So… as I alluded to in the post I made yesterday, I have a problem. I believe that I’ve stated that WizardPC is an enabler of this problem (I’ve purchased a few guns off of him, and he’s been the indirect cause of a few other purchases). With that said, I ended up going with him to the gun show on Saturday.
I was pretty sure I was safe from making any purchases. I had just bought the Bersa .22 a couple weeks back, and didn’t really feel the need for something new. I’m always on the look out for an IBM M1 carbine, but the likely hood of running into one of those is low. I underestimated the dangers of gun shows.
I’ve always kicked around the idea of having a wheel gun beyond my Heritage Arms .22 SA revolver. I actually talked to some folks recently that I thought my next purchase was going to be a .38 special or .357mag, but couldn’t decide on the size/barrel length/etc. One of the thoughts that I’ve had was that it would be cool to pick up a revolver and a Marlin lever in .357. That would make me lean towards a single action. Then I ran across this:
So Shiiiinnnnnyyyy
It was literally at the last table at the show in a display box with some random stuff. I quickly noticed the price tag of $350, and had to investigate. I knew nothing about revolvers (heck, had to ask the good folks on #gunblogger_conspiracy where S&W stamped the model number), but I knew it was a good price considering what I had seen and it seemed in good condition. Some money and a hand shake latter, it was following me home.
It’s a Smith&Wesson Model 13 with a 4″ barrel. It’s chambered in .357 and is the 2nd revision, which means it’s within a couple years of being the same age as me. The previous owner decided to install some Pachmayr “Gripper” grips that really do a good job of comfortably fitting my hand.
Even though the weather was supposed to hit right at 100 degrees, I decided to hit the range and try it out. I stopped by Walmart, and picked up a box of WWB .38special semi-wadcutters and a box of Remington Express .357mag hollow points, and headed to the range. I warmed up with some rounds through my .22 SA revolver and then decided to pull the new guy out.
I started with .38special. It was very pleasant to shoot. It was also extremely accurate. Granted, I was shooting at 7 and 10 yards, but I was keyholing multiple groups and they were all going roughly where I wanted them to. Then I tried the .357. That was pain.
Of course, I must blame a good bit of my issue with the .357 rounds on the user. Before this, the only centerfire revolvers I had shot was the odd snubby launching .38special. I wasn’t quite ready for the jump in recoil from the .38 to .357. I was expecting something similar to the jump from 9mm to .40 or possibly .45. This was considerably more. To add to the issue, I managed to pinch the pad of my trigger finger between the trigger and trigger guard on one of the first shots of .357. This meant that my accuracy went all to hell the rest of the day. I have since talked to a couple of revolver guys who have assured me that my experience (other than the pinch) is normal and you do get used to it.
The action of this revolver is very smooth. The double action is sufficiently heavy without being obnoxious. The pull is also consistent enough that you can deliberately squeeze the trigger and choose when it breaks. The single action, on the other hand, is incredibly light. Coupled with the complete lack of slack, it meant that the gun would discharge almost instantly after I decided to squeeze the trigger at all. Between the two modes, I’m actually more accurate in double action mode than single due to how easily it discharges in single action mode. The sights are fixed, but seem to be dead on and wouldn’t need adjustment.
I did have two issues while at the range. The first was that the ejector somehow got on top of one of the .38 cases so that I had to manually yank it out. The second was that the ejector rod started to unscrew and make it difficult for me to pop out the cylinder to load/unload it. I suspect that the two issues are related and it’s nothing that a little Locktite can’t fix.
Now my issue is that I need to convince Naienko that I need to buy that Marlin .357…
Just a friendly reminder that the ejector rods are left-hand thread. 🙂
Yeah, I discovered that Sunday night when I discovered the issue. I tried screwing it back on and it went *sproing*. Fortunately, it’s not like some parts where you then watch as a critical spring goes sailing off into the distance.
One nice thing about .357 revolvers is that you have a full spectrum of loads available, from very mild to very strong. .38 wadcutters, then .38 standard 158 grain roundnose, then .38 +P, then ‘reduced recoil’ .357, then standard .357, you can work your way up as you like.
Revolvers are also wonderful for curing flinch, which every new shooter has to master. The trick is to load a few live rounds, and one (or more) empty cases. Close your eyes, give the open cylinder a spin, stop the spin, and gently close it. When you shoot, if there is any flinch, it’ll be very obvious. Usually so obvious as to be embarrassing.
The fix is to load one live round and five empties, and repeat the drill until the problem goes away.
As for single-action shooting, part of the trick there is getting your hand trained to hold the gun without using your index finger. Beginners tend to make the trigger finger’s pressure on the trigger into part of the grip, and they have trouble if the trigger is really light. Get a good, solid, comfortable grip on the gun with your trigger finger pointing straight forward, then bring the finger in and focus on using it only to press the trigger, and not to help hold the gun.
Any revolver can trap empties under the extractor star. Just get in the habit of holding the muzzle up during the ejection stroke and it will work perfectly.
You have a fine gun there – a 4″ .357 is probably the top choice of the “if I could only have one handgun” crowd.
I guess I should clarify that all the SA shots were on paper, just not great shots. Having shot pistols for several years now, I’m of course comfortable with holding the firearm without the booger hook on the bang switch. The issue is that my hand tends to move a bit as I transition the finger from outside the trigger guard to inside and then onto trigger. Like I said, most of the time, by the time I had felt the existence of the trigger, I had put enough force on it for it to go off. A good part of the issue is that I’m used to either having some creep to the trigger, or a heavier pull.
Thanks for the tip about the extractor. I’m always happy to find that the error was the the operator, since that’s usually easier to fix than the machine.
when you reload , hold the pistol in the off hand tip the bbl straight up and sharply rap the ejector rod with the other hand . This will cure the casing under the star problem as it comes from being too ” timid ” with ejection coupled with the pistol being held too level .
I tend to have the “you’re being too gentle with it” issue a lot. Well, except with my Mosin Nagant where I’ll give the bolt a pretty hefty smack to cycle it.
Don’t shoot 125grain .357 loads out of it. They will work-harden the forcing cone, which will become brittle from the stress, and eventually crack. This does not seem to be a problem with a moderate amount of 158grain or more .357, or with any amount of .38 special, but if you shoot too much .38 in .357 chambers, it will eventually cut rings into there, which will not scrub out no matter what anyone tells you. This takes about 5-10k rounds of .38, though. Also, you should shoot .357 and THEN .38’s to keep the lead and very hard carbon build up from the .38’s from being hammered into the chambers, which can’t be good for them.