Hi,
Here's a suggestion that, I think, will answer the question for you . . . based on my experiences. Hope it helps! . . .
Take the M27, and other handguns you are considering, and shoot several competitive handgun matches (steel and/or bowling pin) against experienced area handgun competitors. In these matches, the fastest times to ACCURATELY engage all the targets wins . . . and it is eye-opening sometimes to discover the results that are best for you! It might just save your life one day by having the CORRECT handgun in your hand that fits YOU best . . . when shooting AT SPEED.
In a match, or on the street, one simply cannot miss fast enough and win. ALSO, shoot capable ammunition that is effective BUT that gives you the capability to shoot very fast and ACCURATE follow-up shots into your target. You simply cannot miss fast enough and win! If the torque twists the gun in your grip out of line in the slightest, you WILL miss when shooting at speed when the chips are down.
My results have shown me that:
1. I had to forget the high cap 1911. Strangely, when shooting this very accurate 1911 while plinking at the range the pistol IS a tackdriver
BUT in a very fast match . . . and in my size hand, the torque during recoil would move the gun slightly in my grip, and a very accurate handgunner (like myself) becomes a terrible shot when the grip is slightly wrong. In a match, and on the street, one can't call a short "time out" to regrip the gun. FOOD FOR THOUGHT if it affects you!
2. In a standard sized 1911 I shot it well . . . but not as well as my S&W revolvers (J-K-L and N frames all).
3. The Glocks pointed different, and the blockier grip also prevented me from excelling at matches at speed. Other high cap pistols also weren't as good in my grip and would cause me to miss at speed as the grip changed under torque. HOWEVER . . .
4. My S&W revolvers fit my hand so well in all grip sizes, with the proper stocks/grips, that the revolvers allowed me the identical grip with each and every shot . . . and gave me stunning accuracy all the time during competitive matches.
BOTTOM LINE . . . I'm faster from the holster, faster shooting double action, swinging from target to target . . . and faster engaging ALL targets I must hit, than when I shoot automatics (or when others I compete against with automatics can shoot there's in my area matches!
There's an old saying, when things are on the line under stress . . . you can't miss fast enough!
Now when the matches, just as on the streets, require several fast RELOADS . . . or shooting more than six really fast shots that miss . . . the high cap bottom feeders USUALLY win out for most shooters.
HOWEVER . . .
1. IF you shoot your Smith revolvers as well as I suspect you do, you already know that you'd rather have six fast, accurate shots from your 627, than have a lesser chance of hitting your target with the first six rounds from your pistols. For the "average" cop who does not excel in handguns, high cap pistols make a lot of sense. For YOU the answer I suspect is quite different!!!
2. If you shoot and reload your S&W revolvers with a certain level of mastery, your times/scores at steel matches will clearly bear out the fact that, FOR YOU, you are better off with your M627 at your side!
3. A lot of revolver + auto competitors have learned that they are better with their Smith revolvers too . . . and their times are better with a Smith revolver than with their tricked out, auto raceguns . . . AND better than those other folks shooting who never mastered revolvers.
Sorry for the long reply . . . but you deserve a thoughtful reply, for your life is on the line every day and I appreciate your service! Stay safe . . . and shoot your best when you have to, no matter what weapon is in your hand!
Tom
PS: If you want to read more about my two days that were most enlightening to me. I'd have never believe it until experiencing the first story below:
___________
1. I shot an area steel match about ten years ago, both with my Colt Combat Elite 1911 .45ACP, and with my moon-clipped Model 625 .45ACP revolver. Won the revolver class . . . got beat by several other competitors in the stock 1911 class.
After the matches had concluded, there was a "winner-take-all" cash pot for those who wanted to shoot a special match. Here's the situation:
- EIGHTEEN heavy steel plates and poppers, spread out in about a 90 degree arc in front of the shooter (at distances varying from ten to abt. 35 yards.
- Handguns start UNLOADED, in a pistol box
- One MANDATORY RELOAD required (to handicap anyone choosing to bring a full-size Glock 9mm to the line and use the 33rnd magazines) LOL
- The FASTEST time to clear all the plates and poppers wins all the money! Like in life . . . second place gets nothing! Surely not a match that favors six guns, one would think!
For this match I brought out my chopped barrel (to 3 1/4") Model 25-2 .45ACP to the line, backed by an initial 6-rnd. moon clip to load, and three moon-clips on my belt. You should have heard the ribbing I got . . . but this revolver is like magic in my hand and I can reload my moonclips as fast as I can a 1911. Here's the gun, though with Hogue rubbers installed for the match:
BOTTOM LINE: I loaded, shot fast, never missed and reloaded fast too and . . .
In the end, I kicked all 35 or so who'd jumped in to win that money! Second place was a guy shooting a customized but "stock" 1911 single stack but using 10 round extended 1911 magazines. He cleared all the targets over two seconds SLOWER . . . you simply can't miss fast enough and win!!!
The worst finishers were the two guys shooting Glock 17s with several 33-round magazines "in case" they missed. One shot over 100 rounds and the more he shot the jerkier he missed! Last place shot nearly 125 rounds before he ran out of ammo in front of the crowd and got a DNF.
AGAIN . . . SHOOT TO WIN WITH SOMETHING YOU ARE BEST WITH!
2. This past October I shot another steel match. I'm now 60 and my eyes aren't quite as good and I haven't shot much competitively in a few years. I decided to take two revolvers that are older than me to compete with in revolver classes, just for fun.
This match simply requires competitors to HIT a steel plate, on four different-layout stages of fire.
- Each stage has five targets at different distances.
- You can load as many rounds as your handgun in that class holds, and you can sit your reloads on a table next to you if you need them.
- Thus, IF YOU DON'T MISS, you only shoot five rounds at a time.
- I didn't even take a speedloader to the line with me. Heck, if I miss a plate I STILL had a back up round in the revolver . . . and if I need to reload I've lost anyway. Same in life!!!
- The shooter repeats that same stage FIVE times and they drop the slowest time.
- BOTTOM LINE: At the end of the entire match a competitor must hit 100 targets and your total time for the 100 determines the winner in each class.
EYE-OPENING RESULTS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND ARE TRUE FOR YOU TOO . . .
1. I won both revolver rimfire and centerfire categories. Yea, I never missed more than one target in a field of five plates . . . and I didn't miss any of the five many times either (but needed the extra round on a couple.
2. I won the rimfire auto class
3. Got beat by a could in stock centerfire auto class
4. Beat a good "young buck" shooting that new S&W Performance Center 686 7-shot revolver. He shot .38 Specials in that .357 . . . but you can't miss fast enough and win!
5. BOTH of the top two centerfire revolver scores beat ALL the centerfire pistol shooter's times!!!
The day's best total times to react to buzzer and engage 100 targets:
Me, CF revolver: 83.95 sec.
2nd, CF revolver: 94.30
1st, CF pistol: 100.31
2nd, CF pistol: 103.35
3rd, CF pistol: 117.10
I won't report the other scores . . . there's no second place winner, much less a third in life! LOL BTW, I finished 4th in production auto after an equipment malfunction (failure to feed) that I cleared swiftly. Dang high cap bottom feeder!
Here's the old revolver I used to win, including over that new PC 686 seven shot . . . a humble old Model M&P with fixed sights from 1950. I'd never shot it much . . . and never in a match. I did add a Tyler T-grip to it so the gun would remain properly in my grip! Not too shabby for a couple of 60 year old farts (me and the gun)!
Hope this helps . . . and trust that revolver if, like for me, it works best for you.
