Who likes the 8 3/8-inch barreled revolvers?
Yeah, they can be ungainly and difficult to properly holster. They're passé these days and are scarcely to be had in the latest catalog, only appearing on the Model 629 and the X-Frame. A whole generation of handgun shooters seems to shun them. The 8 3/8-inch versions don't tend to bring as much as their shorter brethren.
This wasn't always so and the 8 3/8-inch barrel was once reasonably popular. The 8 3/8-inch barrel gives the N-Frame revolver a sort of massive grace and it is downright elegant when fitted on the K-Frame. It adds recoil soaking weight without the chunky underlug and can be an aid to accuracy with its long sighting plane. It can squeeze an extra measure of velocity out of performance hand loads.
I've purchased four 8 3/8-inch revolvers in my time and still have three of them. Who else loves the 8 3/8-inch Smith & Wesson revolver, can tell of feats of derring-do with them, or can show photos of nice 8 3/8-inch revolvers?
Here's the 8 3/8-inch Smith & Wesson family that lives here. Just took these photos in order to celebrate the arrival of the real star of this post, the new Smith & Wesson prop that Forum member CXM kindly sent me.
Top to bottom: Model 17 .22 Long Rifle, Model 14 .38 Special, Model 29 .44 Magnum
To me this garden variety Model 17 is one of the most important handguns I own. I've fired more rounds from this revolver than from any other firearm in my menagerie. I've lucked into winning a few small bore bullseye matches on the local level with it. It's provided a good deal of small game for the pot and hours and hours of entertainment. We've been making a weekly date to the local range of late, since I live close by.
The Model 14 has probably only seen about one round fired for every 50 rounds fired though the Model 17 and has led a cushy life. It's like a little rifle and is so accurate. It's participated in a dab of hunter pistol competition "back when" and also some bullseye competition. Timed and rapid fire stages are really no problem with revolvers though they've long fallen from favor on the firing line. I took my first deer with a handgun using this revolver near San Saba, Texas.
This Model 29 has seen quite a lot of use with .44 Magnum loads, both in four seasons of hunter pistol silhouette competition and from detailed .44 Magnum hand load experimentation. It was purchased with the intent to thoroughly use and has held up very well to heavy hand loads through the years. It has two whitetail deer to its credit. These days it sees more use with a cast bullet and a moderate charge of Unique. Both of us are older now.
I purchased the Model 14 and Model 17 new as a pair in 1980 and they cost me $22.30. Of course it was in silver dimes and during the time when the Hunt brothers were buying up silver. I sold the dimes for $21 on the dollar.
The Model 29 was purchased a little before the Models 14 and 17 but I paid well over suggested retail at a time when a Model 29 was not to be had. It probably isn't worth all that much more used than I originally paid for it new, being an 8 3/8-inch.
I once also had an 8 3/8-inch Model 27 as part of the set of long barreled revolvers but the 6-inch Model 27 I have was the more accurate gun. The particular 8 3/8-inch revolver I had also didn't deliver any higher velocities than did the 6-inch revolver so was later traded away. I did use the 8 3/8-inch Model 27 once to fend off an owl one night that attacked me and a friend while we were calling coyotes. Was good for a laugh.
Thank you so much Chuck for the neato prop!
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