I've carried (and competed with) all kinds of guns over the years. Glocks, 1911s, Revolvers, CZs, Sigs, etc. Heck, my first carry gun when I didn't shoot much or know much was a Taurus.
For 2019, I'm doing something a little different. Unless I'm teaching a class and need to shoot a semi auto for demonstration purposes, my firearms goal for next year is to only carry and compete with revolvers (minus Cola Warrior).
Why? Lots of reasons.
Competition has been great for learning how to handle stress, moving with and shooting a firearm while under pressure, and making shoot/no shoot decisions rapidly. It has also made me a little more careless with my shot placement, since a fast A and C zone hit are sometimes better than two slow As when it comes to competition scoring. I also have a tendency to "quit early" and start looking for the next target before I finish a trigger pull right now, leading to more Cs and Ds than I want, and outright misses in steel matches.
Long, DA revolver triggers should help force me to finish a shot and get both sight pictures before moving on to the next target. USPSA arrays are also by rule limited to requiring no more than 8 shots from any single position (thanks 1911 guys). I'll be shooting an 8 shot revolver in USPSA, so any miss forces a flat footed, long reload...which is death to a good run time. That stage design is really going to force me to realign my focus away from speed and towards accuracy, something I'd like to get back in touch with.
As an instructor, it's rare that anyone is only interested in learning how to shoot a revolver these days, but it would be nice if I had a little more experience with revolvers than "yeah, I'll throw this J frame in my pocket occasionally and shoot maybe 200 rounds a year through it" to share on that front if someone was only interested in learning how to shoot and carry a wheel gun.
So, lots of good reasons to spend a year getting to know the wheel gun a little better.
These four guns are what I'll be spending the year with (LCRx isn't here yet and not pictured):
S&W 627: 8 shot .357 N Frame, 4" barrel. It takes moon clips, which is what I'll be using in competition for it. For competition I'll be using a Speed Beez OWB kydex holster and 8 post moon clip carrier. For carry I've got a Galco leather OWB holster and a speed beez speedloader.
S&W Model 10: 6 shot .38 K frame, 4" barrel. Not cut for moon clips. The 627 is not IDPA legal, so this will be my primary IDPA gun, using Safariland Comp 3s to reload it. This one is used and has an unknown number of rounds through it already. I'll use a comp tac kydex OWB holster for it in competition, and have a JM Kydex AIWB holster for when I carry it. Comp 3s will be used for concealed carry reload as well as in competition.
S&W 637: 5 shot .38 J frame, 1.8" barrel. Also not cut for moons. I'll be carrying this when I can't manage to conceal anything else, but I also want to compete with it some, so I'll bust it out for both some IDPA Back Up Gun stuff and some steel challenge. I'll probably use Speed Beez speed loaders for it during both competition and carry. Don't have a competition holster for it yet, but do have both IWB and pocket holsters for it from Desantis for carry that both work really well.
Ruger LCRx: 5 shot. 38, 3" barrel. I wanted at least one Ruger in the mix, and this one was the most interesting to me. I wish it was a 6 shot, but a 3" barrel and adjustable sights are both huge pluses. I plan on using this in the same BUG and Steel challenge matches I shoot the 637 in, because I'd love to compare and contrast the 3" barrel gun and the "true" snub nose S&W in both accuracy and speed. Other than that, I'm curious to see what niche I find for this oddball.
*not my photo or gun*
I hope at the end of the year to have a better appreciation for and understanding of the double action trigger, the difficulties of revolver reloading, a better eye for stage planning, and to be a more accurate and deliberate shooter. I'll keep yall updated.
For 2019, I'm doing something a little different. Unless I'm teaching a class and need to shoot a semi auto for demonstration purposes, my firearms goal for next year is to only carry and compete with revolvers (minus Cola Warrior).
Why? Lots of reasons.
Competition has been great for learning how to handle stress, moving with and shooting a firearm while under pressure, and making shoot/no shoot decisions rapidly. It has also made me a little more careless with my shot placement, since a fast A and C zone hit are sometimes better than two slow As when it comes to competition scoring. I also have a tendency to "quit early" and start looking for the next target before I finish a trigger pull right now, leading to more Cs and Ds than I want, and outright misses in steel matches.
Long, DA revolver triggers should help force me to finish a shot and get both sight pictures before moving on to the next target. USPSA arrays are also by rule limited to requiring no more than 8 shots from any single position (thanks 1911 guys). I'll be shooting an 8 shot revolver in USPSA, so any miss forces a flat footed, long reload...which is death to a good run time. That stage design is really going to force me to realign my focus away from speed and towards accuracy, something I'd like to get back in touch with.
As an instructor, it's rare that anyone is only interested in learning how to shoot a revolver these days, but it would be nice if I had a little more experience with revolvers than "yeah, I'll throw this J frame in my pocket occasionally and shoot maybe 200 rounds a year through it" to share on that front if someone was only interested in learning how to shoot and carry a wheel gun.
So, lots of good reasons to spend a year getting to know the wheel gun a little better.
These four guns are what I'll be spending the year with (LCRx isn't here yet and not pictured):
S&W 627: 8 shot .357 N Frame, 4" barrel. It takes moon clips, which is what I'll be using in competition for it. For competition I'll be using a Speed Beez OWB kydex holster and 8 post moon clip carrier. For carry I've got a Galco leather OWB holster and a speed beez speedloader.
S&W Model 10: 6 shot .38 K frame, 4" barrel. Not cut for moon clips. The 627 is not IDPA legal, so this will be my primary IDPA gun, using Safariland Comp 3s to reload it. This one is used and has an unknown number of rounds through it already. I'll use a comp tac kydex OWB holster for it in competition, and have a JM Kydex AIWB holster for when I carry it. Comp 3s will be used for concealed carry reload as well as in competition.
S&W 637: 5 shot .38 J frame, 1.8" barrel. Also not cut for moons. I'll be carrying this when I can't manage to conceal anything else, but I also want to compete with it some, so I'll bust it out for both some IDPA Back Up Gun stuff and some steel challenge. I'll probably use Speed Beez speed loaders for it during both competition and carry. Don't have a competition holster for it yet, but do have both IWB and pocket holsters for it from Desantis for carry that both work really well.
Ruger LCRx: 5 shot. 38, 3" barrel. I wanted at least one Ruger in the mix, and this one was the most interesting to me. I wish it was a 6 shot, but a 3" barrel and adjustable sights are both huge pluses. I plan on using this in the same BUG and Steel challenge matches I shoot the 637 in, because I'd love to compare and contrast the 3" barrel gun and the "true" snub nose S&W in both accuracy and speed. Other than that, I'm curious to see what niche I find for this oddball.
*not my photo or gun*
I hope at the end of the year to have a better appreciation for and understanding of the double action trigger, the difficulties of revolver reloading, a better eye for stage planning, and to be a more accurate and deliberate shooter. I'll keep yall updated.
