The other Kimber wheelguns are steel and chambered for the 357 Magnum round. They can shoot 38s, but have the option of the louder, flashier Magnum rounds too.

The 38 is a lightweight gun, factory weighed at less than 16 ounces empty. That’s due to the frame of aluminum alloy, the fluted cylinder (not “flattened” like the Magnums), and to the skeletonized ejector rod shroud.

It’s fitted with Hogue stocks with a “cobblestone” grip pattern and finger grooves.

The finish is the “KimPro II” on the aluminum frame. The stainless barrel has a glass-bead finish.

So why move down from a steel Magnum caliber revolver?

Portability.

I’ve pocket carried snubs since 1978. The first was a S&W M60. It was heavier than this gun and held five rounds of ammo. I moved to a Model 38 Airweight Bodyguard, received courtesy of my wonderful bride, in the early 1980s. The drag on the pocket was a great deal less. When I moved to the Magnum-capable Ruger SP101 (a DAO revolver) in the early 1990s, it was not a pocket gun; much heavier, it created a drag on that side. It went into a Bianchi leg holster.

The K6xs gives me six rounds of 38 and weighs less than a five-shot 38 (or 357). That seems like a good trade.

The gun ships with a DeSantis Gunhide Quik-Strip and a zippered case. Below, a bit of the weight saving comes a "skeletonized" ejector rod housing - as Tiger McKee added to this Chopper.

The gun arrived in a nylon zippered case, a nice touch. A DeSantis Gunhide Quik-Strip was included from the factory.

That’s a very nice touch. The gun is priced at $679 MSRP.

Handling proved interesting. The Kimber has a Ruger-style push-button cylinder release. It’s nicely rounded to prevent abrasion from use or firing. The rear sight is a ‘gutter’ in the frame and the front sight features an orange dot. I didn’t find it as visible as the Kimber K6s DA/SA that I had for T&E, but it’s better than many snub revolvers.

I started the shooting experience with a “headbox walkback.” To do this, take a B-8 center, turn it face down and inscribe a circle around the 9-ring (the shaded part of the target). Start at 20 feet, shoot a pair. Back to 30 feet, ditto. Back to 40 feet, same. And at 60 feet – see where I can’t hold center before the rounds go free of the 9-ring. I’m working to see where the 100% hit capability goes off the rails.

On a steamy August morning, I used that reversed B-8 repair center with a line drawn around the “9” ring – a trick I read about from Justin Dyal.

I changed the distances to 7-10-15-20 and 25 yards, with a pair at each distance. If I failed at a distance, I’d mark the hits and repeat it. I did this at 10 yards, so 12 hits went out (with only 11, sadly, on the repair center.)

The ammo was Tula 130 grain flat-nose FMJ. It “felt like” +P, though I didn’t chronograph it. There was sticky extraction a few times but it mostly just functioned in the gun and shot.

I pushed two rounds out at 10 yards. I tried again and got both hits inside. Both went inside at fifteen and twenty yards on the first try. At 25 yards, one was high left and well outside the circle. The other was over six inches below the center of the circle, putting it off the repair center.

I guess this is a 20-yard (and in) gun – until I get some work in with it.

Turning the target over, I scored it; with one “7,” two eights (one a line cutter) and two 9s – and dumping ten points for the miss – I scored at 101/120-3X.

From 10 yards using some old commercial remanufacture ammo featuring 158gr. SWC bullets (and some smokey powder), I kept six hits on an 8” target. I posted a silhouette from Action Targets, their ATI TQ-15 analog of the NRA Law Enforcement qualification target of the early-mid 1990s.

At fifty yards, I held just under the neck and fired five rounds of older Federal 129gr. Hydra-Shok hollow point +P ammo. The ATI TQ-15 is marked “3” for the main scoring zone, “2” for the first ring out and “1 for the remainder of the target. There’s also a head-box.

I had one center 3-point hit, three went into the 2-point zone and one off the silhouette but on paper. Thus far, for me it’s not a fifty yard gun – but I’ll keep at it.

Due to the stocks and configuration of the gun, the recoil wasn't painful -- as it is with some guns. After 70 or so rounds, including the hot Tula and some +P, I had hand tremors afterward. That was short-lived. Firing 12-18 rounds "when you have to," the recoil will likely escape your notice.

I taped up the hits on the target and did a 38-round “qual-type” thing with the remaining Tula ammo. From 3 yards, I fired three pairs from one-hand, “point” style. At five yards, I shot a pair of failure drills. From seven yards, I did two pairs, followed by a pair with the nondominant hand only.

A ten-yard pair was followed by a pair, then two singles from low ready.

At 20 yards, I went off the rails while shooting pairs from ready. I’d fired, eject the fired case and reload from loops, firing the next shot. I ended that with four points down.

At 25 yards, I finished with a six-round string, yielding another two points down.

With each hit being worth 3 points, that’s 114 points possible. I shot 108. And this was the first range trip with the lightweight six-shot revolver.

I’ve received a belt holster – because I see some practical use for this as a belt gun. I have IWB and pocket holsters coming. Look out for more on this new Kimber revolver.

-- Rich Grassi