My Unfired S&W Model 68 is no longer Unfired!

[deano186]

I've been debating on whether to keep it pristine since I got it two months ago and finally decided it should get a chance to do what it was built to do.
It's a special order Model 68 for the LAPD in 38 Special and I posted a few pics of it in the Revolver pic thread, including this one:

Anyway, I cleaned out my reloading shed and did some reloads for the first time in 10 or 15 years and went out this afternoon to find out which of 5 test loads it liked best.

I was too late to get into the range so I had to go out into the desert and shoot off the corner of my pickup's tailgate with one knee in the dirt. Not ideal, but fun anyway. Here is the best result I got out of the five variations I tried:

I wonder if they still have the short range pistol silhouette matches like I used to shoot in 20 years ago? It was called 'Hunter's Pistol' and I might like to try it again with this gun, even though my eyesight ain't what it used to be. I really like how substantial the gun feels (It's a Model 66-2 frame overstamped to 68-2) and it felt great plinking around with it after I did the ammo tests.

 

[Oro]

Nice pics and thanks for sharing. Good of you to man-up and drop the hammer. I have also thought those were neat, and almost bought one last spring - should have. I normally don't get too excited about the LE commemoratives and what not, but the 68 CHP/LAPD guns somehow just seem cool - a whole model just for the agencies. Very cool.

 

[Eightball]

If it was a PD gun, I'd venture to say that it had been fired before, so you weren't doing it any harm, and were sure getting your money's worth out of your investment!

Good write up!

 

[Ruodo]

Thats a beautiful gun. I would love to have a PD gun with the name engraved on it like that.

 

[Oro]

If it was a PD gun, I'd venture to say that it had been fired before

99% of the time, you would be correct. But this is a S&W 68. Very few saw service, most were sold to collectors or officer's as collector pieces. You can find unfired ones pretty easily.

 

[deano186]

I was kind of surprised that it shot the jacketed hollow points more accurately than the wadcutter loads I tried. Is that unusual?

 

[Kind of Blued]

I love that you finally let it "speak". The only thing that worried me was that it's first meal was reloads made by a guy who hasn't been at the bench for over a decade... Glad it all came back to you.

 

[Old Fuff]

I try to look at these things constructively…

By shooting your previously unfired revolver you made the remaining ones that are unfired a little bit more valuable. You get to shoot your revolver that’s now worth a little less, and the others can benefit from your decision. I would think that everybody should be happy.

 

[wyocarp]

I have never felt bad after shooting a unfired gun.

I remember going to the shop to pick up a pair of unfired Nickle Colt SAA revolvers. As I was looking at the guns in the store, I spun the cylinders on each of the revolvers. The guys standing around me freaked out. One guy commented that I had spent thousands of dollars on these two unfired guns and that I had just blown many more hundreds of dollars by spinning the cylinders.

I told them, that way I know when I leave this store I know I'm going to shoot them. I bought them to shoot and I love shooting them.

Besides, I have another pair that have never been fired.

 

[deano186]

>>> The only thing that worried me was that it's first meal was reloads made by a guy who hasn't been at the bench for over a decade... Glad it all came back to you.

It almost all came back. About 5% of my rounds didn't have the primers seated deeply enough, I'd forgotten about having to be very careful on that. The Model 68 was more finicky about it than my SP101 so I was able to shoot the ones that wouldn't work in the Model 68 in the SP101. Now I'm doing a better job of seating and inspecting for that.