The Best Handgun Ever Made!

Super Sneaky Steve said:
Bob Munden can hit a balloon at 200 yards with a trench sights on a J frame. Three times in a row. If you can't that's on you. Don't blame the gun. The sights on The Best Handgun Ever are actually really good for accuracy.
https://youtu.be/Tied-t1fFsk
Click to expand...

I shoot revolvers out to 100 yards on a regular basis... That doesn’t change the fact those sights are terrible. Give any new shooter that gun and a 6” 686 and their group size will be twice as big with the 242. There are many more new shooters vs people with Bob Munson levels of skill.

If that model is so great why’d they sell it for such a short period of time? Too much demand???

I hope the gun works out well for you but it seems like you’re just trying to justify the purchase with outrageous claims and not much experience.
 
S&W model 14
Click to expand...

Good choice, rickmelear, I have a couple of them myself and really like them. But don't you know that you need a "teenie weenie screw driver" to move those fragile parts around?

Don
 
Whew...lotta heat in this discussion...but the OP's premise, loudly voiced, is that his choice of a snub-nosed revolver with a hog wallow rear sight is the be-all & end-all doesn't hold up.

Deer at ~100 yds...probably a scoped, long bbl'd revolver of proven accuracy makes more sense.

Binking cans off the berm from 50 yds, maybe a standard duty sized revolver with adj. sights so it's pointing where you and your loads are looking.

Targets at 25 & 50 yds...a good target sighted name brand revolver of proven accuracy...

Serious social encounters at bad breath distances because you'd forgotten to pay attention to your surroundings and lost your sanity when you stopped for milk in the bad side of town...MAYBE a fixed sight gun of substantial caliber. But that feather weight cannon, so comfortable on the pants belt, will be a super-snarky-handful for any 2nd shots.

All are personal choices which can and should be made; determined by the needs of the shooter and his targets. But to pick one underweight for caliber revolver with non-adj. sights as a universal panacea is ludicrous.

Glad he likes the gun...but I predict it won't get much range time with substantial, read SD loads, because of the light weight/heavy recoil, and that it'll fade from regular use.

YMMv, Rod, PS: forced to pick one revolver for all uses, I agree with 44 AMP, it'll never have a 2.5" bbl. My choice for this ridiculous scenario is a 4" bbl'd, M66 Smith: SS construction for weather, superb accuracy WITH ADJ. SIGHTS for load adjustments, enough weight to absorb recoil but not so much to deter daily carry, and a DA trigger that's the industry standard short of a custom gun. And I'll carry it OWB and dress around the gun for CC use...flame on brothers! Rod
 
Last edited:
Seems to me that a gun that big negates carrying it in a manner that makes a concealed hammer much of a benefit.

Also, it should be a .357. Even if your going to carry .38s most of the time, the ability to shoot magnums seems more beneficial than 1/8" of saved cylinder length. I'd pass it up for a nice 3" or 4" model 66.
 
Super Sneaky Steve said:
Bob Munden can hit a balloon at 200 yards with a trench sights on a J frame. Three times in a row. If you can't that's on you. Don't blame the gun. The sights on The Best Handgun Ever are actually really good for accuracy.
https://youtu.be/Tied-t1fFsk
Click to expand...

Munden does not have to hit the balloon itself at that range. All you have to do is hit the plate behind it (which is much larger than the balloon) and the bullet fragments break the balloon.

Jerry does it greater distance, and you can see the bullet does not hit the balloon, just the steel plate.
'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk4RPsn8Zfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ3XwizTqDw
 
rodfac in his post alluded to something that hasn't really been discussed: "...revolver with adj. sights so it's pointing where you and your loads are looking". With adjustable sights you can use the bullet weight/load that you want, and adjust the sights to match your POI. With what Steve calls "trench sights", POI will tell you what bullet weight/load will be closest to your POA. Simply no way a 110 - 125gr bullet and a 158gr bullet will have the same POI in relation to your POA.

Don
 
Even if your going to carry .38s most of the time, the ability to shoot magnums seems more beneficial than 1/8" of saved cylinder length.
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, there isn't 1/8" difference in the cylinder length. Checked the books giving S&W cylinder lengths, and looking at several J and K frame models, the difference in the length of the .357 and .38 cylinders is only 0.03" for some models and 0.07" for some others. SO, at best the most difference in cylinder length is just over half of an eighth of an inch (.07") not 1/8" (.125")

Where most people come up with the "1/8" difference is looking at the case length specs where the .357 is 0.135" (just over 1/8") longer than the .38 special CASE.

What they don't do as often is look at the difference in length of the LOADED ROUNDS. Max loaded length specs show a difference of 0.04" between the two. .357 is longer, sure, but NOT .135" as a loaded round, only .04" longer than the loaded .38 Spl.

I fully agree that getting a gun chambered in .357 over .38 is the preferred option, just wanted to be clear that you aren't "saving" 1/8" going to a .38 Spl.
 
I carried a gun that looks just like it for years. S&W Airweight Centennial M296. Only five shots... but in .44 Special. With the CorBon DPX 200 grain Barnes bullet load... it worked.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I took her for a spin this morning. My standard load of a 165 flat nose cast bullet over a sprinkle of Bullseye shot point of aim. Hardness is 8brn.

It's more snappy than you might expect. This is no 686+. I'm very pleased with the accuracy and will carry those cast loads.
 
Super Sneaky Steve said:
I'm not going to any war, but I'm also not applying to be an immigration officer that can open carry on a big fat batman belt.

I carry concealed so having a snag free weapon that is good at self-defense ranges is key. It's impossible to snag trench sights on a shirt. Not so hard with higher profile blocky adjustable sights especially in a panic when your draw may not be perfect.
Click to expand...
I carry a S&W 638 when I carry a revolver. I don't care that it's a J frame. I like the shrouded hammer, but also the ability to cock or decock with the just visible one this comes with. In case 5 rounds won't cover it, I also carry a speed loader.
I do shoot double action 99% of the time. I learned it that way, shot PPC that way, and have no trouble.
 
Hawg said:
I don't do double action. If I can't cock a hammer I don't want it.
Click to expand...
No DA shooting at all for me either. I like light triggers. The best gun FOR ME is the one I carry every day, from pajamas-off until pajamas-on. It's a 5" S&W 629 "Classic" (full underlug) .44mag, loaded (always) with 240gr JHP Underwoods. I put in an 11 lb rebound spring to get me the lightest possible SA trigger ... measures about 3 lb on my gauge. I shoot that gun more accurately than I shoot anything else. I carry it in a homemade under-the-shirt vertical cloth shoulder holster. Comfortable and well-concealed. Only downside is a very slow draw ... but much faster than if I left my gun at home. I just have to see the bad guys before they see me ... that's a work in progress.
 
Given it is 2020, I'll forgive all the previous posters for their clouded thinking. :D. I do love the older S&W K, L and N frames, but...
THE best handgun, the absolute top quality, best handling handgun, fastest first shot on the draw, is the Colt Peacemaker 4.75" in .45 LONG Colt.
Ok, now we can close the thread. ;)
 
THE best handgun, the absolute top quality, best handling handgun, fastest first shot on the draw, is the Colt Peacemaker 4.75" in .45 LONG Colt.
Click to expand...

I read this all the time but don't believe it, unless you're Bob Munden (rest his soul) or Thell Reed. I participated in and watched way too many people in CAS matches shooting single action revolvers, mostly clones or copies of the venerable Colt, to believe the first shot from a SA revolver is all that fast. I've also participated in practical pistol competition and most of the competitors there can get off one shot faster than most of the CAS shooters I've seen. I'm talking about regular folks, not super stars of the shooting world.

And I say this as a real single action revolver fan. I own a bunch and have for over 53 years.

Dave

Dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top