The swing-out cylinder DA/SA revolver has been around since the 1870s and has been refined in many ways. While there are variations in the common brands and models, they pretty much remain alike with their handling. However, they usually differ in the way you get the cylinder open for extraction and loading. Colt always used a pull-back latch, originally “L” shaped and evolved into a gracefully rounded knob. Smith & Wesson favored a dished-out button that you pressed forward to allow the cylinder to swing out. When Dan Wesson came along with the flat lever that tilts down to release the cylinder, it was mounted forward of the cylinder on the left side of the frame. That unusual arrangement drew criticism until PPC shooters discovered the utility of the system’s ease of reloading.

There is an old saying, repeated often enough to be a cliché, which says “Practice makes Perfect.” On the face of it, this might seem to apply to learning the skills of gunhandling and marksmanship. But when you think about the consequences of errors in handling a gun and using it skillfully under stress, then maybe it’s time to refine the cliché’d just a little. How about adding a word, making it “Perfect Practice makes Perfect?” In essence, this simply means that you must execute every aspect of a training regimen to perfection before additional repetitions will produce a beneficial effect. It has been pretty well established that you must do something on the order of 5,000 reps of a physical act before muscle memory takes over and it becomes habit. That’s a tall order.

Before automatic pistols had one piece receivers of best-quality, industrial grade polymer, they came with two pieces of (usually) wood fastened to the sides of the butt. Revolvers go even farther back in the chronology and did the same thing. Wood shapes easily and can even be user-customized. However, what is the correct name for these wood, bone, horn, ivory or whatever plates. For most of my shooting life, I have called them “grips” and I believe the majority of the firearms world does the same.

The course of fire known as the PPC was developed to give peace officers a more realistic training experience than the bullseye courses that used to be in police basements all across the country. For administrative reasons, the Practical Pistol Course needed several important characteristics. It had to be easy to run and require a minimum of space. Also, there was a need for an easy-to-score system and a minimum of range staff. There was a bit of fiddling around with the course, but it eventually settled into a routine with stages as 7, 15, 25 and 50 yards. All you needed was a flat piece of ground with a berm to contain the bullet strikes and lines at the four ranges. After my Marine service, I started shooting this course for qualification and in competition. I fired it early and often, shooting the course probably 1,000 times in the years I was a deputy sheriff. It was fun meeting other officers on the competition circuit and my revolver skills improved along the way. Eventually, however, the use of the PPC course as a competition device produced some problems.

In the 1970s, I lived and worked in an area with a number of excellent gun stores. One of them was in a coastal city, and about half the salesmen were off-duty deputy sheriffs. This store was big enough to have an enormous array of guns, both new and used, and it was well connected to the major makers, so rare guns were not uncommon. It was in this cop-friendly emporium that I saw my first Smith & Wesson pinto revolver. Now, what is a Smith & Wesson “pinto” handgun?