Are Revolvers Relevant? Part 2

Most serious students of the defensive pistol will only grudgingly acknowledge that a revolver is a suitable defensive tool, usually with the caveat that they make great back up guns, pocket guns, and are preferable for entangled fights.  The idea that one might choose to carry one as primary lethal force option is usually met with a incredulity, closely followed with either a remark about "Old School Cool", or a less pleasant reference the "Fudds."  In other words, most folks view carriers of revolvers as some sort of gun hipster or an old curmudgeon, neither of which has realized that reality has surpassed his or her understanding.

When discussing the revolver as a viable primary lethal force option, what usually crops up are instances, real or imagined, of fighting off multiple attackers and the need for more on board ammo, relative size, relative weight, relative speed of reloads and the need or lack of need for a reload, so forth and so on.  So why in the world would anyone choose a firearm that has remained virtually unchanged in over 100 years, with a relatively inferior cartridge, as their primary means of lethal force?

Let's start off with comparisons.

Size:

A CZ P-07 and S&W 631.  There's not a lot of difference in size

One of the strongest and most often cited arguments against revolvers is the relative size to a compact semi-auto.  As we can see here there is not much difference in actual size between this J frame and compact 9mm pistol.

CZ P07 and S&W Model 10.  Once the standard for a police sidearm, the 4" small frame revolver has been supplanted with a compact pistol.

The disparities in size and weight are even greater when compared to the ubiquitous K frame revolver.  Shown above is a 4" Model 10, which was the standard by which all duty weapons were judged for decades.  The 10-8 pictured above is superbly accurate and a pleasure to shoot.  Unloaded the model 10 weighs around 34 ounces while the P-07 weighs 27 ounces.  Those numbers are startling to a lot of people.  Loaded with 15 rounds the P-07's weight is approximately 34 ounces, the same as the unloaded Model 10.  The model 10's weight comes in at 37 ounces loaded, so the difference isn't as large once ammo is factored into the equation.  Obviously those numbers will vary depending on bullet weights and so forth.  I used two fairly popular loads for this.  The 9mm is a 124 grain +P jacketed hollow point and the .38 Special is a 158 grain +P lead, semi-wadcutter hollow point.  Suffice it to say the weight differences in possible in ammunition aren't enough to matter for our purposes.

Model 10-8 with six rounds of .38 Spl 158 grain +P LSWCHP.

P-07 with 15 rounds of 9mm +P PDX JHP.

Accuracy and Reliability:

With the glaringly obvious differences is weight and on board ammunition capacity it would seem that there is a fairly strong argument for the P07 or a similarly sized pistol.  What about accuracy? Reliability? Ease of use?

I've found both both to be very accurate.  Accuracy is partially ammo dependent however, with good loads either pistol is capable of good accuracy at ranges out to twenty yards.  I haven't tested either further than that at this point.

Both guns are quire reliable.  Ammunition is once again a large part of reliable function.  The use of good ammo has shown me that both guns are quite dependable.

Ease Of Use:

Ease of use is very subjective and covers quite a few specific fundamentals.

• Trigger Press/Pull
  
  Many people struggle with the long and sometimes heavy trigger pull of a double action revolver and will turn to striker fired pistols such as a Glock or M&P to address that particular issue.  Picking a gun that has a relatively easy trigger press to master allows one to concentrate on other areas, such as proper sight alignment, follow through, manual of arms, reloading, etc.  Many if not most firearms instructors prefer striker fired pistols for their students as it makes it easier to teach fundamentals.
  
  A double action revolver on the other hand, has a long distance of trigger travel before the sear is tripped and the hammer drops, firing the gun.  One must concentrate on the fundamentals mentioned above while trying to learn that particular trigger press.

• Sights and Sight Alignment
  
  Both revolvers and semi autos typically have what is referred to as a notch and post style sighting systems.  I do realize that current advances in dot style systems have been made and are gaining acceptance in many circles.  I may address that particular system at a different time but, don't feel as it's relevant to this particular discussion.
  
  Most fixed sight revolvers such as our Model 10-8 have a rear notch that is cut in the frame and a Baughman style ramp sight out front.  The Bauggman Ramp was conceived prior to WW2 and was a vast improvement over the half moon style front sight of the time.  When viewed from the rear it appears to be a square post much like a patridge sight. 
  
  Semi autos intended for defensive or combat purposes come with a plethora of sighting options.  Most are still a notch and post setup with a squared off front sight post.
  
  At first it would seem that both are close enough to not matter however, many shooters complain about the difficulty in getting a good sight picture with a narrow rear notch and ramp style front sight.  Notch and post sighting systems require the shooter to be able to get a crisp view of the front sight when aligning the sights on the target.  That usually requires the rear notch has to be wider than the front post to allow enough light on both sides of the post to provide good contrast.  Sound complicated?  The science of it is, the end result for us as shooters is not.  Most folks determine what works best for them through trial and error.

• Fitment to hand
  
  The ability to properly grasp a handgun and fire it while maintaining control can not be over stated.  Revolvers have long held an advantage in this area.  With a design that has remained relatively unchanged for 120 years the options for grips, or what is more properly referred to as stocks are virtually unlimited.
  
  Manufacturers of semi auto pistols have only recently acknowledged this deficiency.  The old response was to purchase a different sized pistol that might fit one's hands well enough that they could learn to use it adequately.  More credence has been given to the necessity to proper hand fit with various grip adapters, palm swell panels, back straps, and in the case of some of the more modular designs, entirely different frames.  The widespread acceptance of various polymers for inexpensive frame construction has more likely been the impetus for this nod by the industry to closer meet the needs of their consumers.

 

In conclusion both guns are relatively easy to shoot, albeit the revolver takes more effort to learn to shoot well, accurate, reliable, and weigh about the same to carry.  At this stage the only difference that isn't subjective is the amount of ammo one can carry on board.  An astute reader may have noticed that I have left out the speed and ease of reloads as well as carrying spare ammo.  That's another conversation entirely that I hope to address in future writings.



I had hoped to cover both the Pros and Cons of revolvers in this post.  As I started writing I realized that to cover this with any level of detail wasn't going to happen in a typical blog post.  The next segment will be broken down into the actual Pros and Cons.

Are Revolvers Relevant?

If you spend any amount of time on various firearms and defense related forums you will eventually come across arguments both for and against the relevance of a revolver as a primary lethal force option for defensive purposes.  Unfortunately most of what is said on both sides of the argument is incorrect and the average gun owner has a difficult time discerning what info is good and what is dross.

The definition of relevance according to Merriam-Webster is;

1   a: relation to the matter at hand.

     b: practical and especially social applicability.

2: the ability (as of an information retrieval system) to retrieve material suitable to the needs of the user.

What does that mean to us? 
1 a: Does the use of a revolver relate to the matter at hand, specifically that of   self defense?
1 b: Is a revolver practical and especially socially applicable?
2: Does a revolver provide the needs of the user?

Those three questions are the crux of the arguments.  Let's address them one at a time and see what we can come up with.

1 a: Does the use of a revolver relate to the matter of self defense?

Most assuredly.  As Responsible Armed Citizens we should make sure that we are well aware of all the limitations.

1. The limitations of our preferred primary lethal force option.
   A:  Is it accurate, reliable, provides decent penetration?

   2. Our limitations in deploying and using our primary lethal force option.
       A: Can you deploy, aim, shoot, and manipulate it safely, accurately while                  under stress?

If a revolver fits those criteria, then it checks that box.


1 b: Does the revolver provide the needs of the user and is it socially acceptable?

    This is where we have to start making our own decisions.  Assuming we have an accurate, reliable revolver that we can carry, draw, manipulate, and shoot both safely and well, will it fit our needs?  It has been my experience that the more proficient one is with a given tool, the more one can accomplish with said tool.

Is it socially acceptable?  In today's culture of loathing for guns a revolver tends to draw less negative attention however, the potential negative attention should be pretty far down your list.

2: Will a revolver fit your needs?

Again this is subjective.  You will have to determine your needs.  You may find out that your needs change from time to time and would prefer options.  You may start off with one type of pistol and caliber only to discover that it doesn't fit your needs.  Proficiency is the key.  Learn to use your tool.  

The next installment will cover the various Pros and Cons of the revolver as a defensive tool.

Sig P250c .22LR A Short Range Trip

I've arrived at the stage in my life when most of the folks that claim to be "in the know" start telling me or anyone else that will listen that something is "bad" or at least "not good", I start having urges to look for myself and see what all the fuss is about.  Since I operate on a limited budget like most everyone else that sometimes means that when I finally get around to trying something out the folks that were flapping their gums have moved on to something else.  In this case I have long been wanting to try out a Sig P250 in most any caliber.  When I was able to acquire one at a cost that was reasonable to me I jumped at the chance.

What I ended up with was a P250c kit that had a .40 caliber upper with one magazine, one medium compact grip module, one .22 caliber upper with two magazines, and of course the fire control unit.  My acquisition was brand new in the box.  At this point I should have taken pictures of the individual component groups with a brief description.  As it turns out I was so excited to finally get my grubby mitts on one that I instead tossed the 22 upper on top and off to the range I went.

I had a partial box of Remington Thunderbolt, in my opinion one of the lower quality bulk ammos available.  Of the 134 rounds fired I had two Failures To Fire and one Failure To Feed.  The FTFires I attribute to the ammo and the FTFeed I'm going to initially blame on the magazines.  The 22 magazines are rather difficult to load compared to a M&P 22 or the Kadet magazines provided for the CZ P07.  Accuracy on the other hand, was more than acceptable.

The first ten rounds I fired.

I started off with some very basic accuracy drills from three yards.  Freestyle, Weak Hand Only, Strong Hand Only, One Shot Draws, and Two Shot Draws. 

In my research several people have complained about the long reset of the trigger.  I agree that it is long, much longer than my S&W revolvers.  Long enough in fact that it affected accuracy on follow up shots until I got used to it.  Therein lies one of my complaints with most folks who opine about pistols.  They are so wrapped around the axle about having a relatively light trigger with a short reset that they do themselves a disservice by not learning to properly manipulate a Double Action trigger.

Controlled Pairs from the holster.

As shown in the picture to the right, several of my follow up shots tended to drop low.  This was due in part to the long reset of the trigger.  As I was able to practice more I learned to manage the long reset.  This is not a gun for folks seeking fast splits on the competition field.  While not a heavy pull, it's much lighter than the typical S&W K frame trigger, the amount of travel involved doesn't lend well to fast trigger manipulation.  The few runs that I timed during this range trip showed splits of over .5 seconds. 

At the end of the day I was able to run a card drill that I learned about from Lee of First Person Safety  Five shots from five yards inside a playing card in under five seconds.  It took me a few runs to get the accuracy and time down to an acceptable standard.  This was a fun drill when shot from concealment and on a timer.  The opportunity to place ourselves

First Run

under a little bit of stress when shooting, especially under the controlled conditions of a range can not be over stated.

I'm looking forward to shooting this pistol more in the upcoming weeks.  As I'm not interested in investing in .40 caliber I'll remain on the lookout for a 9mm upper or even a complete pistol that I can spend some time evaluating in a class or match.

Third Run

TCR22 Cleaning and Speed Tests

True to form, 22's are dirty guns.

I hate cleaning guns.  I suspect that's a contrarian response to the anal retentive nature the military has towards cleaning firearms.  Nonetheless, it's a necessary chore.

A I mentioned in my last post, I broke down and cleaned the TCR22 at the 599 round mark because the groups in my informal accuracy tests were spreading and drifting.  There was a fair bit of...goo on the crown.  At a guess I'd say it was excess wax that was used to lubricate the various bullets.  On a slight tangent...

22 ammo, especially with lead bullets requires lubrication.  The manufacturers address this by coating the bullets with wax.  This helps with lubrication, cuts down on lead build up in the bore, and helps with the gas seal.  The downside of this was discovered during the recent ammo crunch when manufacturers were cranking out 22 ammo to the tune of millions of rounds per day.  Due to the huge demand for 22 ammo and the resultant rush to match demand QC did suffer somewhat.  I can personally attest to pulling new ammo from a box, loading it in the magazine and having to wipe to wax buildup from the feed lips before inserting the magazine in the firearm.

22's are inherently dirtier than most centerfire firearms.  This is directly related to the direct blow back action that virtually every semi auto 22 uses.  That results in quite a bit of unburnt powder and other residues finding their way into the action, bolt face, firing pin channel, magazines, magazine well, and so forth.  I am both surprised and pleased that the TCR22 has run quite reliably up to this point.  One of the idiosyncrasies of 22's is they require a bit more maintenance than most centerfires to remain reliable.

A close up of the receiver and chamber after 599 rounds.

A look at the bolt face before cleaning.

Thompson Center advertises a fully machined, stainless steel bolt.

Another unique feature to the TCR22 is the ability to clean from the chamber.

I came across a bag of Swab-Its bore cleaning tips that I had in a bag of half forgotten match swag.  They screw directly to the cleaning rod and are much easier to use that patches and the traditional eyelets or jags.  They can be washed and reused.  If these hold up well I am going to invest in some for my field kits.

Cleaning the TCR22 was no different than cleaning any other standard 10/22 or clone.  Make sure the gun is unloaded.  Loosen the take down bolt, verify the safety button was pushed in halfway, rotate barrel and receive from stock, remove bolt and trigger group from receiver, clean.  Then reverse the steps. Easy peasey.  The only thing that is easier in my opinion is cleaning one of the take down models.

Let's face it folks.  Cleaning guns is BORING.  I can post 100 photos and it's still boring.  The process is however, necessary to an evaluation of any firearm.  Field stripping, cleaning, and reassembly are all important to keeping our guns up and running when we need them.


The final phase of my initial evaluation is what I like to think of as drag racing with guns, shooting steel plates in a manner similar to the RCSA.  Running guns hard and fast will find failure points that we may never see in casual shooting.  For instance, I started off shooting Steel Challenges with a Ruger Mark 2.  There came a point where I could outrun the gun in it's stock configuration.  With that example in mind, I'll attempt to describe what I did with the TCR22.

First of all, the scope came off.  This is relatively short range shooting that requires the ability to rapidly transition from one target to the next to the next, etc.  Using the iron sights and my standby of Federal Red Box ammo and the Reger BX15 magazines, I started off slow with a drill that requires shooting a steel silhouette, a 6" plate on a rack, back to the silhouette, next plate, until all six plates were down and finished with a 'head shot.'  I timed these drills with an average of 11 seconds from beep to last shot, starting from a position of Low Ready.

From there I ran two magazines (thirty rounds,) of starting from Low Ready and placing one shot on a silhouette, average was .52, which is pretty slow by steel challenge standards, lest anyone think I have an inflated opinion of my...abilities.

The final drills were either Bill Drills, which starts from Low Ready and place six rounds on a silhouette as rapidly as possible without sacrificing accuracy, or a five shot variation which I used to mimic The One Second Challenge, three targets, five shots, hopefully in less than one second.  The average for the Bill Drills was 1.10 and the five round version averaged at 1.1 with a couple of .93 runs.  First shot was still at .5.  Unless my math and shot timer are misleading me that means the bolt is cycling extremely fast.  I didn't pick up on that until I started looking at the numbers.  I'll have to test that further at a later date.

At this point I'm starting to feel like a broken record.  The speed tests put another 197 rounds through the gun, 17 or which were CCI Mini Mags with...you guessed it, no failures.  I did have a couple of issues.  First and foremost was the rear peep tended to slow down target acquisition.  If I were to use this as a steel gun I'd remove the rear peep and either use the rail as a gutter type rear sight or go with a red dot.

The trigger was slowing down splits as well.  Remember when I mention it was crisp but heavy?  That tends to affect shooting fast as well as shooting accurately.  I'll take a look at that when I have an opportunity to test with the Ruger BX trigger.  On another of my slight tangents, outside of gun games I don't think about splits.  It's a meaningless increment of measurement for most practical applications.  No offense to my gun gaming brethren intended.

If I were to be asked my thoughts on a 22 rifle that would be suitable for a multitude of applications and a broad range of skill levels, I'd most certainly recommend the TCR22 with the caveat that Thompson Center maintains the same level of quality that I've encountered with my example.

Catching up with the technology.

I was a little freaked out when a couple folks asked me if there was a way they could receive updates to my blog.  As it appears I've grown from two followers to five I felt as if I should provide the readers with what they wanted.  There is now a banner at the bottom of the blog so that you can receive blog updates by email.   I won't sell, share, or use your email addresses for any nefarious purposes, mainly because I don't know how. :-D

Thompson Center TCR22 Testing

The 50 yard rimfire range as seen through the lens of an iPhone.

It's been quite some time since I've found a rifle that I have really enjoyed shooting.  The past couple of weeks reminded me of when I was kid and deemed responsible enough to take a .22 out back of my parents house so I could murder some soda cans and old shotgun hulls without direct supervision.  This little rifle has been fun to shoot.

Here's how the testing started.

I unboxed at the range and started running rounds through it with minimal inspection.  Ammo used was the Federal Red Box that is sold exclusively at Walmart.  At 3.6 cents per round it's about the best value going for bulk ammo.  It's also pretty decent stuff.  After running a few rounds through the rifle I had a friend shoot it as well.  I managed to shoot the below ten shot group off a rest using the iron sights.

Ten shot group from 30 yards with iron sights.

To clarify a couple things, I wear bifocals and could barely see the highlighted eyeballs at thirty yards.  I felt as if this was a good enough group with my limitations to justify putting s scope on it and seeing what sort of accuracy I could get.  Which brought us to this:

Ten shot group from 30 yards with scope.

I felt as if this was accurate enough to stretch things out to fifty yards.  For all practical purposes, that's the furthest I'd intend to use a .22 rifle in the capacity of a critter-gitter.  So I planned another range trip with a couple of additional pieces of gear.  I picked up a Magpul M-Lok rail and an inexpensive bipod.

The installation of the rail was a bit of a pain, mainly because I didn't have my normal compliment of tools available at the range.  With a fair bit of profanity interspersed with furtive looks to make sure none of the other folks at my range could see my struggles, I got the rail on and tightened.  For those folks that have a kitchen table, decent overhead light, and basic hand tools, this installation should present no problem at all.

I proceeded to zero the rifle at fifty yards once again using the Federal Red Box.  I pasted up some fresh targets for Federal AutoMatch, MiniMags, and Federal Game Shok and things immediately took a turn for the negative.  My groups started to drift to the left.  Every ammo change created a larger drift until I was six to eight inches to the left of my point of aim.  Even after rezeroing the groups would continue to drift left.  At this point I decided to pack it up and talk to a couple of very knowledgeable friends.

As we discussed the various possibilities I brought the TCR22 out and started to inspect potential failure points.  The scope used was a Simmons 22 Mag Riflescope that I had acquired in a purchase of another rifle.  We decided the best option was to use a known good scope and start over.  When I went to remove the scope I discovered what I'm pretty sure was the real culprit.

A loose scope ring is a surefire way to lose zero.

Another trip to the fun store, another set of rings, and I went ahead with a different scope, A Bushnell 3x9 Sportview with a one inch tube, because the eye relief worked out a bit better for me.  After all that, the fifty yard groups with various ammo that I've found to be readily available.  All groups are five shot groups.

2 1/4" group with Federal Red Box.

1 1/16" group with CCI MiniMag 40 grain.  The flyer is all mine.

1 11/16" group with CCI Quiet.  It also dropped 7 1/4" from the PoA.

1 1/2" group with Aqula Super Extra 40 grain.

1 1/2" group with CCI Blazer.

2 7/8" group using Remington Golden Bullet.

Federal Game Shok provided a 1" group.

At this point I finally had to stop and clean the rifle.  I had fired 599 rounds of various ammo and the groups were starting to spread and drift.  I took a quick look at the muzzle and there was quite a bit of goo on the crown.  I'll go through some of the details of what I found during cleaning in the next post.  Meanwhile, back to the groups I really wanted to see.

CCI Stingers impressed me with a 7/8" group.

CCI Velocitors with a 1 7/16" group.

Thompson Center advertises the TCR22 with a "crisp trigger" on their spec sheet.  I will concur with that with the caveat that it is heavy for precision shooting.  As time permits I intend to install a Ruger BX Trigger and see if I can tighten up some of those groups.  I'm not sure if the installation of the BX Trigger will affect the bolt hold-open feature.  That's a non issue for me personally but it's a good data point to track.

A quick note.  At this point in testing, evaluation, and just plain having fun I have put 754 rounds through the TCR22.  I've had five failures to fire with the Federal Red box and one Failure to Extract with the CCI Quiet.  That is a .7% failure rate.  While not empirical data it does call into question the sage wisdom of keyboard commandos everywhere that pontificate on the unreliable ignition of .22 rimfire ammo.

Thompson Center TCR22 Overview

In a market saturated with a particular product I question when a company brings forth their version.  The Ruger 10/22 is the second most produced .22 rifle with the Marlin Model 60 having the honor of first place.  Ruger makes quite a few variations of their signature product as well as a host of accessories.  Other companies such as Magnum Research, Volquartson, Kidd, Tandemkross, and Tactical Solutions or TacSol make rifles or aftermarket accessories for the 10/22.  So the question that I first asked myself when I came across a TCR22 in a local Enabler Store...err...gun store is.  "What makes you guys think your product is worth my money?"

Most folks think of the Contender line of single shot rifles or perhaps the newer Encore series when Thompson Center is mentioned.  When I type in Thompson Center in Google, this Wikipedia excerpt popped up.

"Thompson/Center Arms is an American firearms company based in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company is best known for its line of interchangeable-barrel, single-shot pistols and rifles."

As it turns out they have made quite a variety of rifles including the R55, which was an extremely well made semi automatic .22 for what one would consider a production rifle.  As of this writing, the R55 is not shown on the Thompson Center website.

So what does a 10/22 clone made by a company that specializes in single shot, convertible rifles have to offer?  I'm glad you asked.  

The immediately recognizable feature is the re-branded Magpul stock.  TC's version of the Hunter X-22 is a stripped down version.  There are swing swivel mounts on the foregrip and butt stock, slots for an M-Lok rail on the bottom of the foregrip, and the butt pad is removable, which could be a handy storage spot for those who lean towards the survivalist potential of the rifle.

The most advertised feature of the rifle is the last shot hold open when using the Thompson Center magazines.  It is a partially clear, ten round magazine that looks exactly like Ruger's BX1 with one notable difference, a small lever located on top.  That lever must be pushed down before the first cartridge is inserted, which is a bit of a trick.  Once the first cartridge is inserted correctly the remaining nine can be loaded in the same manner as OEM Ruger magazines such as the BX1, BX15, and BX25.

The TCR 22 comes with a machined 6061 aluminum receiver with an integral picatinny rail.  I had to look up what made 6061 special.  In short, it's easy to work and is quite durable.  It is used a lot in bike frames, firearms parts such as AR lower receivers, and aircraft parts.  It is not as strong as 7075 aluminum but is well suited for the use of a firearm receiver that is not receiving direct stress from cartridge ignition pressure.

The bolt is fully machined stainless steel with an oversized bolt handle.

The barrel is 17" long with a 1:15 twist and button rifling.  I had to look up what 'button rifling' is to satisfy my curiosity.  The grooves are 'ironed' in the bore with the use of a button that is ran through from either the muzzle or breech end, depending on the preference of the manufacturer.  More accuracy records are held with rifles that have button rifled bores than any other type.  You can read more about the various Rifling processes at the NRA Family website.

The barrel is threaded with 1/2"x28 threads and comes with a thread protector.

Sights are a non adjustable blade with a green fiber optic insert at the front and a rear peep that is windage and elevation adjustable.  The peep is mounted at the rear of the receiver providing the longest possible sight radius.

One of the most attractive features of this rifle is the weight, or rather the lack of.  According to the Thompson Center Spec Sheet the TCR22 weighs 4.4 pounds.  That is in direct competition with Ruger's new line of lightweight take down rifles that are specced at 4.5 pounds.

I'll go into specifics in the next installment but I wanted to share a couple of quick observations.

1. Accuracy is very good.  
2. I usually have to run 500-1000 rounds through a 22 to get consistent reliability.  With the exception of some bulk ammo related malfunctions, this rifle has been utterly reliable to date with about 500 rounds through it at this point.  I have not cleaned the rifle.
3. More to follow in the next post.