CF revolver for SC

[Squirrel45]

Hi Everyone, 

 

Thinking about a 627 2 5/8" barrel. Or a TRR8. This would be just used for steel challenge only, 38short or 38spl.  Would like to try something lighter I think. What do you guys think

 

Thanks 

Squirrel

[Dr. Phil]

2 5/8"? On the 10" @ 18 yd and the 35 yd targets it would be fun for awhile.  Probably not the best platform for efficiency though.

The TRR8 I had was a great gun! Light (too light for me) and quick mover. If that's what you have, run it. Fun division.

I ended up selling mine and switching to a 929. I shoot all my guns with dots but the iron sight guys are fast too.

Edited October 4, 2021 by Dr. Phil

[AzShooter]

I'm with Dr. Phil. 2 5/8 seems rather short given the distance shots for Steel Challenge.  I've run it with 4 inch and 6 inch guns and did o.k.  My best time was with a 625 6 shot.  I never seemed to miss with that gun. It had a 5 inch barrel with a gold bead front sight.

 

[revolver45]

8 hours ago, Squirrel45 said:

Hi Everyone, 

 

Thinking about a 627 2 5/8" barrel. Or a TRR8. This would be just used for steel challenge only, 38short or 38spl.  Would like to try something lighter I think. What do you guys think

 

Thanks 

Squirrel

Because reloads are not in play in SC, the 38 Special offers a lot more choices, and are more accurate. Short Colts are limited on loading information and they create more bullet jump into the forcing cone due to their shorter length. 

[bigdawgbeav]

or if you are interested in 9mm I have a 986 7-shot for sale in the classifieds...

[zzt]

Every CF revolver user I shoot with uses an 8 round 9mm gun.  Most are tricked out.  They also use mouse fart loads.  38s cases are too long for good mouse fart loads.  Where are you going to find 38 short cases?  

[AzShooter]

38 short can be found at Starline.

 

[Squirrel45]

I know this is a " it's your choice" but is it real critical to have an 8 shot ? Also would anyone have any experience with the trr8, reading posts they seem to have some longevity issues? Or would this be under full mag loads 

 

 

Thanks!

[revolver45]

21 minutes ago, Squirrel45 said:

I know this is a " it's your choice" but is it real critical to have an 8 shot ? Also would anyone have any experience with the trr8, reading posts they seem to have some longevity issues? Or would this be under full mag loads 

 

 

Thanks!

Your request was to use it for Steel Challenge.  I would think 8 is better that 6 or 7 when the buzzer goes off. Just my opinion, but at the recent ICORE Championship in LA, we had a discussion about this and they all pretty much said,  the more the better.  

[zzt]

6 hours ago, AzShooter said:

38 short can be found at Starline.

 

 

Yes, and you'll pay a lot for them. 9mm is free.

[zzt]

1 hour ago, Squirrel45 said:

I know this is a " it's your choice" but is it real critical to have an 8 shot ?

 

Yes.  All of the revo shooters I run count their shots.  When down to one left they go for the stop plate no matter how many misses they had.

[Squirrel45]

Makes sense, I have a V Comp and 929 that are 8 shooters, just the weight is killer. Feels like swinging a hammer out in front of me. I use the V Comp for a heavy pin gun great for that and the 929 for limited ICORE. Really would like to try steel challange with an open revolver, just something that is not nearing 50oz. This is why I was thinking of the trr8, and using specials or shorts, maybe im going down the wrong rabbit hole here. 

 

thanks 

Squirrel 

[revolver45]

13 minutes ago, Squirrel45 said:

Makes sense, I have a V Comp and 929 that are 8 shooters, just the weight is killer. Feels like swinging a hammer out in front of me. I use the V Comp for a heavy pin gun great for that and the 929 for limited ICORE. Really would like to try steel challange with an open revolver, just something that is not nearing 50oz. This is why I was thinking of the trr8, and using specials or shorts, maybe im going down the wrong rabbit hole here. 

 

thanks 

Squirrel 

I just had TK Custom lighten my 929. They took over 8oz off the total weight. A little expensive,  but it's what I wanted and they did a nice job. 

[pete627]

I have shot a 5 inch 627 in SC and it works just fine. In fact .. that is the only gun I have qualified for in SC (iron sight revolver).

Having 5 moon clip holders on the font of my belt makes the whole setup work just fine for SC. 

I have been shooting short colts but as someone mentioned ... reloading isn't going to happen so using regular 38s in "loose" clips would be just fine (then you could reload the clips by hand during a match if you wanted).

I am a cowboy shooter too and "do" have some low pf 38s already loaded so I might just try that next time (instead of using the "good stuff/match ammo" for SC).  

[Thomas H]

13 hours ago, Squirrel45 said:

Makes sense, I have a V Comp and 929 that are 8 shooters, just the weight is killer. Feels like swinging a hammer out in front of me. I use the V Comp for a heavy pin gun great for that and the 929 for limited ICORE. Really would like to try steel challange with an open revolver, just something that is not nearing 50oz. This is why I was thinking of the trr8, and using specials or shorts, maybe im going down the wrong rabbit hole here. 

 

 

Speaking as someone who ISN'T normally a revolver shooter, but managed to make GM in ISR with a 929---it isn't hard, as long as someone with decent skill makes the trigger smooth.  I don't find it too heavy to swing around at all (my peak time on Smoke & Hope with it is 9.65, as a speed data point) and with minor power loads it barely recoils at all.  Easy to be quick and accurate with it.

 

As people have pointed out, having 8 shots is....helpful.  I can't tell you exactly how many times on stages like Pendulum, Speed Option (stupid plate 2!), or Outer Limits having an 8th shot has saved me a reload---but I know it has happened.  Initially, quite a lot. 

 

So....a 7-shot is fine.  6-shot revos are fine, too.  But...8-shot revos will probably save you a LOT of reloads, and therefore a lot of time.

 

Nothing wrong with .38sp or .38 short colt, and the guns you asked about are perfectly fine, though I would strongly suggest a longer barrel if you are planning on using iron sights.

 

Just saying that a 929 works perfectly well. 

[Tampa-XD45]

I bought my TRR8 in 2012 for USPSA, ICORE & Steel ISR/OSR.  I also bought a 2nd cylinder and had Tom at TK Customs ream it so I can shoot 38/357 and 9mm by swapping cylinders.  Plenty of info in the BENOS revolver forum.  38 short colt is a great option for steel ... it feels like shooting a 22.  Can't go wrong with either option, there's about a 9-10 ounce different between the 627 & TRR8.

 

[GOF]

19 hours ago, zzt said:

 

Yes.  All of the revo shooters I run count their shots.  When down to one left they go for the stop plate no matter how many misses they had.

+1. A six shot is not competitive. I managed to make B Class in Steel with one, but I'm not going to get any higher. With a 6 you get one miss. Then you have to slow down for accuracy, or eat a 3+ second reload (that's a reload to a HIT... not just the time to refill the cylinder). A second miss and you're best off just getting on to the Stop plate. With an 8 shot you get 3 misses before crunch time. That lets you run a little more aggressively, especially on the first plate, where time can be made. 

As for mouse loads... consider Long Colt cases (Starline has them). Not as big a jump to the cylinder, better accuracy, less powder, etc. But, my experiments have shown me that to get a Bang/Ting... instead of a Bang-Pause-Ting, I need 720 fps. So whatever you choose, the velocity needs to be there. I got "real clever" one match and loaded up some 630 fps loads... it was hilarious!  Bang... Wait... Ting... not fun.

[zzt]

43 minutes ago, GOF said:

I need 720 fps.

 

At 89 PF with a 124gr that is a REAL mouse fart load.  Watching some of the guys I shoot with I swear I could throw a bullet downrange faster than theirs goes when shot.

[revolver45]

At our matches, some of the loads sent down range get stuck in the cardboard targets....

[GOF]

43 minutes ago, zzt said:

 

At 89 PF with a 124gr that is a REAL mouse fart load.  Watching some of the guys I shoot with I swear I could throw a bullet downrange faster than theirs goes when shot.

That 89 PF would be about 720 fps. And I can tell ya that it is a bang/ting, although I use a 158 at 720, so I get a louder "ting". Did get me to B Class with a 6 shot.

[matteekay]

23 hours ago, Squirrel45 said:

I know this is a " it's your choice" but is it real critical to have an 8 shot ? Also would anyone have any experience with the trr8, reading posts they seem to have some longevity issues? Or would this be under full mag loads 

 

 

Thanks!

 

The big concern with the Scandium-frame guns is faster wear and an increase in flame-cutting. I don't think overall wear is going to be much of an issue with baby-soft SC loads and there's a small steel shim that's fit into place above the cylinder gap that's supposed to help mitigate the latter. .

 

You answered your own question a bit. Yes, more is better, but if you prefer one of the 7-shot guns then you just accept that you're making life harder on yourself and that's that. Spoken as someone who still shoots USPSA revo-major on a regular basis, lol. One consideration you didn't mention is frame size - obviously the 8-shot guns are all N-frames. If you have shorter fingers, you might find you prefer one of the 7-shot L-frames. 

 

 

21 hours ago, zzt said:

 

Yes, and you'll pay a lot for them. 9mm is free.

 

Respectfully, I don't know a single person with a 929 who runs mixed brass. It probably matters less for SC since you don't have to reload on the clock but the 929 platform is known to be picky about brass/powder/moon combinations. Having said that, it's probably a little cheaper to buy 1k of Starline 9mm than .38SC. I've done both but it's been a while since I've had to re-stock (the joy of Starline and your mooned brass always coming home with you  ).

[Bosshoss]

19 hours ago, matteekay said:

 

 

 

One consideration you didn't mention is frame size - obviously the 8-shot guns are all N-frames. If you have shorter fingers, you might find you prefer one of the 7-shot L-frames. 

 

 

 

 

The trigger reach on S&W revolvers are controlled by the grips not the frame size. Although their are different frames like a Square or Round butt that feel different the trigger reach is same for a K,L,N,X frame.

The differences in the frame sizes are in non contact areas above and in front of the hands.

The trigger pull length is the same for K,L,N,X also and it doesn't matter if it is a 5,6,7,8,9,10 shot gun the trigger pull is the same length.

[matteekay]

11 minutes ago, Bosshoss said:

The trigger reach on S&W revolvers are controlled by the grips not the frame size. Although their are different frames like a Square or Round butt that feel different the trigger reach is same for a K,L,N,X frame.

 

 

But you still have to control and manipulate the gun, and that's where mass comes into play. Otherwise, everyone would have 10-shot X-Frames by now  .

[Dr. Phil]

I have found (for me) that the TRR8 is too light in mass for Steel Challenge. I tend to over swing on the closer/faster targets. My times were worse with the lighter gun. Too many make up shots. For USPSA it was great. I got a 929 and never looked back. The extra mass doesn't seem to slow me down and the end result is less make ups. the mass helps with the longer shots and does mitigate recoil (muzzle rise) a bit. 

I wonder at what level of performance the average shooter can really start to blame their times, etc on the few extra or fewer ounces of weight?

And there is always the aforementioned trip to TK for lightening.

I made A with a 7 shot 686 Plus. I was always surprised when I stripped my moon clips how many were empty. That is much more rare with the 8 shot.

I also use dedicated brass for mine. no range pick ups.

YMMV

[matteekay]

12 minutes ago, Dr. Phil said:

I wonder at what level of performance the average shooter can really start to blame their times, etc on the few extra or fewer ounces of weight?

 

Speaking for myself, I'll blame my shortcomings on anything I can.