686 range report
Well, I took the new beast to the club today.
First sighted in a new scope on the relatively new Marlin 39A, and experienced
a FTF problem.
Then, shot the little mule 642. Damn, regardless of what others say, that little thing [strike]may be[/strike] IS a work of art, and is what I wear around the studio (and it will be my CCW piece once I get the license), but IMO it is NOT fun to shoot. Its recoil is beyond comfortable for me, even with a set of full Hogue monogrips that replaced the stock grips.
I saved the maiden voyage with the 686 for last. And it was a pleasant ending.
First I loaded up 7 Magtech 158 gr. .38 FMC-flat. Shot them at 7 yds. Piece o' cake.
Yeah, I was all over the target, but it was the first shots, so I was fine with that.
Just taking it for a test spin, still not knowing exactly when the hammer was going to drop.
Then, I did 7 more, then 7 more.
By the end of the third set,
I was comfortable, most landing in or quite near the bullseye.
I did most of the third set in SA. Way easier.
(I really became aware of how long that DA trigger pull is. I'm still being very cautious with it.
By next trip, I think I'll be able to do the full pull more smoothly, and reach break more quickly.
This time, I was paying too much attention to aiming for bullseye, and taking too long to trigger break.)
Then, I loaded up some Rem .357 158 gr. SJHP.
I found no noticeable difference in recoil from the .38s. I was pleasantly surprised.
By that time, I was relaxing into the experience.
I guess I was expecting more of a pounding from the .357 loads.
Relative to the 642, it was very manageable, and fun.
My last set of the .357 rnds put 6 of 7 into about 3".
I thought to myself, I wouldn't want to be on the other side of the barrel of this tool.
I also acknowledged that this revolver has a lot of potential.
(I already knew that, but this experience took me to level 2.)
I considered doing another couple of sets at 25 yds, but was tired by then.
Early on in the day, I had been surrounded by .30-06 and .308 shooters, and was feeling concussed.
(The muzzle blasts were palpable.) I was also feeling a bit bummed by the 39A FTF.
So, I headed home. Enough for one day.
Next week, I'll try my hand at longer distances.
One minor problem that I hope to overcome: ejection of spend cases isn't fast and clean.
They hang in the cylinder for me. (Same with my 642.) I wind up having to pull them out with my fingers.
Is that normal? Will they just drop out easily if I hit the ejector more forcefully?
Overall, for the first time out, I'm very happy with Mr. 686.
Bigga bada boom.
Nem