Free For All Friday 11-28-2014: Some catching up to do…
Thanksgiving has come and gone and I’ve eaten an absurd amount of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Having this much time off of work has also messed up my internal clock. Amazing how quickly that can happen. Spent all day thinking it was Sunday. I think I even wrote Sunday’s date on the paperwork when I picked up my car from the shop this afternoon. Whoops. Hopefully that detail isn’t too important to them….
We’ve got some questions from this week and some from last week which I missed because I was sick…
I was wondering what your opinion is on the Heritage Rough Rider 22 single action revolver. I love single action revolvers and this one is always advertised at a cheap price. -Kaj F.
I haven’t had the chance to shoot this particular one myself. I have heard some different things about them. First off, as with any low priced gun, the manufacturer has to save money somewhere. Sometimes QA on guns in this price range can be lacking so there is a chance you will have to make a warranty call on it. Also, the break-in period might be a bit more pronounced from what I’m hearing. I see people saying consistently that it will shoot horribly for about 200-300 rounds then all of a sudden start shooting like a whole different gun in terms of accuracy and consistency. If this were a .38 or a .44 revolver, that would be a bit pricey but this is a .22 and you can do 200+ rounds in a single range day without breaking the bank. Once the gun is broken it, it’s a good and reliable range toy that should last a while.
Bonus fun: find yourself so .22 Short rounds for it. A revolver and certain lever action rifles are the only things that really shoot them but they are so much fun to play with at the range. It’s almost like you’re shooting a pellet gun at that point (ear and eye protection still required, mind you).
I’m looking at getting a shotgun for Christmas as my first gun. I’ve heard good things about both the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500. -Katie
I’ve been trying to get a hold of both guns for review but so far Remington and Mossberg haven’t returned my calls. In the meantime, I can safely say that either gun will serve you well and be sturdy enough to hand down to family members for generations to come. Both shotties are the defacto answers by gun people whenever someone asks “which pump action should I get?” Both are fantastic guns and legendary in their own right so recommending one over the other is near impossible. Picking one over the other, however, is easy as can be because they do have unique shapes.
What I would recommend is to go to a store and handle them both. See which one feels the most comfortable to you and go with that one. When quality concerns aren’t a factor, comfort is all it comes down to.
I am looking at a Smith & Wesson Model 36, no dash. Circa mid 60’s. It’s a .38. In my research, I found a few places that said that it may not be safe to shoot +P ammo in this gun anymore. Since the gun was made in the 60’s and ammo is stronger now, there might be a problem if I shoot +p ammo. What do you think? -Skylar R.
It’s kind of hard to say. Smith & Wesson’s official word seems to be that it wasn’t rated for +P ammo so that should be the end of it. It’s still an all steel revolver and they haven’t changed the design much since it was introduced in 1950. That being said I’ve seen as many people saying that +P is fine as I’ve seen saying not to use it. Under most circumstances, logic would say it would be fine to use some +P loads in it but maybe not tons of them at the range all the time. With it being that old, however, you have no idea exactly how well it’s been treated and maintained over the years. Poor treatment could really weaken a gun. What it really comes down to is: How much do you value the gun and your shooting hand?
Concerning revolvers, are there differences, such as grip technique, between shooting a snub nose and one with a 4 or 5 inch barrel? Any other differences I should know about? -Mike H.
None what-so-ever. The technique is the same between a tiny J-frame revolver as it would be with a .50 Desert Eagle. As with any gun, you just want to watch your thumb placement. It’s especially important with revolvers. That gap between the front of the cylinder and the barrel is very dangerous. Gasses escape from that gap and can injure you even with a “light” round like .38 special.
The biggest difference between a snub nose and a longer barrel are going to be accuracy and, of course, recoil. The longer barrel will give you a longer sight radius which will make it easier to bullseye the target. The longer barrel will also give you more weight which will tame the felt recoil significantly. Those little snub noses can be downright painful to shoot for too long.
Thanks for the questions!
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