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?

Pistol grips that work and grips that don't: Pretty wood vs. ugly rubber

There are grips that work and grips that don't. Just cause a set of grips looks good has no bearing whatsover on whether they actually work, that is feel good in the hand when you do what you're supposed to do with a handgun, shoot it.

Exhibit 1: Smith & Wesson 29-3 .44 Magnum. Came with a beautiful set of factory walnut checkered target grips.

The beauty lasted until I touched off the first round of .44 Magnum. Ouch! The checkering dug into my palm and the steel frame bit the web of my hand. Off came the factory grips and a set of square-butt Pachmayr Decelerator took out the bite completely. Not as pretty, but a lot more comfortable.

Not having any need for the factory grips, I donated them to the cause at the gun shop when we got a S&W 29 that had a set of hand-carved factory grips courtesy of the previous owner. Factory target grips sell S&W revolvers, anything else, including custom-carved factory grips, detract from sale value.

So I traded grips and brought the hand-carved ones home for a try. They had been slimmed down to finger-groove grips on the front and smoothed down from the aggressive checkering. Look a bit weird but they passed the big test. I shot them last Saturday with some full-house .44 Specials and they felt great. Haven't tried .44 Magnums yet, but so far so good.

Exhibit 2: My Charter Southpaw .38 Special came with a set of factory rubber grips. Shot fine. But I had this set of Charter wood grips I bought just because I saw them on the Charter site and they looked good.

So I tried them on the Charter Southpaw last Saturday same time I shot the S&W 29. Fail.

The knuckle of my middle finger took a beating. I might need that finger for obscene gestures, so off came the wood grips and back on go the rubber grips.

Just cause it looks good is no good reason to have grips that don't shoot good. But now I have no idea what I'll do with the Charter wood grips.

Wait, I got an idea. Charter makes .22 revolvers. They even have a convertible .22LR/.22 Magnum in a 4" barrel target model. I bet those wood grips would look good and shoot good on a .22 Charter, whataya bet? I predict there's a Charter .22 somewhere in my future. But not right now until I can get though my S&W Nightguard obsession phase.

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.

Webley Mk. IV .38: World's ugliest snubby revolver ever made?

I just listed a gunbroker auction that has got to be the world's ugliest snubby ever manufactured.

It's a Webley & Scott Ltd. Mark IV .38S&W "War Finish" top-break hinged-frame 6-shooter with a 2-inch barrel.

It's a bit of a mystery as I indicated in the description in the listing.

If this Webley "War Finish" ever had any bluing, it does not now. The bore is worn but unpitted and lands and grooves are clearly defined. The cylinder locks up but not very tightly, perhaps enough to fire anemic .38 S&W safely. We have not test-fired this Webley and will not.

We don't know when it was manufactured, but according to BlueBook, production began after World War I and continued through WWII and into the '70s, so it would seem the "War Finish" refers to WWII. But it does have a very low serial number, 7010. BlueBook's listing does not include a 2"-barrel Webley Mark IV .38, but that's what this is. No C&R licenses, we ship to FFLs only.

BlueBook on WEBLEY & SCOTT, LIMITED : REVOLVERS: HINGED FRAME, CENTERFIRE
WEBLEY MARK IV
- .22 LR (scarce), .32 (scarce), .38 S&W, or .380 cal., 3, 4, 5, or 6 (Target) in. barrel, 6 shot, wartime production exceeded 125,000, commerical production approx. 50,000. Mfg. early 1920s to late 1970s. 

 Whenever it was made, it sure is ugly. I showed it to the sweet wife after asking her if she wanted to see the world's ugliest snubby and she agreed, saying "That looks like something somebody hammered together out of spare parts." Pretty much. If this ain't the world's ugliest, I'd hate to see a snubby that's uglier.

Gun Safety Rule No. 2, Russian version: No guns up booger pipes

Gun Safety Rule No. 2: Keep your booger hook off the bang switch.

The Russian cop in this story took that rule a step further, Do not use your gun to scratch your booger pipe.

An armed 23 year old policeman in Moscow fell victim of his own carelessness. He decided to scratch an itchy spot on his nose with a gun and accidentally killed himself, the Moskovsky Komsomolets reports. 

The tragedy happened in the court security facility. At 6pm the officer’s supervisor tried to connect with him over the phone to check on him. The sergeant did not answer his phone and the supervisor had to go see him with other officers.

The police found a locked door they had to break and the body of their colleague behind the door. The policeman’s body with a wound in the head was found under the desk.

The investigation ruled out a murder. There was no note that would indicate suicide.

The victim had been serving in police since 2007. He was single and was not registered with the staff psychologist. He was reported to be in good spirits on the day of the accident.

The sergeant allegedly scratched his nose with his gun and accidentally pulled the trigger.

 I'll try to remember this one for the next gun safety lecture in my concealed carry classes. H/T Fark.com

Sony Ericcson K750i goes into retirement, W518a phone incoming

I said goodbye to an old friend last night and hello to a new one. I finally, after four years, bit the bullet and decided it was time for a new cell phone. I bought my current phone, a Sony Ericcson K750i, in May 2006 as an unlocked phone without a SIM card because at that time it was the only 2-meg camera-phone available in the U.S.

All mega-pixels are not created equal and I found the reviews to be correct about the Sony camera in the K750i, it takes great photos of sufficient quality to make a very good 8x10" print. Try that with your cellphone, I dare ya. It's really a great camera-phone and I have the photos to prove it.

But as you can see from the first photo here, the K750i a candy-bar design, which I had to learn to live with. As my gut has since expanded further over my belt than it was in 2006, the problem of "gut dialing" has grown worse. I gut-dialed the preacher one morning at Oh-Dark:30 while I was fixing breakfast. He is not an early riser and laughed about listening to me crack eggs, but I'm positive it did not make his day. The buttons on the sides of the K750i will speed-dial anyone and everyone on my contact list sooner or later. I check my call list daily to find out who I gut-dialed.

So after trying many different styles of belt cases and finding that none of them will stop this annoyance, I finally decided yesterday to bite the bullet and get a new phone. I had two features that were non-negotiable. Can't be candy-bar design and must have a 2-meg or better camera.

I got on the AT&T wireless site last night and picked out a new Sony Ericsson, just because I like to stick with a brand if it works. Also, I discovered to my chagrin that clam-shell phones are going out of style in favor of the candy-bar design with touch screens. Imagine what my gut could do with a touch-screen. I'd be calling China hourly.

But AT&T did offer a Sony Ericsson in a clamshell design with a 3.2-meg camera. Done deal.
My new Sony Ericsson W518a was shipped sometime last night by the folks at the website who apparently never sleep, according to an email I got this morning. The "W" stands for Walkman as this model is also a music phone, but all I want it to do is make calls and take good photos.

As it has a 3.2 megapixel Sony digital camera I'm hopeful will be as good and maybe even better than the long-lived K750i.

And maybe the phone will also work in West Virginia and New York state, which for some unknown reason the K750i would not. I guess it doesn't like hill billies and Noo Yawk Yankees. Being as I have some cousins in West Virginia and my wife's family has a summer home in Noo Yawk State, that little quirk was definitely an annoyance I can do without.

When in Chicago, lean over and kiss your *** goodbye

It's so obvious any fool already knows it -- except the pointy-headed liberal gun grabbers -- when guns are banned, only criminals have guns. Case in point, the city of Chicago.

The city's troubles are so extreme that a pair of state lawmakers are calling on a fellow Democrat, Gov. Pat Quinn, to deploy the National Guard to help restore calm. The latest figures show that Chicago had racked up 122 homicides for the year, exceeding the 116 killings over the comparable period in 2009, a very bad year. Among the top 10 U.S. cities, Chicago is within shooting distance of advancing from second place to win the dubious distinction of being the U.S. murder capital. It's no coincidence that the Windy City is already the U.S. gun-control capital.

Since 1982, Chicago has banned the private ownership of handguns and rifles by requiring a convoluted registration process designed to be impossible to complete. Exceptions to the rules enable politicians and their personal friends to own and even carry handguns - but nobody else. This unconstitutional scheme has been a colossal failure. Before the ban took effect, Chicago's murder rate had been falling relative to the nine other largest cities, the 50 largest cities, the five counties that border Cook County, and the United States as a whole. After the ban, Chicago's murder rate rose relative to all these locations. During the first 19 years of the ban, there were just three years when the murder rate was as low as when the ban started.

And what grand and glorious mecca of utopian idiocy does our feckless leader-in-chief call home?

XM-25 25mm next-gen rifle headed to Afghan battlefields

The Army's on-again, off-again XM-25 "game changing" high-tech small-arms wonder weapon is finally on again, headed for it's first test on the battlefields of Afghanistan, Military.com sez.

ABERDEEN TEST CENTER, Md. -- The Army is set to send its high-tech "counter defilade" weapon to the war zone in the next few months, the first real-world deployment for the much-anticipated XM-25 Individual Airburst Weapon.

Officials announced May 5 that a group of Army Special Forces Soldiers will take the weapon with them to Afghanistan sometime this summer.

During live-fire demo here, Soldiers shot the Heckler & Koch-made XM-25's high-explosive rounds through the window of a simulated building, showering "enemy" mannequins inside with lethal metal fragments.

Afghanistan veterans who fired the weapon for the first time this week predicted it would be a "game changing" weapon, a gun that can engage Taliban insurgents using distant ridge-tops, thick mud walls and tree lines as cover.

"It brings, right now, organic to the squad, the capability to defeat targets that we're seeing everyday in Afghanistan -- targets that we can't currently hit," said Col. Doug Tamilio, project manager for Soldier weapons with the Army's Program Executive Office Soldier. "It will save Soldiers' lives, because now they can take out those targets."

While labeled a grenade launcher, the XM-25 is much more than that, Army officials say. It's a precision direct, and indirect, fire weapon system that combines an array of sophisticated sensors, lasers and optics with a microchip-embedded 25mm high explosive round.

I'll probably be waiting a pretty good while before we get one of these in the gun shop. And then waiting an even longer while until the new wears off and we get a good used one I can buy. Who am I kidding, I couldn't even afford the 25mm ammo for this high-tech terrorist killer.

But I can dream. And our troops will be kicking some Taliban hindquarters well and truly.

Remington returns to the pistol business with yet another 1911

For those who love 1911 pistols, and their numbers are legion, Remington has finally jumped back into the pistol business after an absence of eons.

Remington made 1911s under military contract during World War II, but the last handgun it made for the civilian market was in 1926, according to BlueBook.

MODEL 51 SEMI-AUTO- .32 ACP or .380 ACP cal., 8 shot (7 in mag., 1 in chamber), hard rubber 2-piece grips with company's name, black finish. Approx. 65,000 mfg. 1918-1926.

So now Remington has introduced the new model 1911 R-1, a plain Jane military throwback and launched a new website to promote it.

We haven't got one yet at the gunshop where I work but frankly I'm not exactly on pins and needles waiting for it. I'll take my 1911s with double-stack magazines and ambi safeties, thank you very much. My pair of Paras, small P12 and large P14, both customized by C&S, are about all the 1911s I want at the moment. Of course, there is that Para Carry 12 with the LDA trigger...

Advice on concealed-carry from Mas Ayoob and Clint Smith

Massad Ayoob begins at the beginning in this excerpt from his book on concealed-carry handguns.

One can’t carry a concealed weapon without having a concealable weapon. Some are suitable for the concealed carry task, and some are not.

We can’t cover every possible choice here. A swing through the Krause catalog will show you whole books on the 1911, the Glock, the SIG-Sauer, the Beretta, the Smith & Wesson series, etc. al.

The competent shooter loses little going double action only with a snubby. This old M/36 Chief Special with Herrett stocks made 5 out of 5 head shots at 20 yards single action (left) and double action (right)

Other good choices from Paladin include Living with 1911s and Living with Glocks by Robert Boatman, and the outstanding The Snubby Revolver by Ed Lovette. I think Lovette’s book should be read by anyone who owns or is thinking of owning a “snub-nose.” It puts the whole genre in perspective.

As noted earlier, it’s more convenient to have a “wardrobe” of concealable handguns, but it’s not entirely necessary.

Generations of young cops have learned that it’s cheaper to buy a concealment holster for their full-size department-issue service handgun than to purchase a whole new gun and leather set for off-duty carry.

Similarly, many armed citizens have learned that the full-size handgun they bought for home protection is concealable if they set their mind to it.

My personal favorite illustration of that last point, conceal-carry of a full-size handgun, is Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch. Clint's choice for a pocket pistol is a S&W 29 .44 Magnum 4"-barrel wheel gun with a bobbed hammer. Obviously Clint likes cargo pants with great big front pockets.

As Clint sez, "It's a big gun when I put it in my pocket and it's a big gun when I pull it out."

Sorta like the famous saying that everybody wants a .25 ACP to carry but a .44 Magnum when they pull it out. But I gotta admit, I ain't man enough to tote my Model 29 in my pocket.

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.

Them baby albatross feathers are killing my mileage

Tam on the gulf oil spill:

Personally, while most people are wringing their hands about getting oil on their seabirds, I'm freaking out because they're getting seabirds in my oil. A couple of baby albatross feathers will clog up a fuel filter like you wouldn't believe.

Damn. Wish I'd said that.

All-time dumbest gun question EVAH! may never get topped

I'm working at home today after a brief trip to the gun shop, during which the all-time dumbest gun question was overheard.

Q: Is a .45 bigger than a .44?

A: Uh, yeah.
(Answer should be: "Sir, I'm sorry but you'll have to leave now. You're too stupid to own a gun.")

That one may never get topped. Reminds me of what the Texas Ranger said when asked:

Q: Why do you carry a .45?

A: Because they don't make a .46!

Sig P220 Compact SAO .45 ACP followed me home: Can I keep it?

I'm a sucker for a good deal and I just got one. CDNN had been sending me emails for about a month offering a Sig Sauer P220 Compact Tactical Elite Single-Action-Only .45 ACP, so I took the credit card plunge even though I hate to do that. Good deals wait for no man.

I finally got my hands on it today and brought it home. CDNN calls it a "Tactical Elite" model that's a limited edition with the Elite-style beavertail frame and aluminum grips. I'd trade both the Elite beavertail and the aluminum grips for Sig's SRT short-reset trigger like my P229 SAS, but that's not part of the package. It is a Sig P220 Compact SAO with SigLite Night Sights, so that's more than good enough for me.

I'm a lefty so the P220 SAO models with ambi safeties work well for me, not to mention carrying the P220 like you're supposed to carry a .45, cocked and locked. If the single-action trigger on this compact is a good as my full-size P220 SAO, I'm in deep clover. I can shoot that big P220 better than any of the three 1911 .45s I own so I'm hopeful this compact will be somewhere close to as good.

You can't expect a compact pistol to shoot as well as a full-size one, but if it's anywhere close, I'll be a very happy camper. Now if I can just hold my breath until Saturday when I can take her to the range and see how she runs.

I never have liked that gunwriter's worn-out phrase, "put it through its paces." It ain't a horse, it's a pistol and I don't expect it to pace, but I do expect it to run. Very well as a matter of fact.

Anything less than very well would be a big surprise as I've never shot a Sig yet that didn't.

Chapter Two:
Over at the Sigforum there's a couple of threads going on the CDNN "Tactical Elite" P220 Compact sale under way and one guy who just got one says the list of features includes:

- Sig P220 Compact "Elite" as they call it
- Beavertail frame
- SRT trigger
- SAO kit
- Ambidextrous thumb safety
- Sig aluminum grips
- Sig night sights
- Metal guide rod

I can say "Amen!" to all of the above, including the steel guide rod that I didn't discover until this morning when I took a magnet to it, but for the life of me I can't be sure about the SRT until I actually shoot it.

I tried cycling the slide by hand while "riding the trigger" to check the reset. It seems to be the same short reset as the SRT on my P229 SAS Gen2, but I won't know for sure 'til I shoot it.

This deal just keeps getting better all the time. I also read on the Sigforum that Sig assembled this batch of a couple hundred or so P220 compacts on the last of the P245 frames, so it's sort of a catchall of their top features loaded onto some older frames. The Sigforum guys seem to think this is a great idea as they appear to like the P245s better than the P220s.

I'm still a newby about Sigs, but if that's what the "experts" say it's fine with me. I really can't wait to shoot it now. And God help me the wife has already made plans for yard work Saturday.

I shall have to call on the Good Lord to deliver me from the yard work and part the Red Sea so I can cross over to DeWitt's Range on Saturday. Or failing that, I'll just have to work like hell Saturday morning so I can go shooting Saturday afternoon. Better the former than the latter, but either way if the Good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, I'll be shooting Saturday.

And if you're a Sig nut, or wanta be one, CDNN is still selling them for $650. That's a great deal!

Classic S&W revolver recessed chambers: A bug, not a feature?

Working at a gun shop for the past 16 months has been quite an education for me on firearms, particularly handguns and even more particularly, on classic Smith and Wessons and Colts.

When describing a classic Smith & Wesson revolver in a gunbroker auction, it always helps if it has "the big four T's", target sights, target trigger, target hammer and target grips, like this S&W 29-2.

And an even bigger plus for S&W collectors and I presume shooters, too, is a classic Smith which has recessed chambers and a pinned barrel. Just what advantage a pinned barrel is, I have no clue. Seems to me a barrel screwed into the frame would be stronger than one pinned in place.

But the mere words "pinned barrel" will definitely help sell a classic Smith, like this Model 29-2 .44 Magnum with a 6" barrel, the classic "Dirty Harry" sixgun made famous by San Francisco Police Department Inspector Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood's most famous role.

And most models with pinned barrels also have recessed chambers, another prized "feature" for S&W buyers. But Massad Ayoob sticks a pin in that balloon in his article about the S&W 27 in his new book, Massad Ayoob's Greatest Handguns of the World.

The recessed chambers, which began in 1935 and continued late into the epoch of the Model 27, were prized by revolver aficionados. The reason was the exquisite machining that went into them. They served no actual purpose, according to most firearms engineers and experts, other than creating an illusion of more steel support for a high-powered cartridge.

In field use, they actually had a downside. Particles of unburned powder could find their way there as spent casings were ejected, creating a buildup that could prevent full insertion of the next cartridge. This could potentially lock up the gun.

Now ain't that a pip? Sorta the reverse of the famous Microsoft saying, "it's not a bug, it's a feature." Those prized recessed chambers are actually a bug and not a feature. Whodathunkit?

Maybe next I'll be finding out that pinned barrels ain't such a big deal either.

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.

.327 Magnum gets 2 new Ruger models, but where's the ammo?

One of my favorite revolvers is my Charter Patriot stainless snubby in .327 Federal Magnum. In a J-sized frame you get six rounds of 357-Magnum power instead of five rounds of .38 Special and that's a deal I couldn't pass up.

My daddy always said my life philosophy is if a little bit is good, a whole lot is more good and he's right. Why settle for a .38 when you can have a .327 Magnum?

To date, other manufacturers besides Charter offering .327 Magnum pistols since its introduction include Ruger with their SP101 stainless, Taurus with blue and stainless snubbies and Smith & Wesson with its compensated-barrel Model 632 in black stainless or matte stainless.

The .327 Magnum is such a high-pressure load at 45,000 psi that it requires an all-steel revolver to hold it in, no alloy frames can stand up to that abuse.

I'm not particularly recoil-shy but I do have my limits and the hottest .327 Magnum load, Federal American Eagle 100-gr. JSP, is right there close to my mine. It's loud enough to wake the dead and after about a half dozen, I'm saying that's enough of that for a while.

I tried all the available loads when I first got my Charter and chose the Speer Gold Dot 115-gr. JHP for my carry load and zeroed the Crimson Trace Lasergrips on the Charter for it. The easiest-shooting load among the three I tried is Federal Hydra-Shok 85-gr. JHP, which is rightly labeled a low-recoil load. But the foot-pounds of energy is the telling difference between the Gold Dots and the Hydra-Shoks, 530 vs. 398. IMHO, ft./lbs. of energy is more important than velocity (feet per second) when determining defensive effectiveness of a caliber load.

What I'd really like to have to pair up with my Charter is a Marlin stainless lever-action carbine in .327 Magnum, but that hasn't happened yet. When it does, I'll be all over it.

But meanwhile, Ruger has upped the ante in .327 Magnum revolvers with two new models, a 7-shot GP100 double-action and an 8-shot Blackhawk single-action, both all-stainless revolvers.

I got the chance to handle both at the gun shop where I work when they came in and I listed them for sale on gunbroker. My first choice between the two is the 7-shot GP100, but I'm slowly becoming a fan of single-action revolvers, so that 8-shot Blackhawk is tempting. We also just got in our first Ruger Blackhawk .44 Special, so that's a great temptation in single-action for me also. I do love .44 Special revolvers.

American Rifleman's current issue has a write-up on the two new Rugers in .327 Magnum and they like them a lot. I'm sure I'd love either one of them because a little more stainless-steel weight in hand would make shooting the .327 Magnum a lot more fun than shooting my Charter.

One of the best things I like about .327 in general and my Charter in particular is the ability to shoot other shorter less-powerful and cheaper .32 ammo, including .32 H&R Magnum, .32 S&W Long and .32 S&W, also called .32 Short. My Charter doesn't like .32 ACP, but I've read that some .32 revolvers will fire .32 ACP because it's a semi-rimmed round that will fit the cylinders. The .32 ACP cartridges apparently sit too deep in the Charter cylinder as only one out of six fired when I tried it.

And more ammo choices for .327 Magnum are in the pipeline, though we haven't seen any of them at the shop yet.

Federal is making a lower weight and power American Eagle load in 85-grain to match up with the Hydra-Shok JHP for practice. And there's supposed to be a new Speer Gold Dot load also.

Ammo availability is the biggest stumbling block for .327 Magnum that I've seen so far. I recommend the caliber to customers at the shop, but we only have two of the three current loads in stock. I haven't seen any new boxes of Speer Gold Dots in months and we only recently got more American Eagle and Hydra-Shok ammo in. The .327 ammo shortage is even worse than the .380 ACP ammo shortage because we can manage to keep .380 in stock at the shop now.

The Perfect Colt: Blue steel and Ivory Grips without a flaw

If I've learned nothing else in 16 months working at a gun shop, it's that Colt buyers have got to be the absolute pickiest people on God's green earth.

I learned the hard way if there is any tiny little flaw in a Colt, new or used, even one you have to hold the light just right and squint to see, point it out in the text of a gunbroker auction.

Because if I don't, some picky Colt buyer will send an email or even worse, tie up the phone at the shop for half an hour to ask "Is that a gouge on the bottom of the frame?" and a dozen more questions about things they imagine they see in the photos. (Colt flaws are never tiny scratches or nicks to picky Colt buyers, they are gouges.)

But today I finally listed an absolutely perfect Colt with no flaws. The previous owner kept it in the factory box wrapped in plastic and never even cut the factory wire tie around the hammer, locking the cylinder. So this Colt Single Action Army is unfired and the cylinder is unturned.

It may be the fabled Colt Royal Blue, but the box labels don't say that, so we aren't saying it either. But if that ain't Royal Blue, just how blue can Royal Blue be?

And the label on the box does say "Ivory Grips" so no picky Colt buyer can write to ask "Are the grips real ivory?" But they'll probably ask that anyway. And they'll probably ask "Is that a gouge on the end of the barrel?" Answer: "No, it's a light reflection. I can do a lot with my camera, but I can't stop light from reflecting."

Sanity breaks out in Virginia: School kids to learn gun safety

OMG! Have you heard what those crazy redneck gun-lovers in Virginia are going to do? They're gonna teach GUN SAFETY to those poor defenseless kids in the public schools! Really!

Now that I'm through pretending to be a leftwingnut, here's the story from the Leftwingnut News, (AKA The Washington Post).

RICHMOND -- The Virginia General Assembly has directed the state's Board of Education to develop course materials for teaching gun safety to elementary school children that incorporate the guidelines of a National Rifle Association program.

The measure, approved during the legislature's recently concluded annual session, allows local school boards to choose whether to implement the program.

A leading Democrat in the state Senate had amended the bill to allow the state board to also incorporate materials from a second group, the National Crime Prevention Center. But Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) has proposed stripping the amendment from the bill, leaving the reference only to NRA material.

A McDonnell spokeswoman said there is no such group as the National Crime Prevention Center. The similarly named National Crime Prevention Council, best known for its McGruff the Crime Dog programs, did develop a gun safety curriculum several years ago, but a spokesman for the group said it has not been updated in several years.

What could possibly be wrong with teaching gun safety to elementary school children? Nothing, but when the left knee jerks, that's what leftwingnuts do, protest anything with the word gun.

As an NRA gun safety instructor, I'm all for teaching gun safety to the kids in school. They just might know what to do the next time some jerk goes off with a gun on school property.

There's one exception to that statement. DO NOT allow this ex-federal DEA agent teach gun safety to anybody, much less a group of 8th grade kids in Orlando, Fla., on April 9, 2004. Really.