more 38S&W fun

[jar]

So I had a chance to shoot some of the old 38S&Ws again, and the more I shoot these old relics, the more I like them. They certainly have different personalities and yet they also have a certain warmth that seems to be missing from some of the newest offerings out there.

The two guns that snuck into the range bag this time were the Colt Police Positive


and the Smith DA, 4th change.


They are very similar in size but worlds apart in personality.


They both simply dissappear in a pocket and feel great in hand. The trigger pull on the Smith has several distinct stops as it goes through the cycle, you can feel every single lever as they engage or disengage. The Colt feels far more modern. The trigger is as nice as on any revolver I own.

Ammo for both guns was Remington 146 gr lead. Both worked flawlessly and accuracy was acceptable. The slightly larger grip on the Colt made it far more pleasant to shoot and so it was the more accurate of the two. Actually, I would feel comfortable with either as a HD gun if nothing else was available. And the Smith flinging brass definitely garners a few stares at the range.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Fun indeedy. That Colt is a little charmer and all I've got is a brace of S&W. One of them was my grandfather and he bought it for some gang wars. By comparison, my father was a scrapper but not prepared to kill and me, well, I can kill but don't wanna. Love, peace and a fistful of magnum.

 

[Josey]

Hey They are fun! I have those same two models, a WWII Victory, a RCMP 3" M&P and am looking for more. An odd thing I found out once, Pachmayr presentation rubber grips for a S&W J square frame fit those old breaktop S&Ws just fine.

 

[Old Fuff]

Josey:

Smith & Wesson carried the .38 Double Action (top-break) grips forward to the "I" frame hand ejectors, which in turn carried forward to the first "J" frames. Later "J" frames are about 1/8" longer, but any style grip that wraps around the bottom of the frame will work on any of the above. They will also work on the .38 New Departure, which was S&W's first hammerless model. It's much easier to hold any of these revolvers with larger grips, but then of course it's harder to conceal them.