11/13/2022 - BLOG COMMENTS are again allowed and are moderated to exclude only the bots, advertisements, racial / ethnic pejoratives, and embedded links. I'll attempt to honor Chicago's historical "Bughouse Square" concept of free-speech and open debate --- spanning the curve from the far-left to the far-right. /JZ
Blogging to you from the Northeastern Badlands of The County of Lake, in the state currently known as Fatmanistan, DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP inside the heartland of the Banana Republic formerly known as the USA, WELCOME TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! WARNING! ALL FORMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ARE ADDICTIVE; EXCESSIVE USE MAY LEAD TO MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, REDUCED JOB PRODUCTIVITY, INSOMNIA, SOCIAL ALIENATION, GENITAL ULCERS, BLINDNESS, POLITICAL EROTICISM, AND / OR DEVIANT FUNAMBULISM. NOTICE: NO GUNS OR AMMUNITION ARE FOR SALE VIA THIS BLOG. (No, I will not trade my Colt Python for some lubricious adventures with your trophy wife and a future first-round draft pick.) CAVEAT: This blog is not suitable for viewing while at work, while inside a public library, while inside any public or private school, or while inside any public or private restroom. Do not view this blog while driving a motor vehicle or while piloting an aircraft. Viewing this blog may be illegal inside the EU, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, and other parts of the Third World. THIS BLOG CONTAINS (albeit often very childish) ADULT-CONTENT. DISCLAIMER: This blog is a hobby, it is not a livelihood. Even though much of what I blog about relates to firearms collecting and recreational shooting, I am not an expert (by any measure) on any facet of guns, shooting, hunting, or personal defense. Entries at this blog are akin to good old-fashioned campfire chats or post hunt bourbon-fueled barroom-bluster; I offer no opinion on what you should or should not purchase, or what you should be using or doing. What does or does not work for me could be rugged-country-miles away from your tastes and your needs. All products, places, and miscellany that I review for this blog are purchased / rented / leased at retail price by me. I do not accept payment, gifts, discounts, freebies, products on loan, distilled spirits, recreational pharmaceuticals, plea-bargains, probation, parole, Papal Blessings, Presidential Pardons, or sexual favors for doing any review or blog post. TRACKING COOKIES: Google et al stick tracking cookies on everybody. If you are online, you are being spied on via one method or another, for one reason or another; 'nuff said. You may be able to minimize your online DNA residue by using Tor and Duck Duck Go. Vive la liberté! Vive all y'all! Ante omnia armari. To each of you, thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Smith & Wesson Model 15-3 range session at 5 Star Firearms in Zion, Illinois 09/09/2019

This was range session #12 for 2019 and it is probably my last for the year. There are many competing priorities that I need to attend to before the new year rings in so I need to limit distractions. 779-rounds total were expended this year and it all was more fun than I deserved to have.  I hope to spend even more time at the range next year.  We'll see how things work out ...
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65-rounds of Federal 130-grain FMJ (AE38K) plus 6-rounds of Federal 125-grain Nyclad hollow point (P38M) equals 71-rounds total for this session (all were NON+P loads which are very friendly to the frame of this old revolver and to the achy hands of this kludgy old shooter). It has been many years since I last fired the old S&W Model 15-3 shown in the photo above.  I decided to get away from practicing with the light-and-easy to carry pocket sized blasters for a while so I dug this Combat Masterpiece out of secure storage. I even used it for concealed carry for a few days with a Jackass shoulder rig as proof of concept; it's unlikely to become a regular carry --- but it is probably best to never say never nowadays.


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The sheet (above) was used at varying distances

First off, I engaged the center target:
12-rounds @ 30-feet (10-yards)
I did my best Elmer Fudd modified Weaver stance and fired the revolver double action, very slow and very deliberately but I avoided staging the trigger.  The Nyclads were the first 6-rounds fired; I highlighted in yellow where they hit.

Next I blasted away at the pair of lower targets:
12-rounds on each @ 21-feet (7-yards)
Again with the modified Weaver stance, I fired double action as fast as I could sight and squeeze.  Even at this closer distance I expected that the faster pace of shooting would cause me to open up my groupings more than I did.  This revolver has always been very kind and patient with my lack of natural talent.  It is no wonder (to me, at least) that many cops were reluctant to transition away from this model.

Then it came down to just me facing off against the top pair of targets:
12-rounds on each @ 45-feet (15-yards)
Kneeling, using the range-booth countertop as a brace, I fired SINGLE ACTION, as fast as I could thumb-cock the hammer, sight, and squeeze the trigger.  At this distance my eyes started to lose focus of the front sight against the target.



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I had 11-rounds left to burn so I rolled a fresh sheet out to 60-feet (20-yards) which I (correctly) guessed to be the inner edge of my zone of suckiness with this revolver.  Again I bastardized some sort of a modified Weaver stance and fired double action as fast as I could sight and squeeze.  Of the 11-rounds fired, there was 1-on-paper-miss (highlighted in yellow, lower righthand corner). 10-rounds did hit inside the scoring rings with 5-rounds landing inside the 9-ring and 5-rounds scattered around inside the other numbers. Some famous movie dude once said something about a man needing to know his limitations.  

SUMMARY:  
It is more enjoyable for me to shoot with a 4'' .38 special K-frame than it is for me to shoot with a snub .38 special J-frame.  It always has been and always will be.






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