The new Model 619 (T) replaces the K-Frame Model 65. With its fixed sights and plain barrel, it is intended as a rugged, service-type revolver. The new Model 620 supersedes the popular Model 19 and 66 revolvers and comes standard with adjustable rear sights.

I gave my friend Rusty Rawson a call and asked him if he would help me put the new S&W revolvers through a shooting test. "Your ammo or mine?" was his response. When I assured him that I would be supplying all of the test-firing fodder he may care to expend, he said, "I'll be there tomorrow!" By the time he arrived I had gathered up a selection of .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammunition from Remington, Winchester, CorBon, Federal, and Black Hills. (Full details are listed in the accompanying charts.) After setting up a series of targets at 25 yards at the local shooting range, Rusty settled down to shoot for score. As can be seen in the charts, the best performing Magnum load was Remington's 125-grain JHP; in the .38 Special class honors go to CorBon's fast-stepping 110-grain +P loading.

After chronographing all five loads through each revolver, we got ready to have some real fun. HKS Products (Dept. ST, 7841 Foundation Dr., Florence, KY 41042; 800-354-9814) had supplied me with a number of the firm's No. 587 seven-round speedloaders while Kim Fiedler of Gould & Goodrich (Dept. ST, 709 E. McNeil St., Lillington, NC 27546; 800-277-0732; www.gouldusa.com) provided a Model 803 holster so I could evaluate the new guns in drawing drills. Once I had filled sufficient speedloaders, a pair of D-1 targets was set up, and the Models 619 and 620 were put through the following drills:

The author and his shooting partner fired the new Models 619 and 620 from the bench and also put them through offhand shooting drills. They found the guns to be accurate, smooth functioning, and comfortable to shoot.

1. Four yards: Draw revolver and engage each target with three rounds firing unsupported (one handed). Perform a combat reload and repeat.

2. Seven yards: Draw revolver and double-tap each target. Holster the gun and repeat twice, reloading between strings of fire as necessary.

SPECIFICATIONS S&W Model 620 .357 MAGNUM DA REVOLVER
MAKER:	Smith & Wesson
MODEL:	620
ACTION:	Double-action revolver
CALIBER:	.357 Magnum/.38 Special
CAPACITY:	7 rounds
BARREL LENGTH:	4.0 inches
OVERALL LENGTH:	9.5 inches
WEIGHT:	37.9 ounces
SIGHTS:	Ramped blade with red insert (front); fully-adjustable white-outline (rear)
STOCKS:	Hogue rubber
FINISH:	Satin stainless steel
SAFETY:	Internal security lock
PRICE:	$669

3. Ten yards: Repeat drill No. 1, firing the revolver supported.

4. Fifteen yards: Draw revolver and fire three rounds on each target. Slow, aimed fire.

Both revolvers handled...well, as I expected them to handle: beautifully. For out-of-the-box guns, both had very good DA triggers. (I had lightened their mainspring tension adjustment screws about two turns before shooting.) The sights were fast to pick up. (I put a dab of Day-Glo orange paint on the 619's blade.) Thanks to their excellent ergonomics and rubber grips, recoil control was above average. My shooting partner and I had little trouble keeping our shots in the higher scoring zones of the targets.

We then gave the guns a workout on one of the range's steel plate racks. I would like to be able tell you that we always ran six plates for six rounds, but that ingrained sense of honesty that all gun magazine writers possess forces me to admit that on a few occasions that seventh round came in very handy.

We came away with nothing but positive opinions about this pair of seven-shooters. If you are in the market for a powerful, reliable, fine-handling revolver for hunting, home defense, target shooting, or police/security work, you could not go wrong with either of them. And who knows, if the situation calls for it, seven may just be your lucky number.

DISPELLING SOME REVOLVER MYTHS

When it comes to the subject of revolvers, lines from a Bob Seger song describe my feelings: "Call me a relic, call me what you will. Say I'm old fashioned, say I'm over the hill." That represents for me a cry of defiance against the uninformed shooters who labor under the misconception that the revolver is an anachronism and that those of us who champion its use are dinosaurs. Phooey! These persons will tell you that the revolver is obsolete, displays poor ergonomics, is overly complicated, lacks reliability, is too bulky, and (the one that really gets me going) doesn't hold enough rounds. Let me address these criticisms one at a time. Obsolete: Explain to me how a firearm that is capable of handling any task that a handgun might be called upon to perform can be obsolete? And let us remember that the basic technology behind the modern DA revolver and semiautomatic pistol both date from the late 19th century. Ergonomics: When you find a handgun that can equal the balance, handling, and shootability of a fine, medium-frame, DA revolver tell me because I want to buy it. Unlike their self-loading brethren, revolvers can be adapted to a wide variety of hand sizes simply by changing the grips--a procedure that requires the removal of one screw. One might also keep in mind that all handgun speed-shooting records have been set with DA revolvers. Overly complicated: Unlike pistols, the lock mechanism of a revolver is well sealed against dirt, debris, powder residue, and fouling. Normal cleaning only requires one to open the cylinder, brush out the barrel and chambers, and wipe clean. Reliability: A revolver's functioning is not influenced by variables in ammunition, bullet shape, magazine feed lips, recoil and magazine springs, or the shooter's grip. The round gun has a 100 percent ammunition tolerance, and as long as the shooter's trigger finger functions, chances are his revolver will also. The oft-repeated axiom "Six for sure!" has its basis in fact. Too bulky: Take a micrometer to a medium-frame revolver and a service-size pistol. I'm willing to bet there is very little difference in girth. And what little there might be can be neutralized by the use of a well-fitting holster. Ammunition capacity: I'll admit that a full-size pistol will hold more rounds than a medium-frame revolver. So what? As those of us who have not been mesmerized by the high-capacity myth like to point out, if you can't handle a defensive situation with six rounds of .357, you don't need a handgun. You need a SWAT team! As it is highly unlikely that I will ever be confronted by a howling mob of juramentados, I feel quite well armed when I carry a revolver.