Arm Thy Neighbor

Matthew Bracken ^ | March 27, 2010 | Matthew Bracken

[Tijeras_Slim]

That will put all the “It better start with a 4” crowd’s panties in a knot.

[MileHi]

That will put all the “It better start with a 4” crowd’s panties in a knot.

LOL!

I still favor 1911s but lately am infatuated with a couple of 4" Smith police revolvers.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I picked up a first year (1955) Combat Magnum (pre model 19) in 4 inch recently, with diamond target grips. Wonderfully smooth like almost all 50’s vintage Smiths.

[MileHi]

Ahh, I still need to try that target one some more. But it really is something how fine those ‘50s era wheel guns are.

So that ‘55 is a “magnum”? or a Combat Masterpiece?

[Tijeras_Slim]

The Combat Magnum is the gun that Border Patrolman and pistolero Bill Jordan pushed for, a K frame .357 (he advocated practice with .38's). It was introduced in 1955 and became the Model 19 in 1957. It has a heavy barrel (no taper) and shrouded ejector rod.

The Combat Masterpiece is the 4" version of the K-38 Target Masterpiece and became the Model 15, it is .38 Special only, and has the tapered barrel and a non-shrouded ejector rod.

You need to get a copy of this... there's even a mention of some guy named Slim in the acknowledgements.

[MileHi]

LOL Thanks for another lesson.

Where can I get that?

[Tijeras_Slim]

Amazon and I’ve even seen them in big book stores. It’s the last word on Smiths unless you kidnap Roy Jinks and chain him up in the basement.

[Travis McGee]

I think with quality HPs, you don’t sacrifice much with a 9, but you get a slimmer grip in either a single or double stack compared to a .45. Not all guns, but most. In .40, it’s usually the same grip etc as a 9mm, but the main reason is I want anybody in my family to be able to pick up my 9s and shoot them without fearing them. I don’t want any house or road guns that are only for dad to shoot. They can all shoot a 9 effectively, but the “4s” intimidate them. Plus, ammo is usually (not lately) cheap and easy to find.