The top rail does not interfere with the iron sights, allowing easy on/off capabilities with optics. One-hundred-yard hits came easily with a scope aboard.

While breaking it in, I ran the revolver through its paces without the scope to evaluate its ergonomics as a combat handgun. Balance and pointability are superb. Operation of the cylinder latch and ejection plunger rod is smooth and solid. The single-action trigger is excellent, and the double-action, once broken in, was satisfactory, although it never did get as smooth as the other Performance Center pieces I've handled.

The rear sight is an adjustable, V-notch blade and was the source of the only other complaint I had. While clear and quick enough to pick up, the blade was slightly loose in its channel, and sight adjustment was slightly sticky. I also would prefer a square notch.

The interchangeable front sight, on the other hand, was great. Sturdy and nicely contoured, it sported a white dot for easy acquisition. The only way to improve it would be to replace the dot with a tritium insert for night work.

Several different factory loads were tested in the 327 TRR8. All performed well, and some exceeded expectation.

Rapid-fire capability with the gun is excellent. Double-taps with full-power .357 loads were smooth and fast, and when stoked with +P .38 Specials muzzle jump was almost nonexistent. I fired 200 rounds rapid-fire at 15 yards and managed to keep all my shots in the vitals of a torso target, until I got bored and began trying to double-tap head shots. Then it became a little tricky. Still, I managed to keep about 80 percent of my shots within the outline.

Reliability wasn't even a question, of course. It's a revolver. What can happen? As expected, it functioned flawlessly throughout the time I had it.

The M&P TRR8 is a handgun capable of any real-world scenario that might arise--and then some. It is a combat-ready handgun that carries eight rounds of powerful cartridges (flat-shooting enough to provide real 100-yard capability) and can be fitted with a scope or other sight in a matter of seconds.

It provides rugged durability and simplicity. It will never fail. It would be at home on a rancher's hip in Montana or a detective's in Miami. Action shooting, hunting or home defense are all right up its alley.