.357 Raptor SSR
- Thread starter Sharps '74
- Start date
Found two in the country and one went pretty fast., so I jumped on the other!
From what I can learn on the net, the "Raptor" is simply the SSR with a Raptor logo engraved on the frame and barrel, a limited run.
Merry Xmas to me! At least until my wife finds out .... ;>)
From what I can learn on the net, the "Raptor" is simply the SSR with a Raptor logo engraved on the frame and barrel, a limited run.
Merry Xmas to me! At least until my wife finds out .... ;>)
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I am unable to find out anything about this revolver even from the S&W Forum. It is not listed on the S&W web site.
It has a Raptor dinosaur engraved on the frame and "Rappy" on the 5" barrel. Other than that, it looks like a S&W 686 SSR which has a 4" barrel.
I've sent an email to S&W requesting information on what appears to be a limited edition gun.
It has a Raptor dinosaur engraved on the frame and "Rappy" on the 5" barrel. Other than that, it looks like a S&W 686 SSR which has a 4" barrel.
I've sent an email to S&W requesting information on what appears to be a limited edition gun.
wayupnorth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Alberta
when you go on to the Smith and Wesson website and search for the model number it brings up nothing.
if you put in the SKU number it brings up nothing.
interesting.
if you put in the SKU number it brings up nothing.
interesting.
wayupnorth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Alberta
Smith & Wesson Model 686 "Raptor/Rappy" Revolver, .357 Magnum, 5" Barrel, 6 Rounds, Stainless, 178026
Brand: Smith & Wesson
SKU: PISTOLS:022188780260
Model #: 178026
Smith & Wesson 686 Raptor/Rappy Limited Run. Similar to the S&W PRO SERIES. The Raptor is Satin Stainless revolver with a stainless frame & cylinder.
Caliber: .357 Mag
Barrel: 5"
Sights: Adjustable
6 Round Cylinder
*all info from site supporter Bullseyelondon (click to see listing)
Brand: Smith & Wesson
SKU: PISTOLS:022188780260
Model #: 178026
Smith & Wesson 686 Raptor/Rappy Limited Run. Similar to the S&W PRO SERIES. The Raptor is Satin Stainless revolver with a stainless frame & cylinder.
Caliber: .357 Mag
Barrel: 5"
Sights: Adjustable
6 Round Cylinder
*all info from site supporter Bullseyelondon (click to see listing)
Yup, that's it. Out of stock at Bulls Eye and P&D. I got mine from Epps. Somebody besides me is buying them.
But .... what is up with the Raptor logo on the frame and "Rappy" on the barrel?
Who in hell is "Rappy"? The Toronto Raptors mascot is not called "Rappy" to my knowledge.
And why a 5" barrel as opposed to the 4" of the SSR model and 6"+ barrels of the other S&W 'Pro' models based on the 686?
Fortuitously, I have a set of Hogue wood grips in dark Cherry (Rosewood?) to replace the factory textured black rubber grips.
Odd, since the SSR model comes with BOTH wood and rubber grips.
But .... what is up with the Raptor logo on the frame and "Rappy" on the barrel?
Who in hell is "Rappy"? The Toronto Raptors mascot is not called "Rappy" to my knowledge.
And why a 5" barrel as opposed to the 4" of the SSR model and 6"+ barrels of the other S&W 'Pro' models based on the 686?
Fortuitously, I have a set of Hogue wood grips in dark Cherry (Rosewood?) to replace the factory textured black rubber grips.
Odd, since the SSR model comes with BOTH wood and rubber grips.
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I don't think it's the team logo; there'd be trademark issues and probably the team's management having to say horrible things about guns. But they may have been thinking to catch a bit of reflected glory from the NBA championship while maintaining plausible deniability.
I think I'd pay more for one of these without the trendy graffiti etched in, though.
I'd love to see a 625 (6x45acp) in 4.2"; a quick look over at smith-wesson shows that the 625 JM is exactly 10.5 cm and could have maybe landed more clearly on the we-can-have-it side.
I think I'd pay more for one of these without the trendy graffiti etched in, though.
I'd love to see a 625 (6x45acp) in 4.2"; a quick look over at smith-wesson shows that the 625 JM is exactly 10.5 cm and could have maybe landed more clearly on the we-can-have-it side.
If you look at the front sight from the muzzle end, and see a hole in the flat metal front of the sight bridge, then you have the DX front sight that is interchangeable. If it is just flat solid metal on the front of the sight bridge, then not. I think it might be. Also, if Rappy came out of the Performance Center, the cylinder charge holes should be chamfered. Not 100% certain that they are, but normally Performance Center guns are chamfered.
Yes, as indicated by the image on the frame.
Which begs the question: What is the significance of that logo on a .357 Magnum specialty revolver? You'd want a lot more poop to drop a Velociraptor that a puny .357!
Only the people that ordered the run know for sure and they don't seem to be willing to part with the answer .....
Which begs the question: What is the significance of that logo on a .357 Magnum specialty revolver? You'd want a lot more poop to drop a Velociraptor that a puny .357!
Only the people that ordered the run know for sure and they don't seem to be willing to part with the answer .....
My best guess is that it is a marketing gimmick to sell some revolvers?
Related thread: https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...ro-Series-Raptor-Rappy-357Mag?highlight=rappy
Boy, did the "Rappy" ever get trashed in that link! A lot of critics out there.
Of course it was by people that don't own or shoot one, except for one happy owner.
But then, look at what some people regard as a "beautiful handgun" under that topic!
It's in the eye of the beholder and in the hand of the shooter. The rest doesn't matter.
Of course it was by people that don't own or shoot one, except for one happy owner.
But then, look at what some people regard as a "beautiful handgun" under that topic!
It's in the eye of the beholder and in the hand of the shooter. The rest doesn't matter.
I've gotten some flak from the "7 and 8 rd revolvers are better" crowd. Let's see how.
IPSC stages cannot exceed 32 rds in a CoF.
Six shot revolver:
- starts with 6 rds loaded, leaving 26 rds after they are expended. That means 5 more reloads to engage all the targets with two rds each.
- 7 shot revolver:
- starts with 7 rds loaded. That means 25 rds to go and 4 more reloads.
In each case, the shooter has extra rds to get better hits or make up for misses; 4 for the six shot revolver, 3 for the 7 shot revolver.
8 shot revolver:
- starts with 8 rds loaded. That means 24 rds to go; three reloads to complete the CoF.
BUT - he had best not miss and he has no extra rds to get better hits. In the heat of competition, "Murphy's Law" stalks the over confident.
I shoot regularly with guys who have 8 shot revolvers. In the end, it's a matter of speed & accuracy and who makes the most proficient reloads that settles the matter.
One fumbled reload or misfire and your game plan just went south - hopefully to Mexico with Calmex .... ;>)
Depending on how you look at it, the 6 shot revolver could be said to have an advantage.
IPSC stages cannot exceed 32 rds in a CoF.
Six shot revolver:
- starts with 6 rds loaded, leaving 26 rds after they are expended. That means 5 more reloads to engage all the targets with two rds each.
- 7 shot revolver:
- starts with 7 rds loaded. That means 25 rds to go and 4 more reloads.
In each case, the shooter has extra rds to get better hits or make up for misses; 4 for the six shot revolver, 3 for the 7 shot revolver.
8 shot revolver:
- starts with 8 rds loaded. That means 24 rds to go; three reloads to complete the CoF.
BUT - he had best not miss and he has no extra rds to get better hits. In the heat of competition, "Murphy's Law" stalks the over confident.
I shoot regularly with guys who have 8 shot revolvers. In the end, it's a matter of speed & accuracy and who makes the most proficient reloads that settles the matter.
One fumbled reload or misfire and your game plan just went south - hopefully to Mexico with Calmex .... ;>)
Depending on how you look at it, the 6 shot revolver could be said to have an advantage.
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Certainly, I am coming around to believe that in .357 caliber, the L-frame revolvers have an advantage because with just a little bit of good gunsmithing they can be either 6 or 7 shot. The cylinders interchange fairly well (sometimes perfectly) and with a little bit of work on the advancing hands -- it's best to have a few to work with -- a nicely pre-timed action can be set up for both a 6 and a 7 shot cylinder for the same revolver. Get the 7 shot cylinder moonclipped if it isn't already and you have and ideal "car" gun for Central Mexico.
For most of the Mexican Practical Shooting, revolver strings are limited to 6 shots. You can enter with a 7 or 8 shooter, but you better have some dummy cartridges or snap-caps in place of the extra round(s). That can make the fast reload slower as you try to make sure the correct round falls under the hammer so the next shot will go "bang". You CAN install a 6-shot N-frame cylinder into an 8-shooter and it will work with the action but it cannot be fired since the cylinder charge holes do not line up with the barrel. This because to make the N-frame cylinder an 8-shooter, the charge holes are a bit farther up than normal to give space for enough metal between the chamber walls and thus will not align with the barrel.
You CAN remove the barrel from a 627 and install a regular N-frame barrel and it will line up with the cylinder charge holes, but you need to adjust the extractor guard to work with the ball-bearing lockup as the regular "nose-pin" lockup into the front of the extractor rod will not work as the distance will be different due to the fact that the threaded barrel hole in the frame is at a different distance from the center of the cylinder due to the difference in distance of the 8-shot charge holes in the cylinder as opposed to the 6-shot charge holes in a regular N-frame cylinder. Confusing stuff, I know, but that's how it works.
This is a regular 6.5 inch Model 23 Barrel installed onto a 627. It works fine, but you need to modify the extractor guard to work with the ball-bearing front lockup. This was a Marine Custom shop gun (not mine). Always lots going on at the Custom Shop.
My normal Mexican PPC/NRA Action Target Class Revolver for Mexican matches was a Model 14-3 K-38 with a Model 14-5 Heavy Barrel that I bought off a Major U.S. parts supplier installed onto it. The innards were all from a Model 64 Stainless parts kit, and the Model 64 cylinder had been sent off to T-K Custom to be moonclipped prior to it "going South" as it were.
Although the front sight used the normal sight pin, I simply obtained a proper super-small pin-punch for the S&W sight pin and a selection of sights to use as the match-conditions dictated. (I believe your Rappy comes with the DX Interchangeable front sight system, so you won't have to pound out the pin all the time to change your sights.)
If there was a problem with the K-38, it would be it's lack of power. My "choice" competition revolver was incapable of penetrating car doors and delivering a Major Caliber impact, so it was excluded from consideration as an "all around revolver" that could be used for anything. Thus, I also had a selection of N-frame Magnums remarked to .38 Special -- as well as a 627 that was a close to an "around gun" as I found except it was an 8-shooter and presented irritations when it had to be used in 6-shot stages. We did have a small number of the original 7-shot Bauman cylinders for the N-frames, and these worked well. So you had the 7-shot Bauman moonclipped cylinder for Real Life Vehicle action, and the regular 6-shot cylinder for Club events.
A 6.5 inch Model 27 registered as a Model 23 that belongs to my best friend with a 7-shot Bauman cylinder installed.
The Bauman cylinders were made to be ONLY USED with moonclips. However....
...the Custom Shop guys modified them to work with loose cartridges. Brilliant.
The problem with the N-frame guns is that they are really big, with a longer trigger-reach than the K and L frame guns which are the same trigger-reach. I have thought about it a lot in the last week since you mentioned your Rappy and have come to the conclusion that when I return to Mexico I should covet a 686 with either a 5 or 6 inch barrel. If I get one with a 6 shot cylinder I will obtain a 7-rounder and have it moonclipped. If I miraculously end up with a 7-shooter, I will get myself a 6 shot cylinder and fit it to the gun. This way, my "competition" revolver can also double as my "to and from the range" revolver. The nice thing about the Rappy revolver -- or the S&W Performance Center 7-shot equivilent -- is that I believe them to come with the Interchangeable Front Sight system that I think is so desirable.
However, the Weigand Interchangeable Front Sight base can easily be installed onto a regular 686 barrel, and then you have it!
So, yeah. I'm thinking of going L-frame in the future. It eliminates the need to have so many different revolvers to do so many different things. (In Mexico, you are only allowed to have 10 guns registered. That sort of sucks, although it also leads to a lot of "cloning", where several different guns of the same caliber are kept in different locations but all have the same serial number. Again, really stupid rules and restrictions lead to really obvious evasions.) But still, with a 4-inch L-frame and a 6-inch L-frame you have your Service Class gun, your Target Class gun, and either can be used in a "Big Boy" match with 180+ Power factor loads if needed -- or in a Pin match -- and you still only have 2 revolvers that do it all. I had to have 5 revolvers to cover the same territory, all either K or N frames. When I go back, I'm starting from a pretty-much fresh slate and now think I'll just go with the L-frames and be done with it.
Been an interesting New Years' Eve around here .... our satellite computer service went down a couple of times due to a couple of snowfalls. I almost went into withdrawal.
The Mexican solution to the problems you describe show the fallacy of gun laws having any real effect on achieving anything worthwhile. Nice work; ingenious solutions to existent problems. Cooper would have approved.
I'm surprised to see the use of factory grips on otherwise custom guns.
I'm waiting on my "Rappy" as it makes it's way thru' the Big Brother approval process. I'll play with the sight options and see what works.
The Mexican solution to the problems you describe show the fallacy of gun laws having any real effect on achieving anything worthwhile. Nice work; ingenious solutions to existent problems. Cooper would have approved.
I'm surprised to see the use of factory grips on otherwise custom guns.
I'm waiting on my "Rappy" as it makes it's way thru' the Big Brother approval process. I'll play with the sight options and see what works.
If it really is the interchangeable front sight system on the Rappy and if it comes with the same front sight that is on the 627's of late (a 1/10th inch SDM -- sorry, I have referred to them as SDX sights earlier, but it's SDM, I had a "senior moment" or several), that's about the perfect sight. At 1/10th of an inch as opposed to the regular 1/8th inch front sights your eye sees the sight picture it would see with a much longer barrelled revolver. I phoned the guy at SDM from Mexico -- using the Vonnage phone we always used to call companies in Canada or the U.S. so it would appear to them that they were being phoned from New York -- and asked him if I could buy a dozen or so of the 1/10th inch Gold Bead sights to have as spares. He told me that those were made up on a special agreement with S&W for their Performance Center guns and could not be sold separately and thus I could only buy the 1/8th inch version. But you have to give me "A+" for effort.
The use of the factory wood grips that seem so prevalent in all the photos of "Mexican guns" is directly responsible to the arch-fiends constantly posting on Lee Jarrett's Smith and Wesson Forum in the U.S. . In fact, when Lee decided to downsize his grip collection and offered a large batch up for sale on his Forum, some of those "went South". That Forum was THE most popular U.S. firearms Forum in the entire Mexican PPC/NRA Action/Practical Shooting crowd that I hung around with -- say running from Mexico City up to San Luis Potosi then running west out to Guadalajara then down into Michoacan and across again to Mexico City. (There are other groups that are only loosely affiliated with us although there is always some friendly interaction between everyone -- it's just a distance thing more than anything else.) So the "factory wood grip" thing was a thing. It beat the crap out of our hands with the Big Boy 180+ Power Factor loads we constantly used and we may take a look at that when I go back. I could be talked into "going rubber" maybe.
Here in this photo, a good friends' (real life actual!!!) S&W Model 23 Outdoorsman in .38 Special Heavy Duty sits on top with a beautiful pair of original "Cokes" purchased from the Lee Jarrett Collection by friends in the U.S.. In fact, the owner of this particular firearm is really, really rich (remember: MY definition of "really, really, rich" is a having a private Gulfstream, and he qualifies. His family has the largest Faberge Egg collection in the World) and lives most of the time in the U.S., so he may have actually just ordered them himself to his U.S. residence. Next is my own Model 28 remarked as a Model 23. The grips are original S&W Diamond Targets, the same style exactly as adorned my best friend's Model 27 in the photos above with the 7-shot Bauman cylinder. Diamond Targets were something we could all afford, and they set one apart as a "man among men". Remember the old Soldier of Fortune T-shirt? "Be a Man Among Men: Rhodesian Army."? Well, with us, it was "Be a Man Among Men: Diamond Targets." Next is the 2nd last Non-Registered Magnum to leave the S&W plant in 1942 improperly wearing regular N-frame Plainclothes stocks and a Tyler T-grip (the original N-frame Diamond magnas and cut-down grip filler were aged and delicate and I don't regular keep them on the gun: yes, I still have that gun down there and you can read about it by searching out "Penultimate Pre-Postwar Magnum is in Mexico" either on this Forum or the S&W Forum). And finally, my S&W Heavy Duty, 1956 manufactured with proper Diamond Magnas from the time and a Tyler T-grip. Hand-pounders all of them, stocked as they are, with full-power loads.
Fans of the Model 28 will know that it comes with a factory satin finish of blue over only lightly polished steel. Since my 28 had to be remarked to Model 23, the Custom Shop guys took it upon themselves to waste shop time polishing up the flats on the gun and deep-hot-blueing it. For a Model 28, it's a nice looker. Not authentic, obviously, but pleasant to look at. Also, my friend's Outdoorsman sports an original 6.5 inch Outdoorsman barrel but the sight ramp and front sight have been changed (because they were both just pinned on with flush-pins) for the sight ramp from a later manufactured Model 27 3.5 inch barrel and the red-ramp sight made for the Model 29's. Again, not authentic, obviously, but pleasant to look at.
For those more preoccupied with home furnishings than firearms, I still have the equipal furniture that many of my guns were photographed laying upon during my time in Mexico. They are now in my mother-in-law's house in Salamanca, awaiting our fulltime return to Mexico so they can be used once again to adorn the family home. Equipal comes from the original Náhuatl word icpalli, and they are made today in pretty much the same way they were made at the time of the #####s. If we get our "Bed 'n Breakfast Rental Cottage" project up and running and you come to visit, it's probably what you'll be sitting in.
