I took my new S&W Model 442 out to the range this morning to see how it shot and felt. I wanted to at least give that model one more chance.
This is the second 442 I have owned. The first was one I bought from Bud's about 2 1/2 years ago and wasn't a pleasant shooting experience.
That 442 caused great pain to the bone or nerve or something in the web of my right shooting hand just to the right of my thumb joint. I tried to like it and tolerate the pain, but after taking sometimes weeks for the swelling and discomfort to go away it found a new owner. I do have some arthritis in my hands, so that probably makes me more susceptible to the recoil than someone without it.
I wanted to keep the small boot grips on the gun that came with it since it makes the gun so easy for small pocket holster carry, so I tried it out as it came. I was going to make a concerted effort to keep from letting the bare metal at the top of the frame grip lie against my thumb joint as it probably did when I shot one in 2016.
What I found was my revolver grip had changed since shooting back then and the grip I use now holds the gun firmer and lower on the grip than when I was first started shooting guns in 2016 again after a 20 year hiatus. That grip kept the recoil down today and didn't pound the joint like I remembered the first 442 doing.
I went through 60 rounds of WWB 130 grain .38 Special while tracking my target results from 15, 21, 30, and 40 feet away. 15 and 21 feet away the groupings were excellent, while the 30 and 40 feet distances still hit within the colored circles on the target.
So far, so good as far as not having any residual results in my hand from shooting today. I plan on going out again to the range tomorrow morning with a couple of folks and will shoot the rest of the 100 round box, but it won't be an "all the time" range gun like the first 442 was. I will shoot my Model 36 revolver and 9mm pistol most of the time at the range as I have been, but will shoot the 442 on occasion to ensure I am comfortable with it as my pocket holster carry.
This is the second 442 I have owned. The first was one I bought from Bud's about 2 1/2 years ago and wasn't a pleasant shooting experience.
That 442 caused great pain to the bone or nerve or something in the web of my right shooting hand just to the right of my thumb joint. I tried to like it and tolerate the pain, but after taking sometimes weeks for the swelling and discomfort to go away it found a new owner. I do have some arthritis in my hands, so that probably makes me more susceptible to the recoil than someone without it.
I wanted to keep the small boot grips on the gun that came with it since it makes the gun so easy for small pocket holster carry, so I tried it out as it came. I was going to make a concerted effort to keep from letting the bare metal at the top of the frame grip lie against my thumb joint as it probably did when I shot one in 2016.
What I found was my revolver grip had changed since shooting back then and the grip I use now holds the gun firmer and lower on the grip than when I was first started shooting guns in 2016 again after a 20 year hiatus. That grip kept the recoil down today and didn't pound the joint like I remembered the first 442 doing.
I went through 60 rounds of WWB 130 grain .38 Special while tracking my target results from 15, 21, 30, and 40 feet away. 15 and 21 feet away the groupings were excellent, while the 30 and 40 feet distances still hit within the colored circles on the target.
So far, so good as far as not having any residual results in my hand from shooting today. I plan on going out again to the range tomorrow morning with a couple of folks and will shoot the rest of the 100 round box, but it won't be an "all the time" range gun like the first 442 was. I will shoot my Model 36 revolver and 9mm pistol most of the time at the range as I have been, but will shoot the 442 on occasion to ensure I am comfortable with it as my pocket holster carry.
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