S&W 642 practice

So I went down to Bob's Guns of Norfolk this afternoon for some target practice with the new Smith & Wesson 642 revolver. Since I bought the gun there, I've got a year membership to their indoor range. I brought my own ammo, targets, ear, & eye protection with me, so I didn't have to buy anything there today.

So, this was my first time firing the revolver. I honestly thought the recoil was going to be worse than it was, given that the revolver only weighs 15 ounces, but the recoil was quite managable. The 38 special rounds felt only slightly harder on my hand than my 9mm pistols do, and the +P ammo wasn't bad either.

So I had intended on practicing firing at 10 feet, but the rangemaster told me that I had to use my target at the full 25 feet because of the size of the target. Now, this is kinda silly, because 25 feet is about the maximum effective distance for a 2" snubnosed revolver in 38 special. Especially since most defensive situations will be under 10 feet.

Anyways, I complied and fired 20 rounds of full metal jacket at the target using both hands, 5 rounds of FMJ using one hand, and then 5 rounds of +P ammo using both hands.

Here is how I did (you can click it for a larger view). 20 rounds made it within the rings. 8 rounds made it into the shaded portion, and 1 clipped the paper, and 2 missed completely. Not bad for the first time shooting the revolver, and that it being at its maximum effective distance. The long 9 pound double action pull will take some getting used to. As you can see, many of my shots were pulled off to the right. This is due to me not squeezing the trigger properly, which is due to me not being comfortable with the trigger yet. I plan on picking up 5 'snap caps' which are dummy bullets that you can safely practice pulling the trigger with, in order to get more comfortable with the trigger pull of the revolver.

So, I still need to practice with it, but I'm comfortable enough carrying it for everyday use. Again, this revolver is for close range defense. Its meant for defense under 10 feet, and I think it'll be fine for that distance. Again, I've got a year membership with Bob's Gun Range so I'll be back once I buy some more cheap ammo to practice with.
Oh, if you look closely at the image of the target, you can tell which are the holes for the +P shots, because they are slightly larger and more round than the other more 'punctured' holes. Of those 5 rounds, 1 made it on the X line, one on the 9, two in the seven, and one nicked the shoulder.

As far as the range itself, it was fun, and fairly crowded. It's a small indoor range that only allows pistols & pistol caliber carbines. It was very well ventilated. I'll be back again, at least monthly, once I buy some cheap FMJ ammo to practice with.