I was shooting some of my revolvers last weekend and thought some of you might be interested in a comparison. I took two mid sized wheelies, one a Colt Army Special and the other an S&W M-19. They are about the same size and weight, both have a 4" barrel and very smooth double and single action triggers.
In this picture, the Smith is on the top and the Colt on the bottom.
The Smith is a K framed 357 while the Colt is a 38 Spl. I was using 38 SWC as ammo for both.
The Smith was classic S&W. It was smooth and fast, never missed a stroke and completely faultless. The trigger was light and smooth. At 25 yards, groups were tight, a nice ragged hole with a couple nearby but not quite touching. All shots were in the black.
The Colt Army Special was made back in 1926 and was one of the last that were actually labeled as that. Colt had named it the Army Special in hope of getting the contract to supply the Army. Although the Army bought a few, the bulk of the sales were for the Smith & Wesson Military & Police. Not long after mine was made, Colt renamed it the Official Police and it stayed that way until they introduced the Python. The Python is very similar in size (uses the same grips for example).
The Colt was not quite as smooth as the Smith. The trigger is classic Colt stagie and you really need to concentrate on your follow through. Unlike the Smith's smooth single stroke, the Colt is a definite two-phase pull. Again, at 25 yards all shots were in the black but they were not grouped as tightly as with the Smith. I'm quite sure that it isn't that one is inherently more accurate than the other, but that the two trigger strokes are so different. The Colt was far harder to shoot accurately than the Smith.
In all it was a great day. I really enjoyed some of the comments from others at the range. I let several of the shoot both guns and everyone commented on how accurate they were. You have to remember though that all the others there were semi-automatic shooters and most had never shot a wheel gun before.
In this picture, the Smith is on the top and the Colt on the bottom.
The Smith is a K framed 357 while the Colt is a 38 Spl. I was using 38 SWC as ammo for both.
The Smith was classic S&W. It was smooth and fast, never missed a stroke and completely faultless. The trigger was light and smooth. At 25 yards, groups were tight, a nice ragged hole with a couple nearby but not quite touching. All shots were in the black.
The Colt Army Special was made back in 1926 and was one of the last that were actually labeled as that. Colt had named it the Army Special in hope of getting the contract to supply the Army. Although the Army bought a few, the bulk of the sales were for the Smith & Wesson Military & Police. Not long after mine was made, Colt renamed it the Official Police and it stayed that way until they introduced the Python. The Python is very similar in size (uses the same grips for example).
The Colt was not quite as smooth as the Smith. The trigger is classic Colt stagie and you really need to concentrate on your follow through. Unlike the Smith's smooth single stroke, the Colt is a definite two-phase pull. Again, at 25 yards all shots were in the black but they were not grouped as tightly as with the Smith. I'm quite sure that it isn't that one is inherently more accurate than the other, but that the two trigger strokes are so different. The Colt was far harder to shoot accurately than the Smith.
In all it was a great day. I really enjoyed some of the comments from others at the range. I let several of the shoot both guns and everyone commented on how accurate they were. You have to remember though that all the others there were semi-automatic shooters and most had never shot a wheel gun before.
