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  1. Rio Vista Slim

    Everybody has one, why not show them?...J-Frames

    My former Model 642. While a most excellent handgun, I prefer the Model 637. The S&W Model 637-2 which was the result of trading in the Model 642. Since concealment is a primary function of my 637, I got these Magna-style grips from Smith & Wesson. I grew up shooting a Model 36, so I...
  2. Rio Vista Slim

    K frame snub leather: let's see them!

    Smith & Wesson K-frame Model 12 w/2 inch barrel, in a Galco OWB leather holster. This holster is exceptionally secure, well made, and comfortable. BUT............ Galco appears to make these holsters to fit guns with a 2 and one-half or 3 inch barrels! Until I get a custom holster for IWB...
  3. Rio Vista Slim

    Another Model 12 in the house

    Under appreciated in general, perhaps, but not by me. The above pictured 1974 vintage Model 12 was found late last year in a local gun shop. It represented the nicest one I'd seen in many years, and replaced a similar gun I owned in the early 1970s. While too large for pocket carry (in my...
  4. Rio Vista Slim

    Lets talk about J-Frame Grips......

    For extended (50 rounds or more) shooting sessions with my 637-6, the factory supplied rubber grips are hard to beat for comfort and control. I bought my first J-frame in 1970. Years of buying and shooting various J and K frame revolvers allowed my hands to become used to the Magna-style...
  5. Rio Vista Slim

    did some shooting today

    As you've discovered, regular practice with the right techniques is essential to mastering the double action trigger on revolvers. I consider myself fortunate to have grown up with revolvers. In the early 1970s a close friend and I loaded and shot literally thousands of rounds through our...
  6. Rio Vista Slim

    3 or 4" 686?

    I ordered this Smith & Wesson Model 686-6 Plus from a gun shop in 2007. I don't normally carry this gun except during the winter months, but the pictured Kramer Horsehide Scabbard and Eagle Secret Service grips assist in concealment under jackets and coats. After some diligent research, I...
  7. Rio Vista Slim

    Any Model 12's Out There?

    Having owned a slew of Smith & Wesson revolvers in the 1970s, I am very fond of their line of guns. A Model 12 was one of my first purchases after turning 21 in 1970. Foolishly it was either sold or traded away, which was the fate of all those wonderful revolvers. Their was a local hang-out...
  8. Rio Vista Slim

    Rarity question 686+ 3" barrel

    After a "divorce-induced" hiatus from handguns, I was able to order this S&W 686-6 Plus from a local gunshop in 2007. Upon receipt of the revolver, it has some firing pin issues which were quickly fixed by Frank Smith at LSG Manufacturing in Comanche, TX. The photograph (above) shows the...
  9. Rio Vista Slim

    What made you a S&W fan?

    The first centerfire handgun I ever shot was a Smith & Wesson Model 10, sometime in the early 1960s. I was Hooked! In 1970, on the occasion of my 21st birthday, I bought a Model 36. In retrospect, not a wise first purchase, but what the heck. Over the years I've owned many S&W revolvers and...
  10. Rio Vista Slim

    686 picture thread

    My 686-6 Plus with the three inch barrel. The Pachmayr grips make this a very comfortable revolver to shoot, even with stout .357 Magnum cartridges. The Eagle Secret Service grips look better and are more concealable, but are semi-brutal when shooting anything more powerful than .38 +P.
  11. Rio Vista Slim

    Just bought a Model 12-2 with a CRACKED frame (photos)

    I'm sorry about your cracked frame. One of the first guns I bought back in the early 1970s was a brand new Model 12. I loved that revolver, but being young and stupid I either sold or traded it for something I "thought" I wanted more. This past fall my local gun shop acquired a 1974...
  12. Rio Vista Slim

    Paul Giannaula at PJ Holster

    The "secret", unfortunately, is out! After reading numerous recommendations on GlockTalk and the Kahr forums, I ordered a PJ Holster for my Kahr CM9. Somewhat like Lost Lake, I couldn't get my head around a Kydex IWB holster. This is the MOST COMFORTABLE inside-the-waistband holster I've...
  13. Rio Vista Slim

    Favorite magazine publication?

    Those of us (read "Baby Boomers" and older) fortunate enough to have read the articles by Keith, Skelton, Askins, Jordan, and others are somewhat "starved" when it comes to current print magazines. The interests of the younger shooters are centered primarily in concealed carry, so the magazines...
  14. Rio Vista Slim

    All this talk about rubber grips

    S&W Model 686-6 Plus w/factory rubber stocks. The same revolver with Eagle Grips Secret Service stocks. My revolver with Magna stocks from the S&W store. The 686 w/Pachmayr Compac grips. Okay, which ones? Shooting .38 Special +P I like them all. Shooting .357 Magnum, only the Pachmayrs.
  15. Rio Vista Slim

    Smith & Wesson Model 637 Airweight 38 Special Revolver

    Since my very first Smith & Wesson was a Chiefs Special in 1970, I've always been very fond of those J-frames. S&W Model 637 w/factory rubber stocks. The same Model 637 w/Magna grips from the S&W Store. While my revolver is vastly more comfortable to shoot with the rubber stocks, I prefer...
  16. Rio Vista Slim

    Speed Loader for M&P 9 Shield Mag??

    UPLula Magazine loader shown with magazines from a Glock 32, 1911, and Kahr CM9. As stated by those who use them, an invaluable tool to avoid sore thumbs when loading multiple magazines and high capacity mags.
  17. Rio Vista Slim

    S & W Vs. Colt

    I AM NOT an Expert! Since that's established, I have owned a variety of Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers, beginning my acquisitions in 1970. Speaking personally, the two six inch blued Pythons I owned were the most beautiful revolvers. Those two were accurate, reliable, and I eventually got...
  18. Rio Vista Slim

    The "Good" Old Days????

    No trip down "memory lane" would be complete without acknowledging Bill Jordan and his influence. Jordan stocks, Jordan holsters, and of course, the Combat Magnum (Model 19). I was fortunate enough to see one of Bill Jordan's shooting exhibitions. I miss the old Bianchi catalogs, the choices...
  19. Rio Vista Slim

    The "Good" Old Days????

    I learned to shoot using S&W revolvers. In those bygone days, two of the biggest holster makers were Bianchi and Safariland. The revolver was "King", and those two holster companies made a variety of excellent leather holsters for the wheelguns. I recently acquired a snub-nose Smith & Wesson...
  20. Rio Vista Slim

    Older Guys and Concealed Carry

    I began wearing glasses in the mid to late 1970s, but what started out as a little astigmatism has graduated to tri-focals. Forty-one years of railroading resulted in hearing aids recently. The usual aches and pains of being 63 have somewhat slowed the time it takes me to get a gun out of...
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