dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
S&W Mod 19/66? Ruger GP-100? 4” or 2.5”?
OK, here’s the deal. I’ve about given up on ever being able to purchase my old Mod 19 back from my brother in NJ. I sold it to him in the early 90’s when I decided I was tired of cleaning out 6 chambers + the cylinder, and I was going to be shooting my 1911… Now, of course, I regret it. And he's about ready to sell it to me. If it weren't for the Massachusetts Asshat General...
Well, I decided to get another S&W a few years back. Picked up a 686P in stainless with a 6” barrel…. But I didn’t realize that IDPA doesn’t allow anything over 4”. And I like shooting it (even if I don’t do it too often), so I don’t want to sell it.
BUT… I’d like to be able to shoot in the SSR division for IDPA sometimes. And the S&W is too large, and my Charter Arms Off Duty .38 is only 5 shots. So… it comes down to what do I want?
One of the shooters likes his Ruger GP100; says it’s real easy to pull out the trigger group and work on it and replace the springs with aftermarket ones. But that cylinder latch is just enough different from the S&W & the Charter Arms that I’m not sure I'll be comfortable with it. I mean, I like the S&W revolvers and have spent a lot of years practicing with them.
Now… next question is barrel length. 2.5” is easy to conceal, but will have more recoil with full house magnum loads. But the 4” would be easier to keep on target for IDPA shoots. OTOH, if I’m ever going to carry this (a distinct possibility), the 2.5” would be a better choice. OTTH (On The Third Hand) I'll probably be using .38 ammo for IDPA. So the barrel length might not matter as much, except for the longer range stages.
So I’m leaning towards a used 66 with a 2.5” barrel. Anyone have any comments about this at all? I don’t have anything written in stone here (just silicon!) and would be interested in hearing discussion.
OK, here’s the deal. I’ve about given up on ever being able to purchase my old Mod 19 back from my brother in NJ. I sold it to him in the early 90’s when I decided I was tired of cleaning out 6 chambers + the cylinder, and I was going to be shooting my 1911… Now, of course, I regret it. And he's about ready to sell it to me. If it weren't for the Massachusetts Asshat General...
Well, I decided to get another S&W a few years back. Picked up a 686P in stainless with a 6” barrel…. But I didn’t realize that IDPA doesn’t allow anything over 4”. And I like shooting it (even if I don’t do it too often), so I don’t want to sell it.
BUT… I’d like to be able to shoot in the SSR division for IDPA sometimes. And the S&W is too large, and my Charter Arms Off Duty .38 is only 5 shots. So… it comes down to what do I want?
One of the shooters likes his Ruger GP100; says it’s real easy to pull out the trigger group and work on it and replace the springs with aftermarket ones. But that cylinder latch is just enough different from the S&W & the Charter Arms that I’m not sure I'll be comfortable with it. I mean, I like the S&W revolvers and have spent a lot of years practicing with them.
Now… next question is barrel length. 2.5” is easy to conceal, but will have more recoil with full house magnum loads. But the 4” would be easier to keep on target for IDPA shoots. OTOH, if I’m ever going to carry this (a distinct possibility), the 2.5” would be a better choice. OTTH (On The Third Hand) I'll probably be using .38 ammo for IDPA. So the barrel length might not matter as much, except for the longer range stages.
So I’m leaning towards a used 66 with a 2.5” barrel. Anyone have any comments about this at all? I don’t have anything written in stone here (just silicon!) and would be interested in hearing discussion.
Got someone coming to look at my P10 this weekend, so I might have some cash burning a hole in my pocket by next week. I can hope. 
