I shot 60 rounds with our .38 snub nose revolver. I get better each time I shoot, so that's encouraging. And my hand has stopped hurting so much - I don't know if it's because I practice often or because I've improved my grip.
This was my final target. (I was kind of tired at this point) It was a reduced silhouette at about 7 yards:
I also bought myself a little something to wear around the house (Merry Xmas to me!):
I bought this holster on the recommendation of Leah, who works at the range. (I finally 'fessed up and told her about my blog.) Leah is an NRA certified firearms safety instructor and teaches the CCW classes. (I'm planning on taking the class from her.) She uses a holster similar to this, wearing it at the small of her back. After discussing holster options, she told me that she likes this one because it's more comfortable, and more easily concealed, for her as a woman (taking hips, curves, and fashion into consideration).
The holster fits really tightly around the pistol, but I was told that it would eventually loosen up a bit and form itself to the gun (and my hip too, I hope). I am able to thread the belt in through the holster either over or under the gun. I haven't decided which is more comfortable, and I have yet to figure out how to go to the bathroom while wearing it.
12 comments:
Speaking of holsters:
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=194827
:)
-Fearsclave
Hey, fearsclave! I had to register at the site to see it, but WOW! Now, that is a holster!
Nice holster! Did you get one of those springy-things from the Sports-store to exercise your grip?
I prefer to pulverize rocks with my bare hands instead, dirtcrashr.
Hey, your Smith hits to the right, too. My 442 does that...
Using the bathroom: either take the gun off and put it on the counter (at home only, don't leave your pistol in a public restroom, only cops are allowed to do that), or once you lower your pants, re-affix your belt just above the knee-caps. This will keep the gun off the floor and out of reach from under the stall walls, and also keep your pants off the manky floor (maybe more an issue in men's bathrooms). Another good trick is to use the handicapped stall, so you have more room to get pants/shirt/gun repositioned and move around while doing so.
Looks like a good holster you've got there, what kind is it? LadyElf still struggles with concealment and women's fashion (refusing to give up the latter for the former).
Your hand will get tougher with time, and be able to take more shots and heavier recoil. That .38 you have is a hard gun to shoot well, and you are doing so. Keep practicing.
Good Luck,
AE
AE - my holster is from:
http://www.jbpholsters.com
They are very popular at our range, and they have a hard time keeping them in stock. Mine came with a metal clip on the back, but I removed it because it was digging into my hip. It's referred to as the "sleeping dog" design.
I see you have lasergrips. Any other work done to the gun (action job) or do you still have the stock 12lb trigger?
Wild deuce- I don't think anything's been done to the trigger. It's a long, hard, heavy trigger pull.
Two schools of thought ... One says if it works, leave it alone and become proficient with what you have. The other tells you to give yourself every advantage.
My wife hated the trigger pull on her J-Frames (we bought two). She shot very well but the factory pull weight on the trigger cut down on her range time. It also made each session an ordeal by the time she hit the fifty round count (not to mention the recoil from full power loads in a 12 oz gun).
We finally opted to have a "carry package" performed on both guns by Cylinder and Slide. This brought the trigger pull weight down to a very (legally) defensible 8lbs. The improvement in her (and mine) J-Frame handling was phenomenal. Before, she had to slow down to hit point of aim (POA) since she was fighting the heavy trigger. If she fired quickly, her impacts moved gradually to the right. Almost immediately she was able to increase her speed and maintain accuracy. Further improvement in her grip and technique has her landing five shots inside the "zero down" circle of an IDPA target at 7 yards (at a quick shot cadence ... 3-4 seconds).
It is something to consider. DO NOT take my advice alone though. Talk to others. Read up on it. Ask around. If you do decide to get it done, there's only three places I would recommend based on my personal, hands on experience and research ... in order:
Grant Cunnigham - his work is unbelievable. If you hold one of his guns in your hand and try the action, you will be forever spoiled. Unfortunately, I believe he recently stopped accepting work due to a massive backlog (8 months) and health issues. You could always call and beg.
Teddy Jacobson - Better known for his action work on 1911's. He's done two revolvers for me and I absolutely love them. He will also accept phone calls to discuss firearm issues you might have. Even if you are not going to get any work done, you could call him about a particular gun you might be thinking of getting and he will be able to discuss particulars about the internals that you should know.
Cylinder and Slide - Their work was very good but more than likely Bill Laughridge will not be the one working on your gun. It will probably be one of the in house smiths. Still the work was very good on my two J-Frames.
I'm not talking about having a hair trigger. I'm talking about shaving a few pounds off and more importantly, smoothing out the action. It will do wonders for you that you will notice the instant you get your gun back from the shop.
Sorry for the long post. I'll shut up now and go find a life.
Range time will toughen your hands and muscles, as will practice help you relax and just concentrate on shooting.
Range day at the Gunbloggers Rendezvous we shot pretty much continuously for almost six hours. It was exhausting but not as bad as I thought it would be.
breda,
Nice looking holster. I hope it does well for you. Good luck on the classes, too. Sounds like you're getting well squared away.
Looking over the comments already here, wild deuce gave you some excellent advice -- and I'd definitely second his list of gunsmiths, too. Have to add that reducing the pull of the trigger on a defense revolver is not something you want to ask just any shadetree gunsmith to do. Reliability is absolutely critical for a defense gun, and it's fairly easy to bugger that up when they start fiddling with trigger weight on a revolver.
arcticelf gave good advice too. Only thing I'd add to it is, never ever ever take the stall next to someone's toddler. Just don't do it. :D (Little kids sometimes look under stalls. And then comment, loudly, about anything unusual they see ... How do I know this? Trust me, I know this.)
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