Dirty Dave

It seems to me that S&W has reduced the radius of the lead-in (not necessarily the depth) too much. In the photo I posted of the 627 it doesn't appear the stop rides down in the cut at all, but only along its forward edge. I'm thinking about looking up my local "gun plumber" and seeing if he can recut the lead-in (with a mill, I guess) to match the old style. I believe that would make a big difference. I had this problem last year with a 625. In that case, among other things, the stop was rather rounded on its forward edge. I got a replacement which happened to drop in nicely and worked for a few hundred rounds. Then it turned out the new stop was so sharp that, as it bounced along the cylinder, it was gouging out bits of metal, leaving a line of pits.

My IDPA Model 67 just started skipping. I don't think you can blame the massive cylinder on a K-frame for that. My vintage Model 13 has fired a lot more rounds with no trouble. I've attached a comparison photo--see if you can spot the difference. Second photo--a modern 627 and a Model 520 circa 19821978.

That's way back in the day. I met Mike Henry in the early '80s (maybe earlier) and he'd already switched to autos then. I mention it because I think that far back he might have used Dade loaders, which had really bad clearance. Forget the grips, they had trouble clearing the frame. Cutting them down wouldn't be as outre as it sounds.

They're rather nice looking specially made two-piece laminated wood jobs. The speedloader relief is shaped a lot like a Hogue's but not cut as low, which seems to be the problem. It's not so tight that it can't be done, but there's definite interference. I haven't shot the thing yet--just playing with it while I wait for a holster.

Why does the grip on the 686 SSR--which actually has the letters "SSR" carved into the side--have inadequate speedloader clearance?