Storm
Member
I am a Smith & Wesson shooter and collector. My tastes with revolvers usually runs to the traditional, but when the M&P R8 came out something really grabbed me about it. I know the gun arouses strong emotions and opinions from both ends of the spectrum, and believe me, I'm no "mall ninja", but this was one that I had to have. Back in September I found one locally lightly used for just under $700. I dove on it. Then, on the drive home I noticed that the barrel was just perceptably loose. When I got home and inspected it further I found that the muzzle retention ring was loose. I have a feeling that the previous owner probably dealt the gun rather than deal with the issue. The gunsmith at the shop where I bought the gun offered to try and tighten it, but I decided that the gun should go back to Smith to have the problem resolved. This would assure that it was done correctly, and it would give Smith the opportunity to evaluate what was going on. Despite the fact that I was not the original owner of the gun Smith sent me a label telling me that they would take care of it. I had the gun back within a month. Since it had to go back to the Performance Center I considered the turn-around time to be excellent.
Once back the gun sat in my safe for five months unshot. This past Friday I shot the R8 for the first time. I'm certainly not new to S&W revolvers having shot them for decades, but this one really was something quite special. Considering the frame I expected a bit more recoil than usual with both .38 Special and .357, but it was quite the contrary with the gun shooting extremely smooth with less of the recoil that I would expect with a similar steel framed revolver. Yes, the single action trigger is outstanding, and the double action quite good (possibly just a tiny bit disappointing for a Performance Center gun) but this revolver was making me look so darned good. I find most S&W revolvers to be inherently accurate, but I was shooting to a whole new level with the R8.
My conclusion is that a lot of it had to do with the balance of the gun which I found to be just about perfect. Beyond the R8 itself, three and five inch barrels seem so right to me to begin with. I won't give a range report but suffice it to say that I left the range with a very big smile on my face.
Then just to add icing on the cake, Smith & Wesson customer service stepped up to the plate once again and hit another one out of the park. No, the barrel retention nut wasn't loose again (tight as a drum) but I noticed that I didn't have the four screws to attach the top rail. While I don't shoot pistols with scopes I thought that I might like to try it some time in the future. The CS associate at Smith didn't ask for a serial number, or any payment, and just took my name and address and said that screws would be on the way. That just adds to the whole experience and is another reason why I own many Smith & Wesson firearms.
Once back the gun sat in my safe for five months unshot. This past Friday I shot the R8 for the first time. I'm certainly not new to S&W revolvers having shot them for decades, but this one really was something quite special. Considering the frame I expected a bit more recoil than usual with both .38 Special and .357, but it was quite the contrary with the gun shooting extremely smooth with less of the recoil that I would expect with a similar steel framed revolver. Yes, the single action trigger is outstanding, and the double action quite good (possibly just a tiny bit disappointing for a Performance Center gun) but this revolver was making me look so darned good. I find most S&W revolvers to be inherently accurate, but I was shooting to a whole new level with the R8.
My conclusion is that a lot of it had to do with the balance of the gun which I found to be just about perfect. Beyond the R8 itself, three and five inch barrels seem so right to me to begin with. I won't give a range report but suffice it to say that I left the range with a very big smile on my face.
Then just to add icing on the cake, Smith & Wesson customer service stepped up to the plate once again and hit another one out of the park. No, the barrel retention nut wasn't loose again (tight as a drum) but I noticed that I didn't have the four screws to attach the top rail. While I don't shoot pistols with scopes I thought that I might like to try it some time in the future. The CS associate at Smith didn't ask for a serial number, or any payment, and just took my name and address and said that screws would be on the way. That just adds to the whole experience and is another reason why I own many Smith & Wesson firearms.
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I could have returned the gun for a full refund, but with Smith CS it was a no-brainer to keep it.
