I usually shoot in my local clubs Bullseye matches (25 yards) and have been using my SW 52 or 952, however, the club has institued a new rule of brass falling on the ground is now property of the club.

I am interested in finding a revolver that I can use instead. What SW revolver in 38 special would work well for this type of tournament. I would probably like to mount a dot scope on it. I am very familiar with autos but not revolvers.

Thanks Robert

K-38 would be my choice

Pretty draconian rule!!

However, if you must, Model 14/19 is the way to go. It will be tough to do rapid fire in double action and still break those X's.

PS... you can always get one of those brass catcher gizmo's! They work reasonably well.

Thanks CGM. I did not think about a brass catcher. I may try that and see what happens, rather than having to learn how to shoot a new gun.

K38 or Mod 14 with 6" barrel. Actions are smooth as silk and accurate as anything you have ever fired.. Takes a little practice on Timed a&Rapid Fire.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I would agree that a K frame revolver should work as should a brass catcher. Being the sort that I am, I'd find another club and tell them why.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

CMM Shooting Sports

ABOVE IS A LINK TO THE BRASS CATCHERS THAT MOST OF US BULLSEYE SHOOTERS USE. JIM P

During the 1960's I shot the CF stage with a Colt OM modified to short single action with a custom modified hammer and trigger - it was a slick shooting revoler and the modifications allowed for easy timed and rapid fire. PM me your e-mail and I'll send you a photo of the gun.
I later purchased a S&W Model 52 which is a superb semi auto but do not remember my scores improving.

Many thanks to all that responded. Certainly a lot of options and the pictures of those wonderful shooters.

Perhaps two more questions. Can you shoot the full wadcutter in the revolvers like the SW 52? Probably a dumb question but having never owned one, I certainly do not want any surprises. I noticed that the 14-6 and 14-7 use metal injection molding for some parts. If I come across a good version of these two models are there any problems associated with molded parts?

Thanks

Robert

Model 14, K-38 target masterpiece is good. A model 66 with 6" barrel is also good.

The model 52 will only shoot .38 wadcutters. Another model to consider is an L frame .357 (586/686) and shooting .38s if you prefer a muzzle-heavy gun.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Wadcutters are fine in revolvers, that is about all I shoot in mine. 2.7 or 2.8 of Bullseye behind a wadcutter has been the gold standard of .38 spl target loads for decades and I have yet to find a better load.

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John. SWCA #1586

"...the club has institued a new rule of brass falling on the ground is now property of the club."

Anyone else ever had to contend with this? Can't imagine that the reloading contingent within the membership would stand for this for a moment.

Every commercial range I have ever been to enforces the same rule. Some will let you mark your brass ahead of time and recover ONLY yours, but that varies. They make money by selling brass.

As for a "club"... who knows. If they own the range, they make the rules. If not, elect a new president of the "club".

I would be looking for something new... but it wouldn't be a new gun.

Many thanks for all the information. I should clarify the rule about brass at our club. The rule was instituted for tournament events only because the club officials thought it would speed up the time not having everyone scrambling for their brass. This does not just apply to the pistol range but the skeet and trap ranges as well. Some of the members have opted to not shoot others (like me) are looking for alternative guns to use.

merbeau: I would ask the Club mgt. if all the brass from a specific event couldn't be swept up and divided among those that want some brass back. Failing in that I would find a police trade-in S&W Model 67 and send it to a good pistolsmith for a heavy barrel and an action job. In fact you just might be inspiring me to start such a project for myself. If you are shooting ONLY .38 Special, the Model 67 makes more sense than a Model 66. ........... Big Cholla

Hi,
The K38 masterpiece is a great recommendation. Another one would be a Model 19 6 inch barrel. I was lucky and bought a 19-4 6 inch barrel for $269 out the door. This is my best target revolver and would be a good bulleye revolver to shoot at your club.

Good luck,
Howard

That is a good idea about the brass and shotshells. At our next club meeting that would be a good suggestion to make about brass.

I have a dot scope that I have on hand and would require only buying the base for mounting. I will have to keep my eyes peeled.

Model 14.

As for the other issue, I'd tell the club to go pound sand and look for another place to shoot.

There is a rationale for it at commercial indoor ranges - it ties up time, it causes possible safety issues, and, of course, the range makes money on it.

If I'm a dues paying member of a club, paying to shoot in their match, I'm policing my brass unless it's understood the match fee is reduced to compensate for the brass being left on the ground.

I've been in (and left) clubs where the elected hierarchy starts to act like royalty and treats the facilities as their personal fiefdom. I just let'em have it to themselves.

I'd get a Model 14 and find a new club.

It I was looking for a muzzle heavy gun to shoot double action with, it would be a Model 28. If I K frame is the only way to go, it would be a Model 14 or a 6-inch Model 10 5 screw with a Wondersight (older one with the thinner blade sight up front.

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Vaya con Dios

Many thanks to all that responded. The consensus appeared to be the SW 14 series. I found a good looking SW 14-3 (see attached pictures); the chambers and barrel do not show any pitting or wear and it locks up tight.

I have an ultra dot that I would like to mount on this revolver. It was orginally mounted on a SW 41. What Weaver base will fit this particular model?

Any other suggestions would be helpful

Attached Images

	14-3 top.jpg (62.4 KB, 115 views)
	14-3 bottom.jpg (51.5 KB, 75 views)

Ditto the M19. I target shoot my 19-2 with 38 SPC wadcutters. It is
more accurate than my 14-3.

Joe

Shoot the 52 at a reloader friendly range. I shoot the K frame Smiths but would love to have a Smith 52. Don't let a range dictate what you can or can't shoot, that's the Governments job. I don't deal with greedy.......

Yes, you can shoot full wadcutters in revolvers as you can (must) with the S&W 52. As I recall, the full wadcutter was initially designed to give a bigger punch on-target out of a snub-nose revolver for self-defense. Nowadays, it's used to cut neat .38 caliber holes in targets.

The 14-6 and 14-7 were the last pre-lock releases of the Model 14 (there's a 14-8 'Classics' model out now that has The Lock). The 14-6 used a MIM thumbpiece (and perhaps a MIM trigger), while the hammer was the old-school forged version with hammer-mounted firing pin/hammer nose; the 14-7 had MIM hammer, trigger, thumbpiece, and the frame-mounted firing pin. Both guns featured the full-underlug barrel. There was also the 14-5 which had all forged parts as well as the full-underlug barrel. 14 no-dash through 14-4 and the 14-8 have the standard target barrel (no underlug).

MIM parts are generally fine. I've had several S&Ws with MIM parts and they've been OK, although my first (a modern 617-6)'s hammer and trigger wore out unusually quickly (developed a push-off within 2500 rounds); the replacement parts from S&W were fine, however.

I've used this Weaver Mount and this Aimtech Mount, and I think I like the Aimtech mount better, simply because the Weaver mount uses a 'claw' to clamp onto the frame around the forcing cone area, and that wore through the finish of one of my revolvers. The Aimtech mount, however, extends down to the sideplate screws, which limits the types of grips that can be used (or you will have to modify the grips to fit).

One other idea is to use this B-Square Mount, but it kinda looks a bit weak to me. Probably fine for target .38 wadcutters (as well as .22s and .32s), but not so much for anything heavier. For your purposes, however, it is probably OK.

Thank you Valkyriekl. I believe I like the B-square. I have a set of target grips that I plan to install and would not want to be cutting on them nor having a mount dig into the metal. I will be not be shooting any hot loads, so it should work.

In your shoes, I would have looked for one of the modern Model 14s with the Python-style barrel. Those guns were already drilled and tapped for a Leupold mount.

However, since you already have the 14-3, you may as well have it drilled and tapped for a proper mount. The clamp-on things are a nuisance, and the farther the securing screws are away from the item you are trying to secure, the more of a lever arm the force of recoil has to act on the weight of your optical sight. I would want the sturdiest, most rigid mount I could get, for your purposes where pure accuracy is all that matters.

Alternatively, maybe you could sell or trade your present 14-3 for one of the more modern guns - but they are not easy to find, and they seem to be highly thought of, as indicated by the market price. I think the changes came in at the Model 14-6.

I am sure you could do some very fine shooting with a 586 or 686 too, and the more recent versions of those models were also factory drilled and tapped. You would have to keep after the chambers to avoid crud accumulation with .38 Special length cartridges, but this is a small thing if you have some brushes, an electric drill with a fairly low spindle speed, and don't wait too long to get after it.

The 14-5 with the full-lug barrel was not factory drilled & tapped (D&Ted), while the 14-6, -7, and -8 are factory D&Ted.

In the 586 and 686, the factory D&Ting started with the -4 models (586-4 and 686-4). If all merbeau does is shoot .38 Specials out of something chambered for .357 Magnum (Model 19, 66, 586, 686, 27, 28, 627), then keeping the chambers clean won't be an issue.

Good point about getting the 14-3 D&Ted for a scope: that is the most secure way to go. For my D&Ted guns, I use the Jack Weigand Scope Mount. They're light (made of aluminum alloy, except for the ones meant for the S&W 460 and 500, which are steel) and very strong.

10-4. I don't even own any .357 cases.

Joe