Shooting Smith & Wesson 69 Combat Magnum Revolver in .44 Magnum

By Lars Dalseide
Lars, along with Glen Hoyer, report on first shots with the Smith & Wesson 69 Combat Magnum Revolver.

Boulder City, Nevada, USA –  -(Ammoland.com)-  SHOT Show’s Media Day was a little different. Now before starting with the rumors and speculation just stop. It wasn’t all that different for anyone else … just me. I walked up and down the lanes of the Boulder Rifle & Pistol Club with Glen Hoyer, the director of NRA’s Law Enforcement Division.

Glen’s background in law enforcement provides a unique take on the guns and gear offered up at these events. Questions such as will it work in the field, how many holsters does it fit, is it light enough to work as a backup kept rolling off his tongue.

Only a few of those we took out for a test drive met with his rigorous standards. One was Smith & Wesson’s new 5-shot .44 Magnum revolver.

Smith & Wesson 69 Combat Magnum Revolver in .44 Magnum

Built on stainless steel cylinder with a stainless steel slide and a two piece barrel, the Smith five-Shot revolver can carry everything from the lightest .44 Special loads to the heaviest of the .44 Magnums. But what makes it unique, for Smith & Wesson at least, is the L-Frame design.

“It’s our first attempt at the l-frame .44 mag,” said company rep Jeff Puckett, at the time. “Everything turned out better than we had hoped. It is an awesome gun.”

Handing his prize to the ever skeptical Hoyer, Puckett stepped back, folded his arms and smiled. “Don’t worry. He’s going to smile after this one.”

A shot later and Puckett was right.

Taking his time with every round, Hoyer emptied the S&W 69 Combat Magnum once, twice and three times. This was something to put on the wish list.

“The L-frame size was just what I hoped for,” Hoyer explained. “They have a relatively compact grip and the recoil is manageable considering it’s a .44 magnum.”

“I would certainly buy one especially as a backup gun on a hunting trip. If you’re packing it on your hip while hunting then the lighter weight is going to be an advantage. Because when you’re in the woods, the less weight the better.”

Puckett and Hoyer filled the next five minutes going back and forth over the specs and performance of the new found favorite. But a quick review of the line, and the anxious patrons waiting for their turn, signaled it was time to go. Just as well.

With all that SHOT has to offer, you can’t afford to get stuck on just one product. What you can do, however, is put it down on the wish list. And that’s exactly where the Smith & Wesson 69 Combat revolver currently resides.

About Lars Dalseide

Lars has been with the National Rifle Association for 8 years. Starting in the program side of the association’s Media Relations department, he worked on productions from Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Outdoor Channel while writing for American Rifleman, American Hunter, and NRAblog. Now as a Media Liaison and spokesman for NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, he follows firearm-related policies and legislation for almost 20 states. nraila.org

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