ltwguns.com

Okay Guys,

The revolver threads have been really slow so I thought I would get a tease in. I have one of the new S&W Model 396 Night Guards on the way. This is the L frame, 5 shot, in .44 Special. I'm hoping it lives up to the billing.

The photo below is taken from Smith's web site. I should have some posted by the end of the week.

Jason, eat your heart out!

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

Rob,
Kind of an "evil looking" little thing.........
Can't wait for your excellent review....... ALL your reviews are excellent!!!
Best regards,
Jeffro

Except for the lack of fancy grips, there is nothing not to love about that revolver.

ML

Eh, it has a lock, and I really miss the round barrels....

I know, I know. I am trying to up beat.

I really don't like the lock, the new hammer, the new barrel or the laser rollmarks.

But, that's the Smiths of today and I'm trying to be up beat.

Nothing is perfect. Take my wife ... PULEEESE!

ML

Damn, that was funny! Good luck with the Missus!

I have wanted a 696 soooo bad, but I might have to try out one of these too. I've been looking for an overcoat front pocket gun. Here in MT in winter you can NOT get to your hip when you have multiple layers of Carhart and Filson on and its snowing all the time. I have shot the S&W scandium 45acp and was amazed, but the S&W scandium 44Mag is simply miserable to the point of not practical (FOR ME that is) I look forward to hearing how she shoots with some defense loads

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God Bless
45Fundi

I should have known not to count on it being here on time. Not here yet but the check is in the mail.

Stay tuned.

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

Is the rear sight the C&S "Extreme Duty" fixed designed to fit the opening for the standard adjustable rear sight?

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Scott

Scott--yeah, they are using the C&S fixed rear...makes it an almost "Off the Shelf" proposition...you could ALMOST "Make One Up" yourself...hhmmm...the LIGHT BULB comes on...hhmmm....mikey357

Here it is. Daylight was fading fast so forgive the down and dirty photos.

First impressions:

The stocks are larger than I expected and have a cushion along the backstrap. They also fit rather poorly under the trigger guard and along the front strap. I have some CTC Laser Grips coming and that should solve the problem.

The sights are great and come up very quickly.

Trigger pull is a little stiff but, between dry firing and range work, it should get better. It is screaming for a Wolf spring kit. Out of the box, is is not a Performance Center action like on the TR revolver I have but has potential.

I don't understand why they abbreviated the markings on the right side of the frame but it is no big deal. The entire package weighs in at 24.2 oz.

All in all, I think Smith has a real winner. Wheel guns are back and the L frame is the perfect platform for a 5 shot .44 Special. It maxes out on the cool factor. You can have the Scandium N-frames in .44 Mag and .45 Colt. This is the one to have. However, I might like to take a look at the K-Frame model in .38.

More to come. How 'bout somebody getting Jason away from his flat guns and see what he thinks about a man's gun!

Rob



The 396 is very cleanly done however the finish almost distorts the photo.





Where to get a holster for a new gun that no one has seen. The great folks at Galco were already making a IWB rig for a 2/5" L frame. Sorry to the custom guys but a writer has to do what he has to do.



Someone, S&W, has finally realized what a great sight Cylinder & Slide makes. The Extreme Duty Rear Sight has been out for several years but never got a lot of attention. When Smith came to C&S, they requested that the notch be rounded instead of square. Once the deal was done, C&S had a new mold made. The round notch works well with the XS front sight.





The back end and the business end of a compact .44 Special loaded with 200 grain Gold Dots. Mean city!





Since I just picked it up on the way home this evening there was no time for a side trip to the range. I'll post more later.

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

Rob
Very sexy.

Rob, I am very interested in a range report on recoil. My girlfriend is a Pro Class Mountain Bike Rider and rides about 2-300 miles in the mountains each week and there have been lion problems where she rides and she wants a 38 J frame. I'm trying to decide between a fully shrouded stainless or a scandium. She is former FBI and quite the shooter, but she is still only 5'2'' and I figured if she ever had to use it she would literally be shooting around her waist or over her shoulder to get the lion off her back and so having to hold the gun at an awkward angle making recoil more of a problem. She of course wants the lightest thing possible, but I don't want to get something so light that when fired from a contorted wrist position it flies out of her hand. So, I hope you might be able to enlighten me on if it has significantly more recoil than a stainless j frame. Thanks, she's a beaut!

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God Bless
45Fundi

I received the small CTC Laser Grips today. These are what Smith should be sending on the guns! Much better!

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

Present and accounted for... finally.

I'd have chimed in earlier but I've been out gallivanting about the desert landscape picking off critters and scoundrels with my trusty M58 and M13. Flat guns?? Never head of 'em.

Okay not really... just working allot. And on those dreaded "flat guns" no less...

I'm diggin' the gun... with a different front sight (I'm not a big fan of the XS/dot) and set of Spegels I think I could learn to love it!

Eh Rob, what say you just send it my way and I'll do the T&E for you and give ya' my full report in, oh I don't know, about a year or so? I just picked up a boat load of .44spl and I certainly wouldn't mind another piece to push it through.

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Heirloom Precision
http://www.heirloomprecision.com

WOW!! That is one sweet wheelgun! Sounds like it would make a great carry piece too. I don't think I'd want any part of the 44 mag version, but this 44 Special might not be too harsh.

Is the charge holes relieved for loading with a moon clip? That would be really nice if it was.
Thanks for posting the pics.
Nala

Nala..I dont think the cylinder is relieved for a moon clip from what I have seen and read, but never fear..Gemini customs could most likely do that for you. Check out their website for more on this and give Marc there a call. He's a very pleasant guy to talk to and will discuss most any modification with you.
http://www.geminicustoms.com/index.htm

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"There is a true glory and a true honor, the glory of duty done, the honor of integrity and principle."--Gen. Robert Edward Lee

No moon clips for the .44 Spl version. Remember, this is an L frame while the .44 Mag is an N frame. This makes a world of difference for carry. I hope to get a range day in this week.

Stay tuned.

Rob

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

Any updates? I am interested in how she shoots and how it feels in the hand. How about the sight picture?

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Scott

Back to ya! The range trip was great if not limited. Speer 200 gr. Gold Dot HP's stung a little bit. Cowboy loads were a lot of fun and are still pretty potent.

I would really like for CTC to revise this stock to provide the cushion on the backstrap like they did on the j-frame. The Nite Guard is very quick on target. I really like the sight combination. The Galco rig works well and is every bit at nice as many of the custom rigs you have to wait months on!

Now to get the other photos done and get the article written. Time to go to work!

Enjoy,

Rob

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell