. It made a huge difference as far as control for me.

 

[rvb]

rvb, I guess you have never held someone at gunpoint, or smacked steel at 100 yards, or shot a mover at 25 yards. I have, and it was with a 442 or a 642 or a third Gen S&W. You can indeed train yourself to know your trigger so intimately well that you know that when you squeeze it that last 1/4 ounce and fraction of movement, that the hammer will fall. Precisely when you want it to.

Heck if someone hands me their revolver, I am going to dry fire it very slowly, feeling for that point where the hammer is about to fall, then squeezing that last little bit. It is how I learn about a trigger. It is how I learn to shoot fast, accurate double action.

I have more, but a customer just got on the truck. Gotta go for now.

Well, I've not held someone at gunpoint, thankfully... but are you saying you'd do so with the trigger staged? I'm sure that's not what you're saying, so if not then I don't know what that has to do with anything.

Guess we'll just say different "strokes" for different folks (pun definitely intended).

Just curious: Saw in the FWAPS threads you are just getting started in uspsa. Do you shoot a DA gun in matches?

-rvb

 

[sloughfoot]

Yes, I have just about come to the point where I was going to release the hammer. If I had needed it to, the hammer would have fallen exactly when I commanded it to. Tense and adversarial encounters for sure with lots of me yelling "drop the Knife/gun/child/woman". Thankfully I got compliance so I have not had to squeeze that extra little.....

Another trick for new shooters and for guns with 12 pound DA trigger pulls is to put the trigger finger in the trigger far enough so that the tip of the finger touches the left side of the frame. Use that as a fulcrum to learn the feel of the trigger and to smooth it out by dry firing. It also helps to start strengthening the trigger finger and to learning to isolate it from the rest of the hand.

Normal shooting with a DA revolver is with the trigger on the first joint of course and the new shooter should transition to that for actual shooting the revolver.

I have never shot a USPSA match, I think. I have been a member of the Allen County Practical Defense League for almost 30 years. This is a small closely knit "Practical Pistol" club formed by Clint Smith and others about 10 years before I joined. The last match I shot, I used a S&W 586. It is a shoot what you carry, everyday, from concealed, club.

Yes, I would like to shoot USPSA with a revolver. I would look forward to meeting you sometime.

Regards.

 

[sloughfoot]

Another thought on "staging".

With a revolver, squeeze until the cylinder locks and you feel that little click. Stop squeezing unless you want the hammer to fall. Then you just continue to squeeze through when you are ready to let the shot go..

This is the technique I use for those 100 yard steel clanging shots. Far more accurate and decisive than single action. You are really driving the bullet where you want it to go.

 

[Dorky_D]

I have worked on my dry firing a bit. I am getting more used to the feel of it. I mostly shoot with it cocked, as the trigger pull is very slight.
I am going to spend some time shooting uncocked as well, so that if I need to I can.

I am going to the range Saturday for some fun!

 

[sloughfoot]

I have worked on my dry firing a bit. I am getting more used to the feel of it. I mostly shoot with it cocked, as the trigger pull is very slight.
I am going to spend some time shooting uncocked as well, so that if I need to I can.

I am going to the range Saturday for some fun!

Outstanding. Master that revolver in both double action and single action.

 

[Tinman]

Honestly, there are people here who can probably give you much better info on the in's and out's of running the snubbie, and I'll just let them throw there info out there for you.

What I will add is this. I used to think of the snubbie as just a backup, or "close range belly to belly gun." That was until I got to meet and talk with Claude Werner from Rogers shooting school, and Michael Debethencourt. Check out their sites for details on their work, they've put out a ton of great material.

One thing they drove home with me was that my lack of ability with the snubbie was not a factor of the gun, but rather a lack of my desire to overcome my short comings with it, and a lack of effort to do the work. I have watched both of these men routinely make what would be considered long range head shots with out of the box snubbies.

The biggest issue I see with the snubbie is that many of us carry them all the time, and shoot them very little. As others have noted, get some quality training, then run the gun! No real secrets getting better, just like getting stronger, learn how to run it correctly then get out there and do the work.

Tinman....

 

[Hazwhopper]

It seems when I shoot my 2" Snubbie Tarsus, I often pull to the left and up about 3".
(at 25 yds) When I get closer, I am able to hit within the 3" circle. (7 to 10 yds)
Don't understand why.
I am just going to keep practicing. If I can't hit them with the 357, then I will use the 45.

 

[rhino]

One thing that adds to the snubbie issue is that even if people want to practice, many snubbies are physically painful to shoot, especially after more than a few cylinderfulls. Yeah, they should probably suck it up and just do it, but it's a reality and it's a significant reason why more people don't practice more with their snubbies.

Yes, I realize you can get bigger grips, but most people won't be carrying them that way. Yes, I know some people are not sensitive to this (or claim to not be). Good for them. They're not like everyone else.

 

[Dorky_D]

I just got the Desantis Clip Grip. I just put it on, and I must say it is much more comfortable in my hand. They are polymer and not rubber. It has the belt clip on the right hand side which can be tucked in the pants or whatever.
I will need to file the back of the grip where it meets the back strap. The Desantis sticks out a little farther and has a little sharper of an edge.
I feel much more secure in the ring and middle fingers of my strong hand grip. I even think the web of the thumb part feels more secure. I would not say it adds that much bulk to the gun. The grip is bigger, but it adds the heft to the font of the grip (beteeen the trigger guard).
This should help a ton!