Smith & Wesson offers a variety of high-quality, double-action revolvers that fit neatly into what I like to call the trail-to-town handgun category. A few years ago, the company launched a .44 Mag. revolver that provides an impressive balance of performance and portability. The all-stainless steel, 2.75" barrel Model 69 Combat Magnum is built around a K-Frame, or mid-size frame, instead of the larger S&W N-Frames more common to this caliber. This is made possible with the installation of a more compact 5-shot cylinder in place of a 6-round configuration. I found it to be a great fit for those who are looking for a .44 Mag. that can straddle a variety of shooting roles, including use on the trail for defense against dangerous game.
Without taking anything away from what the Model 69 brings to the table, it is safe to say that it is not an ideal fit for everyone. The levels of felt recoil generated by the .44 Mag. cartridge in a revolver this size range from stout to intense. Plenty of folks are not interested in riding that train. Yes, it can be loaded down with .44 Special ammunition, which brings the recoil into the .45 Colt range. But if you are going to use .44 Special most of the time then the unloaded 34.3 oz. weight of its all-stainless steel construction may be on the heavy side for walking around all day.
This new revolver exhibited an impressively light and smooth trigger for a non-custom gun.
Back in 2008, about a decade before the launch of the Model 69, Smith & Wesson released one of most well-balanced big-bore wheel guns in the company's history: the Model 396 Night Guard. Like the Model 69, it too was a K-Frame size 5-shot but with two notable changes. First, it was chambered for .44 Special only. This kept the recoil to much more manageable levels. And secondly, it sported a Scandium alloy frame with titanium components which shaved the weight down by nearly 11 oz. making it noticeably more comfortable to carry.
An addition to the modern Night Guard is a frame mounted detent to ensure a tight lockup for the action.
Unfortunately, the Night Guard series of double-action revolvers fell victim to the handgun trends of the time. Although they were light weight, they were still medium- and large-frame revolvers chambered in potent calibers. This made them better suited for use as trail guns than for daily carry. The line-up cost more, due to the exotic materials used in their construction, which slowed sales. And this was a time when compact and subcompact semi-autos chambered in .380 ACP and 9 mm were taking over the self-defense market. As a result, the entire Night Guard series was discontinued in 2010.
There’s room for five rounds of the big-bore .44 Special in the K-Frame size cylinder.
But this year there is great news for fans of the Night Guard revolvers and the .44 Special cartridge. Lipsey's has teamed up with Smith & Wesson to re-introduce two models including the 7-shot .357 Mag. Model 386 and the 5-shot .44 Special. In doing so, they have incorporated up-to-date features not available in the original design. This evaluation focuses on the new Model 386.
The Hogue Bantam rubber grip is both compact and hand filling.
The Night Guard's most famous feature is a lightweight construction that is strong enough to handle magnum pressure ammunition. This is made possible through the use of Smith & Wesson's proprietary scandium-aluminum alloy to form the frame and the barrel sleeve. Scandium is a rare element similar to titanium. When small amounts are incorporated into an aluminum alloy, the resulting material is as strong as steel but lighter than titanium. The judicious use of this alloy, along with titanium and steel components, gives this Night Guard an unloaded weight of 23.5 oz.
The day glow ring of the XS front sight is fitted with a tritium night sight.
The 3" long stainless steel barrel is set into a scandium shroud. This outer barrel supports a XS Sights night sight and provides a hollow inside of the under lug which protects the knurled ejector rod. The front sight is paired with a fully adjustable square notch rear sight. The barrel's forcing cone is thicker for improved durability, and it is fitted with a sheet steel blast shield that protects the alloy frame from the hot gases that escape through the cylinder gap.
The stainless-steel inner barrel is tucked into a scandium alloy shroud.
The fluted, 5-shot cylinder is made from stainless steel with a beveled front edge for smooth re-holstering. The chambers have been chamfered for easier reloading. The cylinder yoke is fitted with a modern ball detent to ensure a secure lock-up when the cylinder cycles. The hammer's exposed spur and the “pie wedge” cylinder release are both checkered for improved purchase. The revolver is treated with the signature Night Guard series matte black finish and completed with one of Hogue's Bantam pebbled rubber monogrips.
This revolver’s size, weight and caliber provide for a more comfortable shooting experience than a lightweight .357 Mag.
The trigger pull weight for this revolver was an unexpected but welcome surprise. S&W triggers are known to be smooth and clean. But the factory guns tend to have a double-action trigger in the 12-pound range, which is not unusual. However, this particular gun exhibited a pull of just 6 lbs. 15 oz. Usually you would have to pay a gunsmith to tune a trigger to be this light. Manually cocking the hammer for single-action fire was even better. It reduced the trigger pull to a short, crisp 3-lbs. 4-oz. pull.
Now we come to the tricky bit, which is a conversation about levels of felt recoil. I mentioned earlier that, in my opinion, the Model 396 Night Guard is among the most well-balanced big-bores available. This is due in large part to pairing the shooting characteristics and performance of the often underappreciated .44 Spl. cartridge with the lightweight frame.
A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was used to measure average bullet velocities.
Remember, trail guns are intended to provide protection against dangerous game, thus the big-bore calibers. The .44 Special can be loaded with heavy, hard-cast bullets that are launched at more moderate velocities. These loads provide deep penetration and bone breaking power without the wrist-punishing levels of felt recoil that accompany magnum pressure rounds. Although the .44 Spl. lacks the performance levels recommended for fending of large brown or grizzly bears, it is sufficient for defense against predators in the black bear or smaller size range. And modern hollow point loads are available for in-town personal protection.
The best individual 5-shot group of 1.87” was fired using the DoubleTap load.
I had an opportunity to shoot the Model 386 Night Guard, chambered in.357 Mag., side-by-side with the .44 Special version. Using full power .357 Mag. loads in this Scandium platform was educational, which is a polite way of saying intense. The recoil was snappy, the muzzle flash was bright and the report was quite loud. It's not a combination one would shoot for casual enjoyment. And I say that as a fan of the .357 Mag. cartridge.
Although it would be inaccurate to describe the .44 Special as “low recoil,” the kick was noticeably less snappy. It was more of a shove to the shooting hand than a kick to the wrist. The noise and muzzle flash were noticeably lower as well. In short, if I was going to hand a revolver to someone who was brand new to shooting wheel guns, it would be the .44 Special model.
At the shooting range, the Model 396 was put through its paces using a mix of defensive loads from DoubleTap, Federal and Hornady. Bench-rested accuracy testing consisted of five 5-shot groups fired into paper targets posted at a distance of 7 yards. A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was used to measure the average muzzle velocities for 10-shot strings. Here are the results:
When the Smith & Wesson big-bore Night Guard revolvers came around the first time, I missed out on the chance to shoot one. I'm glad that Lipsey's has provided fans of the platform another opportunity to own one. Hopefully, they will catch on this time, stick around a bit longer and possibly grow to include additional model options. Although the .357 Mag. version is likely to be the more popular seller, the Model 396 in .44 Special is, well, something special. It's not often that a just-right weight, feature set and caliber combination comes along, especially with such a good trigger. Personally, I'm going to have a conversation with Smith & Wesson about making this revolver a part of my collection. For more information, visit the Lipsey’s company website.
Smith & Wesson Model 396 Night Guard Specifications:
Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson; smith-wesson.com
Exclusive Distributor: Lipsey's; lipseys.com
Action Type: double-action/single-action revolver
Chambering: .44 Special (#14352)
Frame: scandium alloy, matte black finish
Barrel: 3" stainless steel
Rifling: six-groove, 1:20" RH Twist
Cylinder Capacity: 5 rounds
Sights: XS Bright Dot night sight front, fully adjustable square notch rear
Trigger: double-action, 6-lb. 15-oz. pull; single-action, 3-lb. 4-oz. pull
Overall Length: 8.1"
Height: 5.6"
Width: 1.56" Cylinder
Weight: 23.5 ozs. unloaded
Accessories: storage case, cable lock, owner's manual
MSRP: $1,269
