Gone Shooting - J Frame Day

I went shooting again Monday. The weather was perfect although a little cool for May, in the 40s when I left the house.

This time I took my Smith & Wesson "J" frame revolvers with me for practice. The Bodyguard and then later the lightweight Centennial I used quite a bit for several years. The Bodyguard 649 (upper right) was actually my first carry gun and my only one up until 2000. Now I hardly use any J-Frames at all.

For the last couple of years I haven't carried them except the lightweight 342PD (left) that sometimes I keep in my pocket around the house. Occasionally I will carry it instead of a reload for my main gun.

The third J-Frame is a 1953 vintage Chiefs Special (lower right) that's had a hard life. I've never carried that one. It's mostly retired now and is a backup to my backup.

Snub-nose revolvers are probably the hardest handguns to shoot accurately and I wasn't doing too well Monday. I was barely keeping the shots in the black (5-Inch). I hadn't practiced with them in a while and it showed. I actually did best with the 342PD. It's a lightweight gun but it always been the best shooting J-Frame I've owned. All three revolvers are unmodified but the trigger on that one was a little better from the factory. I was pretty rusty with these three and no doubt need to get them back to the range soon.

Gone Shooting - N Frame Day

I went to the gun range again Monday. The weatherman was threatening rain yesterday morning but I went anyway. Fortunately they were wrong again although it was quite windy.

I took a few of my Smith & Wesson "N" frame revolvers with me for practice. I own several more that need shooting but I only took the three pictured. Those are the ones that get used most often.

The 627 is the revolver that gets used most nowadays and it got the most range time yesterday. Yes, the other two antiques do get carried but not very often since I bought the 627. The stainless steel construction and 8-shot capacity make it my go-to revolver.

I got there when they opened and it wasn't too crowded yet. I stayed just long enough to go through a couple boxes of ammo. The lanes were filling up fast by the time I was leaving. All my shooting was at 10 yards. I shot in double action, that's the only way I shoot revolvers I carry.

I fired 100 rounds and kept all the shots in the black, and the only issue was the wind. I had to go out three times to fix my target. I used a cardboard target stand that the gun range sells and usually a couple good-sized rocks are enough to hold it down, just not yesterday.

Despite the wind I had a great time at the range again and hopefully I can go back before April is over. I have some "J" frames that need to be shot too.

People with guns collection # 98

Real cowboy, San Jose, Calif., 1959

Gone Shooting

I finally got to the gun range the other morning (sorry, no pics - dead battery) after over two months. Every New Year I make the same resolution, to go shooting at least once every month. I haven't made it yet, maybe I will, some year.

I needed to finish sighting in my Ruger pistol from my last visit but didn't take it this time. Since maintaining my self-defense shooting skills is more important I took my two main carry guns instead, my S&W 627 and 342PD. The weather was cooler than normal and I had a great time. I need to get out there more often.

Gone Shooting

I went shooting again yesterday morning. This time I took my Ruger Charger pistol. If you're unaware the Charger is basically their well-known .22LR 10/22 rifle with the stock removed, bipod and a shorter barrel. Mine is one of the old style, newer models have a pistol grip like an AR-15.

I bought this used in late 2014. Yes, I've owned it for nearly 18 months and just now got it to the range. That's how far behind I am.

When I bought this it had a cheap red dot sight attached but I wanted something with more accuracy potential. I had a nice fixed 4X Bushnell scope and some Leupold rings that weren't being used. A much more accurate set-up and didn't cost me an extra dime either.

I got to the range when they opened and spent most of the morning sighting in the pistol. At 50 yards it was completely off the paper (to the left) when I started but after many rounds I had it very close. I ran out of ammo before I could finish but it won't take much to complete the job next time. Reliability wasn't an issue at all.

Bulk Federal match (320 rd box) was the only ammunition that I used and the Ruger liked it very much. I had several 3-shot groups you could cover with you thumb nail. My best for the day was a single one hole group that measured 3/8 inch.

I also brought along my 627-3 from the last shooting session. Since I intend to carry this I wanted to run some more rounds thru it to double check reliability. Yesterday I only fired some "cheap" Remington full power 158gr loads and they're pretty stout from that 2.6 inch barrel. The guy one table over thought I was shooting .44 Magnums! Like the Ruger I did my shooting at the 50 yard line. With the short barrel and sight radius I wasn't expecting much although I managed to hit the target 75% of the time!

By then the morning was nearly through and the temperature was starting to rise. I called it a day, a good one.

Gone Shooting!

I finally went to the range yesterday - I hadn't been shooting this year! I have several guns I need to shoot and have for a while now, zeroing sights, test firing, etc., and it never seems to get done (I'm starting to sound like a broken record). Well, I got at least one done anyway.

Yesterday I took a S&W Model 627-3 that I bought last fall. It's an early 8-Shooter pre lock revolver that are becoming harder to find every day.

I got a good deal on the 627 because it was damaged and needed to be returned to the factory for service. Originally it was a Jerry Miculek V-Comp model that had a 5-Inch barrel with a detachable compensator on it, a nice gun but in that configuration basically just a range toy. I wanted something that might be more practical for using in the real world.

Since the 627 was back at S&W for repairs anyway I had them give me an estimate for the installation of a Performance Center 2.6 inch barrel. The price wasn't too bad so I had them do it, while it was there had the gun refinished too.

All shooting today was done from the bench at 50 feet.

I brought along two loads for testing in the 627, the Remington 158gr soft point, and the Buffalo Bore 125gr low flash round. The Buffalo Bore 125gr (19H) is my preferred round for any .357 Magnum revolver I carry. It's specially designed to produce lower flash and recoil in small, short barreled Magnums and in my N Frame .357 revolvers it's even more of a pussycat. As expected the 158gr loads were much more stout than the Buffalo Bore but still manageable. Accuracy with the 125gr rounds seemed slightly better or it could have just been wishful thinking on my part since I have to mentally justify the BB ammunition costing double what the Remington does. I fired 70 rounds through the gun, 50 rounds (158gr) and 20 (125gr) and there were zero issues with reliability.

I had a great time yesterday and will have to try it again sometime. This 627 is a revolver that I intend to carry, but I'll have to bring it to the range for at least one more test session before I do.

People with guns collection # 91 - Year End Bonus!

Gordon Selby shooting Rem 44 Mag 1956

People with guns collection # 89

Los Angeles -- WHO SAID "WEAKER SEX" -- Whenever anyone mentions burglars to Mabel Dee Stevens, she simply laughs with unmitigated delight, and waves her gun. For Mrs. Stevens is the only woman in the Los Angeles Police Department ever to qualify in marksmanship with a .45 caliber pistol. She scored a total of 303 points recently at the Elysian Park range, and as a result will receive $2 a month extra pay. 11/24/33

People with guns collection # 87

DETROIT PISTOL TEAM -- R - L Bob Taylor - Mitchell Skotarczyk - Frances Hedrick - Frank Gentile (Acting Capt. of Team) - James Hurt -- Police Athletics Field Day. SEPT 2 1960

People with guns collection # 86

LIGHT BEAM AIDES POLICE OFFICERS - DETROIT, MICH. - G. Howlett Davis of Detroit (Right) demonstrating a device he has invented which when attached to the barrel of a revolver projects a beam of light that illuminates a small area into which bullets fired from the revolver will hit. This device is expected to be of great use to policemen hunting fugitives or armed criminals in dark places, for once the beam of light picks up the target it can be held and the bullets placed in it. Emerson Osborn is acting as target. This light beam is effective up to 50 feet. 8-20-40

The Grand Experiment

One year ago today I began using only double action revolvers when I carried concealed. No doubt long time readers of this blog will know I am a fan of S&W revolvers. I have carried them for many years now, but never exclusively. I thought I would give it a try.

My two main carry choices (top two in photo) have been a Model 342PD (.38 Special) and a "Pre 27" (.357 Magnum) - two guns about as different as you can get and both still be revolvers. The 342PD is a 5-shot Airweight so light you easily forget it's on you; the .357 is ungainly hunk of steel that will fire heavy .357 loads like they're light .38 Specials. Also in the lineup was a M649 and Chiefs Special (both .38) and for a short while even a 686 (.357).

I don't have any grand revelations for you. Carrying these revolvers wasn't much more difficult than the autoloaders I have carried for years. Yes, the big Smith was a bit more cumbersome but nothing that couldn't be done regularly. In no way did I ever feel that I was somehow "undergunned" when carrying revolvers. I never felt I was short changing myself.

I found the main difference was in carrying the reloads. I always like at least one reload with my carry gun and that's where the disparities between autos and revolvers really started showing. Typically I will carry my reloads in a front pants pocket. I've found that even a large capacity magazine in your pocket isn't too difficult to deal with, on the other hand revolver speed loaders, if carried loose, can become quite the chore.

I used both speed strips and speed loaders. The strips are of course much easier to carry on you but slower to use. The speed loaders are much quicker for reloading but more of a hassle to carry. What did I do?

As the year progressed I found myself carrying speed strips more often and speed loaders less and less, especially the N-Frame ones that were the main problem. Eventually I got lazy and just started carrying an extra J-Frame revolver which, although heavier, didn't seem as bothersome as an N-Frame speed loader rolling around in my pocket.

Now that the year has ended I don't know if I will continue the experiment. I have several good carry autos that I would like to start using. The one thing I do know for sure is that if I carry revolver speed loaders again it will have to be with a good holder attached to the belt. Trying to carry them any other way is just too much of a headache.

Gone shooting - Revolver Day

I finally went shooting Wednesday, the first time this year! It's hard to believe that I could go to nearly May without some range time but since I shoot outdoors my shooting schedule is entirely dependent on the weather. This year, so far, the weather has been a mess. Every time I planned to go it was either snow or rain, or snowy rain. There were a few dry days earlier, back in January and Feb., but I've lost my enthusiasm for going shooting when it's 10 degrees out. I must be getting old. We do have one indoor range that's not too far of a drive but I refuse to spend $11 per half-hour just out of principle.

Since I was taking my "new" S&W .357 I decided to also take a couple of my regular carry guns along to make it a all revolver day. I fired mostly cheap Winchester and S&B but also put a box of Buffalo Bore .357 thru the Magnums - GOOD TIMES! This latest .357 functioned perfectly but I was expecting no less. I was shooting it a little higher than normal, probably because I'm more used to the sights on the post war model. Overall, it was a great morning firing some fine guns.

Something else I noticed (and have been noticing more and more over the last year or so) are many new faces at the range. Up until recently I would go there on the weekday when they opened (9AM) and would have the range to myself. There might be 1 or 2 old-timers there at most. Nowadays it's almost guaranteed that there will be 5 or 6 shooters ready when they open the doors. Many appear to be new male shooters (of various ages) and also first time women (often accompanied by boyfriends/husbands) shooting too. The times, they are a changing.

Smith & Wesson Rescue

I had no intentions on buying any collectable guns in 2015. In fact, my only planned purchase was another Ruger 10/22 rifle with the rest of my "gun money" this year being saved for optics that are needed on guns I already own. But when this rare old S&W .357 Magnum came up for sale earlier this year there was no way I could pass on it. I guess my SCAR is going to have to wait a while longer for a scope.

This .357 certainly has an interesting history. Originally it shipped in January of 1939 to a sporting goods store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was ordered with an 8 ¾ inch barrel, the longest available. In October of 1946 the revolver was returned to the factory where the barrel was shortened to 3 ½ inches (the shortest available) and a Baughman ramp sight on King ramp base was added. The red front sight insert is not factory and was probably done in the 1950's. From the modifications and the amount of holster wear I would bet this revolver was owned by someone in law enforcement from 1946 and thru the 50's.

In 1960 the .357 changed hands again and it would spend the next 50+ years as someone's "truck gun." That fellow died in recent years and his friend ended up with it. The friend didn't have much interest in the revolver; he would rather have the money, now I own it.

The previous two owners didn't care much for this Smith & Wesson and it had suffered several decades of neglect. That's one of the main reasons I felt the need to purchase it, this historic old .357 deserved better.

When I got the revolver it was wearing an old pair of 1960's era S&W target stocks that looked like they had been used to hammer nails. The action was stiff and sticky with grime. I believe someone actually tried to pack the insides with axle grease. The trigger was awful, the cylinder release wouldn't return on its own. Red fingernail polish was slopped over the entire front sight.

I had to get a professional gunsmith involved but the small additional investment was worth it. The old girl has been made right again. Now if I can only get the weather to cooperate so I can take this S&W to the range!

People with guns collection # 81

Oak Park Trust and Savings Bank Revolver Club - Members of the Oak Park Trust and Savings Bank Revolver Club have won three of their last four meets, according to C. D. Seftenberg, Vice President and trust officer, who is in charge of the club. In the photo are: First - L. J. Smith, A. Conklin, G. Oliver, S. Carne and O. Kilgore. Second - Mr. Seftenberg, trust officer, H. Dubbs, M. White and F. Whitcher. Absent, Paul Ware. The team has been organized since 1936 and it now shoots under regulations of the National Rifle and Pistol Association. It is a uniformed team, outfits having been designed in cooperation with Willard W. Cole, Jr., manager of The Hub - Thursday, August 11, 1938

People with guns collection # 79

Now the police are testing glass that is bullet proof and that will stop the heaviest calibered slugs in use. Here are Detective/Sgt. McGee, with pistol, Chief of Police Dan O'Brien and other San Francisco officers at a trial of the glass. -- SF Bureau -- Jan 10 1927

People with guns collection # 75

DISABLED ARE ABLE SHOOTERS - Cincinnati, Ohio: Despite the loss of an arm and leg in the war, Charles Girard is an expert marksman and a crack member of the Disabled American Veterans National Headquarters Pistol Team. Girard is a DAV national service officer. The team has won numerous honors in local and national competition. 10/3/50

75 years ago today!

On this day in 1939 my Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum shipped from the factory to Sutcliffe Sporting Goods in Louisville, KY. The gun shipped exactly as you see it now although the original grips are long gone. With more research I recently discovered that my revolver was one of a two gun shipment. Both handguns were identical and had consecutive registration numbers. Somewhere out there (maybe) is a twin to this one!

People with guns collection # 69

Spec. 4 Frank Short Albuquerque, N.M. U.S. Army - He goes where others fear to follow. APR 25 1967

Time for another gratuitous gun photo

Smith & Wesson 38/44 Heavy Duty (5-Inch), shipped in September of 1938 - Some collectors call this finish wear, I call it character.

Gone shooting - First time in a long time

It's been a long miserable winter but I think we are finally nearing the end! Yesterday, I went shooting for the first time this year. The only available range nearby is outdoors and since December every time I wanted to go there would be more rain or snow. I don't mind going shooting when it's cold but I hate when there's 2 inches of mud on the ground.

Finally, yesterday, it had dried out some so I packed a couple of guns and went shooting! It was still a little cool (low 50s) and windy but the weather was good enough for a morning of fun at the range. It was still a little muddy out so I kept the distance short (10 Yards) and brought a couple of guns appropriate to those ranges.

The first was a Ruger Vaquero chambered in .45ACP and the second an old 12 gauge Stevens 311 double barrel that someone shortened to near the legal limit (18 ¼ barrel and 31 inches overall). I traded both from my brother a while back and had to find out if either was a "Keeper." I didn't think the shotgun would be but I had to at least shoot it first to be sure.

Both guns functioned perfectly, no problems in that department. The Ruger however was shooting about 2 inches left for me. Also, because of the grip's shape and their smooth wood construction the Vaquero had a tendency to try rolling out of my hand under recoil. I did not like that at all.

The Stevens, with its shortened barrel and cut down stock, looks like it would be quite unpleasant to shoot. With normal defense loads I'm sure it would be but yesterday I brought a light load that tamed the old gun some. I used Remington reduced recoil LE rounds (RR12BK8-00). They consist of 2 ¾ shells loaded with 8 pellets of 00 (1 ounce) with a muzzle velocity of 1200fps. Supposedly it has 40% less recoil than standard 12 gauge buckshot. They did make shooting this sawed-off somewhat enjoyable. I put 25 rounds thru it yesterday and my shoulder isn't sore at all. These rounds are definitely great for practice and I'm sure people of smaller stature (or with physical impairments) would find them very beneficial. For home defense though I think I might want the hotter stuff.

I was the first on the line when they opened yesterday but I wasn't alone very long. Two younger guys with their ARs and Glocks were about ten minutes behind me. I must have looked like an illustration out of a history textbook with my old double barrel and single action revolver! I saw that one of the guy's Glock was highly modified and after he noticed me eyeing it he let me have a better look. It was a Glock 21 that was customized by Cold Bore Customs. Exploring their website it appears they have made a nice business for themselves reshaping polymer framed pistols. I must say they did a good job on this one I examined. I've owned two Glock 21 pistols over the years and the size and shape of the grip frame was my only complaint about them. This 21 actually felt good in my hand. IF I was ever going to own another full size Glock I would definitely consider having this company whittle it down for me.

All in all I had a great morning shooting. Maybe I'll make it a regular thing from now on!