Wheelgun Challenge VI

[Bruce Cartwright]

Folks:

In this final installment of the Wheelgun Challenge, I am going to touch base on several thoughts/observations I have had since my time carrying a Ruger Match Champion full time, is now over. I carried a Ruger Match Champion 357 magnum revolver every day for six months. I learned several things and re-learned some old lessons. What follows is a brief summation of those lessons.

First, my Ruger Match Champion held up fine. It has quickly become one of my favorite revolvers and is my preferred revolver when I teach revolver specific classes.

Stocks: My Ruger came with very nice looking stippled wood stocks. These did not fit my hand and I did not enjoy shooting them. I decided I wanted a set of Pachmayr Compac round butt stocks. Pachmayr offered these stocks a long time ago for the GP100 series of revolvers. They haven’t been made in years. Finding them is nearly impossible. So, what happened? I found a set in a local store gathering dust. I bought them, put them on my Match Champion and immediately disliked them. My solution to all of this: Buy a set of Ruger factory compact stocks made of rubber with the wood stock inset panels. These feel much better than the Pachmayr’s and are very hand filling, yet easy to hide Growing up I read Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Bill Jordan, Ken Hackathorn, and Ross Seyfried. As a result, I shot a bunch of magnum revolvers with heavy magnum ammunition. I also remembered why there were so many pairs pf Pachmayr Presentation stocks in my revolver gear box. Those rubber stocks soak up a pile of recoil energy. I find that while the rubber stocks are ugly as a mud fence, they are a necessity if you shoot any real amount of magnum ammunition. I love wood stocks, especially those made by Craig Spegel and John Hurst, but I am under no illusion that using rubber stocks make long sessions of practice with magnum ammunition much more pleasant.

Revolver Modifications: The Ruger Match Champion has a really well thought out set of modifications that I don’t believe exist on any other factory revolver (I will qualify that by saying I don’t have access to the newer S&W Performance Center guns). The grip/stock extension allows a wide variety of stocks to be used on this gun. The beveled edges of the cylinder do make it easier to re-holster the Match Champion. I initially didn’t think this would be very noticeable, but I find re-holstering in a tight kydex rig is easier than straight edged cylinders. I Imagine that this feature will save some wear on a good leather holster as well. The chamfered charge holes are a really nice addition. I have paid extra to get that feature added to custom revolvers. It is nice to see Ruger do that from the factory. The chamfered charge holes do make speed loading easier. As strong as I believe the Ruger Security Six series of revolvers are, the GP100 is an improvement on the earlier revolvers in terms of strength. All of the engineering changes that Ruger applied to the GP100 are now assembled in a much more shooter friendly gun.

Maintenance: I don’t abuse my guns. Carry guns are cleaned immediately after a range session prior to being put back into regular service. My training semiautos get lubed regularly and cleaned only when necessary. All of that said, revolvers are different animals altogether. I cleaned my Match Champion pretty much after each range session. I have taken to keeping a military/M16 copper bristled cleaning brush in my range bag. I find my self doing with a revolver what I used to do during high round count classes with Pat Rogers. With the AR family, I applied lubrication every four hours of training. With the revolver, I take the time to brush out the extractor star and recess it fits in several times during a range session.

Ammunition: As a young shooter and reloader, I was always looking to save money or make my reloading funds go “further”. This lead me to cast bullets. I still cast bullets to this day when I get a chance. That said, I have found that lead bullets have two significant downsides. One despite my best efforts they lead up the gun and get things very dirty, very quickly. Secondly, I find that the smoke from lead bullets tends to obscure targets when I am running a revolver fast. My solution is to go with plated bullets. They allow longer shooting sessions and don’t gum up the guns nearly as quickly. I am going to experiment with the new polymer coating on cast bullets.

Defensive Ammunition: I realized several years ago, that 9mm Parabellum has become the new 38 Special. I remember seeing gun stores stocked with a wide variety of 38/357 ammunition. You can still find 38/357 ammo, but the prices have gone up significantly and the selection isn’t as wide. I tend to shop carefully and buy revolver ammunition when I “want” to, rather than when I “need” to. I think the Speer 135 grain Short Barrel Gold Dot hollow point load in 357 caliber might just be the solution to the blast and recoil of my favored 125 grain Federal load. This load uses a bonded core bullet and is slower than the Federal load by about 300 feet per second. I think it hits a “sweet” spot in terms of greater power than a +P 38 but without some of the recoil and flash of the full power 125 grain magnum loads. I have also heard good things about the Remington 125 grain 357 Gold Sabre load, but I don’t have any experience with it.

Training benefit: Most folks find mastering the long double action (trigger cocking) pull of a revolver to be more difficult than shooting a semiauto 1911 or striker fired pistol. I have found that once a person learns how to shoot a revolver well in double action mode, there is nothing they can’t learn to shoot. The amount of concentration on fundamental skills is such that revolvers generally require more focus than other types of weapons. I believe that shooters that expend the effort to learn to shoot wheelguns well find that those skills translate very easily to other guns. While I primarily teach and carry striker fired weapons or 1911s, I always keep revolvers in my training rotation. I do this because of the training benefit and because they are fun. I did so much “serious” based training during my career, by choice and necessity, that once in a while it is pretty nice just to have fun shooting a gun I like.

Long Range Capability: As I mentioned before, I spent a portion of my youth reading the old masters, Keith, Jordan, Skelton, Cooper, and Seyfried. I also spent a pile of time in the woods hunting and recreating. I learned how to shoot a revolver at significant distance (at the time I has access to strip mines where coal had been dug back east; I had 400 yard ranges where I could shoot). The ability to achieve hits at long range may not be something you need very often, but when you do, it is a nice capability to have. I am aware of a shooting one of my trainers at our Academy went through. When the dust settled, he had survived and his final shot that hit the subject was made at 47 yards.

Actual Carry: During the six months I carried my Ruger every day I didn’t experience any misgivings about being armed “only” with a six shot revolver. I adjusted my tactics to reflect the tool that I was carrying. I compensated a bit by carrying magnum loads. All of that said, I tend to carry a striker fired pistol most of the time. Like Pat Rogers said: “The mission drives the gear train”. If I am recreating in my chosen Montana, I am no longer at the top of the food chain and tend to carry big bore revolvers or 1911s. Those tools don’t serve me as well in more urban environments. All of that said, I tend to think the tool is much less important than the operator/shooter. Ken Hackathorn is friend and mentor. I was taking a handgun class from him several years ago. During one of the breaks, I asked him, since he has had the opportunity to train folks who shoot a lot of bad guys, what traits did the folks he trained possess that made them such successful gunfighters. Ken’s response was situational awareness. Ken indicated that the really successful gunfighters saw the things they needed to see before the bad guys they were fighting and acted accordingly. I never forgot that. Ken’s answer tracks with what I’ve heard/learned from other folks in the arena. While guns are important, learning how to fight is the greater concern. Having a gun, be it a revolver, 1911 or plastic fantastic and knowing how to use it, is what will save your life.

At any rate, those were my experiences/observations. Thanks for taking a look at these installments. Happy Independence Day.

Bruce

[Zeke38]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, ideas, knowledge and beliefs with us. I taught police revolver for 12 years, and oversaw LEO firearms training for 22 years. I also own a Match Champion 357. Your observations about packing a revolver ring strong and true to me, Thanks Again!

[SCCY Marshal]

Is it possible for mods to edit thread titles? If so, you may want "IV" changed to "VI" so people don't think this is a bump of an old thread and it gets fresh views.

And I'm pretty curious what takeaways my current stint with a brace of snub revolvers is going to leave with me. Or if I even do go back to autos at all. Some items, significant to my lifestyle, have already cropped up.

1) Concealability. Revolvers have always concealed better than autos on my belt. Both before and after significant weight loss. They are also more acessible in very low ride height carry methods like my Barami grips.

2) Concealability is a necessity, not a convenience. I'm increasingly finding myself in a social circle in which I can not be made. Be it gunshy hippies, family events, kids having friends and the parents of around, or chilling with mixed company.

3) Stowability. Bring able to tuck a wheelgun under my leg at the bank drive-through is very nice. Stuffing a wheelgun in an odd spot in the rare moments an unconventional method is required. The rounded profile, stubby barrel, cylinder that binds the trigger if exposed to pressure as an added layer of safety, long/heavy trigger, compactvand rounded yet handfilling gripframe, and Hip-Grip makes for a very versatile package. Versus an auto married to a proper holster, magazine that can pop free, slide that can get bumped out of battery, and increased sensitivity to a rough grip as can more likely happen when accessing from odd places.

4) Handloading. I'm not married to a bullet profile thatbfeeds of a specific weight over a set range of powder charges to reliably run the gun. Can swap powders and bullets as I want or need in lean times.

5) Casting. If components get real thin, I can cast 105 grain SWC or even 90-something grain RNFP and save lead. Can skimp on powder as long as it doesn't squib. The ability to stretch lead and powder in times of uncertain supply is a blessing.

6) I am willing to carry a second gun. Do I need to? Probably not. But an LCR in my pocket that will be there whether or not something is on my belt is nice. Having access to a gun in two positions at any given time is nice. The slow reload and low capacity are somewhat mitigated as concerns when I comfortably have a New York reload on tap. And the ability to arm my family or a friend in a pinch does feel good. Something about a doublestack auto just alaays left me unwilling to add a B.U.G. to my wardrobe.

7) OWB carry is much more viable. I can utilize a comfotable and out of the way pancake holster and still reasonably conceal it by untucking my shirt when needed. My autos always left a decided lump.

8) Comfort. My 2" Model 10 is comfier AIWB than most any auto. My 4" is on par while more concealable. A K-frame snub backed up by a lightweight pocket revolver and reload for the K is all more comfortable on an active day than just a compact doublestack auto like a G19/USPc/PX4c.

9) As for magazines - I hate vetting, tracking, cleaning, storing spares of, vetting those spares, and segregating range units. I also hate paying for them.

10) I'm falling out of love with the five-shot .38 snub. Ruger keeping thirty-two caliber on life support, the resurgence of the quality rimfire snub, and my personal experience with the almost if not quite as concealable yet much more shootable K-frame snub on the belt leave me cold.

11) Carry ammo. Run a box to make sure the C.O.A.L. is good to go, primers pop, it regulates to sights, recoil is livable, bullets don't jump crimp, and extraction isn't sticky. Carry on with life. Versus buy a batch to try, order a bunch to properly vet if that looks promising, and remember to give all of my cary mags a few go-rounds to be sure with all the ensuing magazine tracking and documentation. That's a lot of time, money, and effort. In times such as these, being able to be flexible in load and able to test even if all I can score is a couple boxes is nice.

Will I stick with round guns? Don't know but have a hunch that I might drop LEM, bypass DA/SA, and opt for DAO if I return to autos. Should someone else tote a revolver? Absolutely not my call nor is it even so much as an opinion to which I'd be entitled. Am I starting to think that people, myself very much included, might put too much weight on capacity and speed of reloads versus the mountain of other things both administrative and practical that come with carrying a gun every day? Yes though that isn't explicitly a revolver vs. auto thing. And I just noticed that all of my points relate to finding a wheelgun easier to live with than a bottom feeder.

Thanks again for this series. It's really helpful.

[Dave T]

Am I starting to think that people, myself very much included, might put too much weight on capacity and speed of reloads versus the mountain of other things both administrative and practical that come with carrying a gun every day? Yes...

A most salient point. I've been thinking much the same thing. And, I keep remembering the line I used with every CCW certification class (10 years worth) I ever taught: The best gun for concealed carry is the one you will have with you!

The most tricked out, hot and cold running, bells and whistles, custom, that you can draw in under a second and reload in under two, does you no good in the safe, when you step out of you car in the dark parking lot and one of the night creatures jumps you. But as others have said, that's just a personal opinion, based on my experiences and observations. YMMV!

Dave

[Bruce Cartwright]

Is it possible for mods to edit thread titles? If so, you may want "IV" changed to "VI" so people don't think this is a bump of an old thread and it gets fresh views.

And I'm pretty curious what takeaways my current stint with a brace of snub revolvers is going to leave with me. Or if I even do go back to autos at all. Some items, significant to my lifestyle, have already cropped up.

1) Concealability. Revolvers have always concealed better than autos on my belt. Both before and after significant weight loss. They are also more acessible in very low ride height carry methods like my Barami grips.

2) Concealability is a necessity, not a convenience. I'm increasingly finding myself in a social circle in which I can not be made. Be it gunshy hippies, family events, kids having friends and the parents of around, or chilling with mixed company.

3) Stowability. Bring able to tuck a wheelgun under my leg at the bank drive-through is very nice. Stuffing a wheelgun in an odd spot in the rare moments an unconventional method is required. The rounded profile, stubby barrel, cylinder that binds the trigger if exposed to pressure as an added layer of safety, long/heavy trigger, compactvand rounded yet handfilling gripframe, and Hip-Grip makes for a very versatile package. Versus an auto married to a proper holster, magazine that can pop free, slide that can get bumped out of battery, and increased sensitivity to a rough grip as can more likely happen when accessing from odd places.

4) Handloading. I'm not married to a bullet profile thatbfeeds of a specific weight over a set range of powder charges to reliably run the gun. Can swap powders and bullets as I want or need in lean times.

5) Casting. If components get real thin, I can cast 105 grain SWC or even 90-something grain RNFP and save lead. Can skimp on powder as long as it doesn't squib. The ability to stretch lead and powder in times of uncertain supply is a blessing.

6) I am willing to carry a second gun. Do I need to? Probably not. But an LCR in my pocket that will be there whether or not something is on my belt is nice. Having access to a gun in two positions at any given time is nice. The slow reload and low capacity are somewhat mitigated as concerns when I comfortably have a New York reload on tap. And the ability to arm my family or a friend in a pinch does feel good. Something about a doublestack auto just alaays left me unwilling to add a B.U.G. to my wardrobe.

7) OWB carry is much more viable. I can utilize a comfotable and out of the way pancake holster and still reasonably conceal it by untucking my shirt when needed. My autos always left a decided lump.

8) Comfort. My 2" Model 10 is comfier AIWB than most any auto. My 4" is on par while more concealable. A K-frame snub backed up by a lightweight pocket revolver and reload for the K is all more comfortable on an active day than just a compact doublestack auto like a G19/USPc/PX4c.

9) As for magazines - I hate vetting, tracking, cleaning, storing spares of, vetting those spares, and segregating range units. I also hate paying for them.

10) I'm falling out of love with the five-shot .38 snub. Ruger keeping thirty-two caliber on life support, the resurgence of the quality rimfire snub, and my personal experience with the almost if not quite as concealable yet much more shootable K-frame snub on the belt leave me cold.

11) Carry ammo. Run a box to make sure the C.O.A.L. is good to go, primers pop, it regulates to sights, recoil is livable, bullets don't jump crimp, and extraction isn't sticky. Carry on with life. Versus buy a batch to try, order a bunch to properly vet if that looks promising, and remember to give all of my cary mags a few go-rounds to be sure with all the ensuing magazine tracking and documentation. That's a lot of time, money, and effort. In times such as these, being able to be flexible in load and able to test even if all I can score is a couple boxes is nice.

Will I stick with round guns? Don't know but have a hunch that I might drop LEM, bypass DA/SA, and opt for DAO if I return to autos. Should someone else tote a revolver? Absolutely not my call nor is it even so much as an opinion to which I'd be entitled. Am I starting to think that people, myself very much included, might put too much weight on capacity and speed of reloads versus the mountain of other things both administrative and practical that come with carrying a gun every day? Yes though that isn't explicitly a revolver vs. auto thing. And I just noticed that all of my points relate to finding a wheelgun easier to live with than a bottom feeder.

Thanks again for this series. It's really helpful.

SCCY Marshal:

Thanks for pointing out the typographical error in the title. I will ask the moderators to allow me to edit it for better clarity.

As to the body of your reply, those are some great points. Concerning Number 10, I often wished S&W would make a scandium framed K frame six shot revolver at least in 38 Special +P, if not 357 magnum with two and three inch pencil style barrel options and with no damn lock. As much as I admire my J frame, there is no denying that K frames are easier to shoot. I once acquired a mint S&W Model 12-3 and ...sold it. Its one of the few guns I would like to have back. It would be a great carry a lot and shoot a little gun that would reside in a coat pocket or possibly a trouser pocket. I believe Wayne Dobbs and Dagga Boy both suggested to Colt that they produce the new Cobra with an alloy frame version. That is a great idea. If they did, I would probably own one.

I am glad you liked this series. Thanks for the kind words.

Bruce

[Bruce Cartwright]

Folks:

Thanks to one of our moderators, Hizzie, for fixing my typographical error. I appreciate it.

Bruce

[03RN]

Could we get a I-VI in a sticky?

[Bruce Cartwright]

Could we get a I-VI in a sticky?

03RN;

Still being new to all of the internet/social media stuff, I am not sure how you would go about doing that. Probably ask a moderator.

Thank you for compliment. I m glad the posts are of value.

Bruce

[Dave T]

I have some hopes for the new Taurus 6-shot 856 with a 3" barrel. Yea, I know, it's a Taurus. But the 2" versions seem to be well received and this is about the size of the old D-frame Colt, it doesn't have a stupid lock in the side of the frame, and it's supposed to be offered in several finishes, including an ultra-light version with an alloy frame.

I don't see Ruger making a 6-shot LCR, and S&W can't get past the idiot lock or their bad habit of discontinuing guns that people actually want (like the Night Guards). Expecting them to innovate and come out with a K-frame like Bruce described is probably only wishful thinking.

Dave

[OlongJohnson]

Ammunition: As a young shooter and reloader, I was always looking to save money or make my reloading funds go “further”. This lead me to cast bullets. I still cast bullets to this day when I get a chance. That said, I have found that lead bullets have two significant downsides. One despite my best efforts they lead up the gun and get things very dirty, very quickly. Secondly, I find that the smoke from lead bullets tends to obscure targets when I am running a revolver fast. My solution is to go with plated bullets. They allow longer shooting sessions and don’t gum up the guns nearly as quickly. I am going to experiment with the new polymer coating on cast bullets.

My Match Champion's chamber throats will take a .3585 ZZ- gage pin. It leaded badly with .357 swaged wadcutters. My understanding is that the diameter mismatch is the problem. The bullets should be a slip fit, the same diameter as the throats, to avoid leading. Then, ideally, the throats and bullets will be ~0.001 in. larger than the groove diameter of the bore, also to avoid leading with cast bullets. So you work backward from the groove diameter to the throat diameter to the bullet diameter. Or you shoot plated or jacketed, which is what I also do.