.357 is a Handful to Shoot

[bobbob]

I have a Charter Arms .357, it has a ported barrel, and yet
even with low power .38 loads I am having trouble shooting it
accurately using double action. A guy mentioned "staging"
the trigger, please help with advice. Thank you

 

[Chris B.]

I'm a certified NRA instructor and have taken many classes at Valhalla, Gun Site, Thunder Ranch. The 357 and especially the 38 are not to hard to handle with a little practice. You need to get the basics down like your stance and grip. Look up the Isosceles stance and the thumbs forward grip. On a revolver you need to cross the thumbs or you can get cut by the gas by being to close to the cylender gap. It's hard to help you over the Internet so look up a local instructor and get some professional training. If you can afford it attend a Combat Focus class with Rob Pincus and you will learn a ton! Good luck.

 

[greenaccord02]

When my father taught me to shoot a pistol, I started out with a .22 to get the basics down, then moved to a .357. I was probably 10 or 11. Proper grip and stance are important, but equally or more important is just getting used to the kick... And there's only one way to do that

Remember to have a proper grip and pull the trigger with the pad of your finger rather than the joint. Relax and let the bang surprise you; you're probably jerking a little in anticipation.

 

[Scienceman]

Practice makes for better!

 

[Turk]

I have a S&W .357 with a 2 1/8" barrel. Stance & grip are most everything. I still do a little pre-jerk...

 

[IndyFan]

Much of the issue probably has to do with your stance when you are shooting. An instructor once showed a video where most people with a big gun actually arch their backs and are almost leaning backward, in anticipation of recoil. Stand with one foot out further in front of the other and lean your upper body toward the target. They showed a 13 year old, 90 pound girl successfully shoot a .44 magnum this way. I shot a friend's Thompson Center .45-70 pistol before and after learning about this, and the difference was night and day, both in terms of how the recoil felt and in terms of accuracy.

Give it a try, if you are not already doing it.

 

[AlienBug]

Originally Posted By: bobbob
I have a Charter Arms .357, it has a ported barrel, and yet
even with low power .38 loads I am having trouble shooting it
accurately using double action. A guy mentioned "staging"
the trigger, please help with advice. Thank you


The problem is you are shooting a small, light gun. Physics is immutable. For every action, there is an equal but oposite reaction and nothing is going to make a lightweight snubbie pleasant. Your best bet is to get some Pachmayer rubber grips to give you a better handle to hold onto.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: bobbob
I have a Charter Arms .357, it has a ported barrel, and yet
even with low power .38 loads I am having trouble shooting it
accurately using double action. A guy mentioned "staging"
the trigger, please help with advice. Thank you


Try some of the suggestions other posters have made. If after those suggestions you are not shooting better , its time to consider if this is the right gun for you. Some guns just don't fit my hand or feel good when i shoot them. you might want to shoot several other calibers and types to see what you like. I would not spend too much time trying to shoot a gun that is the wrong fit for your hands/shooting style.

 

[bigmike]

I have a S&W 686 in .357. Even though it has a 2.5" barrel, I don't have much trouble with it, but it is a large frame.

How's your grip? I notice it's easier for me with a rubber grip.

Any problems with you hands, arthritis, etc?

I shoot exactly as Indyfan described. It's easier to handle the recoil when your body weight leaning forward.

 

[Steve S]

You want to use the lowest power loadings you can get. Recoil sucks. And find someone to show you how it is done . About 2 months ago I shot 38 rounds from a Lightweight Weatherby 300 mag and I haven't been able to shoot groups since then as I developed flinchitis. It is getting better again though. I am giving up on rifles bigger than 223 with a compensator or my friends 338 Lapua Rem 700 PD, it has muzzle blast to wake the dead but no recoil!!!

 

[Pete C.]

Originally Posted By: bobbob
... A guy mentioned "staging"
the trigger, please help with advice. Thank you


Staging is learning where the break over between double action and single action occurs, during the trigger pull. It's usually about the 2/3 to 3/4 point in the pull. Try dry firing the gun very slowly paying attention to where the pull gets really light. With a little patience and more practice you'll find the staging point.

 

[Oil_Can_Harry]

The Charter guns tend to be light weight which will affect perceived recoil. There is not much you can do about that.

In light of that, make sure the grip is a soft hand filling comfortable one. You would be amazed how a good set of grips can enhance the shoot-ability of a gun.

I had a Ruger Speed Six that came with stock magna type grips. The kind that are like skinny knife handles. The gun was an absolute bear to shoot with magnums. The skinny handle would squirm in my hand and everytime I pulled the trigger it would slam into the web of my hand. After a cylinder or two of magnum loads my hand felt like one of those chinese lady finger firecrackers went off in it.

I spoke to the range master of the indoor range I was using and he suggested a Pachmyr gripper rubber grip as a replacement. What a difference. I still got the muzzle rise, report and ball of flame, but the pain is gone. The grip fills my hand and the backstrap of the gun is covered by the soft rubber of the gripper grip. That makes all the difference in the world.

The rubber replacement grips are not terribly expensive and can make shooting much more enjoyable if you are putting stout loads through a relatively light revolver.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I'm a certified NRA instructor and have taken many classes at Valhalla, Gun Site, Thunder Ranch. The 357 and especially the 38 are not to hard to handle with a little practice. You need to get the basics down like your stance and grip. Look up the Isosceles stance and the thumbs forward grip. On a revolver you need to cross the thumbs or you can get cut by the gas by being to close to the cylender gap. It's hard to help you over the Internet so look up a local instructor and get some professional training. If you can afford it attend a Combat Focus class with Rob Pincus and you will learn a ton! Good luck.



You learn sonmething new everyday about your BITOG friends. I am impressed! Oh and good advice, too! I wish I could do the Thuder Ranch thing!

 

[Chris B.]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I'm a certified NRA instructor and have taken many classes at Valhalla, Gun Site, Thunder Ranch. The 357 and especially the 38 are not to hard to handle with a little practice. You need to get the basics down like your stance and grip. Look up the Isosceles stance and the thumbs forward grip. On a revolver you need to cross the thumbs or you can get cut by the gas by being to close to the cylender gap. It's hard to help you over the Internet so look up a local instructor and get some professional training. If you can afford it attend a Combat Focus class with Rob Pincus and you will learn a ton! Good luck.



You learn sonmething new everyday about your BITOG friends. I am impressed! Oh and good advice, too! I wish I could do the Thuder Ranch thing!


Look up ICE Training. That is Rob Pincus' company and he is mobile teaching all over the country. He should be in your area/state at least once per year. He is one of the top instructors in the country and the host of T.V.'s Best Defence and SWAT Magazine T.V. on the Outdoor channel. You will learn a ton in his class.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I'm a certified NRA instructor and have taken many classes at Valhalla, Gun Site, Thunder Ranch. The 357 and especially the 38 are not to hard to handle with a little practice. You need to get the basics down like your stance and grip. Look up the Isosceles stance and the thumbs forward grip. On a revolver you need to cross the thumbs or you can get cut by the gas by being to close to the cylender gap. It's hard to help you over the Internet so look up a local instructor and get some professional training. If you can afford it attend a Combat Focus class with Rob Pincus and you will learn a ton! Good luck.



You learn sonmething new everyday about your BITOG friends. I am impressed! Oh and good advice, too! I wish I could do the Thuder Ranch thing!


Look up ICE Training. That is Rob Pincus' company and he is mobile teaching all over the country. He should be in your area/state at least once per year. He is one of the top instructors in the country and the host of T.V.'s Best Defence and SWAT Magazine T.V. on the Outdoor channel. You will learn a ton in his class.



Thanks! I plan to do that!

 

[Camu Mahubah]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
I have a S&W .357 with a 2 1/8" barrel. Stance & grip are most everything. I still do a little pre-jerk...


I hope you are admitting to flinching...

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Camu Mahubah
Originally Posted By: tpitcher
I have a S&W .357 with a 2 1/8" barrel. Stance & grip are most everything. I still do a little pre-jerk...


I hope you are admitting to flinching...

 

[Summerwind]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: Camu Mahubah
Originally Posted By: tpitcher
I have a S&W .357 with a 2 1/8" barrel. Stance & grip are most everything. I still do a little pre-jerk...


I hope you are admitting to flinching...

I have a Ruger GP-100 6" barrel, and with magnum loads, it feels like a .38. Mebbe size does matter??

I mean in no-way to be condencending to the OP, gun weight and length do make a huge difference. I recently sold a 2.5" Smith 686 to a buddy, and He is a big guy (6' 4") with huge hands, and even with Pachmeyers, he commented on the recoil