Kolchak!

 The Night Stalker!

I had never seen these shows, I love Darren McGavin, and I got the set for Christmas.

For those that don't know, Kolchak is a reporter for a small independent news service in Chicago in the early 70s.  He investigates strange phenomena.  X-Files type stuff for those of you alive in the 90s.

The first ep, from the fall of 1974, is The Ripper.  The theory is this homikidal maniac with superhuman strength terrorizing Chicago is the same Ripper from 1888 London.  

One of the guest stars is a lady-reporter, real name Beatrice Colen.  Everyone describes her as fat.  What?!  Maybe 1970s fat.  Maybe Hollywood fat.  Her face is kinda round. No she is not supermodel skinny.  But is all the fat people in 2020 looked like her we wouldn't have a fat problem.

"So where's the gun content, T-Bolt?"

I was just getting to that.  Dozens of Chicago cops are chasing the Ripper guy across 4th story rooftops.  At night in poor 1970s incandescent light.  And there is constant shooting.  Cops on the left shooting toward the right, cops on the right shooting toward left, a handful of shotguns shooting up to the rooftops.  Where are all those missed bullets going?  Chicago isn't known for hills, those .38s could sail quite a distance.  Or into fellow officers right there.  It's a madhouse.  Just dozens of bullets winging about, at a man armed with a sheathed sword cane.  

I guess people thought that normal enough in 1974.

Revolvers in Asia

My gunsmith had a load of used revolvers for sale.  He worked on some, sold others if they were decent, used them in gunsmith classes.  They were police turn ins, and only worth about 200 and some change, retail. 

Some of the turn ins were marked Hong Kong Police Department.  So I guessed that HK went all semi-auto like other Departments.  Prolly when the Brits left. 


Nope, they still use revolvers.  Maybe from the same batch.

Range 20 August

Been about a month.  Let's apply last month's lessons:

"Shoot 2.  Then wait.  2 more.  WAIT.  Final.  Don't train myself to fire to click click click click.  So, relax, and try to remember on a J-Frame that that front sight has to be nestled well in that trench and you still have to do the job with the finger.  There you go."

Ok.  J-Frame again.

Decent job.  Halfway

First was red, then yellow, then green, then 4 shots to the head purple (where was the fifth?  still in the cylinder and that is labeled #5) and the last, and best, cylinder was the blue one.  The only really marginal hit was to the left ear, dammit.

I get better with the revolver with practice.  No first shot genius here.

Revolvers

S&W makes the 'standard' of revolvers still. 

Ruger does a good job keeping them honest and making them a little bit cheaper.

There is Charter Arms, still.

Others.  Chiappa?  Taurus.

Revolvers are still around yes.  And there a people like you and me that still use them.  But is the writing on the wall?  Could they go the way of the Dodo?

I'm kinda surprised they are still going as strong as they are now.  In 2019.  If I had to guess 20 years ago how strong the revolver market would be today I wouldn't guess as strong as they are now.  So good for them. 

Smith announced they are bringing back the 648.  Which is like my 617 but for 8 instead of 10 shot, and BOOM boom boom wmr instead of lr.  Doesn't blow my skirt up but I bet it does a lotta peeps.  I hope they buy a crapton to show their appreciation.  I like that S&W bring models back like this.

What's the ultimate Smiff revolver?  The Model 66 with a 3" barrel?  Big enough AND small enough?

I love these old ads

From gun magazines in the early 60s.  It as more sophisticated and elegant time.

Damn hopheads.

July 21 Range

Five cylinders worth.

What was I thinking getting Magtech?  Remind me to lay off that brand.  It's fine, I guess.  A bit smokey. 

Ok, I've color coded.

All at 25 feet.

First cylinder, no dry fire, is Red.  Not bad.  THEN some dry fire.

I compensated for second cylinder too much:  Yellow.  A bit high. 

Green is next.  I notice I am hitting to the left.  But less high.  All three rounds were very fast shooting.  I need to not do that.  2.  Then wait.  2 more.  WAIT.  Final.  Don't train myself to fire to click click click click.

I compensated EVEN MORE for the leaning to the left and miss twice with Pink.  Boo.  Don't do that. 

So, I relax, and try to remember on a J-Frame that that front sight has to be nestled well in that trench and you still have to do the job with the finger.  There you go.  Blue. 

New camera, too. 

Never like that Galifianackis feller

Range 25 September

Let's do the revolver again.

Not perfect, but better.

Here you see 21 DA shots from a 686 6" L-Frame.  Magtexk 158 grain lead round nose. 

I called all the shots in my head except the 'oops' on the last three lower right target.  8 yards.

I KNEW the ones a bit outside the bull area were going to be a bit outside the bull area because I remembered over-thinking those shot.  I thought about the shot rather than shoot the shot.

Yes, I still favor the right half, but not exclusively.

Time to switch guns and see how I do with a J-Frame.

Also on deck, 150 more rounds in the Hudson.

By then maybe some test shots in a 1911.

So a full social calendar.

Range September 10th

All full size revolver work.  Performance the same as last time.  A miss or two at 25 yards.  A little high and right.  Got live fire training coming up on Saturday, let's see if I can improve something.  If the hurricane don't cancel it.

Three yellow 'misses' were all 25 yard body shots, though you can see I shift a bit right on the 8 yard head shots anyway.  

Range, 4 September

First, I warmed up with two 10 round magazines full of Hudson H9.  And I had the flinchies from the start.  Not gonna be my day.  Shoulda packed up and walked around the block.  AE 115 gr.  240 rounds since bought.  123 since last malfunction.

It made a line from the center straight down and then veered right.  The second mag was a bit better, but not much.

Now I was here to do revolver work.  Many reasons. 

• My revolver shooting has improved as regular pistol work has improved, despite being a totally different pull.  I want to reinforce that
• I don't practice with a revolver enough.  And since I carry with one a lot, maybe that's not a good idea.
• I don't thus practice reloading with a speed strip either, and all the reloading was done with one to make it more...  handy?  Usual?  Familiar?  Better.
• I rarely shoot out at 25 yards with a revolver.  That's a recent thing with a semi-auto for me, and I want to see if I can be as successful with a revolver's double action as I am with a semi trigger.

Not shabby.  Quality dropped off over time (not pictured).  I realized I was shooting with +P ammo.  Which is fine, but since I came there with some flinchies, +P didn't help settle me down.  Now regular .38 out of a 6 inch L-frame?  THAT feels gentle.  Next session will be more J-Frame. 

Parkland shooter's mags

So the Parkland shooter used 5-round gimped AR mags to murder 17 of his classmates?  That's a lotta reloads.  Too bad someone wasn't nearby that could punched him in the mouth during one.  Or maybe Barney Fife with his one bullet coulda shown up or sumthin.

You know what this means, right?  Maryland is going to restrict us to 4 rounders.

I'll even have to go to the police station to show I have filled one of the cylinders of my J-frame snubby so it only holds 4.  Good thing I have been practicing with a speed-strip, as working a 4 out of 5 speedloader will be problematic.

Maybe Judge Kavanaugh will tell my state to knock that civil rights violating gun-bans out.  We can only hope. 

I have never been accused

...of having small hands.  They aren't big, but they aren't stubby fingered either.

Now, I have been convinced up til now, that, idealy, when gripping a pistol you want to get the bore in line with your wrist bones and elbow.  This makes your major bones line up the gun and absorb the recoil, instead of just the wrist.

This is easy with the 1911.  For me, at least.  But try it with the old school M1917 revolver and shoot double action.  I can get enough finger onto the trigger to draw it back with confidence and alacrity.

The same with most all double stack guns.  Glock 17, darn near any SIG, what have you.  My Hudson goes out of the way to make itself as slim as possible and I still have to crank my hand around to get my fingertip on the trigger without making lots of contact on the grip and frame.

If I don't put enough fingertip pad on the trigger face I push rounds to the side.

So, in the choice between lining up with the elbow, or getting my finger in the right place, I defer to the finger.

Future tests I must try:  With all the swappable back straps going around on new pistol offereings, I think I'd like to experiment with the smaller offerings. 

I remember 1988

Happy 30th birthday to the movie that made so many people want to own a #Beretta 92
July 15 1988 was the official release date of the movie #DieHardhttps://t.co/NtS5AwQIqX pic.twitter.com/vW1BxJY50A

— BERETTA (@Beretta_USA) July 15, 2018

I wasn't so much into guns then.  And I wouldn't own a pistol for a dozen years.  Young skull-fulla-mush in college.

Despite all this youth and inexperience, and what I picked up in the Corps via osmosis, I had Distinct Opinions on what gun I wanted if I was to choose a pistol for my very own.

I'd like to think in my abject ignorance I was still semi-rational.  I'd have chosen a revolver.  Because: simple.  I knew I had zero training in automatics and there are just so many controls to keep track of in a high stress situation.  These were my thoughts.

So I did not want a Beretta back when Die Hard came out.  No offense, Beretta.  It's not you, it's me.

Readily Available

When something goes bad you have to address with what you have to hand.

"I really should have self defense ammo in this house gun for the 3AM home invasion, instead of ball ammo."

I've been thinking on this because of the video of that guy that stopped that church shooter in Texas.  He has to get his AR out of the safe.  Hearing the volume of fire he might have felt a rifle was necessary, and I agree.  You can hear the anguish in his voice that he had to dig it out of the safe.  That was precious time.

He probably had quicker access to a pistol?  His CCL weapon?  He is an NRA instructor in Texas, I bet he has that in a holster.

He also has kids to home, as the reporting mentioned a daughter, so he is thinking safe storage for sure.

Now all this got me thinking.  What is the gun/guns I have to hand?  Two revolvers, really.  A snubbie and a full sized.  J and L.  Flashlights and reloads.

Which is one of the reasons I have been looking at higher capacity 9mm pistols for a house gun.  Something that has a light rail.

But after Texas, thinking on a way to make an AR more accessible in an emergency, too. 

KB

When I first saw this, it was just stills, as I was at work and not looking at the video.  But here is the video if you are one of the 4 people that haven't seen the S&W .500 blow up yet.



From the stills, my guess was a timing issue, but he shot it single action.  Less chance for a misalign there.  After seeing the video... Maybe a squib? 

Then I watch it a few more time.  Looks like some of the top strap banananas on the far side maybe?  Now my guess is over charged reload.  Shoulda prolly been my first guess.  If anyone sees the 'why' later, I'd appreciate a point out.

There were only 5 pistols to choose from.

Before the 80s there were few pistol varieties.  Now stay with me!

If you wanted a .45, there was Colt and...  that's it.  Sure there were knockoff in Spain or whatever, but THE .45 was a Colt M1911A1

If you wanted a 9mm there was the Browning Hi-Power or that new up and comer from S&W, the model 39.  Sure there were Lugers from the war, and some other things, but those 2 were the go-to.  And Smith made various flavor with different model numbers descending down from that 39, but they don't count, do there?

If you wanted a revolver there was Smith or Colt.  Yes, buncha others, budget brands, imports, various... but the choice was really just those 2.

And there was other thing that also don't really count.  Just stuff used by questionable foppy ferreners or girls.

The 80s came and there was an explosion of 9s.  Beretta, then Glock, and whole SLEW of others, SIG, HK, and on and on and on, but before that... just those 5 handguns.  Iconic.  And you might dismiss the Model 39.



And now?  There is sorta only the one handgun.  Glock.  In 9mm.    Maybe Glocks 'and a few dinosaurs that still insist on using an M1911A1 type, but they are dying out.'

---

Yes yes, you can be pedantic and knock down my premise easily.  Hell, I can do that.  You have to squint real hard to see this train of thought the same way.  But you can tell that's a great big train rumbling by even with your eyes full closed.  And I've been desperate for blog fodder, clearly.

.600 Nitro

Revolver...

Range Day 23 March

Revolvers.

Took the 617 and 640 out for a spin.  My neck it still bothering me so I figured it's just be a few shots and done.

Well that was embarrassing.

Things I learned.  Pausing the DA trigger squeeze is doable.  A viable for me method. When I got it down right I get groups like this at 25 feet.

Practice at the range and DRY FIRE will improve this.  Note the hole at 4 o'clock?  That was supposed to go in the target below.  It was +P.

Which makes me think...  Prowler busting in at 3AM, with +P ammo already in the gun... anticipatory missed because of recoil and no hearing protection...  Not good.

There is a spare .22 in there, too.  Dunno where/when that came into play.  Grrr.  Amateur.

Ugh, revolver through me for a loop, all that training on the 1911 platform and Glock simulations.

Here is some more .22 after I was warmed up with the DA.

Firing a little high.  Even for me.  The 617 has adjustable sights.  I may adjust.



And some more snubbie work.

Snub sights suck.  I don't need to tell you that.  I am sure the lower right two are anticipatory.  Old bad habits.  Still in the paint at least.  A serviceable group, but I am not satisfied with it.

All my revolvers are timed fine, now that the 686 is fixed.  And all have a similar smoothness to the trigger pull.  (The 617 might be a little lighter.) So no radical difference between guns.  Which is mostly due to consistencies at S&W, I'll wager. 

Future live fire plans...  Bring the 686 in lieu of the 617 next time, to really get to work on this trigger pull.  Also, get a better neck so you don't flag as easily and get more rounds down range.  I think I can tighten that up with just a bit more practice.  If I consistently get snubbie shots in that circle at 25 feet?  Boy, howdy. 

Python

I wanted a Colt Python stainless when I first became aware of them, mid-80s in Soldier of Fortune magazine. 

Shoulda bought one back then.

Talked about S&W

Earlier. 


If your Smith isn't timing offa one or more notches.  The hammer drops before the little pawl in the bottom engages... 


Maybe don't send it to S&W pro shop for service. 


Which is a difficult decision as it is difficult to get replacement parts for you revolver.  Smith isn't in the habit of selling them to you without them fitting it for you too. 


You can send you gun in with one of six not timed right and get it back with 3 of 6 not timed right.  S&W just holds to the 50% rule for themselves.  If you are dissastisfied they might agree to trade you.  Send you a different gun entirely.  Usually a gun not as valuable, tho. 


It's just a bad time for Smith revolvers right now.  ARs and M&P are reportedly just fine, but the revolver side of the house appears to be in a nadir.   And this from the gunsmith, not me.  Now, sure they could reverse the trend by buckling down.  Let's hope.

Weerd says Springfield will fix it. Uhhh, is that what you meant, Weerd?  Springfield?  Cuz it's news to me that Springfield is doing S&W work.
  Perhaps awesome if true.