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Category: Uncategorized
Background
President Carter was fishing in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, on April 20, 1979, alone in a flat-bottomed boat while staff were on land nearby. Carter said a rabbit being chased by hounds “jumped in the water and swam toward my boat. When he got almost there, I splashed some water with a paddle.”[1]
When Carter returned to his office, his staff did not believe his story, saying rabbits could not swim or that one would never approach a person threateningly.[2] However, a White House photographer had taken a picture of the incident, which was released by a later administration
Smith and Wesson Revolvers. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Smith & Wesson Revolvers: A Classic or Overrated? It’s difficult to beat a revolver for reliability. They usually don’t malfunction or jam because they have fewer moving parts compared to semi-automatics. They are effective in home defense situations. Many are chambered in many different calibers including beefy .44 or .357 Magnum for heavy-duty stopping power. They are easy to maintain – just use a bore brush for the barrel and cylinders and then wipe down the piece. But revolvers tend to be heavier and slower to load if you are not used to them.
Is Smith & Wesson Keeping Up With the Competition?
You can’t discuss revolvers without mentioning the Smith & Wesson brand. Since Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson made their first repeating pistol in 1852, Smith & Wesson have been perfecting their firearms. But is S&W resting on its laurels and letting the competition eclipse them? Colt and Ruger make commendable revolvers too.
History of Smith & Wesson Revolvers
Sam Colt invented the revolver in 1836, so Colt has played the revolver game longer than Smith & Wesson. The Ruger Blackhawk gave the late 19th century legendary Colt Peacemaker a run for its money.
For Smith & Wesson, it was the Model 3 American that put them on the map in 1869. This gun, like the Peacemaker, proliferated around the Old West and was especially prized during the Civil War. The gun maker is also widely known for its Model 10 .38 caliber Military and Police revolver. By 1935, Smith & Wesson had a .357 Magnum version. In 1956, S&W pioneered the Model 29 .44 caliber made famous in popular culture by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies. Then in 1966, S&W unveiled the first stainless steel revolver. In the 1980s profits went down because police departments in the United States were switching to lighter semi-automatics made by Glock and SIG Sauer.
Uh Oh, Quality May Be Taking a Hit
But lately, according to some reviewers, the Smith & Wesson brand has taken a dive. Gun blogger Chuck Hawks gives examples of why the S&W revolvers are having trouble accomplishing their basic mission.
First, two .22 Masterpiece target revolvers he inspected for a sporting goods store were so out of the ordinary that the cylinders could not be rotated fully. Upon another inspection for a gun shop, Hawks found the “cylinder ratchet notches were so poorly machined that no two were identical.” After a day at the range with a new Chief’s Special .38 Special revolver, he noticed that all the chambers on the cylinder had a small bulge.
These types of issues are likely the cause of poor quality control at the manufacturer. Hawks thinks the revolvers are not being tested correctly.
“Such examples are far too numerous and widespread. Design, quality, and quality control problems have been endemic to Smith & Wesson firearms for decades,” he wrote.
Some Reviewers Still Sing Praises for the S&W Revolver
S&W revolvers are still popular with other reviewers. Some like the heavy trigger pull that will keep the gun from firing unexpectedly. There are numerous types of holsters that offer ample concealment. You can usually find quality ammunition for the pistol.
The Model 500 Is One of the Most Powerful S&W Revolvers
The S&W Model 500 gets good reviews. You can mount optics on the Model 500. The front sight is interchangeable, and the rear sight is adjustable. 1945’s own Richard Douglas sings its praises.
“For one, Smith & Wesson recently developed the innovative ‘x-frame’ to give you a better grip and help to handle the recoil that comes along with the immense power of this handgun. This makes the 500 very comfortable to handle, and even features a recoil-absorbing rubberized grip complete with finger grooves to let you hold the gun at an angle that allows for optimal control and accuracy,” according to Douglas.
Smith & Wesson: Enviable Sales and Profits
Smith & Wesson has a legion of fans. You can tell from their record sales and profits. Sales went up 100 percent year over year in July 2021. The Springfield, Massachusetts company made over $250 million in profit during that period. S&W paid off its corporate debt and even gave full-time workers $1,200 bonuses.
All told Smith & Wesson revolvers get mixed reviews. It seems there are problems when models are produced in high numbers. Like all new guns, keep a close eye on your pistol when it comes out of the box and inspect it carefully after your first day on the range.
If there are problems with your Smith & Wesson revolver, the company has a limited one-year warranty. When you find a defect, put it in writing and the company promises that it will fix the problem free of charge.
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Eye catching guns – IWA 2017
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The MAX-9
The MAX-9 is available with or without a manual thumb safety. (Photo: Ruger) Ruger’s pleased to announce the new MAX-9, a micro-compact with impressive capacity. The MAX-9, chambered for 9mm Luger, holds 10+1 with flush magazines and 12+1 with slightly extended mags. Available in three different models at launch, the MAX-9 looks a lot like a beefed-up LC9s, which carries 7+1. Like the LC9s, the MAX-9 is a polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol but with other upgrades that will make it compete with the likes of Glock, SIG Sauer, and Springfield Armory in the micro-compact market. All three models are optics-ready, with slides cut to accept a wide range of micro red dot sights. It also comes with a factory hybrid tritium fiber optic front day and night sight with a wide black combat-style rear sight. The slide is contoured to raise the front sight up over the bore. Combined with the standard tall rear sight the MAX-9 can co-witness compatible red dot sights with the included iron sights, and there’s no need for suppressor-height replacements. Flush mags hold 10 rounds while extended magazines hold 12. (Photo: Ruger) Ruger’s offering the MAX-9 with two base models and one Pro model. The base versions come with a manual thumb safety and either two 10-round or two 12-round magazines, while the Pro comes with two 12-round mags and no thumb safety. All have passive trigger safeties as well, in addition to an internal striker block and a loaded chamber inspection port. The slides and barrels are hardened steel with a black oxide finish. And otherwise, the specifications are the same. Regardless of the model, every MAX-9 has a 3.2-inch barrel, measures in at 6 inches long, a bit over .9 inches wide at the slide, and 4.5 inches tall with flush magazines. They weigh just over 18 ounces unloaded. See Also: Ruger Releasing Jeff Quinn Memorial GP100 Revolver But what might set the MAX-9 apart from most of its competition is it’s price: all three models have a suggested retail price of just $499. With real-world and online pricing expected to be even less, these will fly off shelves. Additional mags are already available from Ruger for $39 or in two-packs for $63 and come with a slick nickel Teflon coating. Ruger also offers finger extensions for 10-round magazines for $4, which make handling shorter guns easier for many shooters without increasing the pistol’s overall profile. Ruger will certainly shake up the market with the new MAX-9. For more info about these and the rest of the Ruger catalog, check out their website. *
A “friend” sold me a can of 7.62×51 quite a few years ago. It just didn’t look right and despite his assurances that a mutual acquaintance had shot it and deemed it accurate and serviceable I thought I’d better do my due diligence. I was right to be wary.
One might expect a can to show some age after spending longer on the planet than its new owner, but this still looks pretty funky for what purports to be 300 Rounds, 7.62MM Ball, L2A2, RG 03 15 60. The cartridges are obviously copper-washed and attract a magnet like ants to a picnic.
An Internet search brings up numerous forum posts from way back in the aughts by other new owners of this ammo that was making the rounds at gun shows in those days. Turns out it’s – drumroll please – Chinese knock-off. Ya Think?
The head stamps don’t look right and it turns out even the Mk. 3 chargers have forged MTY 60 stamps. It’s predictably reported to be highly corrosive. Some who have shot it say it’s very dirty, others that it’s no more so than other cheap surplus. Apparently it shoots better than one would expect.
The story seems to be that Norinco forged some US M14s and this ammo was intended to accompany them for delivery to separatist groups in the Philippines and elsewhere. According to a 2015 article in African Hunter magazine it has also turned up in Zimbabwe at the site of a rhino poaching and the author claims to have run a police lab test confirming that the primers are corrosive.
I take good care of my rifles and I have no interest in the kind of stripping and cleaning required after shooting this stuff. Unless the SHTF my heirs are going to find it out in the garage preserved in a heavy coat of sawdust.
Caveat Emptor.