Here's the thread I made here after my first range visit with my first gun (4" 686 Plus), where you can see photos of my targets:
So, now that I finally got to the range with my purchase yesterday I feel like I can call myself a gun owner. :) For anyone who hasn't been following my adventures, this is my first gun and I selected a 4" 686 Plus. You can see a photo in the "not 100% happy with grip yet" thread. Very...
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Prior to buying it, I had attended one beginning shooting class, at which we shot a .22, a .38 spl revolver, a 9 mm, a .40 and a .45. I did pretty well with the .22, the .38 and the .45, but the 9mm and the .40 were all over the place. Plus I could not get the hang of the uplula. Overall the revolver was the most intuitive for me. After that I took one lesson at a gun store, was shown a Ruger SP 101, on which I could not complete the trigger pull even with a snap cap, a Ruger GP 100, and a Smith 686, both 4". The GP 100 was a fancier model with a wood grip that I really liked. I did not like the factory grip on the 686, the grooves didn't seem to be where my fingers wanted to be. Next visit to the LGS I was allowed to take both onto the range after explaining that I wanted to compare them for accuracy but wanted to alternate them after each cylinder so hand fatigue wouldn't be a factor. The Smith was WAY more accurate for me than the Ruger, so that's what I bought, going with the 686 Plus to get the extra round. Someone here recommended Hogue grooveless grips, which I got and did like better than the factory ones.
A few years later I thankfully moved to Arizona where I would be able to carry and the 686 was just way too big, plus I had lost some hand strength and could no longer shoot it one-handed with my left hand. Fortuitously Colt soon came out with the new King Cobra, which came with a trigger about 9 lbs instead of 12 like the 686, and the 3" was a better size for carry. It fits my hand like it was made for me and is equally as accurate as my 686.
I had actually bought a Model 36 from a friend in another state when I moved here, thinking it would be perfect for carry, but I could not shoot it anywhere near as accurately as the 686 and it totally killed my hand. It would probably be fine for a man with a lot of hand strength, but I don't understand how anyone can recommend such a thing for a woman. It's beautiful though, he had bought two of them and only ever used the other one, it has the original wood grips and the bluing is still perfect, so I kept it, but it just sits in the safe.