S&W 625 newbie questions

[Hawker]

I just picked up a S&W 625-2 to shoot Revolver Class. I have not gotten the other accessories I need. Any suggestions on holster... clip pouches, etc? Currently, I use a Bladetech holster for Production which I really like.

Since revolver shooting is new to me... any suggestions for a newbie wheelgunner?  Any and all comments welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Hawker

[lynn jones]

HAWKER,

I DON'AT SHOOT MUCH REVOLVER, HOWEVER, I HAVE A S&W 610. I WILL BE GETTING A CLASSIFCATION SOON.  ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RULES WHEN SHOOTING A REVOLVER, IS TO KEEP IT CLEAN BETWEEN EACH STAGE.  RUN BRUSHES THROUGH THE CHAMBERS AND BRUSH OUT THE BARREL AREA.

SAFARILAND HOLSTER IS GOOD ONE.   THE MOON CLIP CARRIERS SOLD BY DILLON ARE GREAT.  HOUGE GRIP IS NICE TO HAVE.  AND THE ED BROWN CYLINDER RELEASE IS A GOOD ADDITION.

GOOD LUCK

LYNN JONES

[spook]

Hawker, how very cool that you picked revolver as your class. It definately needs more competitors.

lynn has a good point. Keep your revolver clean between stages.

I can only say: Try as much as you can, and keep what you like.

I personally use California Competition Works clip holders (sold by Dillon, which I think are the same ones lynn adresses). They're very fast.

Get your cylinder chamfered(or do it yourself), and use round nose bullets for fast reloads. With a 625, the reloads are great.

I personally don't care about larger cylinder releases, because they can get in the way of reloads(I have large hands), but that's just my opinion.

Do you already have your trigger done?

i don't have any useful tips on holsters, as mine is home-made, but I am looking at the Hoeppner&Schoemann Speedsec. and the Rescomp CR Speed holser at the time. These seem to be the hot tickets for revolver shooting. You say you like the holster you've got. That's great. Stick to it until you feel you need to change.

So much for equipment. Now for the real stuff: PRACTICE!! That's what it all comes down to with any type of shooting, but with revolver shooting, the nice thing is that there's so little difference between live firing and dry firing. The trigger stays the same, and dry fire is great in speeding up your reloads.

Practice your reloads, until they're nice and smooth and make them at tactical positions (long runs etc.)

And oh yeah, have fun.

[Bill]

Hawker,

Most of my experience with revolver shooting is in IDPA.

I have found that jacketed bullets are MUCH cleaner. I can shoot a whole match without cleaning my chambers. My hands don't get that grey gunk on them either.

 www.moonclips.com has some moon clip holders and the shoot the moon clip holders are nice too.

I use a Blade-Tech holster & like it.

Make up some reload practice rounds with bullet only. Put a little silicone in the primer hole and use them for reload practice. Smooth is the key.

If you get a trigger job, don't get so light that some of the rounds don't go off. An extra reload is a real time waster. Use Federal primers.

Good luck. Revolvers are fun. Wait until you start beating the flatgunners.

Bill Nesbitt

[Wildman]

Definitely try the full metal jacket bullets.  They load a lot faster for me.  If they hit the rim just a little, they tend to bounce in.  I hold the cylinder tight during a reload, which helps.  The FMJ’s also help me separate revolver from “flat gun” ammo (were I use hollow points of LSWC’s).  The “Shoot-a-Moon clip holders have worked well for me, since I can hang two full-moon clips in each one for classifiers (one cartridge hung of the front left, the other off the front right).  Good Luck!

[eerw]

Hey Hawker...revolver is a lot of fun..I am just getting started too in revolver..

I am using an old Ernie Hill revolver holster I found on one of the auction sites...also the shoot the moon clip holders are good..but a another cool one is the bladetech moonclip holder..it will hold two full moon clips..you can see it at http://www.moonclips.com. A couple of guys are using them at our club..and they look pretty trick...

I am finding practice is the key..you gotta be smooth on everything..reloads, trigger work..everything...

[Hawker]

Hey..

Thanks for the excellent advice! I'm looking forward to using the 625.

Sad to say...most USPSA shooters would like to see this division go away, but they really don't know what they are missing.

You can certainly see how the stages are setup these days (and moving away from allowing the revolver to be competitive). Stage setups used to be revolver neutral (6 rds), then they went to single stack friendly (8 rds)... and now I am seeing stages built mainly for the L10 guys. Oh well... have to practice faster reloads to kick butt!

Take care.

Hawker

[Duane Thomas]

If you mean stages designed to require 10 shots from one position, that's not legal in USPSA. According to the rules, you can't have a stage requiring more than 8 shots to be fired - assuming the shooter's making all the shots - from one position.

[billboy]

I started shooting revolvers a couple of years ago to improve my shooting with my Limited gun.  I got hooked by the silly things, which I had not expected.  So be prepared to fall in love with your 625 guy!  They are addictive!!  (I still don’t know if my revolver work has helped with my 1911s because I’ve only shot one match with the Para sense I took up revolver.)  One thing the others have not mentioned that you will find is that it feels soooo darn good to beat a flat gun with these “out of date” rollers guns!  Trust me, even if the guy is two classes below you it still feel darn good.  Kind of gives you a chance to get that David complex out for a little exercise.  

I started with the California Competition Works moon clip holders.  They worked pretty well but I’ve found that I like the ones from Blade-Tech better.  My holster so far is a Safariland 002.  It works pretty well and it’s cheap.  Besides, the difference in draw times is not what wins in revolver.  But I plan on changing to something that might be a bit quicker this winter, but I just don’t know what I’m going to get yet.  I had the action tuned up on my 625 by Clarks Custom Guns.  I also chamfered the chambers my self and added a set of the Miculek grips.  I found that for me I needed to add some grip tape to these grips to get them to work.  

There are a couple of tools you should really get for playing with revolvers.  The first is a screwdriver set for your gun.  The pesky screws will back out and you will need to fix that! (Don’t ask how I learned that!)  The other tool that goes in my range bag is an ejector rod wrench.  I check to be sure the rod is tight before every match and I take the wrench with me just in case Murphy strikes.  And don’t forget the Federal primers.  With out them these guns just do not run worth a hoot.  Other then that the key is, like everyone has said, practice.  

[spook]

billboy, would you recommend the Miculek grips to people with large hands? I'don't like my Hogue monogrips. They're too "sticky". I like the looks of the Miculek grips, but they look so small. It also seems Jerry has fairly small hands himself.

Cheers

[George D]

Hawker,

I have shot revolvers for many years and have only just bought an auto. I especially like S&W N-frame revolvers. I have a M29C and a M629C (44 mag).

[On the 8th day God said : AND LET THERE BE SMITH AND WESSON N-FRAME REVOLVERS...and..er...a few other handguns as well]

A revolver is a great gun for learning basics. The long trigger ingrains the need for a smooth continuous trigger pull while keeping the sights aligned and helps avoid what Brian calls "pick" shooting - suddenly pulling the trigger when the sights look right.

I have never experienced the need to clean any part of a revolver during a match and frequently put 500-600 rounds through a revolver with no cleaning and no problems at all. I shoot LSWC only (Govt regulations in Australia) and have found the teflon coated projectiles to be very clean.

There is a bias in matches towards autos, but as more people (re)discover revolvers, that may change.

The trick with securing the screws on the sideplates is a little nail-polish; locktite will also work but it makes it too hard to get them out when you need to.

I would advise against trying to acheive too light a trigger pull as it is detrimental to reliability. If you give the gun to a pistol-smith make sure you get references for other work he has done on REVOLVERS and stress that you want a reliable gun over a super light trigger(12lb is really quite light enough).

Spook,

I have long fingers and find the Hogue grips to be too small for an N-frame and to slippery. I find that the Pachmayr Decelerator grips suit my hands. They do cover the backstrap but I need the extra in that area to overcome my finger cramping on the trigger. It also provides a little cushioning of recoil.

I'm glad to see that there are other revolver shooters on the forum. I know it was originally conceived as a forum for IPSC shooters but appears to have evolved into a "shooting" forum. It is certainly the best one I have found. Maybe there is a need here for a specialised Revolver Forum. After all there is a Tupperware Party...er..I mean Glock Forum - Just kidding guys

[shred]

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Quote: from spook on 7:52 am on Dec. 8, 2002

billboy, would you recommend the Miculek grips to people with large hands? I'don't like my Hogue monogrips. They're too "sticky".

---

Well, the Miculek grips sure aren't 'sticky'.  Jerry likes to be able to shift the gun around.  His grips are fairly thin in width, but front-to-back they're about the same as the Hogues (w/o the finger grooves)

[spook]

Thanks for the info guys, I'll look out for the pachmayrs.

Shred, I believe Jerry reloads with the gun in his left hand and has two transfers in one reload? How does he get them down to 1.4 seconds. It takes me that long just trhowing the gun from right to left hand and back . It sounds like those grips might be a little too small for my hands.

[shred]

I was squadded with Jerry at Area 4 one year.  I swear he has a 20-shot revolver and just drops an empty moon clip every so often.  I'm trying to remember his reload, but I think he stays hanging onto it with his strong hand and uses the WH for manipulation and getting the new clip.  

He did a little revolver clinic and was dropping clips into his 625 from chin height, with the revolver at his waist.  Space Alien, I tell you.

[Detlef]

spook, no, Jerry uses the traditional technique with gun remaining in shooting hand. Brian's cooperation permitting, here is a pic of him reloading at the WS.

--Detlef

[spook]

Detlef, shred,  really? Great. I always thought he used the technique I discribed. Thank God! I have been experimenting and never figured out how he could reload faster that way than the "traditional" way. I can get my reloads down to maybe a tad under 1.9 now and then on close targets, so I guess I'll have to work on it some more to get his speed (1.4sec reloads are insane)

Anyways, I'm starting to ramble. Thanks for  the info.

[Patrick Sweeney]

Given the choice, I'd go with an old 6" barrel over the heavy lug 4".  I like the "hang" of the gun, and the longer radius is faster for me.  I shot a 4" gun at the FGN because all my guns are/were ported and the 4" was all S&W had to install.  The next clean 6" barrel I find will get built up as an IPSC gun, leaving the 4" as an IDPA gun.

For USPSA/IPSC shooting Jerry does the traditional method.  For pins, he used the weak hand, as it saves a tenth or two per load.  It does so at the risk of a really badly blown reload, but on pins you need one glittering run.  In a match you need consistency.  Then again, for Jerry, simply showing up is most of it.

[Detlef]

Patrick,

I am with you. The 6" is the ticket for me, too... Much preferred over the 4" heavy...

--D.

[spook]

Thanks for that insight Patrick. Now I know where I got that reload with weak hand idea from.

[Patrick Sweeney]

I reload weak hand all the time.  I got into the habit practicing for pins, and never got out of it for IPSC or ICORE.  I like the Miuclek grip for IPSC and ICORE, but find it punishing for pins.

[spook]

Do you mean it's too hard for hard hitting pin loads, but OK for soft recoiling IPSC loads?

[Patrick Sweeney]

Correct.  I can shoot 165-175PF loads all day long, but when I load up the 210-220PF loads my hand objects.

[Hawker]

Just an update... the 625 I recently bought was returned to the seller. Since it had an action/trigger job, it was not reliable without using Federal Primers and I don't reload. So....

I purchased a new Performance Center 625 5". This is one sweet shooting gun. Very tight and accurate. (it's a bit heavy on the DA, but I'll get used to it). I'm going to really like this gun!  Anyway...the Jerry grips are way too small for my hands and I have a set of Hogue Conversion (Rubber) grips on it for right now. I still want to find the "right" grips for my large hands and it looks like I'll have to have them custom made.

Thanks to all for your feedback. It is appreciated!

Hawker

[Ron Ankeny]

Hawker:

I have been out of the revolver game for a long time so my information is dated. When I was shooting a lot I traced the outline of my hands onto a piece of paper and sent them off to Hogue. They returned a set of unfinished grips made to order that I then shaped to the final contour. I then returned the grips to Hogue and they finished them off and cut the best checkering to be found on the planet. I had two sets of N-Frame grips and three sets od K-Frame grips. That was before they used the stirrup. The N-frame grips wrapped around the frame and filled the web of my hand. One set was thin in that area and the other a bit thicker. This allowed me to use the same wrist angle and grip with a 4 inch all the way out to 8 3/8 (hunting those steel pigs and chickens)) by changing grips. Like a dummy, I sold all of the grips when I quit shooting PPC.

I don't know anything about Hogue's current operation, but it would be worth calling them to see about the custom grip route. It was worth it to me.

[jhgtyre]

Hawker,

Are you interested in getting rid of those Miculek grips?  If so e-mail me and let me know what you want for them.

Thanks,

-ld