Archive for category Revolver Reviews

The 45 Colt cartridge began as a black powder cartridge in 1872. It was developed by UMC and Remington for the Single Action Army Revolver. The .45 Colt remains popular with renewed interest in Cowboy Action Shooting. However, the round also saw resurgence as a cartridge in handgun hunting and Metallic Silhouette Shooting competitions in the 1960s with the introduction of stronger heavier framed handguns. It also became the basis for rounds such as the .454 Casull developed and designed by Dick Casull.
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Description: SMITH & WESSON MODEL 29 PERFORMANCE CENTER REVOLVER 44 MAG HIGHBRITE BLUE FINISH 6-1/2″ BBL INTERCHANGEABLE FRONT SIGHT AMERICAN PRIDE LASER ETCHING ON GRIPS

The 44magnum Smith and Wesson Model 29 was first introduced in 1955. This weapon became very popular in 1971 perpetuated by Clint Eastwood in the movie Dirty Harry where he played a San Francisco Inspector going by the name of Dirty Harry Callahan. Though most movie buffs say, Clint was carrying a Smith and Wesson Model 57, which is a 41 magnum, though it is difficult to tell the difference on screen. This particular Model 29 is sourced from the Smith and Wesson custom shop known as the Performance Center. On introduction, the Model 29 was once the most powerful handgun in the world. With the advent of the X-Frame S&W 500 and 460 Magnum this is no longer the case. Even before these monstrous framed revolvers, Dick Casull introduced us to the 454 Casull. Though it has been a very long time since the 44 magnum has reined king, it is still very capable of taking and has taken every animal on the Northern Continent.

Those of us familiar with the Performance Center you would expect the older style aluminum case. This revolver came with a Performance Center gun sleeve as seen below.

Inside this case, there is a pocket securing the normal documentation but I also found in this pouch a gold bead front site. As seen below the front site installed by the factory is a clear orange site.
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I have been looking for a handgun for what I would consider long range shooting. With a handgun long range shooting varies for every shooter, for some it is 25 yards some it is 50 yards others it’s 100 yards. Of course unless your skill level is like those of Jerry Miculek or Bob Munden. I myself decided to try my hand at it and acquired a S&W 629 with the 8 3/8″ barrel:

I handled several different 629s before making the purchase, but I was still amazed at the quality of the trigger. Double action was relatively light and very very smooth. It was also consistent for the full length of the pull, with no stack-up toward the end. It paled in comparison to the single action, however. I haven’t measure the weight, but I’d estimate that it breaks around a pound and half, and what’s more amazing, it does not move. When you build up to the right amount of pressure, the hammer just comes down, and for the life of me, I can’t feel anything happen with the trigger. The $1800 dollar Pardini SP I shoot bullseye with does not even come close to having this good a trigger.
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I have always been a fan of the .32 Caliber. If you do not hand load for it, You would not understand the concept. It is and always has been a super accurate round with little recoil. I carry The S&W Model 431 PD revolver chambered in the Infamous .32 H&R Magnum round. I have enhanced the round through hand loading and it exceeds the velocity of the .38 Plus-P round and closely matches the .357 Magnum round when I Load it for my Model 16-4 K-Frame revolver. Sadly, the .32 H&R Magnum was chosen for a weaker revolver design so factory loads are at or just below the more famous .38 Special round leaving the public without need for it. The New Federal .327 Magnum to me, is a caliber that has been expanded on like the .357 Magnum was using the Old .38 Special cases by lengthening them 1/8″.

Like so many, I too yearned for this .327 Magnum round in a S&W K-Frame sized revolver, But S&W dropped the ball by only offering it in a Performance Center-J-frame configuration. I heard Hamilton Bowen the famous Gun Maker of Bowen Classicarms was offering the .327 Magnum in a Conversion if you could provide him with a Model 16-4 S&W revolver chambered in .32 H&R Magnum. I kicked the idea around awhile and called him three weeks ago to inquire about this caliber modification. He shared with me that he takes the K-Frame .32 H&R magnum cylinder and lengthens the cylinder throat by using a custom made reamer. I set up an appointment to speak with him as he lives 20 minutes from my home and I wanted to speak one on one about this conversion and possibly get a look at the infamous Bowen shop. Since he said to do the job he would only Need my 16-4 cylinder and crane assembly so I took it along. He explained that he made sure the cylinder was heat treated enough to withstand the Higher Pressures of the .327 Magnum round. According to him the .327 magnum round has Twice The SAAMI Pressure of the standard factory loaded .32 H&R Magnum. Bowen concurred with me that a hand loaded the .327 Magnum round could and would exceed the .357 Magnum velocities. After our conversation I was convinced and decided to leave my cylinder with him for it to be converted. I felt it was more than a fair price at $95.00. A couple of weeks passed and on Thursday I received word he was done with my cylinder so I can drive out and pick it up. I no longer have to wait for S&W to build one in a K-Frame or pay over $1000.00 for a performance Center-J-Frame as I now will have a Hamilton Bowen Conversion.

I drove out to his Shop and Picked my cylinder up in person then I came home & Put it together Late Thursday evening and here is the finished product.

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Firearm Tested K38 Target Masterpiece AKA Model 14
One of my favorite revolvers occupying space in my safe happens to be a .38 special K38 Target Masterpiece. For those that have read some of my previous reviews know that I have a thing for long barreled handguns. This K38 has a 8 3/8in barrel and was in mint condition when I got it. A good friend of mine had an uncle pass away and the aunt wanted to part with some of his collection. This K38 was made in 1972 according to it’s serial number and by the condition of the bore I would say had never been shot. This old timer came with matching box and tools. As you can see from the picture it has the original deep S&W bluing on it from the factory, and a very faint turn line. These were made to shoot and I just couldn’t put it away in the safe without having shot it first. At my first available opportunity I headed to the range with it.

Ammo Used
Specifically for this I loaded up some 38spl
148gr WC
158gr FP

Form
As many of you know I am a huge revolver lover to begin with and when this opportunity came along to add another legend to my collection I jumped at the chance. This K38 Target Masterpiece now resides next to another old legend Combat Magnum S&W Model 66 reviewed Here. The traditional look of the older K frame has always been very attractive to me, the 8inch barrel is surely a plus. I am usually not a fan of the serrated target trigger, but the edges on this one doesn’t seem as sharp as some I have tried in the past. Even with the longer barrel the balance still feels very good and centered to me.
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Like so many within the shooting community, I find myself afflicted with “galloping gunorrhea”, a condition in which resistance to buying certain firearms fades to nothing and one’s backbone becomes mush. The ability to utter even a faint, “No”, becomes almost impossible…especially if the price is right.

The disease’s symptoms are similar but it is triggered by different firearms, depending upon the shooter. For some, it might be brought on by certain Garands for sale, or FAL’s, side x side shotguns or a myriad of handguns.

For me, intense flare-ups occur when I see certain specific handguns such as 9mm FN/Browning Hi Powers, certain 1911-pattern pistols and many pre-lock S&W revolvers. I am as fond of the S&W Model 10/64 family of K-frame .38 Specials as I am Hi Power pistols.

My most recent attack of galloping gunorrhea resulted in my buying a very clean S&W Model 64-3 with a 4″ heavy barrel. It had been carried a little and had a few shiny “rub marks” on the barrel and cylinder from rubbing against a holster. The right-side service grip panel showed a few dings, but not bad; the set can be cleaned up and refinished. The left-side panel was fine. This is typical of a handgun carried on a person’s right side.

The seller advised that the serial number indicated 1981 manufacture.

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Four years ago, I purchased a NIB Ruger SP101 w/3 1/16” barrel. Primarily an S&W revolver shooter, I have to admit being very pleasantly surprised at the little Ruger’s performance as I mentioned in my first range report on this petite shooter, which was also used in a report on then-new Corbon 125-gr. DPX ammunition.

Prior to these reports I had not really put more than a few hundred rounds through the SP101. Some were .38 Specials but most were .357’s. Though while a police officer I fired thousands of 38’s through revolvers chambered for the magnum, it is a practice I’ve just never really liked. For the first report, I did include some .38 Special loads because they are frequently chosen and used in SP101’s chambered for the magnum; I believed some would be interested in that aspect of this revolver’s performance.

Since that time, I have not really shot this little thing all that much; just a box-or-two-here and a few rounds there sort of thing over the years. Checking over my ammo supplies and rather skimpy notes on this revolver, I’ve fired at least a thousand .357 Magnum loads since the last report. These would include factory as well as handloaded ammunition. Most were full-power but some were at midrange power levels.

By the time I did the original SP101 report, I’d pretty much decided to keep it. My SP101 remained stock as the proverbial stove, but recently it was lightly-personalized. I won’t use the term, “customized”, because alterations are quite minor.

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By:More Forty Fives
I have to ask you if you ever had an idea that everyone thought was dumb or already thought of it, and just dropped it. Well I was sitting at my reloading bench sizing some .45acp brass thinking about the rush on reloading supplies wondering what to do. That’s when I had the idea, why not load just one caliber and shoot one until things cool down. That could be a problem as my all time favorite gun is the 1911 in .45acp and I was looking for a revolver; bad idea already. Then low and behold I get my Guns & Ammo Handguns magazine from the mailbox and that’s it S&W has a .45 ACP revolver. Sounds good right, now I have to talk myself into buying one. As of late I really had a S&W mod.19 on my mind, I know a lot of people are going to think I’m crazy maybe I should have stayed with the 19 oh well. Boy am I glad I went for the Jerry Micuklek mod.625. It’s a 4 in. 6 shot bead blasted stainless revolver. Now for the technical specs.

Model: 625JM
Caliber: .45ACP it will also shoot the auto rim .45
Capacity: 6 Rounds
Barrel Length: 4in
Front Sight: Gold Bead Black Patridge
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Grips: Wood
Frame: Large (N)
Finish: Matte Bead Blast
Overall Lengh: 9 3/8
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 43OZ
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Hello. Yesterday, after arriving home from an out-of-town trip, I was checking various gun boards and at the Texas CHL Forum ( http://www.texaschlforum.com/ ), I noticed that one of the moderators (“HighVelocity”) had a very clean Model 64 snub for sale. The revolver was from the California Department of Corrections and had “CDC” followed by numerals on the frame beneath the cylinder on the same side as the cylinder release. HighVelocity reported that the gun had been bead blasted and it was pictured with a set of Pachmayr “Professional Compac” grips on it.

He wanted to sell face-to-face in the DFW area…which is where I was. Cutting to the chase, I met him at a location in Ft. Worth, examined the gun and it was just exactly as he described. The matte finish was very clean and the action was smooth with very good cylinder timing and lock-up. This very nice young man furnished a flashlight so that I could more easily examine the bore…which was just fine.

I bought the revolver and the accompanying belt holster and got three HKS Speedloaders as part of the deal. I thought I liked the gun but that’s really not known until it is shot.

Today I was able to get to the range with it and fired at distances varying from 15 to 7 yards.

Here is the Model 64-2 I bought. It is wearing a set of inexpensive nylon “Hideout” grips that I bought through Brownells. I don’t normally use smooth handgun stocks but these seem “textured” enough to provide a secure grip. (I’ve tried them on several K-frames and they were always slightly loose. Not so on this particular K-frame, so I thought I’d give them a try.) I’ve had very good luck with their J-frame grip, but have to relieve the left side grip for speedloader use.
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I recently picked up a very lightly used S&W Model 60-8 with 3″ bbl and adjustable sights. A routine once-over didn’t result in any surprises or reveal anything negative…other than the rubber grips, which happened to be a style I just don’t care for.

Getting it home, I cleaned it up, made another check, more slowly this time, and changed the inexpensive rubber grips with a cheap wooden pair that felt better to me. I am not sure if they’ll stay on the gun or not. (They definitely will not if I opt to use this one as a defensive arm. The reason is two-fold: They will not work with speedloaders for one and when ejecting fired cases, the one at the bottom (six-o’clock) position is impeded from being ejected by the relatively thick grip panel. Modification of these stocks or using a different style would be necessary in my opinion.)

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