Precision Bullseye Capable Revolvers....curious to learn about the most highly regarded.

First topic message reminder :

Trying to learn the art and skill of shooting a revolver having spent most of my years shooting semiautomatic handguns and long range rifle. A dear friend is a Naval Aviator (retired) who carried a small colt revolver with him in the service of our nation and now shoots mainly old lever action rifles and revolvers....so It's time i learned revolver. I purchased a SW 686 plus which was pretty but disappointingly assembled. One of my closest friends is a famed and brilliant gunsmith is spending a significant amount of time and effort to reconstruct and repair it. The hammer was maligned and hit the frame among other inadequacies. I don't want to state that i'd never purchase a new SW revolver and understand that perhaps this was a rare lemon.... but sadly i no longer pine for new generation SW products. 

When i was a child i vividly recall riding my bicycle on the way to the library, most days passing by a shop that displayed in the window the Dan Wesson line of revolvers, they sure looked wonderful to a 10 year old.

These experiences have led me to consider other reasonably available, accurate, SA/DA revolver options...at least academically. 

The Korth and Manurhin revolvers seem to call to me of late though prices remain beyond reach. I only today read about a new revolver out of Germany called Spohr that sounds well made. 

It seems that Taurus, while prolific, is generally not a brand that one might associate with meticulous quality. That said, their new target revolver sounds somewhat promising. 

I've never seen a Freedom Arms and rarely a Ruger revolver at our local range but i heard the former were wonderful.

Curious as to which revolvers you might dream of one day owning and shooting.

Wobbley wrote:

chiz1180 wrote:My recommendation is for bullseye use, as many bullseye shooters would be extremely frustrated and potentially irate if the guy next to them was shooting full house magnum loads. 

What really makes me irate is the guy next to me left of me doing a mag dump on an AR or AK.  Dealing with the blast from the muzzle brakes and pelted with brass!  Fun!….

Luckily those are not permitted at bullseye matches/leagues, where I do the majority of my actual shooting.

Just imagine a match with someone shooting a healthy magnum load with the loud blast and the fireball. I know of shooters who would protest the match after the first shot.

Are those tube type optics that you show on your revolvers preferable to the smaller red dots sights such as the Trijicon RMR for bullseye shooting?......I've only shot with the latter type.

Tube type optics are generally reflex optics in an enclosure.  They really are becoming anachronisms in pistol use.  Most of them are not tested for pistol applications.  That said, better makes like Aimpoint, Holosun,  Ultradot and Sig Sauer have given good service, but they’re not tested for slide mounted optics.  The open reflex like Trigicon RMR, DeltaPointbPro, Sig Sauer Romeo, Burris are tested and are designed for slide mounting.  Some will survive in a 10mm application.  Put an Aimpoint H2 on a 10mm and it won’t be useable in short order.   So enjoy your reflex sights, you’re not giving up anything really.

thank you

brand-new wrote:Are those tube type optics that you show on your revolvers preferable to the smaller red dots sights such as the Trijicon RMR for bullseye shooting?......I've only shot with the latter type.

Personally, I would say that there is no comparison.

I use Ultradots and Aimpoints, or an occasional Aimpoint clone. I have never been able to shoot with a reflex sight in comparison.

Yesterday one of the guys that shoot in my monthly match asked me if I would shoot his Marvel/Reflex sight to see if something was wrong with it, as he wasn't happy with his scores. I presently shoot a Marvel with an Ultradot on it, so the gun certainly wasn't foreign to me. When I went to shoot his, I almost gave up trying to find the dot, and when I did, I couldn't hit a darn thing with it. It was like my wobble was magnified. I let him shoot mine, and now he's going to dump the reflex and switch to an Ultradot. He couldn't believe the difference.

I had the same thing happen with a guy that shoots Steel Challenge with a revolver and reflex sight. I let him shoot my revolver with an Ultradot and he immediately switched to an Ultradot. The next time I saw him, he said it was a night and day difference in his shooting.

People tell me that you have to get used to the reflex sights. I didn't have to get used to anything when I tried a tube type sight! I just picked up the gun, and the dot was there!

Just my experience. YMMV

How many Masters or High Masters on here prefer to compete with a reflex sight over a tube type sight?

In my long career as a shooter in competitions I have had occasion to use: S&W K14-3 38 special, Manurhin M3 .32 and the CZ ZKR 551 .32
The best result at 25 meters (one hand hold) is the photo attached. CZ ZKR 551 .32

ser2711 wrote:
The best result at 25 meters (one hand hold) is the photo attached. CZ ZKR 551 .32

Stupendo!
Tantissimi auguri.

Steve B wrote:https://smith-wessonforum.com/guns-sale-trade/732247-superb-full-lug-14-6-offered-sale.html

Seems to be gone now.

Kinda looks precision here


That's offhand.  The 1955 Model lettered sent in 1957 to Hawaii. 

I have another tgt clipping the same day showing a 4 shot group just as good.  The first shot had a sight change    before those next four.

Jack H
  Those grips look interesting. Can you give some information about them?
Thanks

Steve K wrote:Jack H
  Those grips look interesting. Can you give some information about them?
Thanks

Randall Fung grips.  Randall retired.  I wonder if we could have our 3d grip maker program a copy

John H
  Thanks for the information.

I didn't have much revolver experience, but I did hear many recommendations for the 14-7 specifically for DR. So I found one, full lug, pre-lock. Loved it! Found a great recipe for it as well -- Zero bullets, Federal brass & primers, and TG powder. I learned lots of ways to screw up, and thumbing the hammer during sustained fire was frequently one of them. The secret to my eventual success was being able to shoot SA for SF, and learning to shoot DA for TF/RF. When I was not fighting my thumb, my grip, my trigger position, and my sights, the net result had a wonderfully settling effect on my brain -- and much more time for sight alignment.

Your experience may vary. Enjoy the wheel guns; they never jam.

I've had the Spohr "Standard" in 4.0 for a year now and highly recommend it.  It's sized like the SW L-frame, yet materials, tolerances, and the like are far better, particularly the action, which is radically different than SW.  The factory single action is as good as any PPC revolver I have (that still have SA).  The double action is admirable and user-adjusts nicely and easily.

While the rifling is hexagonal, it holds accuracy with both .38 and .357 in various loadings.

- R

If I may jump in with a question. If I wanted to send a Smith 14-3 for accurizing work to maximize it's potential for Bullseye / DR shooting, who would you recommend?

Huskerhunter wrote:If I may jump in with a question. If I wanted to send a Smith 14-3 for accurizing work to maximize it's potential for Bullseye / DR shooting, who would you recommend?

To add to this post, any suggestions for the build list to tune up a 14-3?

Of all the pistols I have had S&W K14, Manurhin 32 The best results I had first with CZ ZKR 551 .38 and 32. one hand hold 25 meters.