I will start off by saying that I am not a revolver guy. Life and experience has always lead me to more of the automatic side of the fence. That is a reflection of my “universe” in some ways, and of the times we live in as well. Through pure chance, I happened on a K-frame S&W revolver that shoots a “service caliber” of 9mm but doesn’t need moon-clips. Frankly…never heard of it.
Immediately, was intrigued. I’m drowning in 9mm. So it’s an easy revolver to support. My rational was I could keep it in my range bag and after the serious work with the autos, I could pull this out to “play”. Now I know how that must come off to the revolver guys, and I don’t mean it in the way you might think. I’m just not a wheel gun guy, and this was an excuse to buy a new gun!
As for the particulars of this actual specimen, there isn’t too much to say. 4″ barrel. 9mm. It is original factory blue. Used but in 90% condition. 6 shot. Huge and ugly aftermarket stocks. Ramp front and a trench in the rear. Points VERY well and has excellent double and single actions triggers. After some research on the internet, it seems this model never sold well. As such, it is more “collectible” than some of the more common models.
Unfortunately, collectors’ value is not why I have it. It will probably never be carried for CCW or work. It’s a range gun. But my concept of a range gun might be different than most. It needs a holster. Needs to be shot from both chest ready and from the draw. Strong hand. Weak hand. Fast reloads and even malfunction clearance drills — Yes, revolvers malfunction.
Since I shoot rain or shine, I opted for a Kydex OWB at 3 O’clock. If it’s raining cats and dogs, the synthetic holsters drain the water straight through them. Which means when it stops raining, the weapons dries very quickly. Getting even body moisture into a leather holster can seriously tear up traditional bluing. So imagine my local holster guru’s surprise when I showed up with a K-frame 4″. Being an old revolver guy himself, he was tickled to death to see me show up with my “special project”!
Now for the function. Not having moon-clips, I’ve had a nagging voice in the back of my head that loading and unloading this thing might be a challenge at speed. Will the brass stick? Will the “ejector” override the “rim” under duress? Will the rounds even drop in freely? Or will they need to be pushed or “locked” in somehow?
Pretty dumb questions for someone to have AFTER buying the gun! But I am happy to report, surprisingly, that the 9mm rounds drop right in and all eject / fall out just fine. I am aware there is a company (HKS) that makes speed loaders for the 547, but I wanted to see if that was even viable? If not, I would have looked into perhaps some kind of speed-strip –if that’s even possible for 9mm auto?
The final surprise: Accuracy. The S&W 547 has the traditional revolver ramp front and trench rear site system. To me this seems goofy and I expect the windage to be off. Consider me SHOCKED! Shooting for accuracy on a small steel plate at around 40 yards (or possibly more), I scored 5 out of 6 hits! First shot was a hit. Second a miss. Then I concentrated and connected with the next 4. That was all done single action. And the last two I was sweating hard trying to get the 5/6 hits. No redo’s. One and only attempt. Grins all around after that.
Shooting the 547 was quite the hoot! I like it! My understanding is that the S&W 547 was one of the more expensive models for S&W to machine. Due to the ejector I’m guessing. I also don’t know about service and parts. I expect the only part that might be an issue would be the custom rimless ejector. I shot mostly double action either drawing from the holster or pushing out from Chest Ready. Presenting in and out of the Kydex holster will probably mean it’ll go in for a more durable finish at some point. But I might just wear the blue off and see how it turns out? As long as I’m not chasing rust, I think a well worn revolver would make the world just that much better. I will keep you updated.
Sincerely,
Marky Mark
www.tacticaltshirts.com
“Shooting Guns & Having Fun”
Areas of focus: Defense and National Security, Modern Light Weapons, Small Arms, Weapons Training.
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