Back in the days before drastic, fantastic, plastic pistols ruled the day, companies like Sturm, Ruger and Smith & Wesson were locked in a battle to decide who would be crowned the King of the double action revolver market. The distinction was important, as the double action revolver represented the largest segment of the commercial and law enforcement handgun markets. Continue reading “The Great Revolver Frame War – Part I”
Tag: .357 Magnum
2018 Project Gun: Smith & Wesson Model 60-15
It’s funny how things work. This article was planned to be the very first one ran on RevolverGuy.com. Several things happened (mostly at my own doing) that changed this course. My friend Aaron (at the ITRH Urban Survival Podcast) wanted to to run my revolver interview much earlier than I had anticipated. Wanting to space out reviews of revolvers (because I don’t have many), I pushed this one to the back burner. Then I got in touch with Mike Wood to write a review of his book. I got some new ideas and the next thing I knew, RevolverGuy.com was charting its own course. But a year later I’m finally getting around to writing the article I started in October of 2016. This is an article about MY first revolver, the Smith & Wesson Model 60-15. Continue reading “2018 Project Gun: Smith & Wesson Model 60-15”
The Perfect J-Frame: Two Years In Review
As the the sun sets on 2017, I wanted to talk about my experience with the perfect J-Frame Revolver: the S&W 640 Pro Series. I’ve carried this gun day-in/day-out for almost two and a half years now. It has been a special gun in that it has taught me an awful lot about the revolver. I’m going to talk about the accessories and solutions I’ve found to make this the most viable self-defense option possible, and my thoughts on going forward into the 2018. This will also be a bit of a reminisce over some of the changes I’ve made over the last year, and some things you can expect in the coming year. Continue reading “The Perfect J-Frame: Two Years In Review”
The Ruger GP100 Match Champion
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you’ve doubtlessly noticed that with the exception of Steve Tracy’s recent article, I haven’t given Ruger much love. That changes today! After Mike and I visited the Ruger factory in Prescott, we were generously offered access to T&E samples of Ruger revolvers – an offer we wasted no time taking them up on. The first gun I wanted to get my hands on is the one reviewed here: the GP100 Match Champion. Continue reading “The Ruger GP100 Match Champion”
Perfecta Ammo Review – .357 Magnum
We’re all trying to get the best bang for our buck when buying ammo. Perfecta .357 ammo recently started showing up on all the online ammo shops and I couldn’t ignore the price point. I was skeptical, not being able to find a Perfecta ammo review for .357 Magnum, and the “in collaboration with Tulammo, USA” on the front of the box didn’t inspire my confidence any. But the price could not be ignored. Interest piqued, I went ahead and ordered a case, for better or worse. Continue reading “Perfecta Ammo Review – .357 Magnum”
Shooting Cars with a .357 Magnum
It’s not too often that I get to shoot up a car, but it has happened a few times in my career. What is really rare is getting to shoot up a nice, clean car, and being the only one shooting it. I had this opportunity about a year ago as part of a military exercise I was working on. I can’t get into too much detail, but there was a requirement for a shot-up car and I was lucky enough to be asked to fulfill the requirement. This isn’t one of those articles about shooting cars filled with gelatin blocks and there aren’t any real insights to be gained here – just some fun pictures! Continue reading “Shooting Cars with a .357 Magnum”
Ammunition for Small .357 Magnum Revolvers
There are two sides of the debate over shooting and carrying .357 Magnum ammunition in a small revolver. Both sides seem to be a bit dogmatic in their position, and I’ve been confronted with this a couple of times recently. I carry a J-Frame revolver as my primary defensive arm, and I carry it loaded with ammunition headstamped “.357 MAG”. I am a man who can appreciate a little nuance and I generally shy away from generalizations, so here are my thoughts.
WARNING: I’m about to take a hard right into revolver-geek territory. Proceed with caution. Continue reading “Ammunition for Small .357 Magnum Revolvers”
Retro Revolver: Smith & Wesson Model 13
Once issued by both the New York State Police and the FBI, the Smith & Wesson Model 13 is K-Frame .357 Magnum. Like its little brother (the Model 10) the 13 is a blued steel model and features a bull barrel and fixed sights. It is functionally identical to the stainless steel Model 65. I recently got to spend a little time with this revolver and I’m glad that I did. I thought you all might enjoy a look at this retro revolver here! Continue reading “Retro Revolver: Smith & Wesson Model 13”
A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686
Many of the guns I have purchased have been done so with the idea of being the “last rifle” or “last pistol” I’ll ever need to buy. Of course this never actually works out in practice – something new comes along and I catch the bug. Once in a while, though, I find something that is pretty much perfect as-is, and it endures. An example of this phenomenon: the venerable Smith & Wesson 686. It is my One if I could have only one, my hell or high-water sixgun, my “gun to ride the river with.” Continue reading “A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686”
Smith and Wesson 640 Pro Series Review Part II
In Part I of my review of the S&W 640 Pro Series I covered its features. In Part II I am going to discuss the 640 Pro from a shooting and packing perspective. If you read Part I you already know I’ve carried this gun daily for over a year, so there’s not much suspense about what my conclusion is. Read on to find out why I like it. Continue reading “Smith and Wesson 640 Pro Series Review Part II”