It took a little bit of getting use to.....its a handful, as
most that have shot them will agree. Is it unmanageable? Not in the least
(unless you just can't tolerate recoil). It will take practice to
accurately present and deliver two shots center of mass. I did better than
I expected to do first time out.
This group was shot after I had put about 25 or 30 rounds through the snubbie
using both single and double action operation. I had picked up a box of
Winchester white box 130 grn FMJ at Walmart and I was pleased with the results
they gave (above). This string of 5 shots was shot double action with
about the same cadence I would use if I were trying to get two shots delivered
to the 7 yard target in 1.8 seconds.
Here is another 5 shot string. This one was done with the box of Hornady ammo I picked up to use as carry ammo. I have to admit that testing carry ammo in a revolver is a LOT cheaper than doing it in my auto loader. All I had to verify for the revolver was if point of aim and point of impact where within reason. I didn't have to run a bunch of magazines through to ensure it would feed reliably.
I'm currently hitting within 2" of where I am aiming at 7 yds. My old eyes don't pick up the rather small front sight all that well. I wish it had a color insert in it, but that would be quite a challenge, I'm sure. There just isn't that much front sight (for obvious reasons).
I had a box of .38 wad cutters that I had reloaded some time back. I took them along and started the practice session shooting them. I was pretty much all over the place.....by that I mean I was hitting within a 6" circle, at 7 yds, slow single action fire. I was disappointed to say the least. When I switched over to factory loads (my wad cutters were very light target loads that I used in my Security Six), the groups tightened right up. Who would have thought?
I'll post more range results as I get the opportunity.
Update: 07/23/2012
Time to get some chronograph data here for the Model 637. I've had the numbers on a spreadsheet but forgot to add them to this page. I use a PACT MKIV-XP chronograph to verify my load data at the range. It has provided me with about 5 years of good service so far and has clocked the velocity of countless shotgun, rifle, and handgun loads over the years.
The following data is the average of 5 shot groups measured 10 feet from
muzzle.
Cartridge | Standard Deviation | Average Velocity |
Winchester White Box 130 gr FMJ |
10.0 | 792 FPS |
Speer Gold Dots 125 gr +P JHP |
21.2 | 913 FPS |