J frame goodness VS K frame shooting

[velocette]

Yesterday at the range, my companion shot both of her .38 spl revolvers. Her EDC S&W 640 J frame and her home defense S&W 4" K frame M15. At 25 yds, she kept her rounds in the "Ouch" zone of her target with the little DAO 640. (Ouch zone = miscreant would NOT be happy,)
Then she proceeded to enjoy her M 15. All in a smaller "ouch" zone all double action and a little bit faster.
Her opinion afterwards was of the two revolvers, the M15 was the nicest to shoot. She said that the M15 was like Goldilocks Porridge. Not too big, not too small, not too heavy, not too light. It was Just right.
I couldn't agree more.

 

[RevolvingGarbage]

The .38 Special is such a great cartridge for having a common ammo supply feed multiple weapons. You can have a snub for deeper carry, a belt gun for concealed, a slightly bigger belt gun for a flap holster or other external carry, a long barreled .38 or .357 ( not total ammo compatibility but it fits the concept) for hunting/ target work, and a lever rifle or single shot which can potentially take a supressor and make use of heavy 200gr loads at subsonic speeds, and hey there’s even a few semi auto designs out there for the cartridge. All of that with one or maybe two sets of dies, probably one diameter of bullet, a small assortment of powder, and one or maybe two kinds of primer.

Even if you don’t reload, you have access to a very healthy array of loads along the .38Spl/.357 spectrum.

 

[Pat Riot]

Sounds like a good day at the range. I really like my K frames. Very enjoyable to shoot with .38 Special.

 

[1KPerDay]

I came to the same conclusion yesterday after shooting a 340 and a Model 10 snub. Although the 340 is a lot nicer to carry all day. It just sucks to actually shoot.

 

[Riomouse911]

@velocette, it sure sounds like your companion has it going on with both .38’s, and has great taste in choosing both as CCW/SD handguns.

I agree, the Model 15/67 are just about the perfect size and weight in .38 Special for fun time target and serious defensive use. (Though I would prefer a Model 10/64 for CCW strictly because of the smooth top reducing the chance of snagging on the draw.)

Stay safe.

 

[Gork10]

sounds like a smart woman there. I carry my model 10 2 inch more than anything else. No one I've ever taught to shot has complained about a k frame not fitting them. And the 38 is just a great cartridge, gets the job done without undo recoil. Only issue I have with it is ammo availability and price.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I just can't seem to gel with J-frames, great to carry, terrible to shoot.

Snubby K-frames are a lot more shootable (for me) making them worth the weight and bulk.

The D-frame Colts, such as the Detective Special, really hit a sweet spot between the two Smiths though, IMO.

 

[cfullgraf]

I like my Airweight J-frames for carry, nice size, good pocket carry. But, I do not like shooting +P ammunition in the guns.

I really like my K-frames but they are larger than the J-frames.

In general, I’m not fond of the short barrel K-frames but I do have a short barrel Model 15 and Model 19.

The OP’s young lady has the right idea.

 

[Riomouse911]

I just can't seem to gel with J-frames, great to carry, terrible to shoot.

Snubby K-frames are a lot more shootable (for me) making them worth the weight and bulk.

The D-frame Colts, such as the Detective Special, really hit a sweet spot between the two Smiths though, IMO.

As I started reading this I was thinking how nice my newer Colt Cobra is to shoot… and you mentioned it later.

Great minds!

I like my Airweight J-frames for carry, nice size, good pocket carry. But, I do not like shooting +P ammunition in the guns.

I really like my K-frames but they are larger than the J-frames.

In general, I’m not fond of the short barrel K-frames but I do have a short barrel Model 15 and Model 19.

The OP’s young lady has the right idea.

I hear you! I can honestly say my S&W Models 642 and 442 are my least favorite handguns to shoot. They hit me right across the palm, I literally grit my teeth with every shot.

IMHO, the K frames just work so well with the .38 Spl., no matter if it’s a 2”or an 8 3/8” barrel or any other length.

Stay safe.

 

[cfullgraf]

IMHO, the K frames just work so well with the .38 Spl., no matter if it’s a 2”or an 8 3/8” barrel or any other length.

Stay safe.

K-frames are some of my favorites firearms. I’m not big on the short barrel guns but I can understand another’s appreciate of their value.

 

[halfmoonclip]

I've stumbled onto some older stainless K frames, and like them a lot for their balance and mild recoil. Still prefer the 340SC for carry, but no, it isn't a lot of fun to shoot.
Moon

 

[Tallball]

A person who can shoot a j-frame well in DA can probably shoot most handguns well.

When I was young (in the late 1980's) and didn't know any better, I had a 2" j-frame and a 4" k-frame for SD.

Now that I'm older and have had a lot of different handguns... I have a 2" j-frame and a 3" k-frame for SD.

That's what works for a lot of us.

 

[amd6547]

The old timers were right, when they named the Model 15 “Combat Masterpiece”…

 

[Riomouse911]

A person who can shoot a j-frame well in DA can probably shoot most handguns well.

When I was young (in the late 1980's) and didn't know any better, I had a 2" j-frame and a 4" k-frame for SD.

Now that I'm older and have had a lot of different handguns... I have a 2" j-frame and a 3" k-frame for SD.

That's what works for a lot of us.

Absolutely! Errors in form and technique seem to be magnified when shooting the smaller guns for me, I won’t be shocked if that is a universal observation for others as well.

I have a 3” Model 36 that I put a giant (for a J frame) Pachmayr grip on. This gun shoots really well, but it’s now as large as a Springfield SA-35 so “compact” carry is a moot point with it. It is still a great trainer for DA revolver shooting, as it causes me to focus on the basics so as not to embarrass myself when checking my target.



Stay safe.

 

[Styx]

I have a 3" J frame model 60-15. To me, a 3" steel stubby is perfect as it's lightweight but has enough weight to it to make shooting enjoyable, still easy to conceal on the belt IWB and OWB, you get a full-length ejector, longer sight radius, and more velocity.

That said, I typically carry a 2" J-frame sized revolver as a pocket gun sometimes and an L-frame (model 686+) on the belt. I find the weight and size difference between K and L frames negligible, so I perfer the beefier L frame with the extra round for self-defense purposes.

 

[SwampWolf]

In my experience, there's never been a J-frame that comes even close to a typical K-frame when it comes to how good the da trigger pull is (and I have owned more than a couple J-frames [still do] and like them a lot; mostly for their configuration, not for their trigger pulls).

 

[kevincallahan]

I went to the police academy back in 1981. We were given an allowance for our uniforms, boots, firearm. The firearm had to be a Smith or Colt 4 to 6 inch barrel, 38 or 357.There were 67 officers in y class. When I got to the gun store, there were no 19’s or 66’s left! There was a model 15, and a couple of 27’s, a diamondback, and a couple of pythons. I bought what I could afford, the 15. Went thru about 2000 rounds in the firearms training and grew to understand that my buddies shooting 357, had basically a close range flamethrower.Still have my combat masterpiece . It is my nightstand gun.

 

[CajunBass]

I go back and forth which I like best. The Model 15/67 or the 19/66. The Model 19 will always be my first love, having been my first handgun ever, purchased on the recommendation of Bill Jordan and Skeeter Skelton (by their magazine writings), but I think I may like the "Combat Masterpiece just a tad better. With it's tapered barrel, unshouded ejector rod, and slightly shorter cylinder, it's just a little lighter and more "svelte" is the word I like to use (The same can be said for the Model 24/624). That and the name..."Combat Masterpiece." Has a revolver ever had a better name? (OK..Colt's "Peacemaker" is in the running.) I like both with 4" barrels, the short ones don't interest me.

I've got a 67 now, and a 15 on layaway. I mostly load/shoot 38 wadcutters these days. Almost no recoil. Nice round holes in the target, and inexpensive to reload. No mag loader needed and no brass to chase. Just about perfect for an old man like me.

 

[Armored farmer]

I recently discovered why the model 10 was so common. It's just a nice sized gun.... the golden mean. It looks right, carries right, shoots good, recoil light, and in a caliber that is substantial enough, yet easy to shoot.
The k frame has become a favorite.....

This 4" pencil barrel was my first acquisition.....

Then a 4" heavy barrel parkerized gun with an action job.

And most recently this project gun with a 3" tapered barrel. Rear sight, reblued, action job. I added the combat grips.

I am now going to buy a set of dedicated 38spl LEE dies. I have loaded 38s with my 357 dies but it wasn't ideal.

 

[Gork10]

I go back and forth which I like best. The Model 15/67 or the 19/66. The Model 19 will always be my first love, having been my first handgun ever, purchased on the recommendation of Bill Jordan and Skeeter Skelton (by their magazine writings), but I think I may like the "Combat Masterpiece just a tad better. With it's tapered barrel, unshouded ejector rod, and slightly shorter cylinder, it's just a little lighter and more "svelte" is the word I like to use (The same can be said for the Model 24/624). That and the name..."Combat Masterpiece." Has a revolver ever had a better name? (OK..Colt's "Peacemaker" is in the running.) I like both with 4" barrels, the short ones don't interest me.

I've got a 67 now, and a 15 on layaway. I mostly load/shoot 38 wadcutters these days. Almost no recoil. Nice round holes in the target, and inexpensive to reload. No mag loader needed and no brass to chase. Just about perfect for an old man like me.

Couldn't have said it better myself. There's just something about the combat masterpiece that makes it feel just right.

 

[velocette]

As echoed by many above. Not too big, not too small, not too heavy & not too light, not too powerful nor too weak.
The S&W M 10 & M 15 are just Right for many people. AND they're NOT made of plastic!

 

[trackskippy]

My favorite and most shot revolvers are the 2" RB Model 10's and Model 19's. I have a number of different versions of K frames with 3" and 4" barrels, but for me, the 2" were aways the sweet spot and hardest to resist. My local shop just posted up a 2" M&P that looks to be in pretty good shape and Im doing my best not to run over there and scarf it up.

These were the last couple I picked up a year or two back.

 

[UncleEd]

Yesterday at the range, my companion shot both of her .38 spl revolvers. Her EDC S&W 640 J frame and her home defense S&W 4" K frame M15. At 25 yds, she kept her rounds in the "Ouch" zone of her target with the little DAO 640. (Ouch zone = miscreant would NOT be happy,)

Of course the Model 15 is preferred; it's my favorite S&W revolver.

But why 25 yards when practicing with a J-frame. At 10 yards or less two cylinder's
full of J-frame ammo should be enough to know how deadly it can be. That's why the
gun was designed, close-in and under stress. It's the carry all-day carry-all-the-time
firearm. If not it, then a Colt Cobra or a Ruger LCR.

And no matter how you look at it, the J-frames are generally half the weight of the
typical K-frame and all the better for concealed carry.

 

[Old Dog]

Her opinion afterwards was of the two revolvers, the M15 was the nicest to shoot. She said that the M15 was like Goldilocks Porridge. Not too big, not too small, not too heavy, not too light. It was Just right.

A woman who enjoys shooting K-frames? Does she have a sister?

I go back and forth which I like best. The Model 15/67 or the 19/66. The Model 19 will always be my first love,

Started reading this post and thought I'd written it. Same here. And same about the 19, which was our sheriff's office issue for my first (short-lived) stint in the law business.

 

[Rodfac]

I have a 3” Model 36 that I put a giant (for a J frame) Pachmayr grip on. This gun shoots really well, but it’s now as large as a Springfield SA-35 so “compact” carry is a moot point with it. It is still a great trainer for DA revolver shooting, as it causes me to focus on the basics so as not to embarrass myself when checking my target.

Good post, and my experience as well. For me, the Hogue Monogrip works better with my hand size when matched with my 3" bbl'd M-60 Smith. With it, I enjoy the shooting...if using ~850 fps loads. Full house .357's, however, are agony. For all around use, comfort and the intersection of concealability vs. shooting ability curve, it's a K or L frame Smith. My current favorite is an LEO turn-in M-67.

Best regards, Rod