The combination of
c hec ker i ng, texturing and the S&W logo carved directly into the wrap-around grips adds significantly to the beauty of the Varminter.
prohibit watching the bullet strike its target through the lens of the scope. Seven inches of the barrel, from the muzzle back, have been cut in a non-tapered round shape, but with flutes to aid in cooling. The remaining 5 inches, back to the breech, is a larger di- ameter and shaped in a somewhat hexagon pattern. For strength and durability the hammer, trigger and trigger stop all have been chromed and the action comes from the S&W Performance Center fully tuned. A detachable 1³⁄₄-inch long dovetail base has been added to the underside of the barrel for the purpose of mounting the bipod. This is located in the forward-most portion of the hexagon barrel segment. A single knurled slot-headed bolt secures the bipod to the base, which permits easy and quick removal when the bipod is no longer needed. I’m assuming that this base also could be used to accommodate other shooting accessories, like a laser, or pos- sibly even a light for night shooting. S&W lists the Varminter within
their Performance Center firearms and classifies it as a medium-sized frame handgun. The grips are made from some eye-catching exotic variety of hardwood with red and black grain. I’m not an ex- pert when it comes to exotic hardwoods, but I’m guessing it might be rosewood. I found the unique blend of checkering, texturing and the cut-in S&W logo only added to the overall appeal of these grips. The size of the grip wasn’t overly large, but I found it fit my average-sized hand quite nicely. I would consider the grips to be a wrap-around style, which meet in the front, but exposes the metal on the back of the revolver grip frame. The iron sights are both finished in a matte blue. Smith & Wesson calls the front sight a ramp design, but I would personally classify it more as a non-ramp blade style sight. The rear sight is a typical low mounted notched blade adjustable design, similarly found on many handguns. The Varminter performed as perfect-
ly on the range as it did on the Wyoming prairie dogs. The cartridges fed into the cylinder easily and ejected smoothly every
Page 80 Spring 2013
time. After firing, the cylinder released and opened easily and snapped back into place sharply and without hesitation. For my ac- curacy evaluation I shot it at 50 yards using three different types of ammunition: 1) Federal V-Shok loaded with 17-grain Speer TNT spitzer bullets, 2) Remington Premier Magnum loaded with 17-grain Accu-Tip V Boat Tails, and Hornady ammo loaded with 17-grain V-Max bullets. The three varieties of ammo produced remarkably similar five-shot groups from the bench. The Hornady ammunition, however, pro- duced the single smallest group, which measured 1¹⁄₈ inch, but the performance of the Federal and Remington ammuni- tion wasn't substantially different. The smallest groups produced by both of these measured 1¹⁄₄ inch. After being satisfied as to the Varminter’s capabilities at accurately punching holes in the paper targets, just for fun I turned my attention to a tiny Champion Duraseal swinging silhouette prairie dog target located 100 yards down range. Few people would characterize me as an expert shot with any handgun, so I won’t attempt to convince the reader that I hit that target with every shot, but I did manage to make contact on a fairly consis- tent and routine basis. Smith and Wesson designed the
Model 647 Varminter specifically as a hunt- ing firearm and it works extremely well for that purpose. But I believe this handgun would find itself perfectly at home plink- ing, or on the range poking holes in paper targets, or tipping over silhouettes. I par- ticularly liked the versatility that Smith & Wesson has built into the Varminter. The Picatinny style rail makes it easy to switch optics around, as was the case when the Weaver variable scope was installed. I must acknowledge, I’ve personally never been a big fan of Picatinny rail systems. Even though this style of mounting system comes with a great deal of functionality, I usually find the looks of these to be less than desirable. But, I certainly didn’t find that to be the case in this particular situa- tion. On the contrary, the Picatinny looked great and naturally blended into the lines of the hexagon portion of the Varminter barrel. The included bipod provides an added amount of stability for precision shooting, or it can be easily removed, either by detaching it from the dovetail base, or the base can be removed in its entirety. In this latter case, only two Allen-headed screws hold it in place to the bottom of the barrel. Another option is to fold the legs
up and out of the way. Depending upon which way to mount the bipod, the legs will either fold forward or aft. To fold the legs you simply loosen the knurled-headed screw on each leg, then slide the screw downward in the direction of the bipod foot. This releases the lock, allowing the leg to fold. And of course, because the Var- minter is chambered in the very popular and powerful 17 HMR, I believe this only adds to this handgun’s appeal. Handguns come and go, with many
possessing almost identical features and traits, but in the case of the Smith & Wesson Model 647 Varminter, this is a distinctive, impressive and unusual firearm. Even though S&W has it classed as a hunting revolver, in my opinion that term doesn't really do justice to it. Whether you choose to use it to rid a field of nuisance prairie dogs or ground squirrels, for fun by simply plinking, or competitive shooting on the range, I believe most shooters would find this an enjoyable handgun that provides lots of fun and has a great deal of potential built into it.
SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer – Smith and Wesson Model – Model 647 Varminter Caliber – 17 HMR Weight – 54 ounces Sights – Front blade sight and back
slotted adjustable iron sight, but also comes equipped with a red dot/green dot opti- cal sight. As tested, the red dot/green dot optical sight was replaced with a Weaver 849427 1.5-4x20mm handgun scope. Action – Six-shot revolver Barrel – 12 inches Overall Length – 17 inches Firearm Finish – Satin stainless Stock – Hardwood, checkered and textured
Other Features - Bipod included Cost – MSRP $1,299.00
CONTACTS
Smith & Wesson 2100 Roosevelt Ave. Springfi eld, MA 01104
Telephone: 1-800-331-0852
Web:
www.smith-wesson.com Weaver, Inc.
Onalaska Operations P.O. Box 39
Onalaska, WI 54650
Telephone: 1-800-635-7656 Web:
www.weaveroptics.com
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