The gun writing business has its perks. One is meeting good folks in the industry. Some of the best people you will ever know work in the firearms business. Another bonus is opportunities to shoot some excellent firearms. I stumbled upon the Spohr booth at the SHOT Show a few years ago and immediately realized these guns are something special.
Thomas Spohr and his team were more than happy to tell me about their guns and explain the functions and precision engineering that are incorporated into Spohr’s revolvers. This wasn’t a fast-paced sales pitch. It was a conversation of heavy German accents and friendly banter to introduce their double-action revolver to a Texan in a hat who showed interest in their firearms. I liked these guys right off the bat.
By the next SHOT Show, Chris Rhodes had begun shooting Spohr revolvers in competitions and started working with them. That’s how I got to know him. Chris is now the U.S. importer for Spohr with his company, Precision Shooting Supply.
Being an accomplished gunsmith and machinist, Chris also offers custom gunsmithing services for these guns and provides service work should one ever need it. These guys are up and running and are bringing some of the finest revolvers in existence to the U.S. market.
The Man Behind the Gun
Thomas Spohr studied firearms technology at the HTBL Federal Technische School in Austria and later earned the title of Master Gunsmith from the Ehingen school. He later performed high-end tuning and custom work on Smith & Wesson revolvers as a member of the S&W Club 30, an association of trained gunsmiths who enhance sporting arms by hand with custom one-of-a-kind handguns.
His success led him to develop his own line of quality revolvers. Spohr revolvers hit the German market in 2019.
From Rugged Bar Stock to Precision Revolver
Spohr utilizes EDM wire cutting machines and manufactures parts from solid bar stock to ensure quality, precision, and durability. Frames are also made from billet steel. CNC machining ensures perfection and exact tolerances. The shrouded barrel is lined up with precision fit.
These guns are proof tested with an overcharged load to ensure they will withstand the rigors of high-volume round count. They are made to be shot!
Short videos on the Spohr website showcase the machining process of these top-shelf revolvers. The processes aren’t magic; they are comprised of innovative engineering and modern manufacturing methods using quality materials to produce one of today’s premier handguns.
Chris recently sent me the new N643 to try out. This 8-shot 357 Magnum is based on a revolver similar in size to Smith & Wesson’s N-frame.
The all-stainless N643 Standard 6.0 comes with a full-lug 6-inch barrel and an overall hefty weight of 53.7 ounces. It comes with all the custom bells and whistles like an adjustable trigger stop, match cylinder release, bold black front sight, and a stout LPA TXT adjustable rear sight. All of these things comprise a tough revolver in a neat, conservative package.
This is a competition-ready revolver suitable for International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE), United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA), Steel Challenge, and the like. Not only will it serve shooters well on the ranges, but it also fits just as easily into the world of hunting and recreational shooting. The shorter barrel lengths would make fine personal defense guns. The N643 also comes in barrel lengths of 3, 4, and 5 inches.
I had shot some of Spohr’s guns at range day the past couple of years, but I had not shot them for groups on paper. I knew they were accurate; I had seen pictures of groups shot by Rhodes and his wife, but I was immediately impressed with the accuracy displayed by this revolver with any ammo I fed it.
No matter what you call them, stocks or grips, the Nill Phil Hemphill match grips made in Germany by Karl Nill are excellent for controlling this big gun. The covered backstrap design of the grips aids in reducing felt recoil with magnum loads. The checkering offers a good purchase between hand and grip, and the slight bell towards the bottom locks in the hand.
Spohr offers additional grip styles on their website, so finding the perfect fit shouldn’t be a problem if you prefer another shape.
Unbelievable Accuracy
When I first sat down at the bench with the N643 and fired the first group at 15 yards, I knew I was shooting a gun that is far more accurate than my ability to shoot it with iron sights. The Spohr was capable of chewing small one-hole groups in the paper.
Open-sight groups at 25 yards spread a bit, but I knew that was all me. As bad as I hate to admit it, my eyes aren’t what they used to be. I’m approaching the need for prescription lenses to regain consistent, crisp sight pictures of days past. So far, I haven’t figured out how to make that work.
These days, depending on the front sight makeup, ample lighting and proper direction of the sun is very important for me to obtain the best sight picture. On a public range, it is difficult to impossible to move your firing position to take advantage of sunlight. I knew I needed to scope the Spohr to be able to shoot the gun to its highest standards.
Weigand’s S&W mount fits the Spohr, so I mounted their good Weig-A-Tinny mount and rings on the gun with a 2-7 power Burris handgun scope.
Using the optic, many of my 25-yard groups took on the tiny form of the original 15-yard clusters. At 50 yards, the Spohr produced excellent five-shot groups as shown in the photos using Hornady and Black Hills ammunition. I have rifles that don’t shoot that well!
I wish it had been deer season when I had this gun; I would have loved to have taken it to the field. From a solid rest, I could keep shots in an area the size of my fist at 100 yards.
This rig would be perfect medicine for hunting white-tailed deer. With quality ammunition like those mentioned here and good bullets that offer expansion and penetration, the 357 Magnum is certainly up to the task as a handgun hunting round. A good bullet in the right spot ensures meat for the freezer and a trophy for the wall.
Options from Spohr
Spohr offers several models of revolvers chambered in .22 LR, .357 Magnum, and. 44 Magnum. I imagine I will own at least one of their revolvers in the future. The hard part will be deciding which one!
I expect my journey with these German revolvers will be like my affiliation with Freedom Arms single actions. Owning the first one only makes you want more!
Shooters, and especially gun writers, handle and shoot a variety of firearms. We experience the good and bad of firearms manufacturing. Many guns need custom work, additional equipment like sights and stocks, and oftentimes fine-tuning from experts to make them perform as intended or to bring them to a higher level of function and accuracy.
These high-end Spohrs need nothing. From day one, they are accurate and function perfectly. The initial investment price is higher than average firearms, but these guns are not average. You get what you pay for, and I believe they are worth the price. This revolver certainly is.
Spohr offers superb engineering and craftsmanship that provides shooters with precision accuracy from a handgun. I like these revolvers. They are accurate. They do what they are supposed to do. And they exceed expectations. They live up to the expectation of brilliant German engineering.
Thomas Spohr and his team make the double-action revolver better. Life’s too short to not enjoy some of the finer things. A Spohr revolver is one of the finest!
