b1indfire

So it doesn't matter which way the gun is oriented, as long as the bore is pointed downrange? The way I do it right now is to hold it in such a way that the handle is pointed as close to directly down range as I can, which is why it's a little awkward for me. If it's fine to have the handle point at the right wall, but the bore is still pointed downrange, I think it'll be a lot easier.

Clarification question: If the revolver is pointed straight down, will I still maintain 180 if the top of the revolver does not maintain 180 (i.e. the sights are pointed uprange)? I like to do reloads to the right of the center of my body. I would like to know how exaggerated my muzzle pointing down range has to be. Thanks!

I was wondering how to keep from breaking 180 when moving from right to left (right hand shooter) and using the weak hand reload (aka, weak hand puts the bullets in). There's not much material that I've found, but I did find the video below. In it, Julie Golob performs a right to left reload at 10:05, but she does a sideways shuffle since there's not much distance to cover. What do you do if you have a much longer distance to go?

I'm just saying this since some of the "snap caps" I saw for sale are either inert rounds or look like live rounds. (I personally have the orange ones which were more expensive, but I would never be able to mistake them for live rounds) But I agree wholeheartedy, the only time you should be inserting live rounds into your gun should be at a designated shooting area or for carry.

As someone who just got themselves a revolver to shoot, take it from me: Go with the S&W 929. First and foremost .38 special doesn't always make PF, but most if not all factory 9mm does. It's super annoying trying to find the ones that do, then finding them for cheap. This is the most annoying thing for me, and something I didn't think of at the time. .38 special doesn't have a standardized casing in terms of the cutout. Different brands of ammo will work with different sizes of moonclip. See my post on TK clip fitment for an idea. I actually have 2 sets of 10 rather than 20 of one type. 9mm is almost half the price of 38 special. I average 16cpr for 9mm and 28cpr for 38 special. Unjacketed ammo is much more common and cheaper in .38 special. It smells much worse than 9mm when shooting it and leaves a whole bunch of residue in the barrel. .38 special is longer, and thus will be a little harder to insert into the cylinder while reloading. Some combos of moonclip and round play real nice, but some are very stubborn. I think 9mm has less (felt?) recoil. However, nice things about the S&W 627 I got: It's more of a classic revolver than 9mm, since it shoots a revolver caliber. I can load spare rounds in the cases that the rounds I'm trying out don't want to play nicely with moon clips. The 627 is shorter than the 929 and doesn't have that comp on the front. Apparently the 929 still has some issues. One side note: Although the lock does look ugly, it is super useful if you want to make doubly sure that you don't have a negligent discharge while doing reload practice. Now keep in mind, I have not shot nor handled a 929, and this may just simply be buyer's remorse talking. I also have no other revolvers to compare it to. I did take it out to the range, and have about 800 rounds through it. I also recently used it in a match and it performed just fine.

It's a very shallow gouge, pretty much a scratch. I can't feel it with the pad of my finger, only if I run my nail along it.

Those are actual gouges, but are very shallow.

Sounds good. My only problem is, I don't have room in my apartment for a bench grinder (which I would love). Guess it's off to a gunsmith.

What if I only have access to a dremel?

@Toolguy Thanks for the photos! Did you do it yourself, or have a gunsmith do it for you? If you did it yourself, what tools did you use, and would you suggest I try it as someone who hasn't touched a revolver before, but has a healthy amount of experience tinkering with mechanical systems?

@MikeBurgess Thanks for the great photos! I'll try out a lower grip. @Toolguy I would love to see pictures of a properly rounded off trigger!

So I recently took my revolver out for a spin (no pun intended), and shot about 200 rounds of 38spl through it. (Another 100 by a friend a week later) I noticed near the end that I had a kind of numbing pain on my index finger where the trigger rested when the trigger was all the way back. Here: https://imgur.com/IV9JvuE That soft spot right next to the first joint of the finger from the tip of the finger. The pain was like a numbing pain, the kind where I was questioning if I had pinched a nerve or something. After the range, my finger felt like it had been iced and recently removed, where I could feel it, but not really. The day after, it was a little better, but still missing full feeling. After giving it a week's rest, it was better, but If I pull the trigger again in the same way it starts hurting again. I noticed that I was pulling the trigger almost with the side of my finger as a result of me putting the web of my hand at that flat spot at the top of the grip. This made my fingers tilt downwards, which resulted in my index finger pulling the trigger at an angle. This is from watching revolver grip videos where they say to put your hand as high as you can. So, to avoid further pain, how do you guys have your grip and what part of your finger pushes against the trigger?

No functional issues with the revolver, I'm just new to revolvers and didn't realize they get like this so quick so I was a little worried. Thanks for the great info everyone! @ysrracer I'm shooting factory loads, so yes

So should I switch to shooting jacketed rounds only? That's going to be a lot more expensive, especially since I don't have room for reloading (apartment).

Well, I'm shooting PPU LRN. Is that considered dirty?

Great! Thanks!

So I took my new 627 to the range, and threw about 300 rounds of various brands down the tube. Came back and it was like this. Is this normal? https://imgur.com/a/Eo0wnaH

@jcc7x7: My issue is not the forward/backwards cant, but the side to side cant.

Here's three more brands I got. Federal Premium Gold Medal 38 spl 148gr LWC: None NOTE: DOES NOT HAVE GROOVES Blued: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. .025: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. Was able to get one or two, and removal was easy. .020: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. Was able to get one or two, and removal was easy. Horn: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. Was able to get one or two, and removal was easy. Star: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. Fiocchi 28 spl 130gr FMJ: .020, .025 with modification Blued: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. Was able to get one or two, and removal was easy. .025: Hard to twist. Did not completely load. Was able to get six, and removal was easy. .020: Required a firm twist on the last two or three. A little wobbly. Removal was easy. Horn: Very easy to twist in and out. Some rounds were loose enough to not sit in the correcct location. Do not recommend. Star: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. Federal American Eagle 38 spl 130gr FMJ: .020, Blued Blued: Easy in on first 6, last two require a lot of force. Easy out, though. Stiff in place, went into cylinder easy. .025: Easy in on first 6, last two require a lot of force. Easy out, though. Very stiff in place, hard to insert into cylinder because too stiff. .020: Easy in, easy out. Wobbly. Easy to load in cylinder. Horn: Very easy to twist in and out. Some rounds were loose enough to straight up fall out. Do not recommend. Star: Very hard to twist. Did not completely load. Was able to get one, and removal was easy.

@thormx538 I'm having the same problem as you but I think it's less pronounced. I have yet to get my hands on some spare fuel line, but I think that's my first step. Have you tried tilting your upper body to the left when you draw?

@George16 So while that's a great idea for the holster to not turn muzzle inwards, my problem is my muzzle is turning outwards. Kinda like what thormx is doing in his post here:

Would I put those between the hanger and the holster or the hanger and the belt attachment piece? Also, would that not mess up the screw threads?

I did a search on the forums, but didn't see any topics about holster cant, so apologies in advance if this has been mentioned before. Setup: DAA belt with Boss Hanger and a Kydex holster. When I put on my belt, the boss hanger pushes against my thigh, resulting in an inwards cant of the firearm. In other words, the grip of the gun is angled inwards towards my body. As a result, when I go to draw, one of two things happens. Either I tilt my upper body to the left to align my torso with the holster and get a smooth draw, or I pull straight up and the holster will flip outwards a bit before I overcome friction, resulting in not only an uncomfortable draw, but a much rougher draw in general. Have you guys experienced this, and what can I do to fix it? Thanks!

Great info! Now I just need to settle down enough to warrant getting a reloading setup.

I'd love to test starline, if someone wants to send me some brass @MikeBurgess, apparently some of them do. I found this resource: https://www.gunnuts.net/2010/05/12/factory-38-special-for-competition/ I don't have a chrono to test it for myself, though. @Mcfoto How much brass would a lifetime supply of brass be? I was under the impression that each piece should usually only be used about five times?