Finally cleaned out my FN Barracuda and took it to the range. 400 were imported to America recently and they seem unfired (all chambers + barrel clean). They are the only revolver made by FN, apparently for the colonies and such.
Size wise, it is very close to the K-frames. So close in fact, that the grips are almost interchangable. The difference in the square butts is litterally millimeters. Unfortunately, with drilled holes and such, that is enough.
It is a .357 Magnum with a 3" barrel. Since those are rare, I had to jump on this. Weight seems a little more than the K-frame.
One unique feature is that the cylinder can be removed like the slide of a Beretta. Simply open the cylinder and hold down the button on the right side of the frame. The cylinder + yoke slide right out. Nifty. This would be an especially great feature if the 9x19 cylinder were available. In fact the styrofoam box has a space with oil residue where it used to be. But no luck there.
Speaking of opening the cylinder, the latch (which looks as acts like a S&W latch) was a bit stiff. No enough to keep it from opening, but if you are too casual, you won't push it fully forward.
The finish is mixed. Originally the blueing was okay. But whoever cleaned these out on import put fine scratches, as if from a scratchy cloth, on the frame. In addition, on mine, the area around the cylinder release latch has deeper scratches, some down to the steel. I think they tighted it too much.
Also, it looks like there was originally an orange insert on the front sight and two red bars on the rear, but they are gone. Cleaned out maybe? BATF import points thing?
The sign picture is good though, if you don't mind black on black sights. The cylinders are recessed and the trigger is serrated. Unlike the S&Ws, the serrations are a bit wider and the trigger face rounded, resulting in a surface that is easier on the index finger. You P&R owners know what I'm talking about. The hammer is mildly bobbed with wide, blunt serrations, not crosshatched. In my opinion, better than the old K-frames.
The trigger pulls are good. The DA pull is heavier than my 19-3, but smooth. Sorry, I'm terrible at estimating weights, but it feels lighter than my Beretta 92 DA pull. The SA pull is crisp and clean. I would say the quality of the pulls is like that of Rugers and bettter than the Taurus revolvers I have handled.
Is this due to the mainspring? It is a coil spring like the Rugers and not a flat spring.
Accuracy was good. I haven't had extensive range time in a while, so measuring ultimate accuracy is futile.
However, at 10 yards, when I had good trigger discipline and mechanics, I could get two in the same hole, or one extremely close. Since a 3" revolver is made for self defence, this is very good.
At longer ranges the sight radius and my lack of practice came into play. I do honestly believe that 2" groups at 25 yards would be possible with the right ammunition though.
The ammunition I used was Winchester White Box, 130 grain .38 Special and 158 grain .357 Magnum (1240 fps from a 6" barrel presumably) American Eagle. Pleasant enough with the .38 Specials. The .357 magnum lets you know its there, enough that I was happy for the extra weight. It caught the webbing of my hand a few times with the vertical part of the frame where it meets the grip. A higher grip should cure that.
The grips themselves are made for carry. They are relieved on the side to accept feeding from speed loaders. They will use K-frame speed loaders, so there are no lack of options. They are also not flared on the bottom like the old 'Coke Bottle' grips, but provide a full gripping surface.
All-in-all a good buy. In my area a K-frame goes for $425-$550 (used, of course). Ones with 3" barrels are simply not seen. The Barracuda was $340 for me. I have seen it for as low as $285 on the internet.
Size wise, it is very close to the K-frames. So close in fact, that the grips are almost interchangable. The difference in the square butts is litterally millimeters. Unfortunately, with drilled holes and such, that is enough.
It is a .357 Magnum with a 3" barrel. Since those are rare, I had to jump on this. Weight seems a little more than the K-frame.
One unique feature is that the cylinder can be removed like the slide of a Beretta. Simply open the cylinder and hold down the button on the right side of the frame. The cylinder + yoke slide right out. Nifty. This would be an especially great feature if the 9x19 cylinder were available. In fact the styrofoam box has a space with oil residue where it used to be. But no luck there.
Speaking of opening the cylinder, the latch (which looks as acts like a S&W latch) was a bit stiff. No enough to keep it from opening, but if you are too casual, you won't push it fully forward.
The finish is mixed. Originally the blueing was okay. But whoever cleaned these out on import put fine scratches, as if from a scratchy cloth, on the frame. In addition, on mine, the area around the cylinder release latch has deeper scratches, some down to the steel. I think they tighted it too much.
Also, it looks like there was originally an orange insert on the front sight and two red bars on the rear, but they are gone. Cleaned out maybe? BATF import points thing?
The sign picture is good though, if you don't mind black on black sights. The cylinders are recessed and the trigger is serrated. Unlike the S&Ws, the serrations are a bit wider and the trigger face rounded, resulting in a surface that is easier on the index finger. You P&R owners know what I'm talking about. The hammer is mildly bobbed with wide, blunt serrations, not crosshatched. In my opinion, better than the old K-frames.
The trigger pulls are good. The DA pull is heavier than my 19-3, but smooth. Sorry, I'm terrible at estimating weights, but it feels lighter than my Beretta 92 DA pull. The SA pull is crisp and clean. I would say the quality of the pulls is like that of Rugers and bettter than the Taurus revolvers I have handled.
Is this due to the mainspring? It is a coil spring like the Rugers and not a flat spring.
Accuracy was good. I haven't had extensive range time in a while, so measuring ultimate accuracy is futile.
However, at 10 yards, when I had good trigger discipline and mechanics, I could get two in the same hole, or one extremely close. Since a 3" revolver is made for self defence, this is very good.
At longer ranges the sight radius and my lack of practice came into play. I do honestly believe that 2" groups at 25 yards would be possible with the right ammunition though.
The ammunition I used was Winchester White Box, 130 grain .38 Special and 158 grain .357 Magnum (1240 fps from a 6" barrel presumably) American Eagle. Pleasant enough with the .38 Specials. The .357 magnum lets you know its there, enough that I was happy for the extra weight. It caught the webbing of my hand a few times with the vertical part of the frame where it meets the grip. A higher grip should cure that.
The grips themselves are made for carry. They are relieved on the side to accept feeding from speed loaders. They will use K-frame speed loaders, so there are no lack of options. They are also not flared on the bottom like the old 'Coke Bottle' grips, but provide a full gripping surface.
All-in-all a good buy. In my area a K-frame goes for $425-$550 (used, of course). Ones with 3" barrels are simply not seen. The Barracuda was $340 for me. I have seen it for as low as $285 on the internet.