I've been looking for a snubby for some time to complete my revolver collection. This nice little 37 fell into my lap a couple of days ago. For some reason there has been a wave of pre-lock NIB snubbies on the market. I don't know why, but then again I'm not about to question such wonderful things. So on to the good stuff.
I was debating about picking up one of the new scandium snubbies, but there were a couple things stopping me. First, and most obvious was the lock. Out of the several revolvers I own, only one has the lock. It pains me to keep it in the collection, but its one of those things that I'd kick myself for if I sold it. Second, the price. I can justify close to $700 for a sig or an HK, or any other pistol that I'm going to run a bajillion rounds through, but that price is awfully hefty for a 5 shot snubby. Third is fit and finish. While the new scandium pieces are literally as light as a feather, they just dont feel right. The trigger is gritty as is the cylinder, and it just doesn't look as polished as a $700 revolver should be.
Enter the 37 airweight, everything a snub should aspire to be. The finish is matte black and non-reflective, and beautifully done. No scratches, tool marks, or uneven application. As I mentioned before there are no suspicious looking holes planted in the side of the revolver per Queen Hillary's specifications. The trigger is nice in single action as expected, but very very smooth and surprisingly light in double action. And the best part... the firing pin is located where it should be... on the hammer.
While not as light as the newer wondermetal revolvers, at 15oz, this pistol could definately get lost in a pocket. And while it doesn't seem like much, the extra 3oz seem to make a difference as shooting this revolver was a pleasure. Just enought heft to make it comfortable to shoot, but lite enough to disappear when carried. Finish it off with a set of low profile boot grips and you have (in my humble opinion) the perfect carry piece. And now to the shooting.
It was raining on and off today so I only had a chance to run through about half a box of S&B. The sights took the first couple of rounds to get used to as the front blade is relatively high while the rear is simply a notch in the top of the frame. Once I figured out the sight picture, the rest of the rounds went nicely into about a 3"-4" group at about 15yds. No malfunctions, and everything worked smooth as glass. I had prepared myself for some handjarring recoil, but to my surprise it was not bad at all. Much less muzzle flip than I expected and reacquisition of the target was excellent for this type of weapon. I understand that recoil is completely subjective, so I say this with the caveat that I am hardly, if ever, bothered by recoil, but it would not be uncomfortable at all to spend an afternoon at the range with this pistol.
As we speak, this pocket rocket is sitting on the dresser in a custom holster with a bianchi speed strip dying to be carried. I highly recommend that any of you folks looking for a snubnose revolver take a long look at these model 37's. They are of noticeably higher quality than what S&W is currently putting out, and for just under $400 out the door, they are a super bargain.
S2
I was debating about picking up one of the new scandium snubbies, but there were a couple things stopping me. First, and most obvious was the lock. Out of the several revolvers I own, only one has the lock. It pains me to keep it in the collection, but its one of those things that I'd kick myself for if I sold it. Second, the price. I can justify close to $700 for a sig or an HK, or any other pistol that I'm going to run a bajillion rounds through, but that price is awfully hefty for a 5 shot snubby. Third is fit and finish. While the new scandium pieces are literally as light as a feather, they just dont feel right. The trigger is gritty as is the cylinder, and it just doesn't look as polished as a $700 revolver should be.
Enter the 37 airweight, everything a snub should aspire to be. The finish is matte black and non-reflective, and beautifully done. No scratches, tool marks, or uneven application. As I mentioned before there are no suspicious looking holes planted in the side of the revolver per Queen Hillary's specifications. The trigger is nice in single action as expected, but very very smooth and surprisingly light in double action. And the best part... the firing pin is located where it should be... on the hammer.
While not as light as the newer wondermetal revolvers, at 15oz, this pistol could definately get lost in a pocket. And while it doesn't seem like much, the extra 3oz seem to make a difference as shooting this revolver was a pleasure. Just enought heft to make it comfortable to shoot, but lite enough to disappear when carried. Finish it off with a set of low profile boot grips and you have (in my humble opinion) the perfect carry piece. And now to the shooting.
It was raining on and off today so I only had a chance to run through about half a box of S&B. The sights took the first couple of rounds to get used to as the front blade is relatively high while the rear is simply a notch in the top of the frame. Once I figured out the sight picture, the rest of the rounds went nicely into about a 3"-4" group at about 15yds. No malfunctions, and everything worked smooth as glass. I had prepared myself for some handjarring recoil, but to my surprise it was not bad at all. Much less muzzle flip than I expected and reacquisition of the target was excellent for this type of weapon. I understand that recoil is completely subjective, so I say this with the caveat that I am hardly, if ever, bothered by recoil, but it would not be uncomfortable at all to spend an afternoon at the range with this pistol.
As we speak, this pocket rocket is sitting on the dresser in a custom holster with a bianchi speed strip dying to be carried. I highly recommend that any of you folks looking for a snubnose revolver take a long look at these model 37's. They are of noticeably higher quality than what S&W is currently putting out, and for just under $400 out the door, they are a super bargain.
S2
