Best revolver to compete with for distinguished…

What’s a good choice for a revolver to compete with for distinguished revolver.  New or used.  

In .38 special.  

Thanks
Jeff

S&W 14 is probably most common and relatively affordable.. Manurhin MR38 has come up some lately and is ultra high quality with a price to match. There is some talk if the trigger had an overtravel screw that could be rejected by the rules.

A DR revolver can have the trigger worked some. Just have to use stock parts. Personally, I like my Colt OMM. It's a good option too. Faster twist.

Dave

Internal trigger work can be done.
Just don’t grind serrations off trigger face.
Replace with smooth faced trigger if available for that model.

First off for DR; it has to be .38 Special.  

Then it needs to have adjustable rear sights (adjustable front not allowed) that you can REALLY see, have a nice smooth and clean barrel throat and crown and it should be one you've spent an inordinate amount of time dryfiring.  

After that, everything else is just gravy and application of the fundamentals.

CR

Best one is the one that fits your hand. I have seen Smith 14's, 19's 28's, 586/686's, Ruger GP100's, Colt OMM, pythons, and a few other odd balls at DR matches. 

The bigger trick is putting forth the effort into learning the ergonomics of the gun (grip, loading procedure, how much adjustment one click on the sights will move the group, ect.) so that you can focus on your shot process without being distracted by the gun.

CR10X wrote:First off for DR; it has to be .38 Special.  

Then it needs to have adjustable rear sights (adjustable front not allowed) that you can REALLY see, have a nice smooth and clean barrel throat and crown and it should be one you've spent an inordinate amount of time dryfiring.  

After that, everything else is just gravy and application of the fundamentals.

CR

There is a bit of ambiguity in this answer. Here is what the current rules say:

"3.3 Distinguished Revolver - The revolver must be capable of chambering and firing a 158- grain round nose or Semi-Wadcutter .38 Special cartridge. It must be a factory manufactured revolver with no external modifications except for stocks which may be modified or changed because of the size of the competitor’s hand or to facilitate loading. Except for stocks and the honing of the sear or sear notch to make a more crisp trigger, and maintain a 2 1/2 lb. minimum trigger pull, no external or internal modification may be made to the revolver as manufactured and sold by the factory of origin. No parts may be removed from the revolver, either externally or internally, nor may any part be added, with the exception of milling the cylinder to accommodate moon clips. Specifically prohibited is any system of recoil control based upon compensators, barrel venting, barrel porting or weighted grips. Exposed holes that have been drilled and tapped for mounting of a scope are not considered to be an external modification."

So, the ammunition needs to be 38 Special head stamped ammo in either RN or SWC configuration, lead only of 158grs of weight, but the revolver itself need not be a 38 Special only. If this helps open your options by selecting a 357 and using 38 Specials, by all means, go for it.

My personal favorite for DR is my model 27.

I believe it no longer must be lead either.

james r chapman wrote:I believe it no longer must be lead either.

Does anybody make a jacketed 158 RN or SWC?

I remember loading a 357 with SWC half jackets available years ago.  Speers I think.  Don't recall it's weight.

I have obtained 38S&W over the years  in Colt OMMs, SW 14s, and a SW 38/44

Thinking back over the years, I believe the Colts would be my preferred DR gun.  Colts trigger and grip fit suited me the best for slowfire. 
For sustained I found that an ergo grip is best for me.  But I think if I were to thin down factory grips (both sides) I could really get a good finger wrap for sustained.

Jack H wrote:

james r chapman wrote:I believe it no longer must be lead either.

Does anybody make a jacketed 158 RN or SWC?

I remember loading a 357 with SWC half jackets available years ago.  Speers I think.  Don't recall it's weight.

I have obtained 38S&W over the years  in Colt OMMs, SW 14s, and a SW 38/44

Thinking back over the years, I believe the Colts would be my preferred DR gun.  Colts trigger and grip fit suited me the best for slowfire. 
For sustained I found that an ergo grip is best for me.  But I think if I were to thin down factory grips (both sides) I could really get a good finger wrap for sustained.

Jim is right, the rules no longer specify lead. There probably are some plated/jacketed rounds available; but I think they all have some sort of hollowpoint. I don't believe hollowpoints are kosher, but that's my reading on the rules- otherwise, would have been explicitly stated.

Interesting the DR rules for ammo refer back to 3.1.3, a non-existent paragraph.

james r chapman wrote:Interesting the DR rules for ammo refer back to 3.1.3, a non-existent paragraph.

There’s a reference to Rule 3.1.3 for DR? No see um….

james r chapman wrote:Interesting the DR rules for ammo refer back to 3.1.3, a non-existent paragraph.

The NRA Precision Pistol Rule book unfortunately has given the sense of incompleteness/minimal effort for quite some time now…. at least it has for the time I have been shooting competitively. The bullet weight portion of the rule has always seemed to be a joke, I have never seen an Match Official pull a bullet and weight it. 

The updating(or lack there) of points towards the Distinguished Revolver Badge has also been a slight disappointment, but at least revolvers are fun to shoot.

If they put 10% of the money into competitive shooting as they put into their YouTube ads we'd have it made.

Jack H wrote:

james r chapman wrote:I believe it no longer must be lead either.

Does anybody make a jacketed 158 RN or SWC?

I remember loading a 357 with SWC half jackets available years ago.  Speers I think.  Don't recall it's weight.

Several companies make 38 Special 158gr FMJ rounds.
Norma, Magtech, Sellier & Bellot, just what I see at Midway's first page of 38 special.


The Speer half jacket bullet was 146 grain I believe.
Speer now makes a 357 diameter 158 grain TMJ #4207
Berry's makes 357 158 RN FMJ and a FP FMJ

TonyH wrote:

james r chapman wrote:Interesting the DR rules for ammo refer back to 3.1.3, a non-existent paragraph.

There’s a reference to Rule 3.1.3 for DR? No see um….

Pre covid. The 2020 update says 3.3(e)

That damn virus finally did something right!!!  

S&W 10's and 15's are now ok for cmp/eic leg matches with fmj or jhp ammo.  15 is basically a shorter 14 with a ramp front sight, and plausible or better for any revolver game I know of.  

With fixed sights the model 10 may be the worst possible answe to the orginal question.  However anyone that earned DR and EIC with a plain model 10 would be one serious dude.

I used a pre-28 S&W I found at a gun store for cheap.  It had a bent extractor rod that I balanced and straightened myself.  The reason I used it was that the first five shots out of the gun were all inside the X-ring.

I've used a K-38 and a S&W 586.  I think whatever revolver you use, it needs to be a Smith and Wesson made before about 1990.  Any of the new child safety Smith's seem to suck in my opinion.

If I were currently looking for a revolver to compete with I would buy one that eligible for both CMP and NRA revolver matches, so it would need to be limited to chambering a .38 special (.357 works).

NRA Precision Pistol rulebook, January 2020 revision and rulebook 2020 update:

23. THE NRA DISTINGUISHED REVOLVER PROGRAM • 
23.1 Eligibility- This competition is open to any competitor otherwise eligible to compete in Precision Pistol competition. 
23.2 Revolver - As defined in Rule 3.4   (Typo)

Rule 3.4 is for:
3.4 .22 Caliber Pistol or Revolver – The .22 caliber pistol or revolver, as described below shall be used in the .22 caliber precision pistol matches. 

Should be: Rule 3.3:

3.3 Distinguished Revolver - The revolver must be capable of chambering and firing a 158-grain round nose or Semi-Wadcutter .38 Special cartridge. 

CMP allows:
4.1.7 Service Revolvers Revolvers used in CMP-sanctioned Service Revolver National Trophy and EIC Matches (Rule 5.2.7) must comply with this rule:
b) Cartridges--may be chambered for any cartridge, caliber 9mm/.38 Special to .45.

I just found a LNIB S&W 14-5 with the full lug, SA trigger is amazing, DA is workable for the last 4 shots of RF, stock combat grips are very nice, like the weight of the full lug and should be plenty accurate. Would like an old Korth and/or Manurhin but for around a grand S&W is hard to beat. If you're ok with no full lug and the old school flared grips you'll save a few hundred.

If they allowed full action jobs the new Python would be a candidate as well, the DA is superior to S&W but the SA sucks as far as weight due to passing drop tests for CA/NY. Mine is getting some TLC right now at Hefron Precision, should be a modern match revolver when it returns.