A fool and his money keep getting parted with handgun excesses

I'm a latecomer to wheel guns, as some call revolvers, but I'm growing more and more fond of them daily.

My first revolver was a S&W 19 .357 Magnum that I acquired almost by accident. I had some work done on a shotgun and when I picked it up at the gunsmith's shop, I asked him almost offhandedly, "Ever get any used guns to sell?" He looked at me sorta funny and said, "Matter of fact, I've got one right now. This guy brought in a S&W to get some work done and never came back to get it. It's been here so long, I've decided to sell it." It had a pinned barrel and recessed chambers and was in great shape. I knew less then than I do now about guns but I knew enough then to know it was a great buy.

I bought it for a song, $225, and like a fool later sold it for $300. It had a 6" barrel so really wasn't great for concealed carry, at least that was the reason I let it go. But it was a great shooter and I shoulda kept it.

My second wheel gun was close to another accident. I was in a pawn shop browsing and found a S&W 29 .44 Magnum with a 4" pipe, the famed Dirty Harry model. It was also priced too low to pass up, $450, so I bought it. And I fell in love with my first .44. That one I've kept and always will.

I added a .44 Magnum single-action 6-shooter with a 6" barrel later just because I love .44s. It's a Hy Hunter Six-Shooter, a copy of the Colt Single Action Army, made in West Germany during the Cold War by J.P Sauer & Sohn. That's the German company that later merged with the Swiss arms maker Sig in the '90s to form my now-favorite pistol maker, Sig Sauer.

It's my fun gun, not suitable for carry but a lot of fun at the range. I suppose I could carry my Model 29 like Dirty Harry did, but I'm not as much of a man as he supposedly was. It's heavy.

Since I started working at a gun shop and carrying daily a couple of years ago, I've acquired other wheel guns in .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 Special, all with short barrels for carry, from 2 to 3".

And now I've done fell in love with another wheel gun, a S&W Performance Shop Model 327 .357 Magnum which some fool bought brand new and then traded it in at the gun shop. It's in perfect condition for a mere $925 on gunbroker, about $150 less than the new price.

It's made of ultra-light materials, Titanium and Scandium, so it's perfect for carry at only 21 ounces empty.

But who's going to carry it empty when it's best feature is that it holds eight rounds of .357 Magnum?

If this gently-used beauty hangs around the shop long before somebody buys it, I may have to find an excuse to add one more wheel gun to my arsenal. Somebody stop me before I commit handgun excess ... again.

Smith & Wesson loads up an emergency survival tool kit just for you

Doth the apocalypse draweth nigh? Perhaps. If so, here's what you just might need to survive it.

So what's in it? I'm glad you asked.

All sorts of goodies for survival, the chief one being what's close to the World's Largest Snubby, a S&W 460 Magnum revolver with 2.75" barrel. The only snubby larger is a S&W 500 Magnum.

The 460ES kit contains a Smith & Wesson 460XVR featuring a safety yellow rubber grip with a 2-3/4” barrel. The kit is packaged in a waterproof and durable yellow Storm case with several survival tools including the firearm. Each ES kit contains a S&W Extreme Ops folding survival knife in black nylon belt sheath, tree saw, whistle, compass, signal mirror, lighter, fire starter, two emergency blankets and a book with tips on preventing bear attacks, "Bear Attacks of the Century."

In addition to all that cool survival stuff is a really cool knife, the S&W Extreme Ops folder.

But the star of the show is the .460 Magnum 5-shot snubby, which also can chamber and shoot .454 Casull and .45 Colt, both being shorter cartridges of the same bore.

As you can see from the powder burns, this S&W 460 Magnum has actually been shot. My gun shop is selling it as Like New In Case for a mere $1250 (no decimal point). Get loaded for bear today.

I could probably afford the knife but the entire kit is way outa my league.

Bad news and good news from Smith & Wesson on a used S&W 317

I got some good news and some bad news today. First, the bad news. A nice gentleman from Smith & Wesson customer service called me at the shop to report that the used S&W 317 .22LR revolver I had sent in for repair was "unrepairable." Broke. Can't be fixed.

But even though I am not the original owner and never even registered it for warranty, then came the good news. Smith & Wesson is going to ship me a brand-spanking-new Model 317 as a replacement!

Now that is how a good company does customer service. I've known for years that S&W does a good job of customer service. But now I have a personal example that proves the point beyond all doubt. S&W rocks!

I already own nine S&W handguns, pistols and revolvers, but I am quite sure more are in my future.

Colt and S&W Gambler's guns going for high-rollers on Gunbroker

I posted a pair of gambler's guns on gunbroker recently and one of them will be sold within 38 hours, so I thought I'd share some of the pretty pitchers while they're still available for viewing.

First is a Colt Python "Snake Eyes" Limited Edition Bright Stainless .357 Magnum snubby with a pair of dice showing snake eyes on the faux ivory grips. It has a bid on it for $2,899.95 with one day and 14 hours to go, so get it while you can.

Then we have a Smith & Wesson Model 36 "Texas Hold 'Em" Chief's Special .38 snubby. It comes in a presentation box with poker chips and cards plus gold engraving and faux ivory grips. It has a buy-now price of a mere $1,250, so it's practically a steal compared to the Snake Eyes Python.

Both are way outa my league, but I never was any good at poker or any form of gambling anyway.

Auto-Ordnance M1 Carbine into layaway safe, S&W 317 gets liberated!

One out of the layaway safe and another one goes back in. The story of the life of an unrepentant gun slut.

This time the one going into the layaway safe is not a handgun, which is a radical change for me. I'm pretty much of a handgun slut, but I made an exception this time for the Auto-Ordnance M1 Carbine Tactical Folding Stock Model. 


The only other long guns I have suitable for castle defense are a pair of 12 gauge shotguns, one SBS double-barrel my daddy left me and an Ithaca 37 pump that I had the barrel shortened to 18.25" as a riot gun; plus a Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum Stainless Lever-Action Carbine. All of those are pretty much for close-up work. The lever-gun is a bit more long range than the shotguns, but after 100 yards those .44 Magnums start dropping like the huge hunk of lead they are. You just can't repeal the law of gravity.


The M-1 Carbine isn't exactly a long-range weapon but it is capable of rapid semi-auto fire out to about 200 yards with some degree of accuracy, which is suitable for my purposes. I don't live in the wide-open spaces, but alas, I'm a town dweller. It should suffice for any threat to home and hearth in my housing subdivision.

And when the brown stuff hits and fan, it's light and easily portable with a folding stock for my bug-out bag.

The .30 Carbine round has a bad rep for "stopping power" but statistics from its battle record show it was more effective in use than the .45 ACP in a round-for-round comparison. It's hardly fair to compare a rifle with its superior accuracy and ease of use to a 1911 pistol, but this is war we're talking about, not fairness.

And that was with full-metal-jacket rounds. With the jacketed-soft-points available in .30 Carbine, it's a much more effective round. 

And one reason I decided to buy an M1 Carbine is Cor-Bon just introduced the very first genuine hollow-point for .30 Carbine.

Loaded with pure copper Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullets, the DPX line offers deep penetration with 100% weight retention. These revolutionary bullets from Barnes are made of 100% copper and contain no lead. When the bullet expands, four razor-sharp cutting petals are created, allowing the bullet to penetrate farther through tough bone and tissue.

They're a little pricey, more than $2 a round, but what's your life worth? I'd say a couple of boxes of those reserved for home-defense is definitely worth the investment in the security of my home and loved ones.


And before I go, what came out of the layaway safe? My new-to-me gently used S&W 317 .22LR revolver.

And also before I go, my apology to one of my readers who commented that the 317 is a J-frame. I argued that it's a K-frame based on its heritage as a lightweight alloy version of the S&W K-17 .22, but I was wrong. Smith & Wesson says on their website it's a J-frame, and how can I argue with the manufacturer? 

And one more correction. I also stated in an earlier post that the S&W 317 is a 9-shot revolver. As you can see from the above photo of my new-to-me 317, there's eight holes in that cylinder, not nine. I've been having a lot of trouble with math since I ran into those multiplication tables in the 3rd grade. And I never got over it.

In search of the perfect grips for a Dirty Harry Special .44 Magnum

When I first bought my S&W 29-3 .44 Magnum 4" barrel (at left), I found the factory target grips (at right on a S&W 21 .44 Special that I foolishly traded away) were a bit rough on my soft office-worker hands when firing magnums. So I bought a set of Pachmayr Decelerator grips for the 29 and put the 29 grips on the 21.

The round-butt Rosewood grips that came on the 21 were not to my liking and the 29 square-butt grips made it feel better in my hand. They were fine for shooting .44 Specials, but not magnums. And then I found a dealer who had a Sig P226 .357 Sig he was willing to trade for the S&W 21 and it was gone. That was my first Sig pistol and since I now have four more, I should call that trade a success. But I still miss that Model 21 and will probably get another one some day.

But as good as the Pachmayr grips shoot, they sure ain't pretty, so I continued to seek some nice-looking wood grips for the 29 that would also shoot good. I know that Herrett's makes custom grips for the 29, but they just cost too much for this poor boy. And even though Dirty Harry had some Herrett's grips for his 29, I just couldn't bring myself to spend more than $100 for a set of grips.

Then a customer traded in a S&W 29 with the factory target grips customized for his hand. I tried them out and they fit my hand, too. They've been carved and sanded down into finger-groove grips and whoever did the work did a very nice job. I traded the shop my factory target grips for this custom-carved pair and we were both happy. It's hard to sell a gun with custom anything done to it. The custom work may have been just what the previous owner wanted, but it usually isn't what anybody else really wants.

In this case, the grips felt good to me, but I found that while they're fine for shooting .44 Specials, there just ain't enough wood there to hold onto when shooting .44 Magnums. Back to the drawing board.

Then I finally tried something I shoulda thunk uv to start with, I looked on the S&W website for grips and found these N-frame square-butt Rosewood combat grips with S&W medallions. And only $79!

They look great, they feel great and come Saturday I'll try them out to see if they shoot great. I'm betting they will. Every now and then, even a blind hog finds an acorn. S&W grips from S&W, why didn't I think of that?

Mauser 9mm Ultra and S&W 24 Nickel "Lew Horton" hard to resist

I've heard about 9mm Ultra, but I'd never seen one until now. It's a 9x18mm but is it the same as 9x18mm Makarov? I didn't know, so I googled it.

Some speculate that the 9x18 Makarov was simply an adaptation of the German pre-WWII 9mm Ultra. However, there are important differences between the two. The 9mm Ultra is simply a lengthened version of the tapered 9mm Kurz (.380 ACP) with a standard 9mm (.356") bullet. The 9x18 Makarov uses a nearly cylindrical case and 9.2 mm (.363"-.365") bullet. See picture of various 9mm case dimensions.

Makarov is of course Russian in origin and the 9mm Ultra to which I refer is German, as is the cartridge. It's a Mauser HSc-80 9x18 Ultra DA/SA Semi-Auto-AR Gamba that I just listed on Gunbroker.


I have thus far resisting any pistol caliber less powerful than 9x19mm, AKA 9mm Luger or Parabellum (with the sole exception of .22LR) but this little Mauser is sure tempting. It's brand new in the box for only a mere $330. But I shall continue to resist.


But here's another one that's much harder to resist, at least for me, a S&W 24-6 Nickel .44Spl "Lew Horton Special" 3" Bl. I love .44 Specials and a Lew Horton is top of the heap for .44 Special pistols, IMHO. That bright nickel finish is a real eye-dazzler.

But I shall manage to resist this one also. First, it's $850 which I don't have. And second, while I love S&W N-frame revolvers, even with a 3" barrel they're too dang heavy for a carry pistol, again IMHO.


I love my S&W 396 Nightguard .44 Special and my Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special, both of which are a lot more carry-friendly than this absolutely beautiful Lew Horton. Them grapes is probably sour anyway.

Smiths of the Week: .44 Special revolvers, 624, 696, 296 and 2-396s.

It's time once again for my favorite feature, the Smith of the Week. And since I'm a few weeks behind, we'll make it plural, some Smiths of the Week in my favorite caliber, .44 Special.

As I have heard John Taffin quoted, I'd buy a broomstick if it had .44 Special wrote on it.

First up is the venerable N-frame, what used to be the largest Smith & Wesson frame size before the X-frame super-duper magnums were introduced, S&W .460 and .500 Magnum monster revolvers.

At top right is a S&W 624, the Smith nomenclature "6" meaning stainless-steel and "24" for the model, the original .44 Special harkening back to the famed triple-lock revolvers before Smith took away their names, like .44 Special Target Model.

This particular S&W 624 is a Lew Horton special with 3" barrel and round-butt frame with wood finger-groove combat grips my gun shop has for sale on gunbroker.

Next is the other end of the S&W .44
Special timeline, a new S&W 396NG Night Guard, an L-frame 5-shot .44 Special revolver, which I currently have on layaway at the gun shop as my next acquisition. The 396NG has a front night sight, a Scandium-alloy frame and rubber grips to help soak up the recoil of the powerful .44 Special loads. The cylinder is black stainless-steel which also aids in taming the recoil of the powerful .44 rounds.

Next we have a S&W 296 AirLite Titanium, similar to the 396 but double-action-only with a fully-enclosed hammer. It looks more like the Bodyguard style of hammer-shrouded frame than the Centennial style of enclosed hammer, but there ain't no hammer "nub" to cock it like the Bodyguard S&W 38 and 638 models. It has an alloy frame and Titanium cylinder which makes it very light. But you can't repeal the laws of physics. That also means it will kick like a mule with all but the lightest .44 Special cowboy loads. Smith & Wesson prints on the barrel that no loads are recommended above 200 grains. But 200-grain loads will still kick with AirLite revolvers. I had a chance to buy this one but passed it up for that reason. It's light, but it's too light to be fun shooting, which is one of my must-have features for a gun.

Tam has a S&W 296 that lives in her purse, but all I gotta say is she's more of a man than I am if her 296 shoots anything like the next one up today, the 396 Mountain Lite.

Next up is the S&W .44 Special I allowed to get away with no regrets as it taught me the aforementioned lesson about being too light to shoot and enjoy. It's a Model 396 AirLite Scandium-Titanium Mountain Lite.

I got the chance to test-fire one of these at another gun shop and I'm glad I did. The allure of Scandium-Titanium lightweight revolvers completely dissipated in 15 rounds of full-house .44 Special ammo, all in the 200-grain weight which Smith printed right on the barrel as the max allowed for the 396 Mountain Lite.

I found out why one gunwriter referred to it as the Mountain Bite. Ouch! Back to the gun shop it went and I bought a Thunder Ranch S&W 24 instead.

I have not been able to test-fire the S&W 396NG as it is a new gun and not even employees of the gun shop are allowed to shoot new guns until they're paid for. But my fond hope and expectation is that it will not replicate the "Mountain Bite" experience. The steel cylinder and rubber grips supposedly make it "shootable" according to all gun reviews I have read thus far.

Then last but certainly not least is another S&W beauty in stainless steel we just got in at the gun shop. It's a S&W 696, an L-frame all-stainless 5-shot DA/SA revolver with 3" barrel, round-butt frame and wood combat grips. It's most likely a Lew Horton special like the S&W 624, but Bluebook doesn't say so therefore I can't be sure about that.

This is the first S&W 696 I ever saw as they are fairly rare and I was sorely tempted to not let it go when I first handled it. I even went so far as getting the shop owner's approval for laying it away for payment, but then had a moment of sanity and instead chose the 396 Night Guard. It's lighter to carry than the all-stainless 696 and the same 5-round size. I really won't know I made the right decision until I can shoot the 396NG.

First step taken on the way to my first S&W Nightguard revolver

I finally pulled the trigger today, so to speak.

The gun-buying frenzy has died down for sure and I got tired of waiting for my two chosen sacrifices to be sold from amongst my small herd of handguns.

My Dan Wesson 22 .22LR 6-Shot DA/SA Revolver 6" Bl. and the S&W 469 Mini 9mm Compact DA/SA Pistol-4 Magazines are both nearing the end of another cycle of 14-day gunbroker auctions with no takers.

So today I took the measly $100 cash I had in hand and make a down payment on my first S&W Nightguard, the Model 396NG .44 Special DA/SA 5-shot revolver.

It's a lightweight L-frame and the more I carry two guns every day I work at the gun shop, the more I appreciate lightweight but still potent handguns.

And though it's light, it's not too light to be a good shooter, with a comfortable rubber grip and a set of C&S sights, U-Notch Rear and Trijicon Tritium Big-Dot Front Night Sight. Even these tired ancient old eyes can see these sights.

And five rounds of .44 Special is far more better than five rounds of .38 Special, all day every day.

That big hole in the end of the barrel means a big old .44 caliber hunk of lead comes out it with ballistics that's even better than that favorite man-stopper, the venerable .45 ACP. Faster ballistics, more foot-pounds of energy, what's not to like about .44 Special? I love .45 ACP, too, but I love .44 Special more better.

On days I work up front in the shop instead of back in the bowels taking photos of guns for gunbroker, I usually wear a .45 and a .44, just in case some idiot decides again that a gun store is a good place to rob.

It's happened at the gun shop before twice, so it most definitely can happen again.

So now all I gotta do is save up or raise another $700 or so and I'll get to take my first S&W Nightguard home.

Sexy .44 Special with pretty wood grips almost upsets Nightguard plans

My plans to save up for a Smith & Wesson Nightguard revolver almost jumped the tracks this week. My job at the gunshop where I work is to take photos of new and used guns and list them in auctions on gunbroker and what should I find waiting on me but a S&W 296 AirLite Ti Centennial .44 Special with a beautiful set of wood grips.

I'm a sucker for .44 Specials and nice wood grips and this one has both of those fine qualities. But thankfully I have already experienced the laws of physics in motion with another S&W AirLite Titanium/Scandium alloy .44 Special revolver, the S&W 396 Mountain Lite, at bottom in the second photo which I stole from John Taffin's article on .44 Specials in Gun Digest.

I got a chance to test-fire a S&W 396 I found in a gun shop in Wagram, NC, and after 15 rounds I understood why one gun writer said it should have been called the "Mountain Bite."

I test-fired it with .44 Specials of 200 grains or less as it says right on the barrel and decided against that purchase. I fired it right-handed and left-handed and either way, she bites.

So the temptation to grab the S&W 296 was one I managed to resist. Yes it's light as a feather and great to carry. But IMHO it's too light for .44 Specials of any more potency than Cowboy loads and I just don't want a carry gun I can't also enjoy shooting regularly.

I believe Tamara has mentioned on her blog that a S&W 296 lives in her purse, but since she also carries a full-size 1911 IWB, she's obviously more man than I am when it comes to both carrying and shooting pistols. 

I've only got one "carry a lot, shoot a little" pistol, my Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm and that's enough. I do enjoy shooting the PF-9 but with hot loads it is a bit snappy, plus Kel-Tec's small pistols are not built to be range guns. I've heard some complaints that after 200+ rounds they start falling apart, but that is not the case with the two I've owned, PF-9 and P-11, both of which have managed 200+ just fine.

Anyway, the plan for my first Nightguard goes forward. They are light, but not too light, with steel barrels and cylinders to go with the alloy frame and from all reviews I've read, they're also eminently shootable.

Now if I could just sell my S&W 469 "Mini" 9mm and Dan Wesson .22LR Revolver to finance the purchase of a Nightguard, whatever the model I decide upon. Anybody who wants to help me out with those sales would be appreciated.

And thanks also to all who have voted thus far in the poll at top left on which Nightguard model I should choose. There's only been one vote thus far for the S&W 396 Nightguard .44 Special and that vote was mine. It also just happens to be the only model in the poll that we actually have or have had in stock at the gun shop where I work, so that may be what I buy, not being terribly long on patience when it comes to waiting for a gun on special order. The jury is still out.

S&W Chief's Special goes with Bodyguard to Centennial celebration

It's time again for the Smith of the Week and this time I've got a triple-header, the Smith & Wesson Models 36, 38 and .40, all .38 Special snubbies and all three are "No Dash" models meaning they are the first series of manufacture before engineering changes led to 36-1 et c.

First up is the S&W 36(No Dash) known as the Chief's Special, presumably because police chiefs liked it. It's an all-blue-steel square-butt J-frame with an exposed hammer, making it a double-action/single-action 5-shot revolver.

It's later progeny are the S&W 37 Airweight, same snubby with a blue alloy frame, and the 637 Airweight, same with a stainless-finish alloy frame.

Then we have the S&W 38(No Dash) Airweight Bodyguard, a blue-alloy-frame snubby with a shrouded hammer, the little nub of a spur sticking up above the shroud allows you to cock it for single-action but protects the spur from snagging when you need a fast draw. So far as I can determine, there was no all-steel version of the Bodyguard, it began as a blue-alloy Airweight. The later stainless-alloy version is the S&W 638.

Then last you have the S&W 40(No Dash) which is called the Centennial Model, which means it musta come out 100 years from something, I have no idea from what in S&W history. It has a fully enclosed hammer and is double-action-only. It's all steel with a grip safety. The alloy version S&W 42 Airweight kept the grip safety, but the stainless-alloy version, the S&W 642, eliminated the grip safety. Don't ask me why 'cause I don't know.

So there's your quick tour of the three hammer styles of S&W snubby revolvers, Chief's Special with the fully exposed hammer, Bodyguard with shrouded hammer and Centennial with fully enclosed hammer.

Smith of the Week: Model 52-1 .38 Spl. Wadcutter Target Pistol

It's time once again for the Smith of the Week. I bet I got one this time you've never seen and maybe never even heard of. It's the Smith & Wesson Model 52-1 .38 Special Wadcutter semi-automatic target pistol.

The sample shown is missing the original factory wood grips and instead has a set of special target grips, Fitz Accu-Riser black synthetic grips with adjustable butt hand-rest, but the rest appears to be original.

Here's my description for the gunbroker auction which I took these photos for:

Very Good Condition: Smith & Wesson Model 52-1 .38 Special Wadcutter Single-Action Semi-Auto Competition Target Pistol, 5" stainless-steel barrel, black steel slide and frame, Fitz Accu-Riser black synthetic grips with adjustable butt hand-rest, adjustable target rear sight, ramp front sight, trigger-stop adjustment screw, thumb safety, checkered rear grip frame, milled front grip frame, (1) 5-rd. magazine. Serial number is 100671. No box, no papers, original grips not available.

Here's what Bluebook says about it:

BlueBook on SMITH & WESSON : PISTOLS: SEMI-AUTO
MODEL 52
- .38 S&W Spl. Wadcutter only, similar action to Model 39, except incorporates a set screw locking out the double action, 5 in. barrel, 5 shot mag. Approx. 3,500 mfg. 1961-63.

Frankly I never heard of it either until the gun show crew brought it back from a recent show. I found an article on Shooting Times that gives the history of the Model 52.

In 1960, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Training Unit was so impressed with the performance of the Model 39, it requested that Smith & Wesson produce a similar model chambered for a proprietary cartridge it had developed, the .38 AMU, which was little more than the .38 Spl. Mid-Range wadcutter load but using a semirimless case. The new pistol was designated as the Model 52A, and approximately 90 pistols were delivered. They were used by the Army's pistol team for a short time.

S&W saw possibilities for this type of pistol, and in 1961, the company released it on the commercial market as the Model 52. It was similar to the Army pistol, except it was fitted with a longer, 5-inch barrel, used a setscrew to lock out the double-action option on the trigger, and it was chambered for the standard .38 Spl. Mid-Range wadcutter cartridge.

The company saw the Model 52 as the target pistol of the future, and great pains were taken to ensure quality. The company wanted to make sure it was the most accurate out-of-the-box target pistol available to the American shooter. One of the most prominent design features was the barrel shape, in that it increased in diameter at the muzzle so as to lock into a special threaded bushing that was screwed into the front of the slide and secured in place by a spring-loaded plunger. The setup removed all play in the barrel.

According to History of Smith & Wesson by S&W historian Roy Jinks, "To insure the accuracy of the pistol, extra rigid inspection was incorporated by having the Model 52 machine rest tested at 50 yards to insure that the pistol would shoot five-shot groups having maximum spread of two inches. Any pistol that could not meet this standard was returned to production for reworking."

Insistence upon such tight tolerances meant that production was slow, and only 3,500 units were produced by 1963.

In 1963, the Model 52-1 was introduced; it incorporated a steel frame, a new single-action trigger mechanism, and a different hammer. With its innate accuracy, excellent balance, and the ergonomic perfection of its grip frame, the Model 52-1 was an immediate success with competitive handgun shooters. Smith & Wesson labored mightily to meet demand but without sacrificing quality.

 

The Model 52 was fitted with a rugged-but-precise, fully adjustable rear sight. Much of the Model 52’s accuracy was derived from its precisely fitted muzzle bushing, which was held in place by a spring-loaded pin.

Now you know everything I know about the S&W 52-1, which admittedly is not much.

Ruger LCR Revolver tops S&W for shooting comfort and light trigger

Brought a new friend home today, a new-to-me gently used Ruger Light Compact Revolver, or LCR .38 Special+P revolver.

There's a reason the NRA gave the Ruger LCR its Golden Bullseye Award for 2010 as new revolver of the year to "honor excellence and innovation in firearms."

The 13.5 ounce, small frame, 5-shot Ruger LCR has three main components: a polymer fire control housing, an aircraft quality aluminum monolithic frame, and an extensively fluted stainless steel cylinder. The LCR’s lightweight, chemical-resistant polymer fire control housing contains the entire fire control mechanism and provides a reduction in perceived recoil. The fire control housing’s grip peg allows for a variety of grips to be installed, and the LCR’s standard Hogue® Tamer™ grip reduces perceived recoil even further. A joint effort with Hogue, the LCR’s standard grip was designed using US military anthropomorphic data on hand shape, so the LCR can be comfortably held by a broad spectrum of hand sizes. An available Crimson Trace® LaserGrip® model offers the advantages of a laser sighting system.

The LCR’s monolithic frame is an aerospace grade, 7000 series aluminum forging treated with a black synergistic hard coat that is applied after machining. Successfully tested with over 30 different aggressive chemicals, this synergistic hard coat exceeds mil-spec salt spray tests, and offers performance considerably greater than hard coat anodizing. The monolithic frame provides sturdy, rigid support for the cylinder and the barrel. The 1-7/8″ long barrel features a 1:16 twist.
The extensively fluted 400 series stainless steel cylinder is lightweight and compact. Treated to an advanced form of Ruger’s Target Grey® finish, this stainless steel cylinder is strong, durable and designed to handle .38 Special +P loads. The Ruger LCR’s patent pending cylinder front latching system uses titanium components, optimized spring tension, and enhanced lockup geometry to ensure that the LCR’s cylinder stays locked in place during firing.

The LCR’s double-action-only trigger pull is uniquely engineered to minimize friction between the fire control components. This friction-reducing cam fire control system results in a non-stacking, smooth trigger pull. This results in more controllable shooting, even among those with smaller hands or less grip strength who find traditional DAO triggers difficult to operate.

One of the perks of working at a gun shop is getting a shot at almost-new products after somebody buys one and then changes their mind. Thus I acquired my new-to-me LCR after waiting somewhat impatiently for the first used one to come in. I say impatiently, because I already got the chance to fire an LCR and knew exactly what I was getting and why I wanted one.

A customer bought the Ruger LCR Crimson Trace Lasergrip model and for some reason the lasersight was not properly set at the factory. So I volunteered for the job to take care of that, which took an entire box of Hornady Critical Defense .38 Special+P to get the job done right at the firing range.

It was a dirty job but somebody had to do it. And along the way I learned to love the LCR, even with .38 Special+P loads, which is something you really can't say about the former head of the class in lightweight snubby revolvers, the Smith & Wesson Airweights. After about five rounds of +P with an Airweight, you're either close to done for the day or wishing that you were.

And in addition to handling those hot .38+P loads with ease, the LCR also has a better double-action trigger than any S&W out of the box, unless it comes from the S&W Performance Center.

I'm a Smith & Wesson lover, but I gotta say, this LCR tops the Smith Airweights and I'm proud to own one. I could say the LCR is the most significant new development in revolvers since Mr. Smith met Mr. Wesson. But it's not really. It is a great new revolver and it's even about $50 cheaper than any of the new S&W Airweight revolvers. It really hasn't caught on big with our gun shop customers yet and the revolver buying public as a whole, but I predict it will soon. Better trigger and more comfortable shooting for practice and when it counts, what more could you ask from a lightweight compact revolver than the Ruger LCR?

Which S&W Nightguard is your favorite? And which should be mine?

Working in a gun shop is really bad for your financial health. I've been drooling over the Smith & Wesson Nightguard series of revolvers for some time and have finally decided I gotta have at least one of 'em.

I was leaning toward the Model 310 first, being a big fan of 10mm, then my head was turned by the Model 325 'cause everybody loves .45 ACP right? But both those have the failing of not being able to perform magic. You gotta use moon clips for any auto-pistol caliber in a revolver, no way of getting around it. That is unless you shoot .45 Auto Rim, which is really, really hard to find.

So now I have pared down the list to two calibers, well four anyway, .44 Magnum/.44 Special and .357 Magnum/.38 Special. In particular there's the Model 329 for .44 and models 327 and 386 for .357 Magnum.

The 329 is a 6-shooter that I would probably shoot only .44 Specials in. I can't imagine how little fun shooting .44 Magnums in such a light revolver would be. I don't even shoot .44 Magnums very often in my Model 29.

The 327 is an 8-shot N-frame .357 Magnum and the 386 is a 7-shot L-frame. Rounding out the list is the Model 396, a 5-shot .44 Special L-frame.

I created a poll directly above this post that will remain at the top of the page for the next week. I'll probably do something entirely different in the end, but anyway, cast your vote and give me your reasons why, if you want. My readership is paltry compared to all the big gun blogs, but I value the opinions of all 12 of my loyal readers. Or maybe it's up to 13 now. Don't be shy.

Smith of the Week: Model 57 .41 Magnum Part Deux

Now I'm really confused. To follow up on my Smith of the Week, here's another Nickel Model 57(No Dash) .41 Magnum I just listed on gunbroker, identical to the nickel one in the previous post.

Except for one thing, the grips. It has walnut checkered target grips, vs. the smooth glossy wood grips of the other Nickel Model 57.

And I still have no idea which one is the "special oversize Goncalo Alves grips" referred to by BlueBook.

And who the heck is Goncalo Alves, and are his special oversize grips smooth or checkered? Or is Goncalo Alves a kind of wood instead a guy who makes grips? Is Goncalo Alves to Smith revolvers what Pau Ferro is to Sig Sauer pistols? Lemme ask google.

Yep, sez Wikipedia, apparently it grows in the same South American clime as Pau Ferro.

Goncalo alves is a hardwood (from the Brazilian Portuguese name, gonçalo-alves). It is sometimes referred to as zebrawood or tigerwood — names that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme, that some compare to rosewood.

So I'm guessing based on that info that the smooth grips are the Goncalo Alves and the checkered grips are the traditional S&W walnut target grips. So is BlueBook wrong about genuine Model 57s only having Goncalo Alves grips? If I have to type that name again, I'm gonna puke.

This wouldn't be the first time I've found BlueBook's info not to be all inclusive. With so many models and variations of guns made by so many manufacturers, it would have to the Blue Set of Encyclopedias to cover them all. If any of my minuscule circle of readers can help me out here, feel free to chime in. I'm definitely proving that I'm no expert on S&W .41 Magnums.

Smith of the Week: Model 57 .41 Magnum DA N-Frame Revolver

Once again it is time for, drumroll please, the Smith of the Week, in my continuing self-education program on the many and varied flavors of Smith & Wesson handguns.

This week I have a sampling of a Smith I don't own and may never own unless a rich uncle dies, the S&W Model 57 .41 Magnum N-frame double-action/single-action 6-shot revolver.

BlueBook on SMITH & WESSON : NUMBERED MODEL REVOLVERS (MODERN HAND EJECTORS)
MODEL 57
- .41 Mag. cal., N-Target frame, 6 shot, 4 (disc. 1991), 6 or 8 3/8 (disc. 1991) in. barrel, blue or nickel finish, micrometer rear sight, special oversize Goncalo Alves grips, shrouded extractor rod, "S" ser. no. prefix 1964-68, changed to "N" prefix during 1969, 44-52 oz. Mfg. 1964-1993.

The Model 57 is the upscale version of .41 Magnum by S&W with adjustable target sights, versus the Model 58 with fixed sights. And the three 57 samples I am showing, blue and nickel 4" barrel models and a blue 8-3/8" barrel one, are all "No Dash" models meaning they are among the first Model 57s made before any engineering changes.

Note that one has smooth target grips, the other checkered target grips. I have no idea which one is the "special oversize Goncalo Alves grips" referred to by BlueBook, the checkered grips or the smooth grips. I am fairly certain the Pachmayr rubber grips on the 8-3/8" barrel model are not factory grips. But seriously, I have some Pachmayr Decelerator grips I bought for my S&W 29-3 and they sure make shooting .44 Magnums a lot more fun than the factory target checkered walnut grips.

And the last one shown in a S&W 57-5 Mountain Gun, which is different from the other Model 57s by a skinnier barrel, making it lighter and easier to tote on mountain hikes where you might encounter a four-legged or two-legged creature with murderous intent.

The three "No Dash" 57s all share pinned barrels and recessed chambers which are highly prized by Smith collectors.

Exactly why someone would want a handgun which has no engineering changes, which are presumably done by the engineers to make a handgun safer and more effective, I ain't got a clue. Maybe it's the famed Winchester Model 70 syndrome, wherein after 1964 engineering changes were made to lower production costs.

Never mind that level-headed gun writers who have tested and hunted with post-'64 Model 70s all acclaim it as a more accurate shooter than the pre-'64 models.

So on that basis, and the basis of a very skinny wallet, I shall stay away from "No Dash" Smiths and purchase the less-expensive dash models, as funds allow.

Let me sum up with some numbers.

The S&W 57(No Dash) Nickel 4" barrel can be yours for a mere $995.95. The S&W 57(No Dash) Blue 4" barrel can be yours for a mere $950. The S&W 57-5 Mountain Gun 4" barrel can be yours for a mere $800. And the S&W 57(No Dash) 8-3/8" barrel can be yours for a mere $900.

On the other hand, which has five fingers, I purchased my S&W Model 29-3 .44 Magnum for a mere $450. No pinned barrel, no recessed chambers, but she shoots like a dream. Plus I can shoot .44 Specials a lot cheaper than .44 Magnum, not to mention a lot more fun.

If I should find a S&W 57 I can afford, I'd still have the problem of ammo. The cost of .41 Magnum is even higher than .44 Magnum and not as available. And there is no such thing to my knowledge of factory .41 Special ammo. I'd have to become a handloader to do that and quite frankly Scarlett, I have neither the time nor the inclination to venture into that arena, not to mention the scariest words in the English language to me being "Some Assembly Required."

I'm a tool klutz and I know it so I very seriously doubt I'll ever be a handloader. I'm not sure I want to trust somebody else's handloads but I know for sure I wouldn't trust my own life to my own handloads. One absent-minded second and Boom! Whatever happened to that Myers guy?

And even if all that's aside, I already have way too many pistol calibers I'm trying to feed, .22LR, 32 Short and Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Magnum, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .357 Sig., 9mm, 10mm, .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 ACP. I need another pistol caliber like I need another hole in my head.

Smith of the Week: S&W 327 Titanium/Scandium 8-Shot .357 Magnum

I have seen and handled the S&W Performance Center revolver I may have the fortitude to save up for and I owe my dreams of my first S&W PC gun to Mas.

It's definitely a case of hero worship, but if you're a gun nut, who better to emulate than the great Massad Ayoob? IMHO he is one of the best gun writers in the business today, if not the best.

At right is Mas shooting the S&W Performance Center Model 327 8-shot .357 Magnum, the latest and greatest iteration of the venerable S&W Model 27, the original "Registered Magnum" with which Smith launched the .357 Magnum cartridge lo many years ago in 1935.

The photo I stole from Gun Digest, which is excerpting Mas' new book, Massad Ayoob's Greatest Handguns of the World.

I didn't know what 8-shot .357 Magnum snubby Mas was shooting when I first saw the photo on Gun Digest but then I got the opportunity to find out when I shot photos of the S&W 327 snubby at the gun shop where I work to list it on gunbroker.

S&W lists the features of the Model 327 .8-shot .357 Magnum double-action/single-action revolver thusly:

• Lothar-Walther Custom German Rifle Barrel
• Polished Button Rifling
• Smooth Double Action with Wolff Mainspring
• Includes 3 Full Moon Clips

It's 2" stainless-steel barrel liner is housed in a Titanium barrel shroud with its button rifling and Lothar-Walther custom magic. The 8-shot cylinder is also Titanium and the frame is black Scandium alloy, the combination of Titanium and Scandium making this ultra-light cannon weigh a mere 21 ounces unloaded.

Of course eight rounds of .357 Magnum would add considerably to that weight, maybe doubling it, but what good is an empty revolver? And I would hope the extra ammo weight would mitigate the substantial recoil to be expected from such an ultra-light snubby.

You can't repeal the laws of physics and what goes out the barrel also comes back into the shooter's hands. And the lighter the pistol, the more recoil the shooter has to absorb. I shot a S&W 396 .44 Special Titanium-Scandium Mountain Lite 5-shot revolver and it was a full load to handle. I learned why one gunwriter dubbed it the "Mountain Bite."

Hopefully one of these days I'll get the chance to shoot this S&W 327 before I plunk down the $1,250 required to take a new one home. But until then, dreams cost nothing.
P.S. If you thinking about it, too late. It's sold.