Range report.
Got it to the range today (10/09/14). No hiccups. I currently have Houge rubber grips on it. Put some Remington .357 Magnum 158 grain semi-jacketed hollow points through it. Very comfortable. Actually I was surprised after hearing how the Model 19 snubbie is such a fire-breather when shooting magnums through it. Perhaps the Houges made the difference. As a comparison I fired a couple cylinders of the same load through my 4" Model 28. The Highway Patrolman was a little more mild, but not that much. Of course recoil is subjective so who knows what the reality is. Anyway I was surprised. I should add that I don't think it would be as pleasant to shoot with the Magna grips.
Also fed it a box of Federal 148 grain +P+ 39 Special. Shot out the center of the target at 15 yards and no lead blowback (i.e.
no lead shavings flew back into my face). For those not familiar with revolvers lots of lead shavings can indicate that the timing is off. Guess the timing is on. I'm very pleased that my long sought after revolver is in good condition.
Sorry guys I didn't think to take photos.