Photos by the creator
(A part of me needs to place “… is failure to speak!”, however this isn’t a film assessment).
What we’ve right here is one thing sporting a S&W emblem that’s extra uncommon than hen’s tooth… a five-shot, .44 Particular revolver.
Now, please perceive that S&W is not any stranger to both 5-shot revolvers – the J-frame involves thoughts – nor to .44 Specials. They’ve made lots of each of these over time. What IS totally different, nonetheless, is that they mixed these design traits into one gun. I might say to consider the 396 as a J-frame on steroids, but it surely’s far more than that.
They took their well-regarded L-frame and put in a 5-shot cylinder. That’s the lengthy and the wanting it. Really, they make two Night time Guards… this one in .44, and a 7-shooter in .357 Magnum. Each go for an MSRP of $1269. I’ll let that sink in a bit…
Why A 5-Shot .44?
The 396 fills a distinct segment for a big-bore carry or home-defense-type gun for people who like revolvers, like me. I’m a wheelgun fan from manner again. I personal a number of, and have put venison within the freezer with them. This gun is pretty mild, and with its three-inch barrel, it’s fast into motion. Right here in Indiana, if the barrel had been one inch longer, it could be deer-legal. As such, it makes an excellent nightstand or truck gun… however I’m undecided I’d desire a $1200-plus jewel bouncing round in a automobile.
At any charge, this gun would make an ideal walkin’-around gun. You recognize, one thing to strap in your belt if you find yourself climbing, roaming the woods, simply knocking round. I’ve loads of expertise with .44s of each the Particular and Magnum persuasion, and I actually just like the lower-powered Particular. Many of the deer I’ve killed with my 8 ⅜”-barreled 629 went right down to a mid-range cast-bullet handload of round 1070 fps… that’s Particular territory. Really, the longest killing shot I’d ever taken with that open-sighted, stainless .44 Magnum was at a measured 104 yards… And that was with a Georgia Arms 240-grain JHP .44 Particular load… wow! The Particular is particular.
The one different 5-shot .44 Particular that I do know of at this writing is the Constitution Arms. I owned a kind of as soon as, the Bulldog .44 that the “Son of Sam” killer in NYC made well-known within the Nineteen Seventies. Mine was used for different functions, corresponding to hid carry when driving my Yamaha 500… ah, these had been the times…
The Constitution Arms is made for a special worth level, sometimes one below $400. They’re not unhealthy weapons, however there are variations – we’ll go away it at that.
Specs
Talking of barrel size, listed below are the 396’s stats…
Width 1.56 in
Size 8.1 in
Peak 5.6 in
Weight 23.4 oz
Caliber 44 Particular
Dimension Medium, L-frame
Capability 5
Motion Single/Double Motion
Barrel Size 3
Grip Artificial
Sights Night time Sight entrance, adjustable rear
Colour/End Black
Barrel Materials Stainless Metal
Mannequin Mannequin 396
Body Materials Scandium
Guarantee Restricted Lifetime
MSRP: $1269
Right here are some things that I actually like about this revolver…
First, the sights. I’m properly used to the adjustable rear sight that S&W has used for over half a century. It’s adjustable, with high-quality sufficient “clicks” that permit it to be sighted in for any sensible vary. The entrance sight here’s a night time sight. That ought to actually assist with its visibility in dim mild.
The entrance tritium put up actually stands out…
Subsequent, I just like the grip. Even Particular-variety ammo can have recoil. Don’t assume that simply because it doesn’t say “Magnum” on the barrel that it received’t chew the hand that holds it. The rubber grip (seems like a Hogue) helps tame recoil to a outstanding extent.
The third merchandise that I observed was that there isn’t a dreaded lock. You’ll be able to see the place the body was stuffed the place the lock would usually go. Thank goodness that the universally despised “Hillary Gap” is gone. I don’t know why S&W doesn’t eliminate this “function” on all their revolvers… it has outlived its time.
Lastly, I like the scale and weight of this revolver. Its three-inch barrel makes it very useful, and its 23-ounce weight permits you to take it alongside nearly anyplace. In fact, there are two sides to the barrel size and gun weight in that recoil could be a bit extra pronounced, however in a .44 Particular, it’s not going to be too unhealthy.
As I stated above, this gun can be obtainable as a 7-shot .357 for a similar worth… there’s one thing to consider.
Goal Time
I arrange some targets at my 15-yard line and grabbed some Black Hills .44 Particular masses. The one .44 Particular load I had on the time of testing was their HoneyBadger 160-grain. HoneyBadger is nice stuff… the bullets appear like a Phillips screwdriver, with flutes machined into the nostril. The sunshine-for-caliber, copper bullets penetrate like no person’s enterprise in my Clear Ballistics gel blocks. In case you carry a .44 for defense, that is the load that needs to be in your cylinder. For individuals who are curious, my Athlon radar chronograph clocked this load at 1187 fps, with 497 ft/lbs. of power.
The gun dealt with properly, with recoil that allow you to know you had been capturing a big-bore revolver, however that wasn’t sufficient to place you off it.
My stash of Black Hills .44 ammo. I simply shot a assessment Ruger Tremendous Blackhawk in .44 magnum with the 240-grain JHP load. Out of the less-than-five-inch barreled SBH, it nonetheless clocked 1310 fps. The HoneyBadger will do higher, however that’s a special assessment! Any of those would take a deer at close-to-mid vary, from a handgun. Out of my S&W 1854 .44 Magnum lever rifle, the velocities could be off the chain…
Here’s a consultant goal… the load hit low left. Right here’s a tip for handgunners capturing an adjustable-rear-sight gun for the primary time… if the sight is sitting all the best way down, elevate it a mm or two earlier than capturing. Not less than your pictures needs to be on the paper. This gun shot low, but when I hadn’t moved the sight previous to capturing, the goal would’ve been clear.
(The black dot at 8:00 is a paster I positioned on the goal earlier. This gun is a 5-shooter.)
I might have preferred to have extra .44 Spl. ammo to place by means of it, however for its supposed function (protection), it was greater than correct sufficient. If I had been to maintain this gun, I might develop a handload particularly for it.
One remaining considered capturing the 396… I didn’t measure the set off weight as a result of I felt I didn’t should. Each DA and SA triggers had been very crisp and light-weight, with little or no creep. The set off was a assist, not a hindrance.
Conclusion
I bear in mind the wheelguns of my youth fondly. I “grew up” on revolvers, as a result of again within the ‘60s and ‘70s, the semi-auto craze hadn’t kicked in but. In my neck of the woods, we had numerous .22s and 1911s in .45 ACP… that was about it. So, I shot revolvers. I nonetheless like them, as you may in all probability inform. Whether or not or not you wish to put money into a top-quality .44 isn’t the purpose of this assessment, however it’s one thing to consider. The purpose is that there are weapons on the market made “the old school manner” and which might be nonetheless standard. (I assume what I’m making an attempt to say is that we pair the older idea of revolvers with trendy manufacturing methods… the most effective of each worlds.)
If you wish to purchase a uncommon revolver to move right down to your youngsters, that is one possibility. The outdated .44 isn’t lifeless… It’s again, and higher than ever!
Hyperlinks To Objects Used In This Evaluate
Athlon Rangecraft Velocity Professional Radar Chronograph, $500
Birchwood Casey Crammed Taking pictures Luggage, $40
Birchwood Casey Eze-Scorer 8 Inch Bull’s-Eye Goal, 26 Targets, $9
Birchwood Casey Stick-A-Bull 12 Inch Adhesive Bullseye Goal, $9
Birchwood Casey Vary Cleansing Equipment, $60
Black Hills Ammunition
Caldwell E-Max Low-Profile Listening to Protectors, $33
Caldwell Final Goal Stand, $33
GPS Medium Vary Bag, $150
MTM Case-Gard Excessive-Low Taking pictures Desk, $160
Wheeler Spacesaver Screwdriver Set, $22
