S&W Airweight

[dill25]

Hey guys. I bought the wife her first handgun a couple weeks ago and we finally got it to the range today. Its a S&W 442 Airweight. It's definitely a belly gun with the short barrel. I have a pretty good shot group with my xd 40 sc, how ever at 15 yds it wasn't as easy. I still was hitting the paper but I was all over the place. My wife on the other hand, didn't have it so easy. She was everywhere. Maybe 1 out of 5 would hit the paper.

Now I know 15 yds was probably a little far for this gun but that's the shortest distance our range allows. I am a horrible when it comes to teaching others to shoot. I showed her how to line up the sights, get a good stance and breathing. But after that I'm not too good. She also got an awesome blister between her thumb and index finger after about 20 rounds.

I'm thinking about a little bit bigger grip. A hogue or maybe a crimson trace. Does anybody out there have any other suggestions? I'm not too experienced with revolvers. Thanks for all the help.

[cce1302]

Trigger control can be difficult with DA revolvers. 2" barrels are much more accurate than many people give them credit for.
Dry-fire practice will help.

for a new grip, I'd go with something like this: J Round Butt, Rose Laminate [60500] - $62.96 : Hogue Inc., The Best Value In Handgun Grips, Rifle Stocks and Accessories - Bar None!

laser grips will not solve your problem, only hide it.

[Keltyke]

15 YARDS? Where do you shoot, a rifle range? She's going to have a hard time at that distance. Yes, snubbies CAN be very accurate, but only with an experienced shooter pulling the trigger. If you have any other longer barrel revolvers, start her out on those first.

[M1A Shooter]

Get a corrective pistol target. Alot of times with wives, hubby standing and watching is an omen. Corrective targets lets them find out on their own.

[thetravlor]

I put on one of the fancy grips from S&W and could finally hold onto the gun.
My airweight is 30+ years old and I used a file to remove extra bump on the sight. I had multiple people shoot it with a magic marker line on the sight. We all came to the same conclusion and aim point. Once the extra was gone, everyone was accurate with it. I used a file and only took a little at a time.

[KenW.]

Oh, pshaw. The first time I fired my 1.875 Model 36 from 10 yards I covered all five holes with my palm. All you have do is try.

[KentB]

Start her off at 15ft, that way she will feel good about shooting.

[fedmanshooter]

The best thing you can do for her if that is the firearm she is set on having is to get her some class time with an instructor that can work with her on the fundamentals. Sounds like you may not be able to do that.

[Ridge]

Originally Posted by fedmanshooter

The best thing you can do for her if that is the firearm she is set on having is to get her some class time with an instructor that can work with her on the fundamentals. Sounds like you may not be able to do that.

+1 We're not always (hardly ever) the best instructors for our wives. Also, have her shoot much closer, as mentioned, 15' or less. A Hogue grip sure makes these guns much more comfortable as well.

[Nakanokalronin]

Find another range so you can get a bead on where the bullet is hitting. My local indoor range has a minimum 15 yard distance and it sucks, but I found a range where you can pretty much put the targets out to 3 feet if you wanted which is much better to get a bead on smaller guns.