a hat trick at Woods & Waters

[daytime dave]

I scored a hat trick at Woods and Waters recently. I found three revolvers I had to have. They are fantastic. See for yourself.

First is a Smith and Wesson model 25-5 with a six inch barrel. I wanted to have a companion revolver for my .45 LC Henry and felt a model 25 would fill the bill very well. The problem was finding one. While I was waiting for the paperwork on the other two revolvers to be written, I took a closer look at what I thought was a model 29. I had only given it a cursory look. Then I saw 45 on the side of the barrel. I asked to see it and the hat trick was complete.





The next is a pretty cool unit. An eight shot air weight .357 N frame from the Performance Center. I had dismissed it the first time or two I saw it until the owner took it out and showed it to me. I was impressed from then on. It takes moon clips. I loved how light it was. Eight magnums in a pug barreled configuration, so cool. Yup, had to have it.





I saved my favorite for last. This one kept me up at least one night after I first saw it. The 686plus Performance Center 2.5". Seven .357s in a nice package. It feels just right in the hand. It takes moon clips for fast reloading. I can't wait to get to know it better. I will put some rubber grips on and see if there is a difference in the felt recoil with the beautiful factory grips.








And the whiskey isn't bad either!

[Mags]

Ah, that was a special hat trick! Also all set for that end of day evening beverage. Gonna need it to settle down all that excitement over those new handguns.

pinkchk_xsm.png

[Cofisher]

Wow! A classic trio of potent pistols. Well done. I am sure we are all looking forward to reports on usage.

[ESquared]

Man, what a trio! And with the requisite photo shoot accessories, too! Don't blame you for losing sleep over that last one. Really look forward to hearing how they do for you at the range!

Very nice, all the way around!

[North Country Gal]

Congrats on some great guns, Dave. Love that 25 in 45 Colt. That is a super find.

I've actually owned the other two. Be sure to read up on the proper care and feeding for that 327. Titanium cylinders are notorious for flame etching if you use the wrong ammo or wrong cleaners/cleaning technique. I can also tell you that recoil with that scandium frame is just plain brutal. I actually removed the nice wood grips on mine and replaced them with the factory rubber X frame grips used on a 460. Not a perfect fit, but it was a huge help for the sake of recoil.

That 686 Plus is a real sweetheart of a snubbie. One I probably should have kept, but, oh well.

[JEBar]

OUTSTANDING .... truly outstanding .... looking forward to your range reports and use impressions

[daytime dave]

Congrats on some great guns, Dave. Love that 25 in 45 Colt. That is a super find.

I've actually owned the other two. Be sure to read up on the proper care and feeding for that 327. Titanium cylinders are notorious for flame etching if you use the wrong ammo or wrong cleaners/cleaning technique. I can also tell you that recoil with that scandium frame is just plain brutal. I actually removed the nice wood grips on mine and replaced them with the factory rubber X frame grips used on a 460. Not a perfect fit, but it was a huge help for the sake of recoil.

That 686 Plus is a real sweetheart of a snubbie. One I probably should have kept, but, oh well.

When researching the 327, your report on gunner came up, but without photographs. The titanium cylinder issue came up, but it seems they are under a lifetime warranty through the performance center. I did look at the face of it. I would say the previous owner had improperly cleaned it. I'll check it for flame etching with a magnifying glass and see what I see.

When I checked the face of the 686, I was pleasantly surprised. Only three of the cylinders showed evidence of having fired a round. I would say that is factory test fired only. A brand new gun at used price, a nice deal I'd say. That accounts for the three factory moon clips still fresh in the package. I agree with you, it's a definite keeper. It fits in my smith and wesson 2 1/2 " security holster too!

[BrokenolMarine]

I have the Smith M&P 340 357. It's a scandium airweight and is fine with 38 or 38+p, but it's brutal to shoot with the factory rubber grips, with full house 357 loads. I swear my hand and wrist would file an OSHA complaint after every practice session when I fired five rounds. I found a set of factory oversized rosewood grips. They really make a difference...

I should have been suspicious. The wife told me to buy the gun after one of my major surgeries. My guy at the gunshop included a box of 25 rounds of high end 357 defense loads. It was missing five. (It's all the previous owner shot, then he traded it in.) My gain, It was like brand new.

[markiver54]

Nice trio Dave!
Not a PC product, but I love my Smith 686. The L frame works well for me. I just love revolvers...congrats!

[BigAl52]

I wanna see the look on ur face after you pull the trigger on the titanium gun with a full house 357 load. Looks like some nice pistolas though Dave. Have fun and enjoy that whiskey. Nice job to with the photos and the new pink photo towels. Evan has you trained well.

[markiver54]

I wanna see the look on ur face after you pull the trigger on the titanium gun with a full house 357 load. Looks like some nice pistolas though Dave. Have fun and enjoy that whiskey. Nice job to with the photos and the new pink photo towels. Evan has you trained well.

Ahhh...wait till I get mine! ( PT ) that is.
Agree with ya though Al on the first trigger pull...!

[North Country Gal]

Dave, the titanium cylinder is covered with a lacquer/polymer coating to prevent the flame etching, hence the proper cleaning technique and cleaners required. Once the cylinder face starts to etch, you won't need a magnifier to see it and then it only gets worse. Just don't get obsessive about cleaning every trace of lead and gunk on the cylinder and you'll likely be fine.

When I sent mine back to Smith, I asked if they could replace the titanium cylinder with a steel cylinder and they actually did for a pretty reasonable price. That solved the etching issue, but did nothing to solve the recoil issue, of course. I the end, that's what got me, so I sold it. Your mileage may vary, of course, so get out there and give yours a try.

[daytime dave]

I just ordered some moon clips for both revolvers. I'm really interested to see and feel that recoil on the 327. I hefted my 638 and then picked up the 327. It felt like the 638 was heavier.

[Bubbas4570]

Daytime Dave,

I know this doesn't do anything for prettiness of your 327 revolver, but I may suggest that you'll find a different set of stocks on that revolver much more comfortable to shoot with. I have a LCR in 357 mag (no comparison in the pretty department) but the weight comparisons are close enough to make due; and I had to replace the factory rubber grip stock with a one piece stock from Pachmayr. It made a whole different world of decent comfort shooting open up with the recoil distribution into the hand. It isn't in the Performance Center arena of pretty, but it does look good on the LCR.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y2 ... UTF8&psc=1

I am just commenting on how a pretty set of stocks look great, but aren't the best for actual use sometimes.....nothing more. BTW, the LCR shoots 180gr cast loads way better than lighter bullets for me. More accurate, less recoil.....good combo.

[Bubbas4570]

I just ordered some moon clips for both revolvers. I'm really interested to see and feel that recoil on the 327. I hefted my 638 and then picked up the 327. It felt like the 638 was heavier.

And some pics of said stocks. One with flash and one without....wasn't sure which one would turn out best.

[markiver54]

Good looking Bubba!!
Looks easy to pack also!

[BigAl52]

Those look good Bubba but I think there a little pricey.

[daytime dave]

Bubba,

Your words are very true. I found the beautiful Performance Center Ahrends grips nice to look at and brutal in the recoil department. They are shaped in such a way as to channel all the recoil to the exposed back strap. It actually bruised my hand. The 686 plus had the same grips.

Neither of them have those grips on anymore. Pachmyr rubber grips and all is well, almost. I was replacing the grips on the 327 and the titanium barrel shroud felt loose. Sure enough, I was able to back out the barrel retaining screw with the tip of my finger. The barrel started to work it's way loose under the recoil I guess. Off to Smith and Wesson it went. It came back, good as new. I'm just waiting for time to take it out and give it a workout with better grips. My hat is off to Smith and Wesson. Not a problem with the warranty repair. Shipping label sent, repaired and returned in about less than two weeks.

[North Country Gal]

Good to hear about S&W customer service, Dave. I've also had pretty good luck with those folks, though some repairs took awhile. Overall, though, good enough service to keep me buying their products.