GUNS Magazine January 1960

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TINY GUN GIVES DeBaun's hand around butt: second finger joint is past guard; thumb locks it firmly. 20 BIG A NEW SHOOTING GRIP. AND PRACTICE. ARE ALL IT TAKES TO GET COMBAT ACCURACY OUT OF THE HARD HITTING AIRWEIGHTS By ROGER W. DeBAUN A. LTHOUGH CHAMBERED for the potent .38 Special cartridge, fithe Smith & Wesson Chiefs Special Airweight revolver weighs only 12% ounces, half as much as the average police gun of that caliber, has a barrel only 2 inches long, a sight radius of only 31j2 inches, and a diminutive stock that will accommodate only two fingers of a man's hand. How effective can this small gun be in combat shooting? To the multitude of shooters conditioned for years to the idea that accuracy in handgun shooting requires plenty of weight, 6 inches of barrel, custom fitted stocks, and big adjustable Patridge sights, the little Chief may seem to be just an amusing toy. How would it be possible to control the recoil and jump of this almost weightless gun? GUNS JANUARY 1960
What happens to the shooter's hand? Is there any accuracy or power possible from that stub of a barrel? All of these questions were in my own mind when I began a try-out of the weapon a year and a half ago. The first thing I learned was that, for my large hand, the generally accepted correct hold for a big target revolver was not suitable for the Chief. With each shot, the second joint of my middle finger was taking a beating from the rear of the trigger guard. Repeated trials over a period of days indicated that the hold recommended by some double-action advocates was the one giving me best results in any kind of shooting with the midget weapon. It carried my fingers around the stock far enough to bring the second joint of the middle finger past the trigger guard. Such a hold lets the stock settle firmly in the palm of the hand. The thumb rests snugly against the side of the frame and points downward toward the tip of the trigger finger. In this position it provides firm support and avoids any chance of recoil injury from safety latch and cylinder, at the same time providing trigger finger control in slow fire double action. PERFORMANCE Slow-fire 30' targets prove Chiefs accuracy with 2.5 grain Bullseye handloads, 148 grain wadcutters. In crouch, gun is held hard. Three important advantages accrue from this hold. Great leverage in double action is gained by having the second joint of the trigger finger resting on the trigger. The gun is so well embraced by the hand that the two seem almost a unit. A very tight grip without strain or tremor and almost without conscious effort is achieved, and this eliminates all slipping and twisting of the gun within the hand. The sum of these factors was that recoil no longer seemed severe and the bruising of my knuckle was ended. Having found that the gun was (Continued on page 62) Snub .38 can deliver good hits at good range: silhouette is 40 yards off. Fingers wrapped tightly about stock (above) aid DA control. Ten yard targets were easy for 2" gun. GUNS JANUARY 1960 21
Page 1 and 2: .JANUARY 1960 SOc THE BIG LITTLE .2
Page 10: MAN. WHAT A BARGAIN! True West. Fro
Page 17 and 18: CROWNS NEW TRAP CREA.TS Top trap ch
Page 19: Long range with remaining energy of
Page 23 and 24: Alaskan outfitter DeHart poses behi
Page 25 and 26: AT SIGN OF GOOD HUNTING. TREE FARMS
Page 28 and 29: Key to better shooting can be prope
Page 30 and 31: Spotting shots for prone rifleman r
Page 32: Short 1Ilh" stock is just right for
Page 38 and 39: Mexican jungles swarm with wild pig
Page 52: EDWARD H. BOHLIN Original Designer
Page 68: BIG GAME OR VARMINT ... open countr

GUNS Magazine January 1960

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