Tag Archives: Smith & Wesson police revolver

Smith & Wesson Centennial Revolvers Revisited

Does the pervasive plastic pistol have you feeling a bit listless and melancholy lately?  Striker-fired boredom setting in?  Well, perk up your life with a Smith & Wesson Centennial revolver!  Sometimes going “retro” can get you caught in a new frame of mind that will liven your dreary modern existence. The quintessential J-frame revolver by Smith & Wesson has been around since its birth in 1950 as the Chief’s Special or, later, the Model 36.  Designed as a small, concealable handgun with moderate power from its .38 S&W Special chambering, the platform has morphed into many versions during its 60-plus years. In Smith & Wesson-ese, the “Centennial” model, introduced in … Continue reading

Posted in Firearms, Off Duty, Officer Safety, Street | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

New Smith & Wesson Performance Center 686 Revolver

While I am on revolver kick, Smith & Wesson is releasing a brand new Performance Center version of their Model 686 Distinguished Combat Magnum.  This 7 shot L-Frame model will have a 2.5″ barrel, bead blasted finish, unfluted cylinder, and custom wood grips.  There is a red ramp front and adjustable rear sight. Other features to the PC 686 are a chrome teardrop-shaped hammer spur, chrome trigger with stop, precision crowned barrel, and a cylinder cut for moon clips.  S&W’s Performance Center has tuned the action. Aaron and I shot this gun at Media Day.  The trigger in double action was silky smooth.  In single action, the hammer dropped with … Continue reading

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Off Duty, SHOT Show | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

New ERGO Delta Grips for S&W J-Frame Revolvers

Overheard at the Show from some GunPressMediaInternetCommandos:  “You gotta check out the new ERGO Delta Grips for the J-Frame.  They are ultra-high-speed-tactical and probably will show up on immediate-action SpecOps outside of CONUS!”  Maybe the word “Delta” fooled them.  Maybe I exaggerate.  Sigh, I checked the map and wandered down to ERGO’s booth in one of the rabbit warren ballrooms off the SHOT Show main hall. I have an affinity for my .38 Special revolvers and in the environment of .327 SmallBlock chambered AR-15’s and the latest in super Cryptoflage-patterned BDU’s, I could have used a bit of Old School Firearm-ery at that moment.  The new Delta Grip by ERGO … Continue reading

Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Off Duty, SHOT Show | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Police Technology. Meh.

There have been many technological changes in the last quarter century that have made the copper’s job…different.  Not always better, but certainly not the same. When I started out, our duty belts held a .38 cal. revolver (S&W M64), 2 HKS speedloaders, large Motorola MT500 portable radio, handcuffs, and rings for a full-length Monadnock PR-24 sidehandle baton and Mag-Lite.  My agency made the switch to Smith & Wesson 669 9mm semi-automatics pistols in 1987. The firepower on a patrolman’s belt has definitely increased.  We got hi-cap magazines for the S&W autoloader that topped off at 15 rounds.  Forty-six rounds of 9mm sure beat 18 slow-to-reload wheelgun shots.  My issued handgun … Continue reading

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