Gang Hickok45 of Middle Tennessee has done a swell moving picture film on the TRR8 SWAT combat revolver:


He displays its designed usage as a shieldsman's piece, for the front man in a SWAT unit. Very cool stuff. I like Hickok45 and thought you guys might want to see this.

I'll admit, I'm not a fan of many "locked" S&Ws, but this is one I might pick up. 8-round .357 magnum with moon clips and some other useful defensive features such as a light rail. Very cool!

-Jay

My taste is just bad enough to kinda want one.

I'm not gonna pay what they cost, but I kinda want one.

You know I'm curious about the light rail. Seems really awkward way up front to use and you'd also have to "mind the gap" from the barrel/cylinder flash possibly cutting the thumb!

The light is far away from your index(shooting)finger. It's something that has to be turned on before you "go in".
On my semi's, you could use the light like a toggle switch with your index. My only complaint.

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Thank you for reporting the new Hickok release about the 327 TRR8. He is a nice guy and it is relaxing to watch his videos. In this one, however, he basically says nothing for the first ten minutes or so, and takes the following 20 to say what could have been said in a few words without really reporting much about the revolver.
I was surprised by the adjective ugly recurring many times, since I've been struck just on esthetic grounds by the 327 since the first time I was browsing the S & W catalog and I find it simply magnificent.
Similarly, any feeling on the field is highly subjective, depending on individual complexion , physical features and taste.
Before shooting it myself, I had got very different opinion about , covering the full range from " it doesn't kick, it purrs" to " an experience that I would not repeat" , with a majority saying it has a rather excessive recoil due to its low weight.
So, here is my personal experience, after putting some 500 rounds through it.
The gun is well built and I could find no finish flaws, but a grip not perfectly adhering to the frame as in the video.
I personally feel the gun perfectly balanced in my hand with an ideal weight distribution.
I don' t like the original Hogue grips ( guess 25000) because the little room for the pinkie, but could handle.
Trigger is smooth, both SA and DA.
The muzzle flip was (much) less than expected and the recoil not very different from that of 686 4" in the short time, either with 38 and magnums ( Federal 158 grains jhp)
After turning the sight six notches down, accuracy is better than I can shoot with slightly more than 2" groups at 17 yards, two hands SA slow.
Second shot target acquisition is faster than with its full steel corresponding 627 variant.
Shooting one hand, it twists the wrist inwards as others do.
The day after a nice afternoon on the range, however, I got a rather disturbing pain in my strong hand radiating along the ulnar nerve up to the elbow and lasting several days, as I had not experienced previously.
I don' t know how much of it is due to the grips or the lesser density of the frame.
However, the problem was over with Phil Hemphill-similar grips (the back strap covered variant of the original design) by Nill Griffe.
Just my two cents, YMMV.

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I've got like 5 guns I bought after watching H45's videos. Yeah he talks a lot and says the same things over and over, and if he talked from a script he could get it done in 1/2 the time. Just like our Prez, LOL.

Nice guy but he is basically a paid mouth piece for Bud’s gun shop and any Gun and ammo manufacturer that will pay him....oh yea and the NRA

Yep. Never met a gun he didn't praise. Don't care much for him. His opinion would not matter for me in a firearm purchase.

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S&W Accumulator

I will give him credit, he is a good shot.

Other than that, I am not a fan of this man. I know that some folks like him, but I have never gotten more then 5 or 6 minutes into one of his reviews before I had to turn it off

If as Hithev states all the information is in the last 20 minutes, well this guy has already lost a percentage of his viewers before he gets to that place in the video

The rambling thoughts that never get to the point bother me, as does his lack of knowledge of the firearm he is discussing.

Here he is talking about the Model 327 TRR8 and openly says that he has no idea what TRR8 means. Well he should have looked it up, then he would have known it was Tactical Rail Revolver 8 shots. He never even mentions that this is a Model 327
It does not bother me that he calls the firearm UGLY, everybody has different taste. However he fails to mention the reason for the matte black finish is that this is a Scandium framed revolver. Or that the TRR8 is a 5", 8 shot 357 Magnum wheel gun that weighs in like a 4" K-frame

Then he goes on to ramble about the R8 but does not know if it is still made and thinks it has no rails.

Why does this guy talk without researching his facts first.

I suppose if folks knew nothing about Smith and Wesson products, these things might not bother them

I have met him and his son on a few occasions and except for their height I found nothing impressive about either gentleman

And for Pete's sake, buy a wireless mike and put it on him so we do not have to hear the volume of his voice go up and down as the cameraman moves in and out. We know they are making money doing this so spend some of it

I will stick with high capacity Glocks with extra magazines,

This is my favorite Hickock video, he didn’t quite know what to say when he reviewed one of my favorite guns, the Ruger Super Redhawk Toklat in 454 Casull...I had one but had to sell it...I want another but cannot justify 454 Casull in Minnesota unless it’s to demolish old barns.

I agree, especially if I was a member of a SWAT team, ballistic shield or not.

He really didn't have much to say about the Kimber K6s. Don't know if it was because it was new at the time, or he just wasn't impressed. I have a 3" and I like it.

Any of you guys that are old enough to remember the old guns and ammo and other magazines were the writers reviewed guns and never had any issues whatsoever with the guns. After taking their word for it and buying many of the guns they reviewed and being disappointed they lost all credibility with me. I guess they were paid by the gun manufacturers to say nice things. Thank God for the Internet where you can get for the most part and unbiased real review of a firearm. You still have to be careful and do your own research because a lot of people with YouTube channels are paid by gun manufacturers to review their guns.

He did try to stick empties back into the revolver after he shot it. I thought, "Has he shot a revolver before?"
Ha!

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No kidding He's loved every gun he's ever tested

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John

To me,that's entertainment about my favorite subject;guns.
But I'd never buy or refrain from buying a gun only from watching one of his video.If I set my sights on a specific gun,I ask one of my friends if he'd sell me a few rounds so I can try his gun since I'm interested in buying one.As of now,I ended up not having to pay for the rounds 100% of the time and that,even if I told the guy that,well,the gun didn't quite fit my hand...but that it is a darn nice gun anyway!
After all,I'm sure mr Hickock's hands are not like mine!

Every time I watch one of his videos I think - "Man... I would LOVE to have that range set up in my back yard!" I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that...

I also like watching him shoot - he is quite the shot. And if I have the time, I enjoy his folksy conversational manner; however, most of the time I find myself clicking through to the next shooting segment.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Bought a TRR8 about a year ago ($800..preowned..but not used) and it has become my favorite shooter. Handles superbly and the action is smooth,especially one handed. The stock McGivern style sites work well..but mine wears an Eotech 512 which may seem ungainly..but in function works better than the narrow field of view holographic sites. Ugly?? Maybe to some..but to those who like its cooking.....Bellissimo!!......

It's rare, but he DOES find guns he doesn't care for sometimes. He's just pretty tactful in the way he says it.

Example: I was really excited to see him shoot the BFR in .45-70 since I've always wanted one of those. He dumped all over it the entire video, haha.

I don't like his videos as much as I used to, but I still watch them when he shoots something I want. Mainly just to get an idea of how it shoots and to see if he has any issues with it. There's been plenty of times where I was interested in a gun, but he experienced issues on camera that made me shy away.

As for him being a "gun critic," I dunno. I don't know if he's ever claimed to be anything more than just a guy shooting stuff on his range. I think he's mentioned before that he doesn't really try to be a professional reviewer.

As for him being a shill or a sell-out... Well, that gets a little murky. I remember a time when he said he didn't have any sponsors and wouldn't want any because it might cause a bias.

Fast forward to today and every video is book-ended with spots for the NRA, Bud's, Federal, STI and whatever else. I don't necessarily mind that, but there was one video where he experienced a failure to fire and while trying to figure out what happened, he said, "I wonder if it's a dud cartridge." He paused for a second, then said, "But I KNOW Federal wouldn't produce a dud cartridge!"

It was kind of a joke, but it also showed that he thought for a second, "Uh oh, can't badmouth a sponsor."

I still like the guy but I'm not as big on him as I used to be. He's just a guy out in his yard, shooting guns. If I get bored, I switch to another video.

I like him a WHOLE lot more than someone like Nutnfancy who likes to talk about being a sheepdog and randomly making his friends empty their pockets for an EDC check. Good Lord.

Hickok45 is an entertainer and has never claimed anything else. I find him entertaining. I like that he shoots at different distances and reaches out there. I get tired of all the "video experts" who just shoot at spitting distances. He supports pro gun organizations. I can't find fault with that. As to the revolver, I would think that it might be a decent hunting gun, besides good for what it was originally designed for.

I love his jokes- they are so subtle - takes some knowledge and know how on your end to understand them.

Saw the video as well. It’s Hickock45, so you don’t expect a normal review and all the facts and stats. He does what he does, and you either like it or you don’t. I thought it was fair review, except he kept calling the gun heavy. Owning one myself, it is NOT that heavy, which is one reason I wanted it for my first N-frame. It’s the most accurate revolver I own, even better than my 686+ (which is 10 ounces heavier). And I think the double action trigger is perfect - not nearly as bad as he said several times.

I just wish mine wasn’t at S&W right now having the extractor fixed because it came out on the third range visit!