H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619
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Posts posted by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619
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1 hour ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:
Actually, having a nice wood box like that, a lock would be superfluous. Since your probably the only one to open the, box why make it difficult for yourself.
If it has a locked, I can use it to take the gun to the range.
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Hmmm....
My, what a nice box. I wonder what's inside?
Ah, now that's a nice thing to see in a box!But seriously. It's a nice simple box. Nothing fancy, and surprisingly affordable.
Allow me to plug 'em...
https://www.hampelswoodlandproducts.com/
$47 for this. It's very well made, and you can't beat the price. I will likely get some more of these for other pistols I have that I don't have boxes for. He's got several variants, including non compartmentalized generic ones for very short money. There's no frills, no fancy stuff, but I think they are nice. I had a gift card, so I got three of them, one for each standard barrel length. If there's any criticism, it's that they don't lock. But looking at it, I could easily install a third central latch that does. I may or may not do that. Time will tell.
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In recent weeks, I have discussed various topics related to "small" revolvers. Different ways they can be used, different designs, and so forth. It's all been building to something, and this, is it!
Now, to start with, this pistol you may recognize. It is my (in)famous Big Iron.
Based on the at the time description of the pistol that inspired the Marty Robbins song, I decided I wanted one. So, using that description, I got this gun created. It's an Armi San Marco frame with Pietta 1860 grips and a 10" barrel cut down from a Rossi 92 barrel I found. It's a .45 Colt. I have since learned that the real one has a round barrel from a Marlin, and is a .44 Magnum, but that's okay. I like mine just fine the way it is. Now, this gun is indeed big, and fun. People always ask me if I brought it to larger shoots.
Now, normally, I pair this gun with another .45, usually my fathers 3rd Gen Colt with a 4-3/4" barrel. Sometime a different .45 will go with it, and if the local club will let me use it, my Lightning Bolt pistol. But let that go. In the back of my mind there was this idea that if this is my Big Iron, maybe I should have a Small Iron to pair it with for contrast. But what should it be? A .45 Sheriff's Model? Maybe. But those are now very hard to find and a little pricey. (Ironic reason for not wanting to go that way...) But even if it was the most inexpensive way to do it, I really didn't wanna go that way for some reason. So, the concept slept in my mind, and I never really gave it much thought.
Until I obtained this...
Now, what's so special about a First Gen Colt with a 6" barrel? Well, in and of itself, nothing. But this one has been rechambered to, get this, .22 Hornet! Now this gun is FUN to shoot. And it would be a great gun to pair with the Big Iron. But, there's a problem, .22 Hornet is not a SASS legal caliber. (.22 Hornet, in case you don't know, is basically a .25-20 necked down to .22) Sure, some local clubs might (and have) let me use it, and while I will continue to do so on occasion, for an "official" Small Iron, I want something that's not gonna raise "is that legal" questions. But this gun DID get me wondering hard about getting just that, something I can officially dub my "Small Iron" and pair it with the Big Iron any time I want to. But what?
Well, the Big Iron is of course, a heavily customized SAA. Yeah... I could go custom in the other way. Going small, not big. I'll find a doner gun, replace the barrel with a round .25-20 barrel cut down to 3 inches, and have the cylinder sleeved to .25-20. I've always wanted a .25-20 revolver for some reason. And, hey! If I can do .25-20, I'll do a second cylinder in .25 ACP and... then... I... r e a l i z e d... Good grief! That would all be STUPID expensive, and I'd still wind up with a gun that I could not use in SASS in most cases. No. This is not an option.
So, that got me thinking, what is the smallest SASS Legal caliber? Gotta be either .32 Short Colt or .32 S&W. Hmm... Yeah... I have a gun chambered in .32 S&W.
A Colt 1860 made in 1860 that has been rebarreled and fitted with a modern made cylinder in .32 S&W Long. This is an option. But, this is not a small gun. It may be in a small caliber, but it's bigger than my Big Iron. So no, this won't be the Small Iron. It'll still go to a shoot on occasion, and maybe be paired with the Big Iron, but the search for a Small Iron continues.
At this point, I started looking for gun in .32 Short Colt caliber. And, I have one of those too! A while ago, after getting a Marlin 92 in the caliber, I decided I wanted to a revolver to go with it. That made me think of vintage cartridge conversions. These don't always cost an arm and a leg, and are kinda cool in their own right. So, I obtained this...
A Colt 1849 Pocket converted to .32 Centerfire. I don't believe it to be a factory conversion. Maybe the letter will tell me, but I doubt it. Anyway, a nice little gun, but, it's only got 5 chambers in the cylinder, and there is no way to properly lock it between chambers, so it's a 4 shooter that would have to have the 5th round loaded on the clock. I can deal with that. But, the gun, while shootable, has some mechanical issues. You gotta wiggle the cylinder to get it to rotate. Locks up good, but kinda problematic to be using it at a shoot. So, not a good option. If anyone knows of a gunsmith who specializes in vintage Colt conversions, please let me know.
Anyway, this gun got me thinking conversions in a general way. So I got one of these...
This is a Pietta made replica of the Remington 1863 with a .32 S&W conversion cylinder. These are really cool little guns. They are 5 shooters, but they do have a safety notch to lock it between chambers. But... Good grief these are poorly made guns! They have about a 3 ton hammer, a terrible trigger, have bad timing issues out of the box, and the conversion cylinder didn't fit. My gunsmith fixed all these issues, but it made a relatively inexpensive gun an expensive one. I am glad I have it, and it will be fun to shoot now that it's been tuned. And, it's actually a TINY little pistol. But then here's the big question; is it main match legal, or is it a pocket pistol? The rulebook says pocket pistols can't be converted to main match pistols, but from the context, I've always though that meant that if there was a stage that included a pocket pistol as a 3rd gun that said pocket pistol can't also be used as a regular main match revolver for the rest of the match. But let that go. If I'm allowed to use it, fine. If I am not, I am not. No loss. So what else could I find? What else is in, say .32 S&W? Well, guns made by S&W. But what? Now, when I first started wondering about all of this, I started watching various online sources looking for good deals, and I found this...
This is a S&W 1-1/2 in .32 S&W. It's got a 6" barrel, so it ain't no pocket pistol. But it's a 5 shooter, and there's no way to lock the cylinder between chambers. So, that means popping the empties to load a 5th. Again, I don't mind doing it, but it's probably something of a pain. Anyway, it's a nice gun, but still not what I am looking for as the official Small Iron. Now, after this, I had a random thought; what is the "largest" caliber that I would personally find acceptable for use in a Small Iron gun? I quickly settled on .38 Long Colt. There's lotsa nice small guns in that caliber. And I soon found this...
A Colt New House in .38 Long Colt. Again, a very nice gun. A five shooter that CAN be locked between cylinders, so no awkward reloading. Can't really say anything bad about it, other than the theoretical is it a pocket pistol question. Still, I like it. Now, once I had realized that .38 Long Colt was the theoretical largest caliber, that meant that several calibers were now on the table. 38 Long Colt, .38 Short Colt, 38 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 S&W, 32 Long Colt and .32 Short Colt. So that means options. And then I was also reminded that a gun chambered in .32 H&R Magnum or even .327 Federal could shoot the S&W cartridges. Now that realization led me to obtaining one of these...
This is Cimarron's Lightning pistol. Essentially a 3/4 sized Peacemaker. It came dual cylindered with .32-20 and .32 H&R Magnum. Wellllll, yeah, this can use the S&W cartridges, it's physically small, and if I want too, I can use it as another .32-20 gun when I want to shoot that caliber. It's a good candidate for the Small Iron. Clearly in the running along with the Pietta Remington and the Colt New House.
But I am still not settled. I have options, and of the three main contenders, they can be paired with other full size guns in the same caliber, and I kinda sorta want the Small Iron to be a gun that I really won't use with anything else but the Big Iron.
Well, I suddenly realized that I have more guns already in the collection in the calibers that I find acceptable. But before I reveal what my next candidate is, I will say that this has been a fascinating journey. I have learned about all kinds of interesting guns of this type made by several old time gun makers. For example, I had a line on a really nice Remington Smoot revolver. In fact, I bought it. Only for the seller to tell me that he'd lost it, so he sent me my money back. I also found a very interesting Hopkins and Allen gun for a very reasonable price on Gunbroker, but the seller has strange provisos. Even though it's an antique, he insists on only selling to an FFL, won't accept a C&R, and the only form of payment he'll take is a postal money order. I was very interested in this gun, I've never seen another one like it, but the conditions are a deal breaker for me. But, it's no loss. I've got all kinds of other interesting things, like this old guy...
A Merwin & Hulbert in .38 S&W. And, it will lock between cylinders. So, it's a good option for a 5 shooter. And in spite of being very ugly, it is mechanically perfect and shoots really nice. This is also the gun that got me interested in .38 S&W caliber, so it's got a soft spot in my heart.
Another interesting gun is this, uhm, contraption...
This bizarre construction is built on an 1851 frame made by FIE. One day, I was at a shoot with Happy Trails, and I had mentioned in passing the Pietta cap and ball guns on this frame that had just come out, and had commented how cool it would be to have cartridge version. At the very next shoot, Hap had this thing he had made! Long story short, he asked me if I wanted to buy it. He only charged me the price if the doner gun and the cost of the other pieces, so it was not at all expensive. Ostensibly chambered for .357 Magnum (!) I've only ever run .38 Long Colts in it. It's a very strange gun, fun to shoot, about as accurate as a pea shooter, but I like it. As SASS distances, it's acceptable. Weird, but a contender.
Another gun I had long known about but did not have but had always wanted, was one of these...
No, it's not a New Model 3. It's a S&W Model 1891, a kinda 3/4 size version of the New Model 3. When I found this for a bargain price, I jumped at it, as the search for a Small Iron gave me a good excuse. A five shot with no way to lock between cylinders means a reload, but that's okay. Nice to have, nice to shoot, but probably not the Small Iron.
Remember the .32 caliber 1849 from earlier? Well...
This is another 1849, supposedly it came from the factory in this converted configuration, and is in .38 Long Colt. No way to lock between cylinders, but of all the ones that would need to be reloaded, this one looks like it will be the easiest to do. It'll be interesting to find out.
And so now, I've got one more to share...
This is a Pietta clone. It has a transfer bar hammer. It had a 5.5" barrel from the factory, and was a .357 Magnum. But, it was Stupid Inexpensive. I thought it might make for a perfect doner gun to modify into the a Small Iron type gun. Remembering how the Big Iron itself is a heavily modified gun, why should the Small Iron be any different? It now has a 3.5" barrel that has been lined to .32 caliber, and the original cylinder is now a .32 Long Colt and the blued one I found is a .32 S&W Long. Yep. This is is. Behold the gun that I have officially decided will become "The Small Iron!" The mods were not cheap, but... Well, what the heck. I'm 59 years old, not married, and may as well have some fun.
See you at the range.
Oh, and on Tuesday, I'll post my lyrics to the parody song, Small Iron.
Happy Shooting everyone!-
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Well, a quick look on various used gun sites, a generic one with nothing special about in is fair, shootable condition seems to be in the $350 to $800 range.
"Better" ones seem to get up the $1500 range.
Really high end ones in pristine condition seem to be going for multiple thousands of dollars, but that looks to be an outlier for REALLY top of the line stuff.-
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1 hour ago, Vail Vigilante said:
I'll make your eyes roll further back....
How about a Blackhawk that has been converted to 5 shots.....because it has been reworked to handle a high pressure round.....but it still takes normal cartridges and has the transfer bar..........;)
Yeah, that's a five shot revolver. What's to roll? I mean, if you've got a .454 Casull and you run .45 Colts in, what's the problem?
Oh, will it be hammer down on an empty chamber? Or can the cylinder lock between chambers? If not, it's a 4 shooter for SASS.-
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3 hours ago, Boggus Deal #64218 said:
It’s nowhere near original so it’s not collectible.
I wonder about that.
Yes, being all original will make a "collectable" gun more "valuable."
But you know, even if it's not all original or in pristine condition, an unusual configuration gun like this will still command some value. It might not be of interest to "hard core investment collectors" but to the guy who wants a Model 12 Trap gun, this gun is a real find. Partly because it won't cost as much as a "collectable" but partly because it's the male/model he wants.Collectability means different things to different people.
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1 hour ago, KidScott said:
But it looked good Griff
I will say that someone using a Lightning always looks good. And not because I am a handsome fellow. (Well, according to some...)
Rather, it's just because it's such a rare sight that it stands out somehow. Doesn't matter how good or bad you shoot, you will look good doing it with a Lightning.Here's proof...
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I must admit that I was disappointed when Turnbull told me they can't do it.
I have two other pistols, one blued and one nickeled, that I am considering having done up with matching engraving but retaining the different finish. Oh well. -
6 hours ago, Lazy Eeyour said:
This seller may give you some ideas. Also, the page has some useful information.
From the above link, the finish is likely nickel. Scroll down to premium finishes.
Ooo.... This looks very helpful
Thanks, Lazy. -
9 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:
Might want to post up the serial number (with last three digits starred out).
Another thing you can do is look for the serial number here...
https://www.winchesterguns.com/support/faq/date-your-firearm.html
And more importantly here...
https://winchestercollector.org/dates/These will sometimes tell you information that Cody does not have. That said, I'd get a Cody letter if possible.
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I should point out that this gun was obtained for free. Many years ago, my father was helping a lady clean out her house, and this was found in a drawer. Lady wanted it gone, so Dad took it off her hands.
To be honest, I have seen other examples that look fantastic on the market, and I was shocked at how expensive they are! I had no idea that these old M&Hs were so valuable. But seeing some images of ones that still look factory new had me wondering about getting this little guy fixed up right. That's shy I contacted Turnbull. But they don't do nickel anymore. Believe me, this is all very much in the "research" phase. If it's too expensive to redo it, I'll probably not do it. I guess nickel refinishing is actually more complicated that bluing/case hardening. That being said, I was wondering if there is anyone out there that specializes in it.
It's good to have projects under consideration.-
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I have this Merwin & Hulbert in my collection.
Mechanically, this gun works exactly as it should, and is a very nice shooter. Caliber is .38 S&W, and this is the gun that started my interest in that chambering.
But as you can see, it is rather ugly. I have made no decisions yet, but I have recently been thinking of having it restored. I contacted Turnbull, but they don't do nickel refinishing. I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who does. And of course, who can do it right. I don't wanna have the markings all scrubbed away, for example.Obviously, I am not looking for a simple "refinish" but a proper restoration of the finish. Any suggestions?
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5 hours ago, Shawnee Hills said:
It does need a complete teardown and cleaning after 3 matches or the firing pin will begin sticking from blowback. ... Keeping a Lighting clean is paramount to having it run smoothly but, truthfully, the same applies to lever rifles.
I will second this. Keeping it clean is VERY important. Now, I have noticed that with my .45 this is very true. Lotsa blowback. With the .44-40, not as crucial. No blowback at all. I'd assume that a .38 will have the same blowback issues as a .45 for the same reasons.
I have never torn mine down though. All I do is make sure to flush out the action in general, and the firing pin channel in specific with Gunscrubber after every match. This blasts away any and all gun. For the firing pin, with the straw in the spray head, press it to where the pin comes out of the bolt face and squirt away. After a few quick blasts, the stuff will come out clean.
After doing this, oil the gun properly, and you are all set for the next match. -
The AWA Lighting is, in my opinion, a good one. I have two, a .45 and a .44-40, and they have been very good to me. The .45 was the first rifle I shot a clean match with, for example. It also infected me with the Lightning Bug.
Beware the Lightning Bug. Once it gets ahold of you, it will never let you go. The next thing you know, you'll have seven or more of the things!
Now in all honesty, opinions here on the Wire of the AWA are mixed. My experience has been very positive. Others will tell you they have not fared so well. A lot of it depends on "which" AWA you have. If it's an AWA International, it is more likely to be problematic, but if it's an AWA USA, it more likely to be one of the good ones. Mine are USAs, so maybe that's why they work right. I don't know.
If you like the .38, and if you really wanna try the Lightning, I'd say go for it. Let's assume it works fine as is. You will never regret it, and it'll wind up being a favorite rifle.
If it's got issues, you can always send it to Lassiter for tuning. He can even make a Taurus run, which are universally regarded to be useful tomato stakes.
So, you have options.
Good luck.-
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Okay, let's rule out anything double action, those are pocket pistols and nothing more.
The real question arises over the various single action 5 shot revolvers. For example, a Smith & Wesson 1-/2 in .32 S&W is "clearly" a pocket pistol. Right?
Well...
This has got a 6" barrel, so it's not a pocket pistol according to the definition in the rules.
The fact is that while a pocket pistol is defined with a maximum size, a main match revolver does not have a minimum size. And since 5 shot revolvers and .32 caliber are main match legal, the above clearly would be okay, as long as it is loaded with 4 and the 5th is loaded on the clock, which in this case would mean shooting 4, ejecting the empties and loading the 5th.
But what about a gun identical to this one in every way, but with only a 4 inch barrel? Is that a pocket pistol and not allowed to be a main match pistol, or a very small main match pistol? The rules say you can't convert a pocket pistol to use as a main match pistol, so if you used one in a pocket pistol side match, you could not use it, but what if there was no side match you used it in? Or does that "conversion" just apply to a gun used as a pocket pistol in one of those elusive main match stages that include a pocket pistol as a third gun that the Handbook does say happens from time to time?
In other words, there are a lot of undefined variables.
Personally, as far as I am concerned, if it has not been used as a pocket pistol at the match, and is a single action, I feel it's main match okay. If you wish to handicap yourself with a gun that has to have the 5th round loaded on the clock just for the fun of it, knock yourself out.But there are a lot of guns from .32 to .45 that are five shooters that range from very small to "full size" that can be safely loaded with 5 according to the definitions in the rules. You don't see them at shoots very often, but they do exist.
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9 hours ago, watab kid said:
this is a concern of mine as i have a pair i want to shoot , is not the first click considered a saftey position ? you cant shoot it in that position ,
so i started questioning my comment because id not actually checked it - was working from memory , i just checked it - first click would allow free spool the cylinder does not align with the loading gate for loading , you cannot pull the trigger , the second click the cylinder locks not aligned and you cannot pull the trigger , the full cocked position is the only place it can be fired and is very obvious
Yeah, the so called "safety notch click" on many single action revolvers does not count. Nor does a revolver having a rebounding hammer have an "exemption." By a safety position, there has to to be a slot or pinhole that you fully lower the hammer into between chambers to lock the cylinder into place. If you have a cartridge converted 1860 with a 5 shot cylinder, you'll see the pinhole on the back of the cylinder. A 58 Remington style gun has a kind of a slot on the edge that hammer fits into. (No pics available at the moment, I am at work.)
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Some, but not all.
But that does raise an interesting question; where is the dividing line between a "large pocket pistol" and a "small main match revolver?" Or is there one? I have a Cimarron Lightning in .32 that is specifically not allowed as a pocket pistol, and yet it is smaller than my Iver Johnson with target grips that I was told is specifically okay as a pocket pistol when I posted a pic and asked cuz I was unsure. I think in the end, it's a question that is hard to answer.
And I am of course talking only about single action revolvers. -
To quote the Handbook...
"Five-shot revolvers may load five rounds, but the hammer must rest on a dummy chamber or safety slot/pin in the cylinder to avoid the hammer resting on a live round/cap."
I once asked a simple question about this; does this mean that 5 shot revolvers without a safety position are loaded with 4 and the 5th round is loaded on the clock. The reply came that this was correct.
Since asking this question, I have become interested in some of the various 5 shot revolvers made back in the day by many different manufacturers. The reason that they are 5 shot revolvers is that they tend to be smaller, and there is no room for a 6th hole in the cylinder. There are of course exceptions, but this is a common characteristic of this type of gun.
Now, using such a pistol would of course be a severe competitive disadvantage, but it is apparently legal, and if you are not trying for the buckle, I can see how it might be a fun way to do something different once in blue moon. Very interesting pistols were made by Colt, Remington, Smith & Wesson, Hopkins & Allen and others that are just plain fun to shoot every now and again. I have not used one in a match, but I have taken several pistols of this type to the range for target shooting, and I always enjoy them. But the idea of trying one at a match intrigues me. Has anyone ever done this, or seen it done? It seems to me that there are several ways you could go about doing it. If the pistol loads like a Colt via a loading gate, do you load the 5th round before or after the first 4 shots? If you are using a S&W top break, you've pretty much got to shoot 4, eject the empties and load the fifth. Seems to me that "Colt style" would be quicker, but S&W style might be more fun.
It also seems to me that those who shoot left handed, or double duelist would have a slight advantage if the pistol to be reloaded is held in the left holster/hand if it's a Colt type loading; no need to shift the pistol from one hand to the other.
I would guess you'd only want 1 of your pistols to be a 5 shot. Doing it with both would just be self torture, I think.
And before anyone asks, I jokingly put forth the notion that you could carry 4 in your 5 shooter, and use a Nagant loaded with 6 with the hammer down on the empty 7th chamber. I was told rather firmly that this is not a solution.
Anyway, i don't know if I'll ever actually try this. As much fun as these guns are to own and shoot generically, dealing with them at a match may be a bit much, especially when there are small 5 shooters that you can safely use according to the rules with 5 loaded.Still, it is fun to speculate.
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This thread sure has taken some interesting turns! In the end, if you want to shoot black powder in a S&W top break revolver, it seems like you need to use a vintage one, which you pretty much need to use black in anyway. Modern reproductions, be they made in Italy or Springfield, are smokeless only guns, if you want to use them in a SASS match. Specific ways to get all the smoke of black powder out of them do exist, but are not allowed in our game. It could be argued that SOME of those restrictions should be revisited and perhaps safely changed, but I seriously doubt they ever will be.
We've got a lot of "because the rules say so" rules in our game, and I don't think any of them will ever be modified, even if they safely can be. But that's a topic for another thread.
As far as S&W top breaks go, be they tiny little .32s like the 1-1/2 or big .44-40's like the New Model 3, or something in between like the model 1891, are just plain fun to own and shoot. May all of us who own one, or more, be they originals or reproductions, enjoy shooting them for as long as we are able.-
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To say nothing of the fact that to legally bring guns into Massachusetts, you must have a Massachusetts issued License to Carry Firearms, and they must be registered in the state. If you don't have those things, you go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass GO and do not collect $200.00.
You can pass through on your way to, say, New Hampshire, but you can't overnight, or unpack your guns while here. So no out of state hunters, no out of state participants in local shooting events. It's not technically illegal, but to do so legally is not easy.
A non resident Mass LTC will cost you $100 for 1 year. Registering your guns is fairly easy, but you can't do it if you don't have the local gun permit. (And from what I have read, it's not easy for out of staters to get one.)
This has had a very negative effect on CAS here in Massachusetts. At any given shoot in the Commonwealth, you'd traditionally get people from the rest of the New England states to the tune of up to half the participants. That doesn't happen now. It's why, among other things, the Massachusetts/Connecticut/Rhode Island tristate is held in Maine now.
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22 minutes ago, Griff said:
I'll grant that is a legitimate question. But, maybe the answer is as simple as the one given by millions of parents to 3 year olds... "because I said so!" 😁
Griff, I must laugh a lot upon hearing that. It seems to be the only explanation to several of the rules of our game.
Lessee.... You are in Texas. I'll put you on my list of pards I hope to get to shoot with someday.
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2 hours ago, Griff said:
H.K., the fact is, and the reason it's prohibited in SASS Blackpowder categories, Blackhorn 209 IS undeniably a smokeless powder. While it's a low pressure smokeless powder, that also produces smoke like BP & the other subs, and marketed as a black powder substitute, its chemistry is anything but. The other subs don't use nitrocellulose (smokeless powder) as their propellant.
Okay. Although, you did say it produces smoke like BP and other subs. The Handbook says that BP shooter have to deal with smoke obscured targets. This stuff does produce enough smoke to do that. Handbook says nothing about chemistry. It does say that duplex loads are not allowed, and then parenthetically mentions 209. Given the amount of smoke it creates, it sure doesn't seem like a smokeless powder in practical reality.
But let all of that go. I'll accept your assertion that without regard to how much smoke it throws out, that it is smokeless and can't be used in a BP category.
So why can't it be used in a "smokeless" category?
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8 hours ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:
I did wright about this a year ago and moderators deleted my post because they said it was not safe.
I tried to dispute this fact because it was also done back in the day .
But they run this sight and I using there platform .
So it is what it is .
Rooster, I assume you are saying that duplex loads are safe. I will, provisionally, agree with you. If you have the right kind of smokeless and know what you are doing, it very well could be safe. That being said, I can foresee too many people making a catastrophic mistake. There are just to many variables. Which smokeless? How much do you use? Even if it's safe for a gun made last Tuesday, is it safe for one made in 1884?
On the one hand, I am a firm believer that when it comes to safety, it is the responsibility of the shooter, not SASS. And while I really don't believe it is up to SASS to guard against "stupid," for lack of a better term, I can understand why the organization would be very opposed to duplex loads. For one thing, if the guy making them DID screw up, he puts not only himself and his guns at risk, but anyone near by. So, I get the "no duplex" rule.And even the most careful of reloaders can make a mistake to deleterious effect.
Once this has happened, you tend to want to eliminate any possibility of something like this happening again. The above is why I won't use Win231 anymore, for example.
Believe it or not, I was able to have the top gun, a real Colt, repaired. The bottom Armi San Marco, remains dead.
And with all of THAT being said, let's just say for the sake of discussion that you figured out a safe duplex load for .45 Colt using a specific amount of a certain smokeless and oh so much black. Clearly there is no reason why you should not use it when you go the range for fun, and even share the data with people who ask about it. But that's a different animal altogether.
And now, setting everything else aside, I really hope you and I get to shoot together some day.
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The Big Iron and the Small Iron
in SASS Wire
Posted
I did consider putting birds head grips on last gun because they "look smaller." I even have a spare set. But, they are from an Uberti and would not fit on the Pietta.
Anyway... If I can save up enough, I just may send both guns to Turnbull to be done up nice.
And then there is the theoretical "Phase II" of all of this. "Big Iron II" will be a BFR in .45-70 and "Small Iron II" would be one of those Cimmaron Lightnings but rechambered for .25 caliber.
But that'll probably never happen.