H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619
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Posts posted by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619
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Okay...
Saw this yesterday.
All I could think of was to wonder if there is an amateur version.
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19 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:
I’d like to ask Smith & Wesson the same question. It’s inscrutable. 🤨
You know, I think that's the first time I've ever seen someone correctly use the word inscrutable in a sentence outside of something akin to "he was an inscrutable man" type usage.
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19 hours ago, Montague Kid said:
NYS compliant “Assault weapon”
Also labeled “The Abomination” by my more traditional pard’s…
Does it have a bayonet lug?-
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Thanks, Earl. I learned things from your post. It seems I have an interesting piece here with a curious history. It doesn't look so great, but the gun is in pretty good mechanical condition. Everything locks up nice and tight. I've shot a couple matches with it, usually paired with a S&W New Model 3 in the same caliber. After hearing your assessment of how how it has likely been modified, I looked more closely at thinks like the bottom of the butt, the muzzle, and shape of the front sight. I think I see some evidence of a skill crusher being cut off. Whoever did it smoothed out the grip very nicely but you can feel a flat spot and the "curve" of the bottom of grip looks and feels off just a little. The outside of the muzzle does curve to the front, which seems strangely flat and sharp on the inside, so maybe that does say it was cut down. It has well defined rifling, but the bore is rough. Still shoots well though. The front sight, if you look carefully, you notice that it's ever so slightly tilted to the right, and twisted maybe 1 degree to the right of the centerline. So yeah, the gun's been modified. And one could argue, not all that well. But, like I said, it shoots well enough for SASS. I might decide someday to make it look better. It already has "no collector value," whatever that means, but if it could be made to look good for a reasonable price, I might do that. If I do do that, I don't wanna lose the markings though, so maybe not.
Finally, it seems to me that the whole "assembly numbers" thing was a colossal waste of effort. Why not just use the gun's serial number? I must be missing something.
Heck, in the Stevens Shotgun I mentioned in the initial post, it has "no serial number" but the same number IS stamped on the inside of the receiver, the wooden fore grip, and an internal piece. Makes me wonder why they didn't call that number the serial number. -
2 hours ago, Lead Monger said:
The script on top of the barrel is interesting, it does not say Merwin Hulbert. Is there anything visible on the left side of the barrel?
No, there is not.
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I got a couple more I had overlooked. Both are Colt 1849's.
First, here is one that has been converted to .32 Colt.
When and were the conversion was done, I do not know. All the number do match, but I don't think it's a factory conversion.
That just doesn't look like any of ones I have seen that are known to have been done at the factory. When all is said and done, it does lock up properly when it cocked, but jams while cocking it, and you need to wiggle and rotate the cylinder by hand a little to get it to move.
Any experts on these old Colts who can help me are welcome to say so!
This next one however, I think IS a factory conversion, and it's even more Frankenish that they above one.
This one does look like other factory conversions I've seen. Where the Frankengun status comes from is how you can see the frame clearly says, 31 CAL, which is what these things were, but this pistol is converted to .38 Colt. Also, the numbers on the frame and barrel match, but the numbers on the trigger guard and backstrap are both different from the frame, and each other.
I have read that as Colt was winding down production on this model, that the last bunch left the factory as cartridge conversions of this type.
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Here is a query for any experts on Merwin & Hulbert revolvers.
This is what I believe to be a Merwin & Hulbert 3rd Model, in .44-40. It's hard to see, in the above photo, but here's a closeup of what's under the trigger guard...
And here's the top of the barrel.
Again, hard to make out, but as near as I squint out and determine is says, U.S.A Pat. Jan. 24. Apr. 21. Dec. 15. 74. Aug. 3. 75. July 11. 76 Apr.17. 77. Pat. Mar 6. 77
But now, here is my "difficulty." According to Massachusetts, even though it was made in the 1880's, this is a "modern firearm" because you can buy ammunition for it off the shelf. Therefore, it must be properly registered with the state, or I go to jail. But... What the heck is the serial number?
7856, right?
Wel...
Those are both marked 9096.
By the modern definition, the number on the grip frame would be the legal serial number. But what do those numbers on the back of the barrel and cylinder mean? Is this a parts gun that's been together for a long time? Or could the 9096 be some sort of assembly numbers akin to the ones I found on my pre-1968 and thus no serial number Stevens shotgun.
Any experts out here who might know? -
1 hour ago, Chancy Shot, SASS #67163 said:
A cowboy I used to shoot with had a left-handed SSA. It was made from the ground up by a machinist friend of his. Everything was backward. the cylinder rotated the wrong way. The loading gate and ejector were on the left. I am not sure, but I think the rifling in the barrel was also reversed. I saw it once and was allowed to handle it. Will Dunn has passed on and I assume his son has it now.
Will also bought a box of pistol parts for $100 at a farm sale. When He got it home and could really look, there were parts for a complete LeMat pistol in the box. I was locky enough to handle that also.
Chancy
On the one hand, that's pretty cool. On the other hand, it has been argued that the SAA IS a left handed gun. The argument goes the gun can be held, loaded, and fired and reloaded all while held in the left hand. No need to shift hands back and forth like you do if you shoot right handed. Of course, when you see how the trigger is offset to the left a little making it position itself perfectly on the right finger but on the joint of the left, the argument falls apart. It's similar to how the while the thumb safety is on the wrong side, the rest of the controls on a 1911 are easier to manipulate with the index finger of the left hand than the thumb of the right.
Or so it would seem.
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13 hours ago, Waimea said:
A bit of history:
July 2019 HK Uriah started a thread about Frankenguns. Those are guns that don't exist in production but someone who has serious skills and time on their hands has put together some very interesting pieces.
Photos ensued.
I'd like to see some updated photos of some Frankenguns.
And HK you are welcome to show off that pepperbox again.
Ask. and ye shall receive!
We'll start with these two...
The top is my Big Iron pistol. It's an Armi San Marco SAA clone with Pietta 1860 grips, and a barrel cut down from a Rossi 92 in .45 Colt. It's based on the description of the pistol that inspired the Marty Robbins song that used to be on Wikipedia.
Bottom gun is the above mentioned Pepperbox. It's built on an FIE 1851 frame, and was built by Happy Trails. It's ostensibly chambered for .357 Magnum, but I usually run .38 Long Colts in it.
This technically counts. It's a Colt 1860 that was made in 1860. At some point in its life, it was cartridge converted with a loading gate and everything. Then, at a later point, the loading gate was apparently filled it, and it was rebarreled and recylindered to .32 S&W Long. The barrel and cylinder seem to be of modern manufacture.
This is much more of a Frankengun than I realized. It's a first generation Colt, and the original barrel has been replaced with a .22 caliber one. The cylinder has been sleeved to .22 Hornet, the trigger guard has been replaced with this apparently nickeled one, and it was pointed out to me that is is actually all built on a Bisley frame. The grips are not original. They were broken and falling off.
And then there is this, sitting proudly with my Big Iron is what I am now calling my Small Iron. It's a Pietta. It has a transfer bar. It started life as a .357 Magnum. The barrel has been lined to .32 caliber and the original cylinder sleeved to .32 Long Colt. The blued spare cylinder is now a .32 S&W Long, and the barrel has been shortened to 3.5"
Both guns MAY see some further modification. The Big Iron may get its brass trigger guard replaced with a steel one. The Small Iron may get the transfer bar removed unless doing so is overly complicated. I had considered putting Bird's Head grips on the Small Iron, as I had a pair and they make the gun "look" smaller. But, they are Uberti grips and don't fit here. Finally, especially if I do these additional mods, both guns might make a trip to Turrnbull to be done up really nice. Another quirk of the Small Iron is that you have to take the ejector off to get the cylinder pin out. Unless I can figure out if that can be modified, I may just take it off and make it a non-Sheriff Sheriff's model. Don't know if I'll replace the PVC grips with something nicer. Time will tell.
And finally, there is this. It's a Mann Accuracy Device that I replaced the cut down stock with a 1903 A3 stock that still has the butt, original rear sights, and a clamp on front sight. It's a .30 Carbine. Not much more than a weird single shot plinker. No alterations of any kind were made to the device, and I kept the original stock so it can go back to its as created configuration.
That being said, if I can ever find one in .30-'06, I will likely restock it like this one, but put on a reproduction 03A4 Sniper scope.-
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I have plugged my novels in the Saloon, which are not even Westerns, to no complaints.
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I keep forgetting to post this...
Small Iron
By Kevin Mickel
aka HK Uriah
To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day.
Spoke to everyone around him and he had a lot to say
Everyone asked about his business
And he had a smile on his lip
The stranger there among them had a small iron on his hip.
Small Iron on his hip.It was early in the morning as he rode into the town
He came riding from the north side, eagerly looking all around
He's some kind of a goofball, came the comment from each lip,
He's got nothing but a small gun, a small iron on his hip.
Small Iron on his hip.
In this town there lived an outlaw by the name of Texas Red
Many men had tried to take him, and that many men were dead
He was vicious and killer, though a youth of twenty four
And notches on his pistol numbered one and eighteen more.
One and eighteen more
Well the stranger started talking, made it plain to folks around
Was an Arizona Ranger, wouldn’t be to long in town.
He came here to take an outlaw back alive or maybe dead.
And he said it didn’t matter; he was after Texas Red
After Texas Red
Wasn’t long before the story was relayed to Texas Red
But the outlaw didn’t worry, men that tried before were dead.
Nineteen men had tried to take him,
Nineteen men had made a slip
Number twenty would be the ranger with the small iron on his hip.
Small Iron on his hip
The morning passed so quickly it was time for them to meet.
It was twenty passed eleven when they walked out in the street
Folks were watching from their windows, everybody held their breath
They knew this goofy stranger was about to meet his death
About to meet his death.
There was forty feet between them when they stopped to make their play
And the foolishness of the ranger is still talked about today.
Texas Red had not cleared leather, or a bullet barely ripped,
But the stranger’s bullet bounced off him when fired from the small iron on his hip.
Small Iron on his hip
It then was quickly over and the folks all gathered round.
There before them lay the body of the stranger on the ground
Oh he might have gone on living, but he made a fatal slip.
He tried take out a bad guy with just a small iron on his hip.
Small Iron on his hip
Small iron, small iron
Never try to take out the villain with just a small iron on your hip.
Small Iron on your hip! -
Well, given how much it looks like getting the nickel finish fixed, and how much these pistols seem to be going for on the used market these days, I think I'll be better off leaving this one as is, and getting as second one in better condition. A more "rewarding" use of the funds, so to speak. Granted, it won't look "factory new" but there are some very nice looking ones I've seen that are in the same price range as getting this one redone. And then, I'd have 2 of them!
Thank you to everyone who offered very helpful information.-
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3 minutes ago, watab kid said:
that is a great collection of rifles , how do yours work ? id be happy with just one that works well ,
i have a fair sized collection of cowboy rifles but each one is different - models , calibers , mfgrs as well
Thank you. They all work quite well. Now, before I get into specifics, let me just say this; there is a part of the action of the Lightning that Lassiter has described to me as "a kind of a teeter totter." He feels there is a design flaw in this part, as it has a tendency to crack. It CAN be repaired, and it doesn't seem to matter who made your rifle. I will refer to this as the "teeter totter problem." Best way to describe is as follows. Everything seems to work. Then, after you fire the gun again, it jams. You can't open the action because the teeter totter cracked. You can get it open with mixture of wiggles and brute force, but at the point, don't try to shoot it again, it'll just jam again. Unload the gun and send it to Lassiter for fixing. Okay, that being said, here's how mine work...
From Top to Bottom
Colt, Large Frame. .45-85. The .45-85-285 is a Colt proprietary cartridge that use a case of identical dimensions to the .45-70. If you try to load .45-70's with 405 grain bullets, the cartridge will be ever so slightly too long to get in through the loading gate, but if you use 300 grain bullets, it'll fit. Other than the teeter totter problem, this gun has given me no trouble. The action is as smooth a butter, and it is tack driver accurate.
AWA, Medium Frame, .45 Colt. My first Lightning. Yes, it had the teeter totter problem. Wanted to have a Lightning, just to have one, and this is what I got. Quickly became my favorite rifle. First gun I ever shot a clean match with. Learned the hard way with this gun about keeping it clean in order to run properly. It'll run .45 Schofields to a clean match with no problems.
Colt, Medium frame, .44-40. Costa Rica surplus. These are kinda rare. They were issued to the Costa Rican army in the late 1800's. Ever since I heard of them, I wanted one, and was happy to find one. But I can't find a bayonet for it. Cycles ammo just fine, but has extraction problems. Being fixed by Lassiter.
AWA Medium frame .44-40. I liked the .45 so much, I said that if I ever found an AWA in .44-40, I'd buy it. I found one, and I did. Had the teeter-totter problem, but other than that, no issues.
Colt, Medium Frame, .32-20. Was advertised as "Lovingly restored with an expert action job." It is a very sweet shooter. In fact, this is the gun in the above video of me shooting. Only trouble it has is that it's a genuine antique, and the original magazine spring was worn out. Once I replaced it, everything has run flawlessly.
Colt, Small Frame, .22 Long. Well, I had a Large Frame, and several Medium frames, so I had to get a Small Frame. While the Large and Medium have basically the same action, the small is very different. It's got more in common with the Winchester 73 than its larger siblings. I have had no problems with it. It's a nice gun.
AWA Lightning Bolt Pistol. .45 Colt. (Formerly owned by Happy Trails.) These are extremely rare, and are absolutely the most fun Mare's Leg type pistol there is. When allowed to use it, I get more "what the heck is THAT?" comments than you can shake a stick at. I'd love to have another one or two of these, but they are so few in number, I doubt I'll ever SEE another one, let alone to be able to afford one. Let's just say that the perfect alignment of stuff allowed me to get this one.
For more on the Lightning Bolt, see this old thread.
That's all -
15 hours ago, watab kid said:
id like to have one in my collection of cowboy rifles but i want one that works , my observations of friends that had the lightening is that they just barly limped along
Just one?
That's what I thought...
Once you start down this path, you'll never got off of it.
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2 hours ago, Duffield, SASS #23454 said:
The 22 Hornet is not a decked down 25-20. That is the 218 Bee.
It seems you are correct, Sir.
I learned something.
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6 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:
Here is my latest project. Converting an original Colt Lightning to .32 Mag.
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I want one...
A Lightning in a different caliber...
A man can only dream.Let me guess, assuming the original caliber was .32-20, all you need do is rechamber it, and the barrel is all set. How you rechamber, I do not know. I assume you'd have to either line the existing one. or chop off the threaded end of the barrel, cut a new chamber in to the rifling, and rethread it. As I am not a machinist, I have no idea which is the easier way to do it.
Now the part I have no idea about is if the action needs any redoing. Rim size of the .32-20 is bigger, and the case and OAL are both longer so the Magnum will "fit" but I am very curious as to how it will all work. Using the analogy of how I can run .45 Schofields in my .45 Colt AWA, I'd assume the shorter .32 H&R will perhaps run through something sized for .32-20 without the need for major modification. But the rim size is where I'd guess issues will surface.
I have to admit that this is fascinating to me. Good luck with it, and I hope it all comes out the way you want it too.
Should I even ask if you think the finished product will run .32 S&W Longs?
Somehow, someday, I have got to meet you Larsen, just so we can show each other our unusual toys.
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One thing about the Small Iron, this gun has a transfer bar type setup. Didn't really care when I bought it. But I have to admit that I am really not liking the thing. What is "bugging" me is the way that after firing, it causes the trigger to go so far forward. It just "feels wrong" as I am cocking the hammer to feel the trigger being so far forward. The trigger pull once it's fully cocked is fine, and the fact that the hammer has only 3 clicks instead of 4 doesn't really bother me at all. It's strictly a matter of where the trigger sits when the gun is at rest. Obviously, I've never had a gun with this feature before. I am sure that with time I will get used to it and eventually won't matter any more.
But I am wondering if it is possible to swap all of this out for something that allows the trigger to be in a more normal position. Looking at it, it looks like it would not exactly be a simple thing to change, but I have read about people doing this modification on Rugers, so I wonder if it's possible on this kind of a revolver as well. And I fully realize that possible, and practical are two different things. I just want to know if it's even an option. -
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. -
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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Frankengun 2026
in SASS Wire
Posted
Seriously, whenever I see one of those "tachticool" lever actions, I always notice the lack of a lug, and I think it looks like it's missing.