P. Plainsman
Member
Saturday was perfect shootin' weather. Seventies, deep blue sky full of sunshine, light breeze. Betook myself to the range with a relative and a case full of wheelguns. All handgun shooting is offhand, double action, unless otherwise noted.
S&W 4" 629-6: This nicely finished piece is becoming my go-to gun. It wears Hogue wood grips. Gives me tight groups at 50 feet with everything from Black Hills .44 Special cowboy plinkfodder to 240 gr .44 Magnums. (I haven't gone higher in the magnum sweepstakes yet. With the wood grip, the 240 grain stuff beats up my thumb but is still fun. I will note that Black Hills's 240 gr .44 Mag is noticeably lighter-recoiling than Federal American Eagle's offering.) The 629's double action was smooth and usable out of the box and will call for just a little tuning to make it perfect. This is a quality handgun.
S&W 10-14: Did you know they still make the Model 10?
This new production revolver's action has been professionally smoothed and lightened. Shooting it reminds me how effective fixed sights can be, as I place four- and five-shot strings in close proximity as far out as 25 yards. Sure wish I could do that with my (well-liked) CZ 75B, I'll tell you. This is one of the few DA revolvers I like to shoot single action. The sights are well regulated for POA/POI, with impact a whisker to the left and elevation spot on regardless of bullet weight. The .38 Special is such a nice cartridge to shoot. Next time you are trying to think of a high-quality starter handgun for a new gun owner who may or may not practice a lot, or who may just want some "insurance" for the nightstand, give some thought to the (new) old Model 10.
Ruger .32 H&R Magnum SP101: I like my .32 Mag kit gun. It has a great double action trigger after a little gunsmithing. For close-up defense, it is easy to dump six 100 gr Georgia Arms .32 hollowpoints at c. 1000 fps into a target's center mass in rapid succession. The .32 SP101s come with windage-adjustable rear sights. Mine hits spot on for windage but it shoots high, so fine hits out past 15 yards or so require some forethought. I think the gun deserves consideration as a defensive rig for frail or particularly recoil-adverse shooters. I prefer a .38 or a 9mm for carry, but I've carried the .32 Mag SP101, and I'd take it over a .380 ACP pistol.
S&W 642: Speaking of .38s for carry... There's not much left to say about membership in "Club 642." I have only two observations. (1) The Pachmayr Compac J-frame grip is very comfortable and conducive to accuracy, but does not have sufficient clearance for the use of my HKS speedloaders -- a severe drawback. (2) Speer's new snubby-tuned Gold Dot 135 gr JHP +P ammo is the bomb. Kinda brisk but totally shootable in the 642. Gives good groups, hits on for elevation, and given what I've read about the ballistic performance of the round, it represents a great trade-off for what is really not bad recoil at all. (The FBI load stings a lot more.) The 135 gr GDs should become the presumptive Airweight carry load.
Marlin 60DL: Not much to say about my .22. Runs like a champ, quiet, inexpensive to shoot, is snotty accurate for a $150 rifle. Cheap grins.
S&W 4" 629-6: This nicely finished piece is becoming my go-to gun. It wears Hogue wood grips. Gives me tight groups at 50 feet with everything from Black Hills .44 Special cowboy plinkfodder to 240 gr .44 Magnums. (I haven't gone higher in the magnum sweepstakes yet. With the wood grip, the 240 grain stuff beats up my thumb but is still fun. I will note that Black Hills's 240 gr .44 Mag is noticeably lighter-recoiling than Federal American Eagle's offering.) The 629's double action was smooth and usable out of the box and will call for just a little tuning to make it perfect. This is a quality handgun.
S&W 10-14: Did you know they still make the Model 10?
This new production revolver's action has been professionally smoothed and lightened. Shooting it reminds me how effective fixed sights can be, as I place four- and five-shot strings in close proximity as far out as 25 yards. Sure wish I could do that with my (well-liked) CZ 75B, I'll tell you. This is one of the few DA revolvers I like to shoot single action. The sights are well regulated for POA/POI, with impact a whisker to the left and elevation spot on regardless of bullet weight. The .38 Special is such a nice cartridge to shoot. Next time you are trying to think of a high-quality starter handgun for a new gun owner who may or may not practice a lot, or who may just want some "insurance" for the nightstand, give some thought to the (new) old Model 10. Ruger .32 H&R Magnum SP101: I like my .32 Mag kit gun. It has a great double action trigger after a little gunsmithing. For close-up defense, it is easy to dump six 100 gr Georgia Arms .32 hollowpoints at c. 1000 fps into a target's center mass in rapid succession. The .32 SP101s come with windage-adjustable rear sights. Mine hits spot on for windage but it shoots high, so fine hits out past 15 yards or so require some forethought. I think the gun deserves consideration as a defensive rig for frail or particularly recoil-adverse shooters. I prefer a .38 or a 9mm for carry, but I've carried the .32 Mag SP101, and I'd take it over a .380 ACP pistol.
S&W 642: Speaking of .38s for carry... There's not much left to say about membership in "Club 642." I have only two observations. (1) The Pachmayr Compac J-frame grip is very comfortable and conducive to accuracy, but does not have sufficient clearance for the use of my HKS speedloaders -- a severe drawback. (2) Speer's new snubby-tuned Gold Dot 135 gr JHP +P ammo is the bomb. Kinda brisk but totally shootable in the 642. Gives good groups, hits on for elevation, and given what I've read about the ballistic performance of the round, it represents a great trade-off for what is really not bad recoil at all. (The FBI load stings a lot more.) The 135 gr GDs should become the presumptive Airweight carry load.
Marlin 60DL: Not much to say about my .22. Runs like a champ, quiet, inexpensive to shoot, is snotty accurate for a $150 rifle. Cheap grins.
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