Post by paulg on Jan 8, 2017 19:52:11 GMT -5
You know the line, "A man's got to know his limitations". I've wanted for so long to be a proficient shooter with big bore handguns and when I say big bore I mean .45 Colt & ACP, .44 magnum and special, 10mm, .41 magnum and I'll throw .357 magnum in. I don't even think about messin with y'all's .475's, .500's and such. For many years I've gone through the aforementioned caliber handguns one after the other with every grip and grip configuration available commercially, in semi auto, double and single action platforms. I've never achieved the level of consistent accuracy I've wanted with any of them. I could yammer on about load development, quality of guns, range time and commercially available ammunition that I've burned thousands of dollars on over the years trying to be the big man with the big gun that you don't want to eff with. Or the fantasy's I've run through my mind about taking a big fat hog in the swamps with one of my .44's. Or the dreams I've had about going back home to Western Kentucky and taking a big whitetail with a big bore. Today reality smacked me square up the side of the head and then shoved a size 11 boot up my you know what. I haven't shot a .38 special in a long time until today when I took my recently acquired Ruger SP101 out for shooting time.
I have several hundred of these:
I didn't take pictures for two reasons. One, I didn't have a camera, including my phone (it was my device free day) and two I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. Especially with the crappy Badger grips on this gun. Now, here comes the reality slap. After about ten rounds of settling in and getting used to the trigger and grip I was hitting pretty much anything I wanted to within 20 yards. 8" paper plates, clay targets, soda cans etc. I've never shot that good with any handgun in any caliber over a .22. I had my new Smith & Wesson 69 with me, some Remington .44 Special and Magtech .44 magnum ammo. I couldn't settle in to either round. It was then that a dim light started burning in my mind. I had a friend that was with me load the gun for me and told him to load five keeping one chamber empty. Sure enough after 20 rounds of each, special and magnum, when I dropped the hammer on that empty chamber I had a flinch that made me look like I was swatting at flies! So I start trying to figure out in my mind why. Recoil? Not really. Tired? Nope. I'd only fired 100 of those 710 fps wadcutters. Uncomfortable with the 69? Nope. With the Hogue grips for the Smith 500 on my 69 it is a very comfortable gun to fire. Stance? Hold? yadda, yadda, yadda. My conclusion? I have and probably will have a sucky relationship with the hard and loud kickers. That's where I'm at. I'm not asking for help fixing anything. I can't chalk it up to a good day with one gun over another. What I know for sure is I kicked ass with that 3.06" barreled Ruger firing double action unsupported with mild wadcutters. After screwing the pooch with the .44 I went back to the .38. Once again I could hit what I wanted with it. Two hands, one hand, double action and single action. No flinch. If it was within 60-70 feet it had a wadcutter hole in it. That little Ruger will be on me everyday stoked with those Winchester 148 gr 710 fps full wadcutters. They ain't got the thump a magnum or .45 does but if I can hit what I'm looking at consistently like I did today versus being all over the place with a big bore I'll take the .38 every time. My fantasies of killing hogs and deer will have to come at the end of my old Marlin 336 30-30 not a handgun. And that's ok with me. And it's ok that I wont' be the bad ass emeffer with the big gun that makes big holes. As long as I can make .38 size holes in a bad guy's ass breaking his pelvis so my wife and I can get to safety I'll be just fine. So harsh reality can kiss my @@@@%%%%!!!
Paul
I have several hundred of these:
I didn't take pictures for two reasons. One, I didn't have a camera, including my phone (it was my device free day) and two I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. Especially with the crappy Badger grips on this gun. Now, here comes the reality slap. After about ten rounds of settling in and getting used to the trigger and grip I was hitting pretty much anything I wanted to within 20 yards. 8" paper plates, clay targets, soda cans etc. I've never shot that good with any handgun in any caliber over a .22. I had my new Smith & Wesson 69 with me, some Remington .44 Special and Magtech .44 magnum ammo. I couldn't settle in to either round. It was then that a dim light started burning in my mind. I had a friend that was with me load the gun for me and told him to load five keeping one chamber empty. Sure enough after 20 rounds of each, special and magnum, when I dropped the hammer on that empty chamber I had a flinch that made me look like I was swatting at flies! So I start trying to figure out in my mind why. Recoil? Not really. Tired? Nope. I'd only fired 100 of those 710 fps wadcutters. Uncomfortable with the 69? Nope. With the Hogue grips for the Smith 500 on my 69 it is a very comfortable gun to fire. Stance? Hold? yadda, yadda, yadda. My conclusion? I have and probably will have a sucky relationship with the hard and loud kickers. That's where I'm at. I'm not asking for help fixing anything. I can't chalk it up to a good day with one gun over another. What I know for sure is I kicked ass with that 3.06" barreled Ruger firing double action unsupported with mild wadcutters. After screwing the pooch with the .44 I went back to the .38. Once again I could hit what I wanted with it. Two hands, one hand, double action and single action. No flinch. If it was within 60-70 feet it had a wadcutter hole in it. That little Ruger will be on me everyday stoked with those Winchester 148 gr 710 fps full wadcutters. They ain't got the thump a magnum or .45 does but if I can hit what I'm looking at consistently like I did today versus being all over the place with a big bore I'll take the .38 every time. My fantasies of killing hogs and deer will have to come at the end of my old Marlin 336 30-30 not a handgun. And that's ok with me. And it's ok that I wont' be the bad ass emeffer with the big gun that makes big holes. As long as I can make .38 size holes in a bad guy's ass breaking his pelvis so my wife and I can get to safety I'll be just fine. So harsh reality can kiss my @@@@%%%%!!!
Paul