I had one of these Ruger # 1 in 7mm Mauser. But for once I could not get a decent pattern with it for some reason. (Probably it was my fault)
So I traded it for something else. Nonetheless I still love the #1 Rifles. As they just scream class & some serious substance.
Hope you like this!
I bet she is!
yep!
Grumpy
Smith & Wesson Model 15
Smith & Wesson Model 15 | |
---|---|
Smith & Wesson Model 15
|
|
Type | Revolver |
Place of origin | United States |
Specifications | |
Cartridge | .38 Special |
Feed system | 6-round cylinder |
The Smith & Wesson K-38 Combat Masterpiece, Revolver Model 15 is a six-shot double-action revolver, with adjustable open sights, built on the medium-size “K” frame. It is chambered for the .38 Special cartridge and is fitted with a 4-inch (100 mm) barrel, though additional barrel options have been offered at various times during its production. Originally known as the “K-38 Combat Masterpiece”, it was renamed the Model 15 in 1957 when all Smith & Wesson revolvers were given numerical model numbers. It is a shorter barrel version of the Smith & Wesson Model 14 Target Masterpiece and essentially an adjustable-sight version of the seminal Smith & Wesson Model 10 (“Military and Police”) revolver with target shooting features. The main production run of the Model 15 was from 1949 through 1999. It was discontinued for approximately a decade until 2011, when a re-tooled version was re-released under S&W’s Classics Revolvers line.
Contents
[hide]
History[edit]
The Smith & Wesson K-38 Combat Masterpiece Revolver Model 15[1] is a derivative of the classic 1899 K-frame (medium frame) Military and Police .38 S&W Special (aka .38 Special) six-shot double-action revolver. The M&P underwent steady evolution throughout the 20th century and S&W spun off several variations as separate models in the post World War II years. One of these was the K-38 Target Masterpiece, which began production in 1947. The Target Masterpiece included a number of new and/or special features, including a six-inch barrel with a narrow rib to provide a level sight plane, a Partridge front sight, a micrometer click rear sight, S&W’s .375” short-throw hammer, a trigger adjustment for overtravel, and improved grips.[2] Noting the accuracy of the Target Masterpiece, a number of police departments and the FBI soon requested the same revolver with a four-inch barrel and a Baughman Quick Draw front sight. The result was the K-38 Combat Masterpiece. The major distinction between the K-38 Target Masterpiece and the K-38 Combat Masterpiece is the barrel length and the front sight.[2]
In 1957 the K-38 Combat Masterpiece was renamed the Model 15 when all Smith & Wesson revolvers were given numerical model numbers. (The Military & Police and the Target Masterpiece were renamed the Model 10 and Model 14 respectively.) The model number is stamped on the frame behind the cylinder yoke, so it is visible (only) when the cylinder is open. A number of production and engineering changes have been made throughout the years, some of which are noted by a dash number suffixed to the Model number (15-1, -2, -3).
Over the years the Model 15 has been produced with several barrel lengths, with 4″ (standard) and 2″ (1964–1988) being the most common. In 1972 S&W released a stainless steel version as the Model 67. In 1997 the hammer and internal lockworks were modified from an on-the-hammer firing pin / internal hammer block to a floating firing pin / MIM flat hammer, and kept the hammer block that, unlike a transfer bar safety design, moves up with the trigger pull. The hammer hits a transfer bar, transferring the strike to the firing pin, while the block in a hammer block system moves down with the trigger pull, unblocking the hammer from the firing pin, allowing the hammer to strike the firing pin. These two safety systems work oppositely, but achieve the same goal of only allowing the gun to fire when the trigger is pulled all the way.
The Model 15 was a popular sidearm for law enforcement and was the standard issue sidearm of the U.S. Air Force Police from 1962 until 1992 when it was replaced by the Beretta M9 pistol.[citation needed]
Production of the Model 15 was discontinued in 1999 when Smith & Wesson was purchased and reorganized, although a couple limited run “Heritage Series” models were released in 2001 and 2002. In 2011 Smith & Wesson re-introduced the Model 15 (15-10) under their Classics Revolvers line, newly machined, with a shrouded redesigned barrel, and a built-in trigger lock (located just above the cylinder release thumbpiece on the left side).[2]
Specifications[edit]
- Caliber: .38 S&W Special
- Capacity: 6
- Barrel: 4” (standard configuration)
- Length overall: 9 1/8” With 4” barrel
- Weight loaded: 34 oz. With 4” barrel
- Sights: Front – 1/8” Baughman Quick Draw on plain ramp. Rear: S&W Micrometer Click Sight, adjustable for windage and elevation.
- Frame: square butt with grooved tangs
- Stocks: checked walnut service with S&W monograms
- Finish: S&W blued carbon steel with sandblasting and serrations around sighting area to break up light reflections
- Trigger: S&W grooving with adjustable trigger stop
- Ammunition: .38 S&W Special, .38 S&W Special Mid Range, .38 + p
Engineering and production changes timeline[edit]
Smith & Wesson Model 15-2 | |
---|---|
As the K-38 Combat Masterpiece Revolver Model 15 evolved the following engineering and production changes were made:[2]
- 1949: K-38 Combat Masterpiece introduced
- 1955: Delete upper sideplate screw
- 15 (1957): K-38 Combat Masterpiece continued as the Model 15; stamping of model number
- 15-1 (1959): Change extractor rod, right hand to left hand thread
- 15-2 (1961): Delete trigger guard screw, change cylinder stop
- 1964: Introduce 2” heavy barrel
- 15-3 (1967): Relocation of rear sight leaf screw
- 1968: Delete diamond grips
- 15-4 (1977): Change to put gas ring from yoke to cylinder; pinned barrel eliminated
- 15-5 (1982)
- 1986: Introduction of 6” and 8-3/8” barrel
- 15-6 (1988): New yoke retention system/ radius stud package/hammer nose bushing
- 1988: Discontinue 8-3/8” and 2” barrel
- 1992: Discontinue 6” barrel, blue finish only
- 15-7 (1994): Synthetic grips introduced, drill and tap frame, change rear seat leaf, change extractor
- 1995-96: Delete square butt
- 1996: Begin shipments in blue plastic case
- 1997: 4” barrel only; change to MIM thumbpiece; shipped with master trigger locks; change to MIM trigger
- 15-8 (1997): Changes in frame design: cylinder stop stud eliminated; eliminate serrated tangs; change to MIM hammer with floating firing pin and change internal lockworks
- 1999: Model 15 discontinued in November
- 2001: Limited run Lew Horton Heritage Series from the S&W Performance Center.
- 15-9 (2002): Limited run Lew Horton Heritage Series McGivern Models from the S&W Performance Center. 3 Models commemorating Ed McGivern’s world speed records in 1934 with a revolver. All models have a Patridge front sight with Gold Bead, round butt frame with Altamount Fancy checkered service grips of that era, 6” barrel, Ed McGivern commemorative plate mounted on right side of frame, Heritage Series box.
- 15-10 (2011): Production re-commenced under Classics Revolvers line, re-tooled, shrouded redesigned barrel, internal trigger lock
Military and police usage[edit]
As the “K-38 Combat Masterpiece”, this revolver was first purchased in 1956 for the Strategic Air Command Elite Guardof the United States Air Force. From 1960 to 1969 the Air Force bought large numbers of Model 15-1, 15-2, and 15-3 revolvers with a 4″ barrel. The only distinctive markings are “U.S.A.F” on the left side of the frame. Originally all were blued, though some were reparkerized while in Air Force service.[2] The Model 15 was the standard issue sidearm of the U.S. Air Force Air/Security Police from 1962 until 1992. It was issued to security personnel in other branches of the U.S. armed forces, including the Naval Security Forces.[2]
The Air Force issued two types of .38 Special duty ammunition for the Model 15, originally the M41 .38 Special Ball (full metal jacket) cartridge, or the later-developed Caliber .38 Special, Ball, PGU-12/B High Velocity cartridge. The M41 was a low pressure cartridge rated at 13,000 psi, originally designed for 158-grain ball ammunition, but loaded with a 130-grain FMJ bullet. The PGU-12/B, issued only by the U.S. Air Force, had a greatly increased maximum allowable pressure rating of 20,000 psi, sufficient to propel the 130-grain FMJ bullet at 1,125 ft/s (343 m/s) from a solid 6-inch (150 mm) test barrel, and 950–980 ft/s (290–300 m/s) from a 4-inch (100 mm) revolver barrel.[4]
The S&W Model 15 revolvers were replaced by the Beretta M9 pistol in 9×19mm caliber beginning in 1985, with complete turnover by the early 1990s.[2]
In addition to military use, the Model 15 was issued by many police departments across the United States as well as various federal law enforcement agencies.[2] In 1972 S&W produced a stainless steel version of the Model 15 which it termed the Model 67.[2]
Users[edit]
The LAPD’s Model 15 revolvers (and department issued Model 36 5-shot, 2-inch barrelled snub nose Smith & Wesson revolvers for detectives, plainclothes, undercover and other officers’ off duty carry) were modified to be fired double-action only. This was accomplished by the department armorer who ground the full cock notch from the hammers. Officers were then trained to shoot combat style without ever cocking the weapons. This change was likely the result of unintended injuries and/or property damage, and of litigation against the LAPD after officers had cocked their weapons only to have them discharge inadvertently, possibly as a result of physical attacks or having been startled in the course of searching for suspects. In lawsuits, the principle of res ipsa loquitur was easily affirmed because “an inadvertent weapon discharge is a negligent discharge”.[2]
Overland Park Police Department (Kansas) used the revolver before going to semi-automatic Beretta 92 pistols.
See also[edit]
- The Model 10 Military & Police (cornerstone of the S&W .38 Special line of revolvers)
- The Model 14 Target Masterpiece (6″ barrel predecessor to the Model 15)
- The Model 18 Combat Masterpiece (.22 caliber version of the Model 15)
- The Model 19 Combat Magnum (.357 magnum version of the model 15)
- The Model 67 and Model 68, stainless steel versions of the Model 15
References[edit]
- Jump up^ “K-38 Combat Masterpiece Revolver Model 15”, designed by Flora Mitchell Van Orden, wife of Brig. Gen. George O. Van Orden, USMC, with the attention of Tiny Helwig at the S&W head office in 1949, is the full name as it appears on the cover of the S&W owners manual
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j Supica, Jim; Nahas, Richard (2007). Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media, Inc. pp. 346–347. ISBN 0-89689-293-X.
- Jump up^ Owner’s Manual K-38 Combat Masterpiece Revolver Model No. 15 (05-01-0177 S&W No. 5101A)
- Jump up^ Military .38 Special Ammunition, The American Rifleman (March 1982), p. 68
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smith & Wesson Model 15. |
- Smith & Wesson Model 15 Classic Product Page
- Smith & Wesson “Military and Police” M10 and other K-frame revolvers
- IMFDB Smith & Wesson Model 15 page
- The Arms Room: Model 15-4 1980
- Deciphering the Masterpiece
- S&W Model 15 Safety System (video)
- S&W Model 10 Part 1 – Disassembly (video) (same process and general parts as Model 15)
- S&W Model 10 Part 2 – Reassembly (video) (same process and general parts as Model 15)
Irony to the max
National Ammo Day
Have I made myself perfectly clear?
Man arrested in wife’s death says gun accidentally discharged during sex act
Shortly after 7:50 a.m. Thursday, John Fitzgerald Gonzalez called 911, reporting that his wife, Nicole Nguyen, had been shot in the stomach after a struggle over a gun.
When officers arrived at her home in the 9000 block of College Green Street in the southwestern valley, police said she was found on the floor of her garage next to her vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound to her left torso.
After the shooting, Gonzalez initially told police he was picking their son up for school at the home when Nguyen pulled out a gun. He said a struggle broke out, and the gun accidentally discharged.
An arrest report for the 53-year-old Gonzalez indicates he later told police he was performing a sexual act on her prior to the subsequent struggle and shooting.
“It is unknown if the sex was actually consensual or if it was coerced by force or threats of force,” the arrest report said.
Gonzalez met arriving officers outside the residence with the couple’s 6-year-old son. The child was uninjured during the incident, police said.
Clark County family records show Nguyen had filed for divorce seven weeks earlier, prompting Gonzalez to move out of their College Green Street home.
But according to his arrest report, he told police Nguyen had recently expressed interest in getting back together. He also told police they had an appointment with her attorney later that day to cancel divorce proceedings.
The two had agreed to meet about 7:30 that morning, Gonzalez said in his police interview, adding he had two guns with him because he was concerned the meeting was an ambush.
Gonzalez told police she reached for the gun during the sex act and the gun fired once; he said he held the gun by the grip and pulled the trigger when she tugged the gun toward her.
“Detectives found his excuse for having brought the gun and keeping it by him during sex implausible,” police wrote in the report, adding they were skeptical of his description of how she reached for the gun.
Gonzalez’s interview with police is the only interview noted in the arrest report.
A Primer on the Shotgun
June 6, 2012
|Gun Skills & Safety, Manly Skills, Survival, Tactical Skills
Recently I’ve had the itch to buy a shotgun. It started after I read Creek’s post on how to build a survival shotgun. The itch only grew stronger after I became a homeowner (I kind of feel like Kevin McAllister). The shotgun is the perfect weapon for home defense and disaster prep. It’s powerful, reliable, and versatile. You can use it to fend off home intruders, hunt for food, or even shoot skeet with your buds.
But as I’ve discussed before on the site, I’m a complete novice when it comes to guns. I grew up around them, but I just didn’t take an interest in them until recently. Before I brought a shotgun into my house, I wanted make sure I knew how it worked and how to fire it safely and correctly.
So I headed over to the U.S. Shooting Academy here in Tulsa, OK to talk to Mike Seeklander, President of the Academy and co-host of Outdoor Channel’s The Best Defense. Mike’s helped me out before with articles on how to fire a handgun and a rifle. On this trip, he explained the very basics of understanding and firing a shotgun. Today I’ll share what I learned from Mike for those folks out there who are also interested in becoming first-time shotgun owners.
Types of Shotguns
Shotguns are fired from the shoulder and are typically used to hit targets at shortdistances. Unlike rifle and handgun cartridges that can only fire a single projectile, a shotgun cartridge typically fires multiple pellets called “shot” that spread out as they leave the shotgun’s barrel. Because the power of a single cartridge charge is divided among multiple pieces of shot, the energy of the shot decreases greatly as it travels away from the gun. That’s why shotguns are short-range weapons.
There are a variety of shotguns out on the market that serve different purposes. Below we highlight the most common types.
Break-action shotguns. Break-action shotguns have a hinge between the barrel and the stock that allows you to “break” or open the barrel to expose the breech in order to load your ammo. If you’ve ever seen pictures of old big game hunters or cowboys holding a shotgun, they were probably holding a break-action shotgun. Break-action shotguns are usually double-barreled, with the barrels either side-by-side or placed one on top of the other. They’re typically used by hunters and sport shooters. The big disadvantage of break-action shotguns is that they’re single shot guns, meaning once you fire the single round in each barrel, you have to reload.
Pump-action shotguns. A pump-action shotgun is a single-barrel shotgun that holds multiple rounds (unlike break-action shotguns). The way you extract spent shells and chamber a fresh round is by pulling a pump handle towards yourself, and then pushing it back into its original position along the barrel. Pump-action shotguns are widely used by police forces around the world because of their reliability and ability to hold multiple rounds. The Remington 870 has been the standby shotgun for American police forces for years, while the U.S. military has been partial to the Mossberg 500.
The general consensus in the firearms community is that pump-action shotguns are the top choice for home defense. They’re relatively easy to use, nearly impossible to break, and are super reliable. More importantly, the sound of chambering a hot round into a pump-action 12 gauge is sure to soil the britches of even the most hardened criminal. As an added bonus, they’re relatively cheap, with prices beginning around $200.
One of the things you have to watch out for when firing a pump-action shotgun is short-stroking. That’s when you don’t push the pump all the way back to its original position, resulting in a failure to chamber the next round in the magazine.
Semi-automatic shotguns. A semi-automatic shotgun fires a single shell each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent shell, and automatically chambers a new shell from a magazine. This allows you to fire off shots quickly. Some states ban hunting with semi-automatic shotguns, so be aware of that if you plan on using your gun to hunt.
Because rounds are automatically loaded and the design is more complex, semi-automatic shotguns are more prone to jamming failures than pump-action or break-action shotguns.
Understanding Shotgun Ammo
Shotgun ammo is broken down into three categories: birdshot, buckshot, and slugs.
Birdshot. Birdshot is smaller than buckshot and is used primarily for hunting, you guessed it, birds. Birdshot size is categorized by a number: the larger the number, the smaller the shot. The smallest birdshot is #12 shot and the largest is size FF. All birdshot pellets have a diameter smaller than 5 mm. Birdshot is so small it’s simply poured into a shotgun shell until the shell reaches a certain weight.
Buckshot. Buckshot is typically used for hunting small to medium-sized game and for police and home defense purposes. As with birdshot, the buckshot is categorized by a number that decreases as the size of the shot goes up. The smallest buckshot is #4 and from there the sizes go past #1 to 0000 (quad-ought), 000 (triple-ought), 00 (double-ought), and 0 (ought). Unlike birdshot, buckshot is too large to be poured into a cartridge. Rather, the buckshot pellets are stacked into the shell in a fixed geometric arrangement in order to fit.
Slugs. Slugs are basically a giant bullet. Instead of firing multiple pellets, a shotgun shell with a slug in it only fires a single slug. Slugs are primarily used to hunt large game and for military and police purposes. Slugs are rifled which gives them spin as they leave the barrel of the gun, making the slug much more accurate and stable in flight.
Understanding Gauge, Chamber Length, & Choke Tubes
Gauge
Unlike handguns and rifles that use caliber to measure the diameter of the barrel, shotguns use gauge. Measuring gauge goes back to the days of muzzle-loading guns. A shotgun’s gauge number is determined by the number of lead balls that are the size of the gun bore’s diameter that can roll down the gun’s barrel to make a pound. So for example, in a 12 gauge shotgun, twelve lead balls with a diameter equal to the diameter of the barrel adds up to one pound.
Confused? Don’t worry. It takes a bit to wrap your head around it. Just remember this: The smaller the shotgun gauge number, the larger the barrel; the larger the barrel, the bigger the boom from your boomstick.
The most common shotgun gauge sizes are: 10 gauge = .775 inch, 12 gauge = .729 inch, 16 gauge = .662 inch, 20 gauge = .615 inch, 28 gauge = .550 inch.
The 12 gauge shotgun is the most common shotgun gauge sold in America and is a good all-purpose gun — great for home defense, hunting, and skeet shooting. Because of their widespread use, ammo and accessories for 12 gauge shotguns are much easier to find than for other size shotguns. If you’re going to use your shotgun primarily for hunting or skeet shooting, you might follow the advice of shotgunning expert Bob Brister and go with a smaller gauge gun like a 20 or 28 gauge.
Chamber Length
In addition to a shotgun’s gauge number, another size you’ll see stamped on a shotgun’s barrel is the chamber length. The chamber is where the shell fits into the gun for firing. You need to make sure the length of the shell you’re loading into your gun matches the chamber length on your shotgun. Firing shells that are longer than the length of the chamber can generate dangerously high pressures in your gun. That’s a big safety risk.
Choke Tubes
As we mentioned earlier, when you fire a shotgun, the pellets in the shell spread as they leave the gun. When the pellets hit their target, they leave a spread pattern. Spread patterns can be small and dense or wide and sparse. The closer you are to your target, the more compact and lethal your spread pattern.
If you want to maintain a dense spread pattern when firing your shotgun at long distance targets (like you would when hunting), you’ll want to use a choke tube. A choke tube constricts a gun’s shot charge to hold it together longer before the shot spreads, thus giving a denser shot pattern at longer range than an open choke or no choke at all. Choke tubes come in a variety of sizes depending on how dense a pattern you want. If you’re simply using your shotgun for home defense, you probably don’t need a choke tube. They’re mainly used by hunters and skeet shooters.
How to Stand When Firing a Shotgun
Now that we’re familiar with the anatomy and workings of a shotgun, let’s get down to how to fire it. But first, please review the four cardinal rules of firing a gun.
Mike and the folks at the U.S. Shooting Academy teach their students to assume an athletic stance when firing a shotgun. Square your shoulders up with the target. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on a straight line. Stagger your strong-side foot about six inches behind your weak-side foot.
Place the buttstock of the shotgun near the centerline of the body and high up on the chest. Keep your elbows down.
Here’s Mike showing the athletic stance:
The biggest advantage of the athletic stance over the bladed stance (standing sideways) is that it helps in reducing the effects of recoil when firing a shotgun. Think about it. If you’re a lineman in football and you want to resist the other guy pushing you backwards, what stance would give you more balance? Being squared up with the other guy, or standing sideways with just one of your shoulders towards him? Squared up, of course.
Another advantage of the athletic stance is that it allows you to track a moving target better.
How to Hold a Shotgun
The act of putting a shotgun to your shoulder is called mounting the gun. But you don’t bring the gun to your shoulder straight off. You want to bring the side of the stock to your cheek first, before moving the buttstock to your shoulder.
Keeping your head up, bring the shotgun to your head. Press your cheek firmly to the side of the stock and then place the buttstock of the shotgun near the centerline of the body and high up on the chest, like so:
Trigger Hand Grip
On most shotguns you’ll find a crook between the stock and the trigger guard. Simply center the crook in the “V” junction of your thumb and index finger of your trigger hand. Grip the gun firmly, but not tightly.
If your shotgun has a pistol grip like Mike’s gun in the picture below, center the grip in the “V” at the junction of the thumb and index finger of your trigger hand. Grip the gun high on the backstrap (the backstrap is the back of the grip on the gun). Like so:
Support Hand Grip
The support hand should grip the fore-end of the shotgun roughly midway down the length of the shotgun. Here’s Mike demonstrating for us:
Putting your support hand further forward on the fore-end will give you finer control over the muzzle when aiming, which you want when precision is key. It will also give you more leverage against the gun which helps in recoil control.
How to Hold a Shotgun in Close Quarter Situations
You’ve probably seen movies where the action hero fires a shotgun in close quarters from the hip. I asked Mike about that.
“That’s a great technique…for the movies,” he said.
In other words, don’t use it in real life. It’s not safe and doesn’t provide any advantages other than looking cool.
If your target is really close to you, Mike suggests bringing the shotgun stock beneath your armpit in order to create more space between you and your target while maintaining more control. Here’s how it looks:
How to Aim a Shotgun
There’s a lot of debate among shotgunners about how you’re supposed to aim these things. You’ll hear many folks say, “You don’t aim a shotgun, you point it,” (See Shotgunning by Bob Brister.) Others will say you should aim it just like you would a rifle.
I asked Mike about this, and he said that while you should definitely aim a shotgun, the way you aim will be different depending on what sort of situation you’re in.
“You’re responsible for every shot you fire, so you better be sure you know where they’re going,” Mike advises. “Don’t just point it and start firing action movie style.”
Aiming a Shotgun in Home Defense and Large Game Hunting Situations
If you’re using a shotgun in a home defense situation or if you’re hunting deer with slugs, you’ll want to aim your shotgun just like you would when firing a rifle. Some shotguns have a rear sight notch and a bead at the end of the gun’s barrel (most shotguns don’t have a rear sight). Align those just as you would with a rifle. After you have proper sight alignment, you’ll want to set your sight picture. I talked about proper sight picture in our post about firing a handgun. The same principles apply here. I won’t repeat what I wrote, so refer back to that post for tips on aiming a shotgun.
Aiming a Shotgun in Small Game Hunting or Trap Situations
When you’re bird hunting or shooting skeet, you don’t have time for the deliberate aiming technique described above. If you try to aim like that, your bird will be long gone before you get a shot off. When you’re hunting small, fast-moving game or shooting clays with a shotgun, instead of carefully lining up your sights and putting all your focus on them like you would with a rifle, simply focus on the target, and fire.
“You also need to lead the target when firing at fowl. Don’t focus on the target itself, but rather the target’s front edge,” says Mike.
Trigger Management (aka Pulling the Trigger)
Unlike with a rifle or handgun where you slowly squeeze the trigger, with a shotgun you can use a more direct and less controlled trigger press. Again, when firing a shotgun, speed in getting off a shot is the goal.
Practice, Practice, Practice
The key to successful and safe gun training is practice. If you don’t own a shotgun, but are interested in purchasing one, find a local gun range and rent one for an hour. Ask to have someone show you how to fire it safely and correctly. Most places will be more than happy to help. If you already own a shotgun, here’s a friendly reminder to keep training.
Oh, and if you’re curious as to what sort of shotgun I ended up getting. It’s a Remington 870 Express.
Do you own a shotgun? Have any other tips for the first-time shotgun shooter? Share them with us in the comments!
Editor’s note: This article is about understanding the shotgun and how to fire one safely and correctly. It is not a debate about gun rights or whether guns are stupid or awesome. Keep it on topic or be deleted.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Special thanks goes out to Mike and the crew at U.S. Shooting Academy for their help on this article. Mike along with the U.S. Shooting Academy Handgun Manual were the sources for this article. If you’re ever in the Tulsa area, stop by their facility. It’s top notch and the staff and trainers are friendly, knowledgeable, and super badass.
Smith & Wesson is rolling out two updated Performance Center versions of their champion Model 686 revolvers for competition shooters. The new 686 and 686 Plus are full-size revolvers with enlarged sights and controls for flat-out fast shooting.
The Performance Center 686 is a standard six-shot revolver with a 4-inch barrel, while the Plus model has a seven-round cylinder and slightly longer 5-inch barrel. The 686 Plus also has a cylinder cut for moon clips for the fastest possible reloads.
While these are both obviously designed for shooting sports, they’re good multi-purpose guns as well, suitable for self-defense and handgun hunting. Chambered for .357 Magnum, they’re both extremely versatile and can shoot a huge range of loads without issue.
The guns sport a satin stainless steel finish and chromed hammers and triggers for improved lubricity and durability. They also have solid, unfluted cylinders.
The combination doesn’t look bad, either. Complete with their full black synthetic grips and rear sights the guns have a bold two-tone appearance.
The upgraded guns have oversized, extended cylinder release levers and custom teardrop hammers. The triggers also come with overtravel stops to ensure short trigger pulls and clean breaks.
The new models feature thinned and vented, ribbed barrels with fully adjustable rear sights and big bright orange front sights.The front sight is interchangeable with different types or colors of sights.
The barrels also have tapered full-length underlugs. This type of underlug is designed to help control recoil without adding a lot of weight at the muzzle. This improves the gun’s balance and makes it fast and easy to get on target.
See Also: Revolver Kings: S&W 686 Full Review
The 4-inch Performance Center 686 measures in at 9.5 inches long and weighs 38 ounces. The 686 Plus is an inch longer and half an ounce heavier.
At the heart of both guns is a tuned Performance Center trigger job. Every action is hand-fit for custom-level performance at production prices.
These Performance Center guns command a slight price premium — but not much. Both have a suggested price of $966, which is only a little more than $100 for all the upgrades. Street prices tend to be a little less than MSRP.
If you’ve been looking for a higher-end revolver that performs without breaking the bank maybe one of these is your next handgun.