Recoil

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rrretiree7

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I bought a Charter Arms in .357 caliber, it has a ported barrel and it's a heavy gun. I loaded it with .38 round nose lead 158 grain
ammo thinking this would be the mildest load. I went to the range for a session and the recoil was unmanageable, this gun
just jumped in my hand, I had trouble hitting the target. I am a big guy, 205 pounds, but I could not control it. Any ideas what
is going on? P.S. Snubby barrel
 
Did you also shoot .357 in it? If so, how did they compare? .38 Special in a .357 is usually mild.
 
OP, recoil revolves around a few factors. Weight of the pistol, weight of the bullets used, size of powder charge. Lighter weight bullets will help. Try shooting 125 gr ammo. Or as mentioned a 38 SPL load untill you get a feel for the gun.
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
I can't even imagine that. The only hand gun that even got my serious attention was a .50 S&W shooting Buffalo Bore and me I'm 5' 7" and 160#.


I've shot some Buffalo Bore it seems to be some stout ammo in deed.
 
Since your location is listed as NYC I'm going to assume that it's for home protection and not for conceal carry? Unless you are a retired cop and can carry all around the city?

If it's strictly for the home, you don't want or need a snubby. You want a large steel frame with a 4 inch or 6 inch barrel. This will be easier to shoot and have less recoil than a snubby. And have better ballistics.

For the snubby try 148 grain wadcutters, they are known for low recoil. For hollow points, the Hornady Critical Defense 110 grain non plus p load is a very light, low recoil load that offers decent enough performance.
 
Things may improve with practice. I would recommend renting a few different pistols at the range to see if you can find something that is a better fit. A full duty size 9mm would provide you with sufficient power and should be less recoil as well.
 
Originally Posted by wwillson
.38 Special in a .357 is usually mild.


Agreed. I've never shot a Charter Arms, but with the Rugers we have, .38 spl is very pleasant to shoot.
 
Originally Posted by rrretiree7
I bought a Charter Arms in .357 caliber, it has a ported barrel and it's a heavy gun. I loaded it with .38 round nose lead 158 grain
ammo thinking this would be the mildest load. I went to the range for a session and the recoil was unmanageable, this gun
just jumped in my hand, I had trouble hitting the target. I am a big guy, 205 pounds, but I could not control it. Any ideas what
is going on? P.S. Snubby barrel


-What is your experience level with snubby revolvers?
-What is your experience with other handguns?


While it is possible that the mechanical weapon has an issue, it is far more likely there is an organic component, here, that is resulting in the problems you are suffering.

As others have noted, the only use a snubby has, is concealment. The short barrel leads to increased noise/concussion/flash, decreased velocity, and reduced sight radius. If you are not carrying this weapon concealed on your person, I would suggest a 5.5-6" barrel in this caliber.
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
I can't even imagine that. The only hand gun that even got my serious attention was a .50 S&W shooting Buffalo Bore and me I'm 5' 7" and 160#.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=98



I have not found a correlation between physical size and ability to fire a handgun rapidly and accurately. Recoil control is a skillset. Some people are naturally more averse to flash/concussion/recoil than others, however, but again, I've not found size of the shooter to be a determining factor.

I would recommend against using Buffalo Bore ammunition.
 
I will say that I fired a friends Ruger SP101 snubbie with max power .357 handloads. All it took was one shot and I put it down. I've worked way too hard over the years to learn how to be accurate and not flinch. That ammo and gun combination is a flinch teacher. The noise and flash in an indoor range was pretty spectacular.
 
the problem may be the charter arms piece itself, not the ammo. i recently, briefly, had a new c.a. 9mm snubbie, which was awful to shoot. roughly finished, it actually bloodied my trigger finger. o.p. said that he loaded his c.a. with 158gr 38sp, not 357mag. i religiously load my s&w lightweight 38sp snubbies with wadcutters, which make for a pleasant experience. another choice is 38cbc shorts by magtech. unfortunately i've only found these ammo choices online or at the occasional gunshow. i also change out snubbie grips to pachmayr. despite my suggested fixes, i would cut my losses if i were o.p. and ditch the c.a., sorry to say.
 
The Charter Arms was an impulse buy, I found it a gun show and bought it from a private dealer which equals no
paperwork, cash only. I guess some of it was a .357 macho thing I'm sad to say. I sent it to ca and they did a
free tune-up and the gun was like new. I got rid of it immediately and went back to my old favorite Taurus.
I carry my .38 with non plus P's Hornady and it is a pleasure to shoot. Looking back, I believe it was the flinch
thing and thinking there was going to be a lot of recoil. I learned a lesson from Dirty Harry, "A mans got to know
his limitations." from Magnum Force
 
Originally Posted by rrretiree7
I bought a Charter Arms in .357 caliber, it has a ported barrel and it's a heavy gun. I loaded it with .38 round nose lead 158 grain
ammo thinking this would be the mildest load. I went to the range for a session and the recoil was unmanageable, this gun
just jumped in my hand, I had trouble hitting the target. I am a big guy, 205 pounds, but I could not control it. Any ideas what
is going on? P.S. Snubby barrel

Never buy without firing similar guns first. So many people make various purchases, without investigating the product first.
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by rrretiree7
I bought a Charter Arms in .357 caliber, it has a ported barrel and it's a heavy gun. I loaded it with .38 round nose lead 158 grain
ammo thinking this would be the mildest load. I went to the range for a session and the recoil was unmanageable, this gun
just jumped in my hand, I had trouble hitting the target. I am a big guy, 205 pounds, but I could not control it. Any ideas what
is going on? P.S. Snubby barrel

Never buy without firing similar guns first. So many people make various purchases, without investigating the product first.


Yes that's why I love going to the Gun Club someone always has a new toy they are willing to share with you. That or go to a local indoor range that will have some guns you can try.
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by rrretiree7
I bought a Charter Arms in .357 caliber, it has a ported barrel and it's a heavy gun. I loaded it with .38 round nose lead 158 grain
ammo thinking this would be the mildest load. I went to the range for a session and the recoil was unmanageable, this gun
just jumped in my hand, I had trouble hitting the target. I am a big guy, 205 pounds, but I could not control it. Any ideas what
is going on? P.S. Snubby barrel

Never buy without firing similar guns first. So many people make various purchases, without investigating the product first.


Yes that's why I love going to the Gun Club someone always has a new toy they are willing to share with you. That or go to a local indoor range that will have some guns you can try.


If any pistol has a light frame, yes it will recoil a lot more than a heavy frame ….
 
a common mistake is buying a smaller gun because it feels better when held. a full size (sometimes called duty) with approx 4" barrel is going to be much easier to manage because of more surface to contact with your hands and a longer sight radius. watch some videos on "recoil management" and proper grip. you'd be surprised how many people are pretty much shooting with one hand because their non-dominant hand isn't placed correctly.
 
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