R.W.Dale
Member
I'd like to take time to share my past couple days experience with a gun that's a real jewel amongst s&w's offerings that I don't think many folks know about (I didn't till Thursday)
A LGS clerk suggested I need to look at (this) when I told him I wanted a revolver that could hunt serve as wilderness protection when not hunting and possibly be used to tame more urban jungles.
He slid a big s&w across the counter that I recognized as a scandium gun but having not actually held one I was astonished when I went to pick it up and had that feeling of almost throwing it through the roof it was so much lighter than it looked. Long story short a glock 36 stayed at the shop and a very light revolver left.
Fast forward to the next day and as a storm was rolling in I got hurried few rounds downrange to verify that I could hit with it for the next days deer hunt (today)
Being so light recoil was pronounced with hotter loads but being a big full gripped revolver you have enough hands on the gun to manage quite well. In all honesty the DA pull isn't very good with a very hard breaking point. SA is outstanding and produced a very hurried but most satisfactory 3-4" offhand groups at 25 yds. Ill do more accuracy testing later
Today though is where this new play purdy really shined. I carried it on a pretty decent hike through some fairy rugged Arkansas back country. Didn't see any deer unfortunately but saw some beautiful country and never felt dragged down by my gun. Even after falling on the slick rocks a couple times.
From there still light as a feather on my hip it rode to the steakhouse with me where I gorged myself on beefy goodness.
All day i carried this gun and Not once did I feel like I was packing a large framed hunting revolver with me.
If you don't mind a physically big gun and want something light that can do a bunch of different things dang well IME the 386 XL is well worth a look.
ETA _ I don't think the published weight is correct as this big Smith feels lighter than my Taurus 905, will verify later.
A LGS clerk suggested I need to look at (this) when I told him I wanted a revolver that could hunt serve as wilderness protection when not hunting and possibly be used to tame more urban jungles.
He slid a big s&w across the counter that I recognized as a scandium gun but having not actually held one I was astonished when I went to pick it up and had that feeling of almost throwing it through the roof it was so much lighter than it looked. Long story short a glock 36 stayed at the shop and a very light revolver left.
Fast forward to the next day and as a storm was rolling in I got hurried few rounds downrange to verify that I could hit with it for the next days deer hunt (today)
Being so light recoil was pronounced with hotter loads but being a big full gripped revolver you have enough hands on the gun to manage quite well. In all honesty the DA pull isn't very good with a very hard breaking point. SA is outstanding and produced a very hurried but most satisfactory 3-4" offhand groups at 25 yds. Ill do more accuracy testing later
Today though is where this new play purdy really shined. I carried it on a pretty decent hike through some fairy rugged Arkansas back country. Didn't see any deer unfortunately but saw some beautiful country and never felt dragged down by my gun. Even after falling on the slick rocks a couple times.
From there still light as a feather on my hip it rode to the steakhouse with me where I gorged myself on beefy goodness.
All day i carried this gun and Not once did I feel like I was packing a large framed hunting revolver with me.
If you don't mind a physically big gun and want something light that can do a bunch of different things dang well IME the 386 XL is well worth a look.
ETA _ I don't think the published weight is correct as this big Smith feels lighter than my Taurus 905, will verify later.
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