Not a bad day at the range yesterday. Took out the S&W 65-2 for a spin, tested some new reloads and I had a great time with my fellow club members.

About a couple of years ago, I found the S&W 65-2 online for a good darn price (Under $300). It was a LEO trade from the Texas Department of Corrections and the serial number starts with TDC which is cool. The gun shows some moderate wear and scratches which makes it not the prettiest girl in the collection but she is solid. I changed the springs to Wolff’s and the original grip to a Hogue Monogrip. The S&W 65-2 comes with fixed sights and I painted the front sight initially with Bright Sights Orange although now it is sporting Bon Bon’s Orange nail polish. Don’t ask, I might tell later.

My affair with the revolver has been strange. My first revolver was a loaner from my roommate who owned a S&W Model 13 who would leave it with me whenever he went out on a trip with the proviso that I would clean it after using it. Feeling the kick of a .357 Magnum was an eye opening experience for a guy who barely months before was anti-gun. After the Model 13, came the Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum belonging to my brother in law. The usual stories of being such a powerful weapon that it would either kick me to the ground or park itself between the eyebrows were quickly eradicated and the only thing left was shooting that mule with pure pleasure and being more accurate that my brother in law who was a tad miffed about it.

Fast Forward 20 plus years, several semi-autos plus long guns and I bump online with the 65-2. It brought back memories of my first time (Specially since the 65 is the “evolution” of the Model 13) and with a wee bit of cash hidden somewhere available, I went ahead and bought it. It was the beginning of a rocky relationship which I will detail later. Anyway, I found that shooting revolver has improved my semi auto shooting a decent amount. It made me more aware of my trigger manipulation and more accurate as in “I don’t have 17 rounds to spray and pray.” And revolvers are a load of fun, specially when you arrive at a match and a fellow club member stars to give you grief about the ancient gun and after the scores are posted, you find out you beat the hay out of the disrespectful bastard.

And as a payback, next match will be shot with full power .357 rounds. I wanna share the love! But in all seriousness, get a revolver and shoot it. It is way too much fun.

(more to come)