An affordable all-revolver shooting range session 01/31/2022

(This slid nicely into my "grab and go" range bag)

I took the .22 caliber S&W Model 63 along with the .357 S&W Model 60-9 to the range for a quickie FUNdamentals session.  Face it folks; if our range time isn't enjoyable very few of us would bother.  I have long aspired to get to where I am into a routine of going to the range no less than once a week but life and lethargy keeps getting in my way; I am a lazy-ass septuagenarian faced with tending too many irons in too many fires.  

Accuracy and consistency with double-action revolvers is my biggest challenge when it comes to shooting handguns; if I practice with them often I can and do reach a minimum level of respectability but it vaporizes in a hurry when I cannot keep at it.  

Every couple of weeks I need to refill a medical prescription for my blind old cat and that puts me close to the shooting range; I'll endeavor to make it a combo trip if time allows.

A total of 48-rounds of standard velocity .22 LR (8 x 6-round cylinder) were used in the Model 63 during this session.  

A total of 10-rounds were fired from Model 60-9, consisting of --- 

1 x 5-round cylinder of +P+ .38 Special 147-grain Federal HydraShok 

1 x 5-round cylinder of +P .38 Special 158-grain Nyclad semi-wadcutters 

This was the second adventure using the Model 60-9 since switching to the Magna Stocks (grips).

NOTE: The +P 158 grain wadcutter Nyclads sure seemed to generate more felt recoil than did the +P+ 147 grain HydraShoks.  YEEOUCH!  

By using the .22 revolver as the first phase of this session ---

A) I hoped to program my subconscious away from anticipating recoil (as much as possible)

B) I hoped that the heavier double-action trigger pull of the .22 would tease my hand and mind into appreciating the somewhat lighter pull of the double action center-fire revolvers.

C) I hoped to conserve my precious inventory of .357 magnum and .38 special ammunition.

Target distance 21-feet (7-yards; 6.40-meters).

All rounds were fired double-action.

(The .22 was fired first, then the .38)

This very affordable improvised target is an 8.5'' x 14'' sheet of copy paper which is generally recognized as being approximately equal to the size of the lethal torso zone of all bad guys on the planet earth 😉.  The aim-point is a copied image of a "Post it Note."  My rate of fire was not rapid-fire nor was it slow; I was going for a pace of "acquire, squeeze, BLAM, reacquire, squeeze, BLAM, etc" until empty and then I would dry fire on the empties.  I got in more dry fire practice this session than live fire; my hand and eyes were VERY tired afterwards.

I was hoping to "raggedy-hole" the yellow square with the 48-rounds of .22 that I fired.  The spread that I achieved was disappointing but really not unexpected.  The very decent front and rear sights of the Model 63 really have far more potential than what you'll see me achieve.  The suckiness of the heavy trigger on the Model 63 (the hammer needs a heavy spring to reliably wham the rimfire primers) does amplify my inherent level of suckiness.

The highlighted holes in the target pictured above are from the .38 rounds and the spread was pretty much what I expected but not what I was hoping for. The centerfire J-frame revolvers (IMHO) have triggers that generally are a tad sweeter than the rimfire J-frames.  The first 5-rounds were the +P+ HydraShoks followed by the 5-rounds of +P Nyclad semi-wadcutters.   I was actually doing okay until the recoil from the wadcutters kindled a flinch that I couldn't overpower.  I'm glad that I didn't bring more ammo; it would have been wasted.  From here on out the max load for the magna-gripped Model 60-9 will be the +P+ 147 Grain .38 Special HydraShoks.  Both loads seemed to have the same recoil when I fired them from my boot gripped Model 640-1; maybe the magna grips just aren't going to be okay for me with heavier recoil.  We shall see ...

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Above is what my shooting spread would have looked like on a B27 target at 21-feet; everything inside the 8-ring. Not totally shameful.  Hopefully it's a baseline that will get better if I can keep at it.

When I was a younker, an old geezer (roughly as old as I am now) taught me that the baseline for double-action revolver shooting was being able to keep all your rounds on an 8.5'' x 12'' sheet of typing paper at 21'.  I tossed a blank sheet of that size over the spread on my aforementioned improvised target to confirm that I had at least met that minimum level of proficiency.  

Still living, learning, and having fun!

Thank you 5 Star Firearms for the great shooting range and all of the other gunslinging goodness that you provide!  

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😎

"My advice to you is to get yourself a gun and learn how to use it.”

Support YOUR local shooting range! You may live to be glad that you did.

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JZ