Originally Posted by DB on Aug. 21, 2023
Here we go!
Everything I am teaching the rest of the year is revolver-centric (or shotgun). The workhorse revolver got broke out of the safe and sits in front of me while watching TV with loaders and dummy rounds. This gun is sort of a Mutt….which makes it a great beater to train on. Finks built it at some point. My good pal and teaching partner Bryan Eastridge got the internals dialed and cleaned up a few issues. It is originally a 1973 Model 19 that had a 4 or 6 inch barrel in it, so it is a square butt gun and has been fitted with a 2.5” barrel and a custom front sight with a brass bead. I like it because it looks like a miniature 3.5” Model 27 that are my favorite revolvers. It has lost all its collector value so I do not mind working it hard. I took it out today to start a dedicated training regimen with it.
The first thing I did is to confirm zero on the sights. This gun will exclusively get High Desert Cartridge Company .357 Magnum loads from here out, so I wanted to make sure it was dialed in. It shot to the sights as it was previously shot a lot with 158 gr. lead .38’s. This is where doing the custom .357 Magnum load with High Desert Cartridge Company was validated. Ejection was initially sticky due to the ring in the cylinders left from an obvious diet of .38’s in the .357 chambers over the years. This got better throughout the training session as the ring was getting removed with heat and proper length cases pushed in. Accuracy was good and the goal of workable recoil was also met even with the short barrel, open backstrap and wood grips.
Next I shot a HiTS Snubby Super Test. I have shot some of my best regular Revolver Super Test scores with a different 2.5” Model 19-3, so running the snub version really defines what made these guns so good for many plainclothes and off-duty police officers in place of the 2” J frame. I shot 6 rounds at the 10,5 and 3 yard stages instead of the normal 5. After ten yards, every single round was in the X ring of the B8. Total score was a 179/180. This is the best score I have ever shot on the Snubby Super Test. Truly the defining moment was how easy this gun was to shoot a hole at 3 yards one handed as fast as I could recover a sight and stroking the trigger continuously. The rounded trigger on this gun really helps. Normally, with a full house .357 load with one hand on a snub….one hole is not the result. This is a trade off I will take at this point in life. I want to be able to shoot fast in full control AND surgically. Not having a shot of lightning into the base of thumb with every trigger press really helps on the accuracy and consistency side.
I shot another control drill on the 1 inch dot and called it a day in the 110 degree temperature. I went at noon because I knew zeroing this gun I wanted the Sun directly behind me. It worked well to see the sights correctly, but lord it was hot. I have another aftermarket rear sight that I am going to have Finks Custom Guns cut a half circle at the base of to better frame the old man brass bead in front. It should give me a good sight picture for both B8 work and then the bead for the fast stuff.
Overall, I could not be happier with the High Desert Cartridge 357 Magnum load that basically puts a good .38 in a .357 Magnum case. I have done all the initial load work up with a workhorse Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman. It did everything I wanted in having a solid easy training load for shooting the older service guns. Seeing how well it shoots in a K frame snub is a win. I also saw first hand a correction for an issue that many do not realize that shooting .38 Specials in .357 Magnum chambers can cause some issues we do not realize. Another great thing….with FMJ ammunition, I do not feel the need to immediately clean it and can get a couple more range sessions in before I have to clean it. Later this week I will tackle a regular Revolver Super Test.