Smith & Wesson

21 posts
Ordnance

Ah, Saturdays.

2 comments

The good: I took home a 3″ S&W 66, a gun I’ve long been seeking.

S&W 66-4

This one left the factory in 1994, the same year Tip O’Neil died, alternative rock pretty much fell apart, and a big comet smacked into Jupiter. The records are inconsistent, but it doesn’t appear many of this iteration were made, making it an even rarer example of an already elusive pistol.

The 3″ K-Frames are one of the most versatile and effective carry guns out there. I’ve waxed poetic on the virtues of the fixed-sight versions before, but a 3″ model with target sights is like having a Maserati with the engine output rated in unicorn power.

Yeah. It’s that cool.

The weird: we had an odd situation caused by incompetent handloads. It appears that Uncle Joe Bob mixed alcohol, distraction, and a progressive press. The progeny of his folly was a round of .38 Special containing no powder but two bullets.

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Ordnance

S&W Model 27

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S&W 27-2

When Smith & Wesson introduced the .357 Magnum cartridge in 1935, it was something of a big deal. The 44-caliber N-Frame had been tasked to chambering the new load, but the company went one step further in making the fit and finish the best they’d ever done.

Elmer Keith and Phil Sharpe put a great deal of work and experimentation on the cartridge, and they saw it pay off. The ad copy spoke of a load capable of defeating body armor and punching through automobile bodies with authority, and its accuracy was universally lauded. Such was the prestige behind the gun itself that it was built to order for customers, who could choose any barrel length, sight picture, trigger type, and point of impact they wanted. The initial guns were packaged with a registration certificate and referred to as Registered Magnums.

The gun was met with immediate acclaim from law enforcement, with the 3 1/2″ barreled version being the most popular.

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Ordnance

A (Slightly) Tarnished Masterpiece

S&W Model 15

When it comes to guns, I’m not much of a “collector.”  Sure, it’s nice to have one in fine cosmetic shape, but I don’t mind a bit of character, especially in one that shoots this well.  Box and papers don’t mean much to me, and I’d sooner have a working gun than one I’m tempted to stow away in the safe.

As K-38’s go, this one wouldn’t seem too special at first.  It shipped in 1975, the same year Maggie Thatcher ascended to power and Francisco Franco stepped down.  Minnie Riperton was big in the charts, and Jimmie Hoffa stopped filing tax returns.

At that point, the Model 15 was still standard-issue in the United States Air Force, as well as several police departments.  This specimen was issued to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

S&W Model 15

The department in question phased the 15 out around 1985 in favor of the Beretta 92, and by 1990, the Air Force would do the same. 

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Ordnance

S&W SD Series

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The SD9 and SD40 are Smith & Wesson’s most recent polymer pistols. Their price places them squarely between the Sigma and M&P, which would be around $420 on the street.

The Sigma pistols are excellent guns for the money, but a few things have always been lacking.  First off is the dreadful trigger pull, which is a long and uneven.  They have plastic sights which are prone to breakage during adjustment, and the accessory rail is of proprietary design.

The SD pistols seem to address these issues.  In fact, it appears that this model is simply an improved Sigma in many respects.  What follows is a brief comparison.

Ordnance

S&W Model 65

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This 65-3 was produced in 1987.  Other notable events from that year include Gary Hart dropping out of the Presidential race, Sonny Bono running for the office of Mayor of Palm Springs, and Ronald Reagan delivering what was possibly his most important speech.  U2 released The Joshua Tree, and Rick Astley’s song “Never Gonna Give You Up” reached #1 on both sides of the Atlantic, long before anybody with taste found it the least bit ironic.

The Model 65 was produced from 1972 until 2004.  It was the fixed-sight counterpart to the 66, and was carried by the Customs Service, as well as several state police agencies.

A common misconception is that the 65 was a stainless version of the Model 13.  This isn’t entirely true, as the 13 was not introduced until 1974.  Prior to that, the blued counterpart to the 65 was the 10-6, which had been upgraded to .357. 

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Ordnance

Pushing the Envelope vs. Pushing Your Luck

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Pictured below are the sad remains of a S&W M&P 340 revolver.  The 340 is a J-Frame chambered in .357 Magnum.  Its frame is an aluminum alloy infused with a small percentage of Scandium, and it weighs in at 12 ounces.

The owner fired six rounds of .38 Special through it without issue. The first shot of .357 blew up the gun. The owner was unharmed, as all of the unpleasantness happened forward of the muzzle.

Ordnance

Marketing: 1935 and Now

When FN Herstal came out with the 5.7x28mm cartridge (and the accompanying Five-seveN pistol) a few years back, there was a bit of hand-wringing in certain circles over its ability to pierce body armor.

Bear in mind, the 5.7mm is really a souped-up .22 WMR, not some >5000 ft/s barnburner.  It’s not the first (or only) gun made that’ll punch through body armor.  Yet, everyone got their panties in a bunch over it.

Ordnance

Squib Loads

S&W Model 29 Mountain Gun. The loads were factory CorBon 200gr .44 Special. The operator was an experienced shooter with military training.

The shooter started with .44 Magnums, then switched to Specials. It’s likely that he expected the milder report and recoil of the .44 Special loads and therefore didn’t notice the discrepancy at first.

Surprisingly, the ejector rod is fine, as are the topstrap and cylinder. Looks like a new barrel assembly should have her back up and running. The shooter was wearing eye protection and was not hurt.

Lesson learned: be careful when switching between Magnum and Special loads, as you might not pick up on the difference in time.

Ordnance

S&W Model 18

SW Model 18

The Smith & Wesson K-Frame in .38 Special was a resounding success from its inception. In 1931, they introduced the K-22 Outdoorsman, a 6″ K-Frame in .22. The platform was an immediate hit, and its utility and popularity have never waned.

The K-22 was designed for the “high velocity” .22 rounds that were in vogue at the time. There had been concerns over the possibility of case head failures, so D.B. Wesson counterbored the cylinder with recessed chambers. This approach would also be used on the company’s Magnum caliber revolvers until the late 20th century, when stronger metallurgy (and better ammo design) rendered it unnecessary.

For many collectors, the recessed cylinder is a symbol of a bygone era of better craftsmanship. I’m not sure I agree, but given the choice, I’ll certainly take a revolver with pinned barrel and recessed cylinder over one that doesn’t have those features. I don’t know why; perhaps it’s just the allure.

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Ordnance

More Shot Show rumors

So, the 2009 Shot Show hasn’t even happened yet, and folks are already making predictions. Some are true, some are probable, and some are real head-scratchers.

First off, Smith & Wesson appears to be bringing the .41 Magnum back with a vengeance, reintroducing several “Classic” iterations of the Model 57. They’re also chambering one of the Night Guard revolvers (1) for the cartridge, as well as introducing one in 10mm. They’ve decided to jump on the .327 Magnum bandwagon with a really odd hodgepodge of features.

The Classic series will also include the Model 14, 17 and 18. As much as I want a Model 18, I don’t like the newer lockwork, so I’ll be holding out for a good used specimen.

Of course, all that’s verified by their web site. Still in uncertain but viable territory is the suggestion that they plan on producing the 19 and 66 again (2).

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Ordnance

S&W Model 19

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This is a model 19-3.  There are many like it, but this one’s mine.

The Model 19 is the descendant of the Combat Magnum, introduced in 1955 at the behest of Bill Jordan.  Jordan recognized that the K-Frames were a marvelous balance of weight and accuracy, but he wanted a Magnum, and Smith & Wesson’s N-Frames were a bit heavy to be carried all day.

So the engineers started brainstorming.  They gave it a heavy barrel and an underlug (like the N-Frames), and thanks to advances in heat-treating, the steel was strong enough to handle the increased chamber pressures of the .357 (1).

It was an immediate hit with law enforcement, and when Smith & Wesson starting numbering their revolvers, the Combat Magnum became the Model 19.  The 19 was produced until 1999.

Ordnance

Ahrends Stocks

A friend compares carrying a gun to wearing ladies’ underwear.  It’s comforting, and as good as it looks, it’s not something you’d want to have to explain to a random person on the street.  It’s a secret you keep to yourself, but one that could save your life one day (*).

It’s vital to have one that fits the hand just right.  Under stress, the weapon needs a sure grip, and one in which the sights line up naturally.  The quality of grips is a rarely-mentioned factor in this.

Ordnance

Revolvers are obsolete!

At least that’s what I hear at least once a day from yokels who see me carrying one. Their arguments are puerile for the most part, and they all seem to echo the same misguided sentiments.

The first is accuracy. People will claim that the revolver is somehow inaccurate. What they really mean is that they can’t shoot it well. In fact, the revolver, having a fixed barrel, is capable of greater accuracy than many automatics. Case in point:

2 S&W 696, .44 Special, 8 yards, 2″ bullseye.