Loosedhorse
member
I was recently taken to task for suggesting that most people don't view snub-nosed revolvers as "long range" (I'll get back to that) SD guns. In the "exchange" that followed, there were many claims, but more questions than answers. Let's see if I can organize things a bit.
1) Theoretical accuracy. It may be that, in a Ransom Rest, a J-frame .38 is "just as accurate" as a K-38 8 3/8"-barrel gun. I have seen no Ransom Rest numbers on this--has anyone?
If no one has numbers, one reason may be that they don't really matter (see next).
2) Practical accuracy. One opinion I received is that what matters is that "the gun" is accurate (I assume, in a Ransom rest, for example); the gun-shooter interaction was called unimportant. I completely disagree.
There are reasons why a J-frame might be practically less accurate than a larger gun: less moment of inertia (so it is easier to jiggle the barrel off target), smaller grip, more recoil, harder trigger (especially in hammerless models)...
And perhaps most importantly, small sight radius, so that any given misalignment of the sights results in more inaccuracy at the target compared to a gun with a longer sight radius.
3) Individual accuracy. I am sure that my "practical accuracy" with a snubbie is not as good as Jerry Miculek's, and better than my daughter's. Some of that difference ("talent") is not addressable by practice time, and some is. For the portion that is, I still won't be putting in as much range time as Mr. Miculek, so even if we were of similar talent rolleyes:), my accuracy with a snubbie would still be worse than his, despite anyone's exhortations that I "ought to practice more."
4) Tactical accuracy. One of the missiles thrown against me was that "you never know" if you're going to have to shoot some sniper at "long range" (there it is, "long range" again) with a J-frame, so it is important to practice that.
Hmmm. I never really got an answer regarding what "long range" was: at what distance I finally no longer need to worry about returning fire with a J-frame on a sniper. Also, there seemed to be the sense that "lobbing shots in" is fine: as long as you're on target with some of those shots, missing a few is A-OK.
I thought about a more realistic scenario: an active shooter, with innocents near-by, so that if you miss, you're hurting innocents, not helping them. For the purposes of this thread, please put aside the legal, ethical, and tactical questions (other than accuracy) regarding engaging an active shooter with a J-frame.
Finally my three questions:
1) At what distance would you be comfortable taking that shot with a J-frame?
2) At what maximum distance "should we" be able to take that shot, and how do we get our abilities and comfort from the distance in question 1 to the distance in question 2?
3) For those concerned with this "long-shot" (pardon the pun) scenario, would it be worthwhile considering the carry of a different firearm?
1) Theoretical accuracy. It may be that, in a Ransom Rest, a J-frame .38 is "just as accurate" as a K-38 8 3/8"-barrel gun. I have seen no Ransom Rest numbers on this--has anyone?
If no one has numbers, one reason may be that they don't really matter (see next).
2) Practical accuracy. One opinion I received is that what matters is that "the gun" is accurate (I assume, in a Ransom rest, for example); the gun-shooter interaction was called unimportant. I completely disagree.
There are reasons why a J-frame might be practically less accurate than a larger gun: less moment of inertia (so it is easier to jiggle the barrel off target), smaller grip, more recoil, harder trigger (especially in hammerless models)...
And perhaps most importantly, small sight radius, so that any given misalignment of the sights results in more inaccuracy at the target compared to a gun with a longer sight radius.
3) Individual accuracy. I am sure that my "practical accuracy" with a snubbie is not as good as Jerry Miculek's, and better than my daughter's. Some of that difference ("talent") is not addressable by practice time, and some is. For the portion that is, I still won't be putting in as much range time as Mr. Miculek, so even if we were of similar talent rolleyes:), my accuracy with a snubbie would still be worse than his, despite anyone's exhortations that I "ought to practice more."
4) Tactical accuracy. One of the missiles thrown against me was that "you never know" if you're going to have to shoot some sniper at "long range" (there it is, "long range" again) with a J-frame, so it is important to practice that.
Hmmm. I never really got an answer regarding what "long range" was: at what distance I finally no longer need to worry about returning fire with a J-frame on a sniper. Also, there seemed to be the sense that "lobbing shots in" is fine: as long as you're on target with some of those shots, missing a few is A-OK.
I thought about a more realistic scenario: an active shooter, with innocents near-by, so that if you miss, you're hurting innocents, not helping them. For the purposes of this thread, please put aside the legal, ethical, and tactical questions (other than accuracy) regarding engaging an active shooter with a J-frame.
Finally my three questions:
1) At what distance would you be comfortable taking that shot with a J-frame?
2) At what maximum distance "should we" be able to take that shot, and how do we get our abilities and comfort from the distance in question 1 to the distance in question 2?
3) For those concerned with this "long-shot" (pardon the pun) scenario, would it be worthwhile considering the carry of a different firearm?
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