H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

If this a modern made Italian copy, they did a very good job of making it look old. If it was real, based on serial number 18, I believe it should have Walker style grips. On the other hand, if it is real, it's a mystery. Curiouser and curiouser....

Looks like a first model Dragoon to me. Oddly, the only serial number 18 that come up on the Colt serial number lookup online is a Single Action Army made in 2007. I sometimes wonder how accurate that thing is...

Well, comparing it to the various S&W's, Remingtons, Merwin & Hulberts, and various cap & ball conversions that were it contemporary alternatives, it was just the best gun on the market. It fits the hand well, is a natural pointer, and is a comfortable pistol shoot and carry. Not to say the alternatives were not good guns, but the SAA was just that much better than the others. At least, that's the conclusion I come to when I compare the ones I have.

Assuming fair condition, but still shootable, they seem to be going for around 1500 giver or take a couple of hundred bucks. Ones in good to excellent condition seem to be going for 3 to 5k.

I have recently discovered for sale a 20 gauge Parker. The first number in its 4 digit price is NOT a crooked one, and given the rarity of that, (I'm STILL shocked that I found a 12 gauge for $800 2 years ago, even if it was a Trojan) I am seriously considering purchasing it. I have not physically seen the gun yet, but I will probably go take a look at it this weekend. I already load 20 gauge for use in my grandfather's pump gun he bought during WW2, so that's not a problem. Although I am normally a 97 guy, I have been known to shoot a SxS on occasion. I have both an 18" and 30" Parker 12 gauge, I like 'em. But, I don't think I've ever seen anyone using a 20 gauge at a cowboy shoot. A quick check of the Handbook confirms that it is legal, but does anyone actually USE it? Part of the reason I've considered trying 20 is very simple. I haven't had a chance to reload and 12 for while, but have a healthy supply of ready to go 20 gauge shells that could get me through maybe 5 matches before I ran out. (Not that I'd use it all up before I did start reloading, but it's nice to have options.) Any thoughts on the matter?

I know a gunsmith based in Natick, Mass named Sergey Lyalko. He does excellent work in general, and he did this for me... This my "Big Iron" that I had created based on an online description of the pistol that inspired the Marty Robbins song. The frame is an Armi San Marco, and the barrel is a cut down Rossi 92. Not exactly like the original Big Iron, but pretty close. If he could do this, I am sure he could do a simpler version if asked. Here's his website... https://www.rustbluing.com/

And I know nothing about it. How does it clean up? Useful for shotshells?

The Magtech brass shells work in it quite well. Those you can put a small taper crimp on. I did lengthen the chamber and forcing cone in my 87. A couple of well respected cowboy gunsmiths told me "offically" they recommend against it, but know of shooters who have run "thousands" of rounds through guns so modified. I don't think I would do it myself. (That's what the reproductions are for.) Aside from that, I have trimmed a buncha AA's back to 2-1/2" for use in a few other old guns I have with short chambers. There's nothing left to fold over, but just enough to give a slight "roll crimp" to hold the overshot card in place.

I know my 87 does not have Damascus. I asked because I saw a 1901 advertised and the listing said it had a Damascus barrel. I immediately wondered if the poster was confused about something because I know the 01's were designed for smokeless, and we've all had it drilled into us that Damascus barrels are for black powder only. I have decided that, sooner or later, I'm gonna get an 01. Just trying to decide how to feed it. I may get some RMC 10 gauge brass. Expensive, but compared to the cost of the gun, not very much so.

Did these guns have Damascus barrels?

What is the chamber length for the 1901?

That IS interesting. If anyone ever organizes a "Frankengun" shoot, this would clearly qualify! Tempted to start a separate thread on that concept, but I won't.

A really good Photoshop image?

.452. Assuming you already load for .45 Colt, use the exact same loading you use in all your other guns. ONLY if that gives you poor results should try to come up with a customized load for this rifle. I personally shoot a 200 grain bullet in this caliber. I have been able to hit things at a hundred yards out of my Armi San Marco 92 and my AWA Lightning, both with 24" barrels. I've also gotta decent long range pistol result in my plethora of revolvers in this caliber.

I remember the TV show "Paradise" in the 90's starting Lee Horsley as Ethen Allen Cord. He carried a Colt SAA and his hideout was a Remington 75. But his rifle was clearly a 66 with the forestock removed. They never called it Henry or a Winchester, it was just the rifle he had. But I do recall in one episode he had a box of cartridges clearly marked ".44-40" on the table. Go fig.

Does that mean that a 12" is a "Standard" Buntline?" I usually pair that with my 3" Sheriff's model. And then there's my battery of ridiculous. Ridiculous A But sometimes that's just not silly enough. So I go with Ridiculous B. Some clubs will let me shoot these if I ask nicely enough. According to the rules the pistols and shotgun are not legal for SASS. And when I just wanna have fun, I pull out the Big Iron. As I said at the range, "To quote Bugs Bunny, 'I don't ask questions, I just have fun!'"

A few people found the Bisley to be an interesting firearm. There were also several comments on how I seem to have an odd collection of unusual stuff and that I'm not afraid to shoot it. I'll take that. In fact, there's one pard who whenever I see him at a shoot, his first question to me is, "So what do you have today?"

Okay, here is a picture of the battery I used at the shoot yesterday. Okay, here's the story. First of all, you may notice the strangely short barrel on my shotgun. Normally I shoot a 97 with a 30" barrel. Well, as I was getting ready for the shoot, for some reason, I pulled this out of the safe as I was looking for the rifles I wanted. As I went to put it back, I said, "Well, I haven't used this for a while, I think I'll give it a try." Anyway, as I was setting up for the first stage, I looked at my shotgun, glanced out at the other pards and asked, "Hey, where's the rest of the barrel?" That got a few good natured chuckles. Anyway, running the short barrel seemed really strange, but once I actually started shooting, I seemed to forget that about 10" of barrel that were missing, and to my amazement, I didn't miss any of the shotgun targets. As far as why I had 2 rifles, well, the last time I used the pictured Lighting, which is a real Colt and a .32-20, I had a strange malfunction. I was getting what I will describe as "reverse stove pipes" in that the primer end of the shell was sticking straight up after it came out of the magazine. It was suggested that perhaps the magazine tube was dirty. I checked, and it was. So, I cleaned it out, and running dummy ammo through it seemed to work everything fine. So, I wanted to try the gun again, but brought the 92 as a backup. Well, I had the same problem. And that irked me. So, I switched to the 92. And I had the same problem! That made me think that the problem was not the rifles, but the ammo. That made me remember that I had some ammo that was given to me a couple of years ago that I was trying to use. When I first got it, I pulled one cartridge apart, and discovered a powder charge identical to the one I normally use with a slightly lighter bullet. Decided I would shoot it. But here's the thing. All of this ammo that was given to me had slightly shorter cases than the stuff I was using. My brass is all factory spec, but the cartridges given to me had been trimmed back just a little bit. So, from that point on, I used these shorter cartridges only in my revolvers, using my own reloads with the slightly longer brass in the rifle. No more reverse stove pipes. But... The last couple of rounds had a tendency to not pop put of the magazine all the way. Given the age of the Winchester, I found myself thinking that perhaps the magazine spring is old and not as "springy" as it was in its youth. Switched back to the Lighting. No reverse stove pipes. Yay! Last couple of rounds not coming out of the magazine all of the way. Boo! This gun is even older than the Winchester. It's a bona fide antique as a matter of fact. So I am gonna be replacing the magazine springs in both guns to see if that makes this problem go away before I start looking for the help of gunsmiths. I also have to say that shooting .32-20 rifles makes clean up after the match much simpler. Once you clean the bore, which is a fairly simple process, that's pretty much it. There's no soot or dirt or fouling or ANYTHING in the action like when you shoot, say, .45 Colt in your rifles. You gotta love the way those bottleneck cartridges seal the chamber so well. Okay, onto the main event, the pistols. As you can see, I was using a 3rd Generation 5.5" SAA and a 1st Generation Bisley made in 1904. The Bisley action was as smooth as butter, and locked up as tight as a drum. The trigger was crisp, not too heavy or too light, and has no over travel at all. The grip seems weird as you handle the gun, but in all truth, during the match I didn't really notice the difference. I guess shooting double duelist style, the differences are not as noticeable as when you shoot them both in the same hand. Plus, being known to at random use SAAs, or S&W's or Remingtons or various C&B conversions, I am used to shooting different grip styles and not caring. I found the Bisley to be very pleasant to shoot, never missed with it once, and enjoyed it completely. I can envision myself using this every time I decide to shoot .32-20's from here on out. I guess I'll just have to use my 73 until I resolve the issues with the other 2 rifles. Anyway, that's my range report. I hope you found it enjoyable. And a happy shoutout to the Danvers Desperados who put on a great shoot, and all of the great pards that I had the pleasure to shoot with. Until next time, see you at the range.

Well, yesterday I shot a match with my 1904 vintage Colt Bisley revolver. First time I've ever used it, which makes sense since I've only had had for 2 days. Long story short, I never missed with it once, and when I was actually shooting, the difference in the shape of the grip made no difference to me. More details, along with some pictures, will come this afternoon.

I reload everything from .32 S&W to 12 gauge brass. I don't keep track. Ijust reload till they split.

I love how Danny Glover makes it a point to talk about his Henry rifle in Silverado, but when you look at it, it's clearly a 66 with the forestock removed.

Well, it arrived today. And I have to say that I like it. My initial reaction to it was that it seems to be a bit heavier than a comparable standard SAA. (5.5" in the same caliber is not as heavy.) As far as it fitting my hand and being a good pointer goes, I found that if I try to grip it with all 4 fingers of the shooting hand, it seems awkward, but if I curl my pinky under the grip, like on an SAA, it fits the hand very well and points very naturally. I think that I'm gonna go shooting tomorrow. I gotta check ammo on hand, but if I've got enough .32-20 in hand, I'll be using this gun.

Okay, based on all of the above, it's NOT a .38 Short Colt, it's a .38 S&W, which back in the day, Colt called ".38 Colt New Police." Here's a good .38 S&W Load for you.... 1.1 Grains of Trailboss, behind a .360" 158 Grain Round Nose bullet. This is a light load, which I more or less developed to be safe in everything I own in the caliber that's not restricted to black powder only. .38 S&W can be loaded to higher performance, in certain guns. Best to research that for your own satisfaction.

Ah! A Colt Police Positive! Great gun! I have a couple. I notice the barrel says .38. Based on the 1917 date on the side, I am assuming that the .38 stands for .38 Special Why bother to trim down to the shorter round in the first place? OR Do .38 Specials not fit? Do they seem to go in about the length of a Short Colt? If that's the case, I'd almost be willing to bet that the gun is chambered for .38 S&W not .38 Short Colt.

My load for the .38 Short Colt is as follows... I use .38 Short Colt Brass. Most of it is recycled from Remington factory ammo, but some is also from brass I've found at gun shows. 1.2 grains of Trailboss, .358" 150 grain Round Nose Hollow Base bullet. The bullets I get from Buffalo Arms. They are kinda pricey, but I don't reload a lot for this cartridge. It is also the same bullet I use in .38 Long Colt. It works well with "newer" guns with the .357 bore, as well as older guns with .375 tubes. Depending on what you are reloading for, you might not need to do this. If you're just using at as a "sub" round in a modern .38, ordinary bullets for the .38 Special would be fine. If a cartridge conversion of a cap and ball, you'll prolly need the hollow base so it'll expand to engage the rifling. But, yeah, a 170 grain bullet does seem kinda excessive for this cartridge.