David Sinko

Thanks. The reason I ask is I just saw one of those tactical 8 shot .357 SWAT type revolvers for sale and was thinking how nice it would be to get rid of my gamey 8 shot .38 Super and get something more powerful, versatile and useful. I couldn't tell if that gun had a ported barrel or not and it was a bit too long for my tastes. I'm not so sure I'd want a gun with that kind of barrel configuration. On the other hand, if I hang a flashlight on the end of that barrel, I don't have to worry about the magazine feeding properly, now do I?! Dave Sinko

A few questions about the new S&W two piece barrels... How easy is it to shorten these things? Will the older barrels fit the new guns? Has S&W ever offered a full lug 4" barrel for an N Frame .357 and if so does anybody know where one could be found? Dave Sinko

Speaking of a special run of the 35, my dealer told me that he recently saw a very heavily used 35 that had been marked "Israeli Special Forces" something or other. I don't know if it was genuine, faked or used in such capacity and individually marked. Since a 35 was used to win Limited, I figure Glock should do SOMETHING special to celebrate. It really is a big deal. Dave Sinko

I use the SDM version on my 625. It is the same shape as the newer S&W design, though I believe it sticks out just a bit more and the checkering is much sharper. And it's made of real steel too! I have seen the Pinnacle version and I believe it's probably the best choice for a game gun. Mark told me he designed it that way to eliminate the binding that some shooters were experiencing with the more angular Ed Brown latch. Then again, some shooters will simply weld a discarded, cut off hammer spur to an existing latch. But I think the hammer has to be made of real steel before you can do that. See how nice it is to have parts that are made of real steel? Dave Sinko

This is all very interesting. I have considered a 9mm barrel for my 35 but didn't know what to expect. Based on comments here it seems like it will work very well and I have nothing to lose by trying it. The ability to shoot 9mm would offer great flexibility and versatility. Two questions though. Do the different cartridges shoot to the same point of aim or do they vary significantly? By that I mean 180 gr. .40 vs. 115 or 124 gr. 9mm. And would such a setup be legal for Production Division? In a match I'd shoot the .40, but it's nice to know just in case. Dave Sinko

Are you left handed? Or do you use your left hand just because you're left eye dominant? I am left eye dominant but right handed, and I sight with my right eye. I don't know how other cross dominant shooters manage this, but it works quite well for me. Dave Sinko

There are STILL some published loads with reduced charges of Winchester 296. Years ago when I first started reloading for the .45 Colt I used some of these reduced loads in a Ruger Blackhawk and S&W 25-7. I experienced very erratic performance and stuck a few bullets in the barrels but I never blew up any of my guns. It is clear to me that sometimes reduced loads are more dangerous than heavy loads, though I refuse to believe that a reduced load alone is capable of blowing up any gun. Dave Sinko

Taylor throating is a procedure in which the barrel is removed and freebore is cut just ahead of the forcing cone to allow the bullet to completely enter the barrel before it engages the rifling and starts spinning. This is supposed to allow guns with misaligned cylinders achieve better accuracy since the bullets will theoretically be deformed less. The purpose is to improve accuracy and I have no idea how it would affect velocity. Has anybody actually tried this with an old or heavily utilized gun? Dave Sinko

I find that my big fat 21 is perfectly suitable for the street. The only time I struggle with it is when attempting fast reloads and shooting one handed standards at 25 to 50 yards. While this gun is certainly not the best for winning an IPSC match I see it as the perfect semiauto for street use and the only auto I'd ever willingly carry. A full size single stack Glock .45 would compliment the lineup nicely but I wouldn't need another gun. Besides, when I go to Smyrna for vacation later this year I'll be carrying my S&W 625, like usual. Dave Sinko

As the gun is stock you will need to make sure that you are using strong ammo. If you are using good factory ammo and the problem persists, then change all the springs (including the magazine springs!) with factory strength springs. My 21 will consistently fail to extract the second from last round in all 12 of my magazines when I use light loads and I can't figure out why but this problem disappears as long as I load to at least 145 PF. My brother's old 19 has suddenly become very problematic and I suspect the magazine springs need to be replaced. If you're using a stock gun and factory ammo and suddenly have a problem then you need to replace the springs or look carefully for a broken part. And Glocks with stock barrels should go many thousands of rounds before they need any cleaning. Dave Sinko

I have found that SR7625 is very good for making .40 Major but for some reason it seems not many people use it. Also, 800X produces very low pressure but it doesn't meter worth a damn in my 550. I get dangerously inconsistent charges and I'm not about to weigh them one at a time. Dave Sinko

It all boils down to selling and keeping certain cartridges and platforms competitive. It's just too bad that the really great cartridges like the .45 ACP and 10mm (which incidentally are even more useful in REVOLVERS) are falling by the wayside and need their own special divisions to be competitive. Dave Sinko

I had both of my 5" guns (625 and Redhawk) cut back to 4" way before either of them was offered with that barrel length. My primary concern was concealed carry and they both serve that purpose very well. When I shoot USPSA with the 625 I suffer badly on the long range standards. I'm sure part of the problem is a wide front sight and the shorter sight radius. But then I hardly ever practice at 50 yards, so I guess I get what I deserve. I really do love the feel of a 4" 625 with lugged barrel. I think it's the best and most useful handgun that money can buy. If your primary concern is USPSA then you will certainly be better served with the 5" barrel, though I don't believe the inch difference in barrel length is as critical as some make it out to be. Dave Sinko

I'm sorry to say I have never had any great enthusiasm for joining ICORE. I have shot quite a few matches and even own an 8 shot .38 Super (now THAT is a gamey moonclip gun with no real world application!) but I still can't get turned on by ICORE. Game guns and 125 PF don't do anything to inspire me. Dave Sinko

Is an iron sighted lever action rifle viable for any of this stuff? The only rifles I own are a Savage 99 and a Marlin Guide Gun. I think either one of those would compliment my 625 quite nicely. The Puma... that's also a lever action, isn't it? Somebody needs to make a short lever gun in .500 S&W. It's a ridiculous revolver cartridge, but it would be great in a lever action. Dave Sinko

I can never understand why people Loc-tite a strain screw. Every now and again you need take the gun apart and the Loc-tite just complicates things. I have a set screw in my 625 because it always shot loose. It doesn't shoot loose anymore. Determine your strain screw length, turn it all the way in and then install a set screw. Or have somebody else install one. That seems to me the best way. Dave Sinko

I must confess to a severe Taylor Dayne obsession. During the last 11 years I have listened to her sing for over 2000 hours while long distance running. Hell, I don't think I've listened to my WIFE for 2000 hours! You psychiatrists out there, please advise on this... Dave Sinko

Now that's an interesting concept! And here are a couple more suggestions... Allow 9mm and .40 to load to major, since apparently it can be done safely and allow only 6+0 in the gun at any time so that the revolver shooters are not disadvantaged. There is no such thing as a "Division" and everybody really does compete on equal terms. Sound good? Dave Sinko

I would really like to do the Summer Blast but I don't think it will be possible this year. Looks like I'll be on a family trip to Smyrna, GA, the land of Glock, to see a brother in law. I don't think I'll be able to manage any big USPSA matches this year, only the local ones. IDPA will be much more reasonable since I'll have both a state championship and the Nationals within 35 minutes of me. Shift work creates too many scheduling conflicts. But I will shoot the IDPA matches with a revolver. And when I go to Smyrna I always carry my 625 concealed. The only time I take a Glock with me is when I have to drop it off for repair. Dave Sinko

I do not believe that IDPA gear is "non-competitive" in USPSA. My 4" 625 in Blade-Tech holster gives up nothing to a 5" gun in a race "holder." Any ineptitude on my part can generally be attributed to my not practicing enough 25 and 50 yard standards and NOT my barrel length or how the gun is held on my hip. In Revolver Division, I would never say that X or Y beat me because he has "better" equipment. Dave Sinko

Bowen made the moonclipped .25 ACP of his own accord, "just because." He made a few goofy things like that back when he had the time. I have been trying real hard to get him to make a six shot cylinder for a Redhawk in .45 Winchester Magnum, using conventional moonclips and Starline brass. Starline brass works just fine (I have tried it) and the conversion would also fire .460 Rowland, .451 Detonics, .45 Super, .45 ACP and .45 GAP. Bowen is not interested and does not see the utility in such a thing. I was shocked and dismayed, considering his venture into the .25 ACP. He can certainly make one, but I don't have the dollars to put forth to entice him to make the very FIRST one. If anybody out there does make a .45 Winchester Magnum conversion cylinder for a .45 Colt Redhawk, I'd really like to know about it. And I have heard that there is at least one 10 shot .32 revolver out there in use at ICORE matches. Anybody know anything about that or who makes it? Oh, and while we're talking about books, another good one is Unrepentant Sinner, by Charles Askins Jr. He preferred Colt revolvers and there isn't much technical info on revolvers, but that book is certainly worth the money if you can find it. He also wrote a lot of magazine articles but I have never seen any of those. Anybody know how or where to find those? Dave Sinko

I was competing in an IDPA match in the days of 125 PF in the 625 and heard what I thought was a click. The SO heard what he said was the primer pop but could not stop me in time. I remember firing the next round normally and the bullet (or possibly two of them) going into the head exactly where I had aimed. I never heard the "pop" and thought I had a misfire. So either the bullet was stuck somewhere in the barrel and was shot out with the next one or else it had just barely made it out of the muzzle. There was no way for me to know. I would expect that if there were barely enough powder in the case to get the bullet out of the barrel, then I would've heard at least some kind of report. Does anybody remember the "official" version of the death of Brandon Lee? I believe the story is that a primer alone generated the force to lodge a jacketed bullet in the barrel deep enough to clear the cylinder gap, which was followed with a blank that subsequently launched the squib bullet that killed him. Sorry if this has already been discussed at length or if this is not the proper place, but it is relevant and important. Dave Sinko

Nobody likes to talk to me so I don't have this... uh... "problem." Not being important has its advantages. As for people standing around and talking to thin air, I see that every day at work and am quite conditioned to it by now. I have never been too concerned about what kind of cell phone I use or what kind of ring tone it has or how it dangles from my belt. When I go out the most important piece of equipment on my belt is my revolver, and I figure if I need to use it in an emergency I'll get all the attention I need. Dave Sinko

This is all very depressing. My beloved 625 was starting to give me trouble with the rare "skipping chamber" immediately after the speed reload, or so I thought. Now that I have stopped shooting my Glock for the time being, I have been unable to duplicate that problem. Maybe the 625 was trying to tell me something? In any event, it makes me want to learn to fix my own guns. Dave Sinko

The most amazing thing about McGivern is that his one-handed bullseye stance flies in the face of "The Modern Technique." He didn't need two hands for either speed or accuracy. We have all these books written by GM 1911 shooters who use very light-triggered guns, but has anybody ever really compared the reasons why somebody managing a heavy DA trigger would use only one hand while those using such a short, light trigger use two? McGivern hints at the reasons for this, but I don't think he ever imagined that two handed shooting would be the norm decades after his death. If somebody wrote a comprehensive book on this subject, I'd like to know. Another good book is Hamilton Bowen's "The Custom Revolver." He works mostly on Ruger revolvers, but he also does magnificent work on S&W revolvers. Since I own a piece of his work, I can speak firsthand of his knowledge and abilities. Any man who can take a J Frame and convert it to .25 ACP using full moonclips really is a master of the art. Dave Sinko