American Rifleman - Mar. 2022 issue reminds me why I love my old S&W revolvers

[M1A4ME]

Got home, sat down to read some and saw and article on a Canik METE SFxs in 9MM.

They shot three kinds of ammo, five 5 shot groups with each at 25 yds. from a rest with a red dot sight on the slide.  Average for the 75 shots was 2.48".

A few pages into the magazine is an article about an OLD S&W .44 magnum made in 1955, before they were calling them M29's.  Four inch barrel.  Iron sights. 

They shot four kinds of ammo, five 5 shot groups with each at 25 yds. from a rest with the iron sights.  Average for 100 shots was 1.30".

How can you not really like your old S&W revolvers?

Really, I was amazed that they got that kind of accuracy with four different brands/bullet weights of .44 magnum ammo.  And with a 4" barrel. 

My M29 is a 4" and the muzzle blast/concussion is really noticeable.  Made me learn to shoot that one with my mouth open to help with the feel of the blast.

[crosstimbers]

Didnt Elmer Keith do some distance shooting with one of those? Seems like he even had his own fabricated front sight with range marks on it.

[M1A4ME]

If I remember the article/interview correctly (maybe close enough??) after 30 years or so I think it was a special N frame he was loading high pressure .44 specials for.  He was hitting an elk out at 5 or 600 yds. with it.  Someone had wounded the elk with a rifle and was unable to put it down so Elmer was trying to do it with the pistol.

A good semi auto pistol is awesome (some P09s are just scary accurate) but an almost 60 years old S&W revolver doing that well with different brands/bullet weights is something many people today just can't comprehend when you constantly read articles about 2 to 4" groups at 25 yds. with this brand or that brand of ammo.  I bought an M&P 5" 9MM a couple years back.  Sucked for groups.  Put an Apex trigger kit and Apex "file to fit" barrel in it and finally got semi decent groups with one type of ammo out of several.  Not good enough to replace anything I carry but better than it had been out of the box.

A 4" .44 magnum is awesome if you like lots of blast and fire.  Not easy to shoot accurately in spite of the really nice smooth triggers/action but just awesome that something like that can shoot that well.

[crosstimbers]

I've owned and carried old smiths for many years, but never a 44 mag. In fact, my only experience shooting one was some casual plinking many years ago. This was alongside some train tracks, and the target was a crosstie plate we found and set up about a hundred yards away. We nailed it to the base of a telephone pole, of the line that ran beside the tracks.

To be honest, I'm not sure if we were shooting magnums or not. But I didn't find the recoil/blast to be too terrible (but it was significant), whether because the loads were specials or because I was younger and full of urine and vinegar back then I don't know.

In any case after finding the right point of hold for the range, we were able to ring that tie-plate pretty consistently. I have always thought that the fact that no one had ever told us that shooting a handgun accurately at such a distance was difficult at best, had something to do with our performance that day.

[M1A4ME]

I believe it helps to be strong enough to hold it well, have eyes good enough to see the front sight and target really well, know how to use the trigger, and have a good handgun with the right ammo.

I've seen people make some really difficult shots and made some myself.

I've got a 586 6" I bought new in 81 or 82.  Still the most accurate magnum revolver I've ever shot.  Only gun I've shot that shot better groups was a S&W M14 6" a buddy in college had.

I no longer have the eye sight or the strength in my hands/arms to do that off hand shooting at any distance.  But the memories are great.

Often, plinking is more fun that target shooting.  Hard to do plinking on most ranges these days.

[mrcabinet]

I giggle like a little girl every time I shoot my Model 14. Actually I do that with all my wheel guns. Don't get me wrong - I love all my bottom feeders too, but there's just something special about revolvers.

[Hammer Time]

I giggle like a little girl every time I shoot my Model 14. Actually I do that with all my wheel guns. Don't get me wrong - I love all my bottom feeders too, but there's just something special about revolvers.

Couldn't agree more. I'm going through a big wheelgun revival right now as well. Partly because they are just so bleep fun, but I also still believe they still have several practical applications as well.

[M1A4ME]

It's always kind of funny to think back about those days. 

When I was in college I had a couple buddies that I went shooting with.  We kept our guns locked in boxes that were locked up in our wall lockers for our clothes.  Drilled holes in the bottom of the wall locker, bolted the lock box to the bottom of the wall locker and figured between the lock on the door, the lock on the locker and the lock on the box our stuff was safe.  Never had an issue.  We cast bullets in the dorm rooms, we reloaded in the dorm rooms, we had a good time.

We'd go shooting at little spots off the side of the road where we could park the cars, walk a few feet away, set up our stuff and then walk farther to set up targets.  Shot handguns (a lot) and rifles (not so much).  Targets (mostly), old appliances, old cars people had towed away to get them out of their yards, dead limbs on trees, rocks hundreds of yards away on the ridge, and other stuff.

It was always neat to find a good load that made your handgun make you look good. 

Still regularly talk and e-mail one of those guys (have not seen/talked to the other two or three in 36 or 37 years).  We sometimes get to talking about the shooting and hunting we did during college.  The funny things we did/got a laugh out of.

In those days we loaded our revolvers with 5 rounds.  Not because of any misunderstood safety thing, but because we could get ten 5 shot groups from a 50 round box of ammo.  Did the 1911's the same way (though I think I was the only guy with a 1911 in the college shooting group.)

You learn all kinds of things shooting all kinds of targets.  What penetrates, what doesn't on different materials.  Reality can be quite different from perception or the movies.

[lewmed]

 Thanks for the memories I try to shoot my big bore N frames every couple months.  I think I'll take a few to the range this afternoon and have some fun.