S333 Thunderstruck Gen 2

[Alte Schule]

From the Firearmblog:


'The two main differences of the Standard Manufacturing S333 Thunderstruck Gen 2 revolver over the first generation gun are the improved trigger pull and the longer barrels that protrude from the frame of the Gen 2 revolver. The longer barrels will of course slightly increase the muzzle velocity and are also advertised to improve the accuracy. Talking about the accuracy, almost like in the case of side by side double rifles, there are certain loads that this gun is regulated with and recommended to be used with. Particularly, CCI Maxi Mag 40 grain, Maxi Mag 40 grain HP, and PMC Predator 40 grain loads. The company notes that “there are large quality control issues with some ammo that cause issues with this gun”. They also recommend alternating normal bulleted and birdshot ammunition in the cylinder so that “each pull of the trigger will deliver an incredible combination of firepower and very light recoil”.

The S333 Thunderstruck Gen 2 features steel barrels and cylinder, aluminum frame and polymer grip. This is a double action only revolver with this enormously large trigger that is meant to be pulled with two fingers. Despite lacking a full trigger guard, this revolver is advertised to be an extremely safe gun because of the articulated safety lever built into the trigger that ensures the trigger can’t be pulled if its end snags on something. The overall weight of this revolver is 18 oz."

Original article: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2021/02/16/standard-manufacturing-s333-thunderstruck-gen-2/

Innovative? To be sure. The manufacturer admitting that “that there are large quality control issues with some ammo” and that you should alternate regular ammo with birdshot rounds for reduced recoil should raise some eyebrows. There were also reports of the first generation had keyhole issues that reportedly were corrected with this model.

There must be a niche market for this firearm. No appeal for me though other than wanting to give it a run.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I appreciate innovation. Birdshot and a bullet on each pull is a neat option. Not for me, but I do like it in its own way.

 

[Pat Riot]

It’s an oddball gun to me, but every one my LGS gets sells pretty quickly. I do wonder if that would be the case in normal times...if those will ever exist again.

A few of the guys at my LGS all bought one after shooting them. I think because of the novelty.

 

[TTv2]

The longer barrels may help with stabilizing the bullets to prevent keyholing, but time will tell with that. Hiding behind "poor quality ammo" tho is not inspiring me with confidence. I have been a vocal critic of .22 Magnum in a handgun with most of my criticism of the issues with duds, but not with accuracy. I will give Standard Manufacturing some slack, but I wouldn't be promoting specific CCI and PMC .22 Mag ammo because there's nothing about those choices that make them inherently better just because that's the stuff they use at the factory to test. It could be that Hornady or Speer or Winchester or whatever other .22 Mag ammo may shoot better, but using the excuse of "we don't recommend THAT ammo" is a cop out.

I still would not recommend this gun, not just for the issues the first one had, but also because Standard Mfg's customer service is among the worst in the industry. There are a lot of very disappointed owners of the first gen S333 and how did Standard rectify their disappointment? They release a new gun for them to spend more money on.

Standard Manufacturing... you're no better than Springfield Armory or Rock River Arms.

 

[Jonesy814]

Would be fun to mess with but I wouldn't pay good money for one