By:Chris Rhodes
Several years ago, I was at Shot Show in Las Vegas wandering around the floor. I was attending the event for my non-profit and found myself with some down time. As I was looking around at products, I rounded a corner and something caught my eye!
A symbol that looked like a revolver cylinder had grabbed my attention. As I moved closer, I could read the name Spohr and the phrase Made in Germany. I peered into the glass cases at a pile of different model revolvers.
Someone from behind the counter with a foreign accent asked if I wanted to see one. As I looked at that gun, they rambled on about how it was made and so on; I heard very little of that. With my experience of a couple of decades in the custom gunsmith world, I knew what I was holding.
A fully machined from bar stock revolver with a host of features I would come more familiar with over the years to come. I ordered my first Spohr at that show and set myself down a path that I did not expect.
That first Spohr was a 286 Competition in 357 Magnum that I still use to this day. I compete in Action Pistol (Bianchi Cup), handgun hunt, and do general target shooting all with that Spohr. That first 286 has gone well past 70,000 rounds and is still shooting amazing scores.
Over the first year running that gun I learned about all its features and the benefits. I spent a couple decades building custom revolvers for my clients, and I truly appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the Spohr.
One of the major advantages that I appreciated immediately was the fact that it was machined from barstock. There are zero cast or MIM (metal injection molded) parts. This leads to a longer life span for the firearm. Also, with it being totally machined, tolerances can be held tighter.
During my time building custom revolvers I performed the “art” of pulling them into alignment. See, the standard production wheelguns have to be somewhat forced into alignment. I (and your) gunsmith sometimes have to physically bend parts to make them line up in a revolver. Imagine how much better that gun would be and how much longer it would last if it started in perfect alignment; Spohr does that!
Not only is everything machined with absolute precision, but they have a host of other advantages. Thomas Spohr redesigned several key weak points of the revolver design to increase performance.
The trigger system looks like a S&W design, but that is where the similarities end. The hammer spring system has been redesigned to use a coil spring. The coil spring system pivots to stay in direct line with the hammer which eliminates stacking when you pull the trigger in double action. It is also fully adjustable for impact pressure so the end user can adjust it to their ammunition and adjust the pull weight as desired. On the Club models they even add an adjustment for the rebound spring where the user can adjust the single action pull with just an allen wrench.
Once again, since everything is machined from barstock, these sear angles will last a lifetime.
In a lot of older revolver designs, barrel shanks were too thin and would crack with heavy use. Not Spohr; The barrel shanks are enlarged compared to the competition. This will add to the revolver's lifespan.
They also utilize polygonal rifling which is easier to clean. But my main attraction as a handgun hunter is the 50 feet per second or more, I gain in velocity over a standard barrel. With Cutting Edge Bullets solid copper bullets, I gain over 100 FPS!
A major accuracy improvement task I have had to do on revolvers for a couple decades is uniforming cylinder throats. Most of the shelf revolvers have cylinder throats that are all over the place in size. For accuracy the throats need to be only slightly larger than the barrels bore and all of them need to be the exact same size.
I made a great deal of money over the years machining cylinder throats to the same size on production guns. It's a process that takes a good bit of time to perfect.
On Spohr every chamber is the same depth, throats are the same correct size, and the chamber finish is perfect. This all leads to a superbly accurate revolver.
Spohr has incorporated optics friendly designs into all of their models. All of the Club models have rails where optics can be mounted.
The most advantageous models for optics are the non-Club models. Many of those models have rails as well but in addition, the rear sights can be removed, and any S&W pattern optics mount will fit.
If you haven’t been paying attention, optics are in style for handguns! Increased accuracy, faster target acquisition, and faster follow ups are just a few of the advantages.
When I step into the field with a handgun as my only hunting firearm, I am placing myself at a disadvantage. Even more so where I live in Wyoming, hunting our vast prairie and wilderness for everything from antelope to elk and mule deer.
I love the challenge and that's why I hunt with a handgun, but at the same time I want the best gun I can take into the field. The one I can count on.
For a long time that meant that I hand tuned a production gun myself to perfection. Now I can just open the box.
Competition is a major proving ground. It is where we take a firearm and push it to the limits. In a match is one of those places where you will see lesser guns fail and great guns exceed.
This year I stepped into a major match with a Spohr on my hip. At Bianchi Cup, which for those of you that don’t know, is like bullseye shooting with your foot on the gas pedal, I was able to perform with Spohr.
I took a 286 Competition 22 LR revolver out of the box, added an Alchin optics mount, and a C&H red dot and I was able to shoot a score of 1901 out of 1920 possible points.
Taking a production gun out of the box and slapping a dot on there and only dropping 19 points is something I am proud of. Rimfire ammo is finicky and the stress of competition always adds up.
I also took a Spohr N670 44 Magnum to the Handgun Hunter’s Competition where we shoot from 10 to 200 yards on steel. The average steel target size is 8 inches, and I was able to completely clear multiple stages. That's no small feat and helps concrete in the proof of accuracy.
My competition season is quickly coming to an end for 2026 with just one major match remaining, Steamboat Challenge in Cheyenne, WY. I have full confidence stepping on the line that the gun is capable of hitting the X ring every single time.
Once that match concludes, I will be stepping back into the field. I have a pocket full of tags for some prized heads of game here in Wyoming. I trust my Spohr to deliver the accuracy when I close the distance on elk, mule deer, and pronghorn this season and so should you.
Spohr is the most accurate double action revolver available, and Accuracy Matters!