Thoughts on S&W M&P R8/TRR8

[E53001]

Anybody have any experience with this wheelgun?? Thoughts?Difference between the two? Likes? Dislikes? Been eyeballing them a bit for a future purchase perhaps, but wanted some input first. any info helps, thanks

[John_Wayne777]

http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/images/firearms/170269a_lrg.jpg

I have no firsthand experience with this particular revolver.

That being said, I have plenty of experience with S&W revolvers in general. For the money I would much rather have an M&P semi-auto than this revolver. While mounting a light on a handgun is a good idea, it's kind of hard to do on a revolver. As it is pictured running that light would require you to have your hand way out at the front of the revolver and would put soft gooey flesh near the gap between the cylinder and forcing cone. That is bad mojo. Absent a custom pressure switch for the X300 (or any other weapon light) I don't see how you would be able to safely run that setup.

Red dot optics are nice but they aren't always easy to use on a handgun. The irons are rendered completely useless when you mount a RDS on that revolver. A better solution would probably be a set of CT laser grips for the revolver. Although the lasers aren't very visible in bright light they work superbly in low light and you can always use the irons when available. It doesn't appear to me that the revolver is equipped with any sort of tritium sights, which is another ding against it.

Frankly if someone was seriously considering this revolver I would strongly encourage them to instead buy an M&P pistol that doesn't have all these issues. Revolvers are great for what they are, but frankly they don't lend themselves to mounting lights and optics like most modern semi-autos do. The attempt to give the revolver those capabilities in this instance just seems to highlight the difficulties the platform presents.

My 2 cents.

[sigmundsauer]

I really wanted to like the M&P R8/TRR8 revos, even though they have awkward aesthetics, but having seen several reviews that showed muzzle velocities well below what I thought a 5" gun should achieve, I passed. I'm guessing that it is a result of using the polygonal barrels. Perhaps the better gas seal by the polygonal barrel actually hurts velocity in a revolver causing greater resistance and more gas release through B/C gap. Just a theory, but I have yet to see chrono results on one that are impressive.

On the other hand, I absolutely adore the 8-round cylinders and have acquired two M27-8s and a 4" 327PD. Each of which use the standard rifling. Excellent .357 magnums!

Tim