After a month or so of working from home and social distancing I finally broke down and got out to the range a few times. After putting a respectable number of rounds through my new 648-2 I figured it was time for a range report. This spanned over 3 days so I'll try my best to keep it short.
Day 1: (First time shooting the 648)
Weather was cloudy and rainy. Targeting 6" Shoot-N-C at 25 yards with revolver rested on table. Loads used were CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr JHP and Hornady 30gr V-Max.
First impression was this gun is way over built for the 22 WMR. This was great news because historically for me those are the guns I enjoy shooting the most. I couldn't really feel the difference between the 2 loads I was shooting so I picked the 40gr JHP (I had more of them).
The trigger was fantastic. It was very smooth and combined with the heft of the 6" barrel it really wanted to stay on target. The sights on the other hand will take some getting used to. I know S&W uses quality adjustable sights but the black on black front/rear setup and the largish gap around the front post made it hard for me to place those tiny 22 holes were I wanted. I have been shooting my TRR8 with a Trijicon SRO a lot lately and I think I may be getting a little spoiled. Or lazy. Same thing right? All in all I had a great time and am very happy with my purchase. Off to a good start.
Day 2: (Rimfire Gallery)
I talked my mom into coming out with me on day 2. She is not a shooter so I decided to try the rimfire gallery as it's a lot quieter there and you get to sit. I don't think either one of us knew how much fun we were about to have!
The weather was gorgeous and there were targets of various levels of difficulty. We blew through a few hundred rounds in a couple hours and I must say those 22 Magnums really smack those steel targets with authority. Dropping 8 steel targets, in double action, at a rapid pace is something I don't think I will ever get tired of. The 648 tracked wonderful between targets and the absence of recoil allows for some seriously fast follow up shots. I also didn't mess with the sights at all that day. I don't know if it was from sighting in the 40gr JHPs on Day 1 or the simplicity of 'a hit is a hit' with steel targets but either way I'll take it.
I don't get to see my mom as often as I'd like so spending a day like that was a real blessing for us both.
Day 3: (648 and Rem V3 Tac-13 SBS)
I'll save this for another thread if anyone is interested.
Take Aways:
- Def a keeper. Love the weight, the 6" barrel, and the caliber. Trigger is excellent and very fun to shoot steel.
- May need to address the sights. Paint front blade for sure. Scope might be interesting but I have no experience there.
- Light primer strikes. Occurred with both ammo types at a rate of about 1 FTF every 3rd cylinder. New to rimfire but this seems too high for quality ammo. Thoughts?
Sorry for not providing a super technical range report but I thought I would share anyways.
Congrats on your new revolver . man that is 1 nice looking gun . and a good shooter too . hard to beat that combo . i know this means a lot to you so here i go. i LIKE it a LOT. kenny MT USA
For sights, I can recommend a Burris FastFire 3 or 2. (The 3 has adjustable brightness, and the 2 is automatic self adjusting). It would look very similar to what my 617-6 looks like, and really makes sighting very easy.
Welcome to the Forum. Very nice Range Report.
Congratulations on your New S&W 648 22Mag.
It was also nice that you were able to take your Mom shooting
with you.
I wanted to mention, I really like those Wood Grips you put on
your 648. They look like they are designed like all the Synthetic/
Rubber S&W grips I have. Very nice.
1. Make sure the strain screw (at the bottom of the front strap) is fully tight.
2. Make sure the cartridges are fully seated when loading the cylinder. Gunk can sometimes prevent tight seating.
If these two items don't correct the problem my suggestion would be to try a Wolff mainspring. IMHO the Wolff Powerbar (or whatever they call it) is a better spring that stock and I have used them on several K-22s that were having ignition problems, including my 48-4.
Congrats on your new revolver . man that is 1 nice looking gun . and a good shooter too . hard to beat that combo . i know this means a lot to you so here i go. i LIKE it a LOT. kenny MT USA
I’m glad you like it. I was very concerned about that when I picked it up. What a relief!
Congrats on the 648 and thanks for the story. The Hogues look nice.
I just picked up a 648 no dash and hoping to try her out next weekend.
You got a real beauty there! I would have liked to have found a more classic model but the price and availability tipped me the -2 way. The 8 shot cylinder might have played a role as well.
For sights, I can recommend a Burris FastFire 3 or 2. (The 3 has adjustable brightness, and the 2 is automatic self adjusting). It would look very similar to what my 617-6 looks like, and really makes sighting very easy.
Nice setup there. Where is a good place to find mounts like that? That one appears to be made for the BFF? I like how low it mounts.
Welcome to the Forum. Very nice Range Report.
Congratulations on your New S&W 648 22Mag.
It was also nice that you were able to take your Mom shooting
with you.
I wanted to mention, I really like those Wood Grips you put on
your 648. They look like they are designed like all the Synthetic/
Rubber S&W grips I have. Very nice.
Thank you and the Best to you.
My 617 6"Bbl 22lr.
Thank you sir. They are Hogue Rnd->Sqr conversation grips. That shape in any material fits my hand the best.
1. Make sure the strain screw (at the bottom of the front strap) is fully tight.
2. Make sure the cartridges are fully seated when loading the cylinder. Gunk can sometimes prevent tight seating.
If these two items don't correct the problem my suggestion would be to try a Wolff mainspring. IMHO the Wolff Powerbar (or whatever they call it) is a better spring that stock and I have used them on several K-22s that were having ignition problems, including my 48-4.
Thank you for the tips. I did not check the strain screw when I purchased it. I will tighten it up a little before I take it out again. I’ll report back with my results.
At 25 yds inch, 75 yds 3 inch’s new model 648 22mag. 2 1/2 X8 Leupold handgun scope with Hornady 30 grads
Have you noticed a substantial delta in POA and POI between a 40gr and 30gr projectile? In my very limited experience I felt there was but I didn’t spend enough time to determine it.
Thanks for a great write up.
And appreciate the photo of HRichard. What IS that sight mount?
I think you are referring to the Allchin mount, that's what I have on my 617 but I prefer the Raptor Engineering mount on my V-Comp, it is lower than the Allchin, it is also the same width as a Burris FFIII, the Allchin is wider and longer.
Last edited by DS-10-SPEED; 05-12-2020 at 11:36 AM.
DS-10SPEED. 1) Those are very high quality photos did you take them yourself? Very impressive. 2) That engraving on your side plate, who did it and what does it represent? I see the 10 chambers but I’m sure there is more to that story. Very cool
DS-10SPEED. 1) Those are very high quality photos did you take them yourself? Very impressive. 2) That engraving on your side plate, who did it and what does it represent? I see the 10 chambers but I’m sure there is more to that story. Very cool
Octogun, I took the pictures, I have seen better, but thanks anyway. I did the engraving with my CNC machine using a diamond drag bit. It is a CAD representation of the bottom view of my speed loader design.
1. Make sure the strain screw (at the bottom of the front strap) is fully tight.
2. Make sure the cartridges are fully seated when loading the cylinder. Gunk can sometimes prevent tight seating.
If these two items don't correct the problem my suggestion would be to try a Wolff mainspring. IMHO the Wolff Powerbar (or whatever they call it) is a better spring that stock and I have used them on several K-22s that were having ignition problems, including my 48-4.
When I checked the strain screw was not fully seated. After tightening it down the FTF’s were greatly reduced. May still try the Wolff spring. Thanks again.
S&W 648-2 Range Report
648 range report
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