UPDATE - Range Time: New M&P R8 In The House

[jfwright1955]

There's a new M&P addition to our household. It's the Smith & Wesson M&P R8; an 8-round, .357 Mag / .38 Special +P revolver:

Smith & Wesson M&P R8

M&P R8.png (139.03 KiB) Viewed 4310 times

First impressions out of the box is "stunning". We opted for the Model M&P R8 for a couple reasons; the black finish looks very "stealth" and matches the finish of our other firearms, which also sets it apart from most other revolvers; it includes an optional top rail for mounting optics (not yet installed); and, it's an M&P... what more do I need to say!

Coming from Smith & Wesson's Performance Center it benefits from some extra TLC including hand-cutting and fitting and so the trigger pull and overall mechanics are very smooth and crisp.

It'll make it's maiden voyage out at the WSA range this Sunday so I'll give a report once I've had a chance to put a few hundred rounds down range.

A quick run down of the R8's features include:
Caliber: .357 Magnum / .38 S&W Special +P
Capacity: 8 Rounds
Barrel Length: 5"
Front Sight: Interchangeable
Rear Sight: Adjustable V-Notch
Material: Scandium Alloy Frame Stainless Steel Cylinder
Weight Empty: 36.3 oz
Other Stuff: Under-the-barrel rail with optional over-the-barrel optical rail

More to come...

[manithree]

First thought: Rails on revolvers are an abomination
Second thought: MUST BUY!

I didn't even know 8-round .357 cylinders existed. Now the 686+ on my "need" list is replaced with this.

[jfwright1955]

First thought: Rails on revolvers are an abomination
Second thought: MUST BUY!

I didn't even know 8-round .357 cylinders existed. Now the 686+ on my "need" list is replaced with this.

I put the top rail on just to see what it looked like then took it off again. I don't envision mounting a scope but, who knows, I may down the road. Good to know I can if I want too, though. The top rail has a concave top so you can still see the sights with it installed. And, if you pair a pistol scope with the right rings you can still see the sights as well.

[D-FIN]

Makes me want to come to WSA on Sunday. Are you going to be at the CCW class on SAT. If so you should bring it.

[jfwright1955]

Makes me want to come to WSA on Sunday. Are you going to be at the CCW class on SAT. If so you should bring it.

Unfortunately we've got other commitments tomorrow or else I would. I'm at the WSA range every week, typically Sunday's, so if you're interested in checking this bad boy out sometime just let me know ahead of time to coordinate.

[D-FIN]

Makes me want to come to WSA on Sunday. Are you going to be at the CCW class on SAT. If so you should bring it.

Unfortunately we've got other commitments tomorrow or else I would. I'm at the WSA range every week, typically Sunday's, so if you're interested in checking this bad boy out sometime just let me know ahead of time to coordinate.

The only problem is I know I can't afford one so if I go shoot it then I am doomed to suffer wanting one I can't have even more.



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[Snurd]

That looks pretty slick. Congrats! I'm a fan of S&W Revolvers.

[jfwright1955]

Update after the maiden voyage to the range...

Well, I'm really impressed and happy with our new M&P R8 after it's first trip to the range. I would've kept going but after 100 rounds of Fiocchi 357 Mag 158 grain JHP my wrist asked me politely to go back to the lighter recoil of my M&P .40 S&W for a spell.

Of the 100 rounds I had maybe six rounds that didn't ignite, more toward the beginning of the shoot so it may just be attributable to the newness of the revolver. It may also have been the ammo given the indentations in the primers were identical to those that did fire (I've had similar experiences with Fiocchi before). Regardless, like any new firearm it'll likely take a few hundred rounds to break it in and things to settle down.

Of the hundred rounds half I shot the revolver in double action mode (trigger pull both cocking and releasing the hammer) and the rest in single action mode (manually cocking the hammer prior to trigger pull). In both cases the trigger pull was very smooth and crisp. I'd say in single action mode it only required maybe 3-ish lbs of pull to make things happen.

To begin with the M&P R8 was shooting just a few inches high at 11 yards so I made adjustments to the rear sight to walk it back down into the sweet spot. Once dialed in I attached a bipod to the fixed lower rail and went for the steel silhouette out at 100 yards. At that distance I probably made 75% hits on the steel, which I was happy with given my wrist was starting to complain a bit. The revolver was doing its part I just wasn't doing mine very well.

In summary, the M&P R8 was a lot of fun and gets an enthusiastic thumbs up. It'll for sure be in the range bag just about every trip to the range now with the wife and I, just with 38 Special ammo so it's a bit more wrist-friendly.

[gskip33]

Are you selling it now? Or is this listing just a coincidence?

http://www.utahgunexchange.com/ads/the- ... sw-trr8-3/

[jfwright1955]

Are you selling it now? Or is this listing just a coincidence?

http://www.utahgunexchange.com/ads/the- ... sw-trr8-3/

Nah, the one I've got's going to be with me for a l-o-n-g time. It's fast turning into one of my favorite handguns, especially after putting a mix of .38 Special and .357 Magnum's downrange this weekend. With the .38 Specials it has about the same kick as a 9mm and put a grin on my face from ear to ear. Follow that up with some fire-breathing .357 Magnum rounds and I just about burst into tears when I realized I'd run out of ammo and I knew I had to go home.

The price for this one is high even factoring out the cost of the Burris sight. While the R8's and TRR's are scarce and fetching a premium I bought mine for well under retail on GunsAmerica from "TheMarksman" out of Washington.

[gskip33]

I'm happy you are keeping it. It really seems like a very unique and cool gun. That's crazy that I've never heard of it until now and then I see it twice.

Very cool gun.