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- S & W CHIEF'S SPECIAL
-
- The Chief's Special can be
- considered as the final
- refinement in a long line of
- "hideout" or "off-duty"
- revolvers that trace their
- heritage back to the sawn-off
- "Storekeeper's Model" of the
- Colt Peacemaker. Webley and
- Merwin & Hulbert produced
- bobbed-barrel big bores both
- before and after the turn of the
- century, but the trend in later
- years shifted strongly toward
- the mid-caliber .38 Special as
- fodder for the snub-nose. This
- seemed to be an acceptable
- compromise between firepower and
- compactness/light weight -
- acceptable in theory, at least.
- It should be remembered that,
- until quite recently, the .38
- Special was regarded as a
- legitimate manstopper and was,
- in fact, the universally
- accepted police round. Today it
- is almost impossible to find a
- major uniformed agency that has
- not switched over to a more
- effective service chambering,
- although many would argue that
- the 9mm is still a marginal
- choice. With today's souped-up
- ammunitions, employing as they
- do fragmenting or hollow-point
- bullets propelled at high
- velocities, the little .38's
- regain some of their lost
- luster.
-
- The Chief's Special weighs
- in at 19 ounces and will fire
- off its five rounds as fast as
- one can pull the trigger (double
- action). Its cylinder swings
- out for reloading. As with
- other snubbies, the stick-thin
- factory grips are often replaced
- with hand-filling custon stocks
- by those who actually have
- occasion to shoot the guns.
-