Revolver kick

Question
Hi, Doug! I read (I think) somewhere that revolvers kick to the rear, upward
and to the left. Is this true? If so, is this unusual? Does it apply to all
revolvers? Taurus .82? If someone is lefthanded, is the reverse true? And
what's the difference between kick and recoil / effect on aim? Thanks!

Answer
Stayce,

Honestly, when you look at recoil, there is no difference really between the recoil of a revolver or a semi-automatic pistol.  Some try to say that the recoil of a semi-auto is less because the slide uses some of the energy to cycle the action, but it really doesn't make a material difference.

The thing that affects recoil or 'kick' as you call it, is really the weight of the gun and the caliber.  The heavier the gun, the more inertia it has, making it more resistant to the recoil action resulting when the gun goes 'bang'.  Lighter guns have more felt recoil than heavier guns.

Caliber also has an effect.  If you remember Newton's Third Law, the one that goes, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction", you get a sense of what is going on when you fire the gun.  When you shoot a pistol of any kind, the bullet is being forced down the barrel by the action of the expanding gas from the pistol discharge.  At the same time, that gas is pushing backwards.  That's what give the pistol the 'kick'.  The larger the caliber, the greater the recoil.

Your Taurus Model 82 is a medium framed gun that frequently has a heavy barrel.  It weighs about 34 oz., which is pretty heavy for a revolver.  Since you are shooting a .38 special, it is a relatively small caliber, roughly comparable to a 9mm in a semi-auto, the recoil should not be that great.

As far as the upward and to the left business on the recoil, that generally occurs when someone is using a poor grip and stance.  In a good stance like the isosceles stance, the arms are locked out straight with the wrist, elbow and shoulders forming a straight line.  When the gun fires there might be some slight upward motion using the shoulders as a pivot point.  

The 'bad form' come into play when someone bends their elbows and allows the gun to point high.  If they let it point too high, most right handed people will tend to let the gun drift to the right of their head to keep it out of their line of sight.  For a leftie, it will go to the opposite side.

Again, this only happens when the shooter is using extremely poor form.  I have shot revolvers with very large calibers (.44 magnum) and experienced less than 2 inches of muzzle rise on a quick succession of shots...

As far as your question regarding the effect of recoil on aim, by using good technique, you should not have any issues with recoil on your aim.  This is accomplished using something called the 'follow through' when you fire your pistol.  

The 'follow through' is the process of firing the pistol and immediately getting the sights back on target for the next shot.  At the same time, you only release the trigger enough to cause it to reset.  You do not want to take your finger off the trigger.  If you are using a proper grip and stance, recoil should not have much impact on your aim, especially shooting a .38 special.

My suggestion is that you seek out a qualified NRA instructor in your area.  You might consider taking the Basic Pistol class which will introduce you to basic Marksmanship and Gun Handling skills.  That, along with some good coaching from a knowledgeable instructor should get you where you want to be...

Hope this helps you out...best of luck.

Regards,

Doug