I'll admit, I've never owned a Rock Island product, nor any type of revolver, or even a .38 Special before. I spent a considerable amount of time reading google commentary on this piece before making my purchase. I had to because I typically stick to what I know best; rifles, shotguns and springfield XD pistols in .40 caliber. So keep that in mind with this review because I'll probably miss some key points that I won't think to include. On the flip side to that coin, it may keep me honest as I don't have much to compare it to. Why not get my feet wet with something new though, right?
Appearance:
Boom, it looks like a million dollar gun.
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Feel:
It has a good balance to it, slightly barrel heavy but in a good way. I'm keen on a gun that feels right in my hands. Despite the generic looking grip, it feels right in my hand. Not too thick, not too thin and it's just the right angle for me when aiming. Nothing about the gun feels loose, or less than sturdy. The cylinder is silky smooth when inserting shells into it and also ejecting them. The cylinder swings freely to open and close it but locks up nice and tight once shut. In single action, the trigger is smoother than I'd expect for this price point. The trigger break is predictable/repeatable. In double action, it's still just as smooth feeling, however the heavier pull definitely decreases my accuracy. It was hard to find my rhythm here. Although the trigger break was still predictable, I feel like my lack of experience got the best of me. Don't get me wrong here...we're not talking about a difference between life and death. I'm still center mass with double action, just not up to my own personal standards. That's all on me. Recoil is impressively smooth and light...comfortable even. Although my double action shots aren't great, I did make note that my reset time was nearly instant. Very minimal muzzle rise, allowed me to follow up shot after shot with the same point of aim very quickly. I guess that's the perks of a low energy round from a heavy barrel pistol.
Accuracy:
I'll upload the picture for those curious. I have circled the double action shots. The rest are from single action shots. I notice that at 21 feet (the distance I fired all of my shots from), that the point of impact is a few inches high. Rather than lowering my point of aim to compensate, I just stayed the course, aiming dead on the X in the center for all shots. Some of the wider pattern you see, came from my earliest shots fired. I was using Federal 158 grain lead RN (I like to pretend the RN stands for registered nurse, who won't be able to save you if hit by these rounds) the entire time. Yes I know it actually means Round Nose. I plan to put it through some trial with the Hornady Critical Defense soon, as well.
Overall:
I like the gun. It's a good back-up gun for around the house, or car. A budget minded, no frills, weapon of defense, that you don't have to be afraid of tossing into the glove box or under your seat. I wouldn't choose this as my every day carry piece, nor would I waste money on a holster. Instead, buy this thing with peace of mind that it's going to go bang, with good enough accuracy to keep you safe. It's just a gun. Not THE gun but a gun none-the-less.
I should probably throw this little tid-bit in. Nothing in the paperwork would lead me to believe that you can shoot +P ammo through the M200. However, if you reach out to Arsmcor and ask them about it, they say yes you can indeed put +P down the pipe just not to make it a regular happening. I don't know how one would decipher from that, exactly what is a safe consumption of +P so personally I'll avoid it for the time being.
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