Yesterday I took advantage of a beautiful crisp early September day and took a long stroll through some local woods. Along the way I found a moss-covered log that made a nice background for some glamour shots of my companion of the day, a 2.75" Model 69.

All in all a wonderful morning.

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Nice looking revolver.

It is nice to get out to see the mossy logs and such.

Kevin

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That is a beautiful background, and some nice light, too! Thanks for the pictures! Of course I like your revolver, too!

This Old Dodge sits in a Field where I walk My Pooch. My 640-1.

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So, what holsters are you using to carry those walking around revolvers?

Kevin

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Beautiful revolvers.

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Thanks for the kind comments. IRT the holster, I have a Lobo Original Pancake originally purchased for a 2 1/2" 686. I since found out it fits my 3" barrel 696 and this 69 just as nicely as the 686.

FYI, the photos were taken with a Samsung Galaxy S7 phone. I was pleasantly surprised on how well they turned out.

Great pic , nothing’s like a walk in the woods and being able to pack a good sidearm!

Didn't take a picture..

But on my walk yesterday in the National Forest(my back yard), I found some fresh buried Mountain Lion scat..

Patted my 1911 Commander for comfort and looked around, continued my walk..

I was just going to start a thread about what you take camping or while out walking in the woods at this time of year. I just got back from two nights up on the Grand Mesa in western CO. This is just above my house in Cedaredge CO. I had my Glock 19 with a light attached for nighttime. My wife had her 60-14 Lady Smith loaded with .38 SBGD's. That is all we took this trip but I usually take a heavier revolver such as my 3" 686, 3" 696 or my 3" 66-2. I am going to take one of my several bigger revolvers when we go back up tonight. Last night cows came up and rubbed against the side of the camper in the middle of the night. I jumped up and blew the horn! They ran off. Pretty funny.

Nice pics Coastie and Peakes. Coastie—where’d you get those grips for your 69?

I carry My 640 in a Blackhawk and Speedloaders on Board.

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M69s make great wood carry pieces. Yours looks rally nice. Wish I could handle the wood stocks, they are so much better looking.

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Those are Ahrends Retro Combats in Goncalo Alves. They came with a polyurethane finish, I stripped and refinished them in pure tung oil.

Here in California, open carry isn't allowed.

I can carry under my CCW license, but it has to be one of the three guns on my permit.

So in my case, my woods carry would be my LCR 357. Probably loaded with DoubleTap 200gr hardcast.

Lots of restrictions to work around in Cali. But in the end, I'd be well served by my LCR.

Nice grips!

I wish it was a crisp September day here... but no, high 80's...

I've always like the M69! Yours, I really like it as well. Nice that you plugged up that hell hole lock in the frame too!

I rotate carrying an M29-3 or an M24-3... both LHS's and both more than up to the task of anything ugly in the forest.

Pic below of our "Woods-Gun" rotation...
M29-3 LHS

M24-3 LHS

Hamhands, those are some nice big bore snubbies there! I have a 24-3 that doesn't get out often enough (like a lot of my pile).

Hope the recent hurricane didn't affect you too much. My son is stationed at Lejeune and lives in Wilmington. He said they made out OK, no damage.

I'm glad your son is alright! Please thank him for his service for us when you get a chance! We are up over 4K feet here and other than some wind damage to some trees we love... we are ok too thank God.

I love the big -3, 3" barreled "N" frames! They carry so well and are fast on target from the hip. I've decided .44Special is my favorite go-to for moving up to Highlands, NC full time from Atlanta. Coastie762, you should take your 24-3 out more with you. The big N frames are mostly all I shoot anymore handgun wise because they are so fun and I carry them ccw the most. They are the perfect outdoorsman's gun in my experience for Appalachia... and probably most anywhere else in this beautiful nation!

I'd love to see some pics of your M24-3 Coastie! I've spent almost an hour at a time sometimes looking at other members 3" N frames here on this forum... with their striking "Goncalo Alves" round-butt grips... I find them to be of the most beautiful, functional, widely capable Revolvers/Handguns ever made! I only wish I would have gotten into wheel guns 5 years or more so ago when they didn't go for a month's mortgage payment! But I figure they've always been an instant classic and in demand so maybe their prices always were high altitude!

Below is a pic of my M629-5, 3" barreled "Mountain Back Packer" that I love as well pictured with the M629-3. It was much more affordable than the aforementioned -3 Lew Horton N frames and she balances well too with that full underlug. And I carry it in lieu of the blued babies when I know I'm going to be out fishing or hiking and the weather could open up on us.

Here is my almost daily carry rig the M624-3 in it's holster...

Nice photos. So many Smith revolvers, so little money.

Hamhands, ask and ye shall receive! Here's a couple of photos of my 3" along with one alongside it's 4" and 6" brethren. You've quite a nice collection of snubbies there as well. Beautiful photos!

Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you and your family was spared from the worst of the storm.

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NICE!!

Ashamed to admit how many Smith wheelguns are in the stable.....the first coming to me in 1958 at the tender age of 9......none of which have The Key.............UNTIL yesterday. Yesterday, I fell for a model 69 in the 2 3/4" snub version. The dealer in a neighboring county had a great price........much lower than GB listings at the moment.

First impressions:
1. I don't care for the key but it is what it is.
2. Not crazy about the sand blasted look finish, but at least it will not shine in the woods.
3. Trigger pull in single action is really sweet! Double action is a bit "hard" and rough, but may smooth out over time. Cylinder locks up tighter than many of my older Smiths.
4. "Mag" capable, but I will load and shoot only my .44 Special reloads. IF I ever enter the abode of Mr. Griz again, it will be stoked with more horsepower in hopes I won't have to use them.
5. I tried to find a 696, but few available and most start at over $1,000. The plus is that the 69 can chamber the Mag if wanted and was barely over $700 out the door.

QUESTIONS: where do you obtain that plug for the Key Hole?

And, I think you shared in the thread that those were Ahrends grips? Are they available commercially or custom made?


Many thanks in Advance, Bo in western NC

Looks like the perfect companion for an early Fall woods walk

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Bocash, the plug is an "Original Precision Lock Delete". A google search will find the web site, he has several versions in different finishes to match your gun. Ships quickly as well. If you know your way around the insides of a Smith installation is pretty straightforward. Lock removal does leave a small gap alongside the hammer but I had no problem with that.

I didn't have any issues with the lock per se, it was more an aesthetic issue with me. I'm not a fan of the two-tone look so I swapped out the black screws and thumbpiece with stainless.

Ahrends grips has a web site and produces a number of different style grips in various woods. They can be ordered direct from Ahrends but expect a bit of a wait. Brownells carries a few styles but availability varies. If you use Ebay, look for "Gripseller". What you see is what you buy and they also ship quickly. Prices are on par with the Ahrends web site.

Regarding loads, I purchased this with the intent of using it as a sort of super 696. If you look at the 69's forcing cone it is much thicker than that of a 696. I have a 696-1 and love it but keep loads for it at the factory level. Size and weight of the two are comparable. I found the 69 to be superbly accurate as well.

Being a handloader it was easy to work up loads for the 69 that were controllable yet had more punch. My carry load this day was a 240 cast SWC over 10.0 grains of BE-86 in a magnum case. I do recommend that if you want to shoot full house loads to use the factory or other rubber grip. Ask me how I know...

Enjoy your new Smith!

Hi Coastal and THANKS for the tips.

In my late teens and early 20's, I crammed all the Hercules 2400 I could get into .44 magnum shells for an Old Model Super Blackhawk. (I grew up almost worshiping Elmer Keith). This was about 1969 when I first began reloading and casting. Seeing two-foot flames coughed from that long barrel in broad daylight made me happy. Being bald on top today may also have resulted from that hog leg flying over my head on every shot.

Now nearly deaf and having major problems with my Right hand (had surgery last year), I calmed my loads down to minimum.

I have 6 revolvers dedicated to .44 Special and now 7 revolvers marked .44 Magnum. My loads will raise some eyebrows..

I use 4.1 Titegroup and 200 cast SWC in .44 Special and 4.6 TG and 200 cast in .44 Magnum casings.

Before someone lashes me for being "below minimum in the books," I can tell you from years of experience that these two loads work. They are more like shooting a .38 Special out of either revolver.

The smaller frame and weight of the model 69 instantly made me aware of a healthy dose of hand damage if full-house Magnum loads are used. I do not plan to do so.

As you stated about accuracy, my friend who also has one of these stated that his was extremely accurate for a snub-nose big caliber wheelgun.

Having some 11 dozen Smiths, this is my first w/ key lock. I hate looking at it, but the size, caliber, and idea of it all is a thing of beauty and to me, made to be beaten around.

I will seek one of those plugs, thanks to you. For now, I will keep the black rubber factory grips to ease my ailing right hand. To me, wood is the only thing that should be on a set of grips, but maybe a key hole and rubber go together?? (Ha ha)

Take care and behave yourself, Bo in western NC

(PC 25850, 26350, & 26400)
You CAN carry openly in unincorporated BLM land. (I.e. areas you can hunt) where it is legal to discharge a firearm.
But watch for signs as you can easily stray into CA state parks/ lands, private property, near a road or a dwelling
Because I mainly worry about greenhorn Park rangers, I usually CCW as well. Not many critters in CA you can’t stop with a 357 or 45.
Last deer season I had the 66 on my hip, the park ranger didnt give me a hassle but advised me to carry lead-less projectiles even if I wasnt hunting with it.
But good to know the options. Trying to set up camp with a full size IWB pistol gets old quick.

Wow, what a trio of beauties! That M24-3 is MINT! I love the striations and deep strikes of those Goncalo Alves grips... What I love about the "GA" species the most is that it is a photo sensitive species that gets deeper, richer, and earns that classic look of a fine aged Scotch when exposed to some sunlight! Thanks for the pics Coastie!

I feel bad for you guys out there in Kalifornia... You actually have only 3 carry choices, (what is listed for carry on your CCW permit)? I have 12 handguns in my carry rotation... and each tool for each occasion/job. God Bless you guys and stay safe out there!

For city woods walks...



for deep backpacking woods...

. I like Your Thinking! My Woods and City Load.

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For my shorty load in my SW 686/4 2.5 barrel...