H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

SWMBO?

Just out of curiosity, has anyone here acquired one of the CMP 1911's that they are calling "Range Grade?" I am curious to see what some of the mods are.

You are most welcome. If you PM me, I'll send you the PDF file so you can see if it appeals to you.

Oh, here's a video of me shooting the 73 and the two SAA's

Darn! I am below. I guess that means I'm not regular!

I quite enjoy shooting the .32-20. But I have to admit that when I do, I am usually the only guy at the match doing so. I find to it be a very pleasant round to shoot, and I have, what I think, are some really cool guns for the caliber. My .32-20 "journey" began with a Winchester 73. This was the first SASS type Winchester I bought. Picked it up in my early days in the game. With a 24" barrel, it letters to 1903. For a while, it was my favorite SASS rifle. I still enjoy using it from time to time. Then next gun I got in the caliber was a Colt SAA. This gun letters to 1881, and started life as a .38-40. The change is probably why I got it so cheap. A very nice shooter. Next was another Colt. This is a fairly generic 3rd Generation made in 2005. My research has told me that Colt is the only gun maker that made single action revolvers in this caliber. As far as I can determine, S&W, Remington, Merwin & Hulbert, and nobody else did so. There are Colt clones on market today in the caliber, and I believe the Ruger comes in it as well. In my early days with SASS, Taylors advertised a 58 Remington converted to it, but I have never seen one. So if you want a .32-20, it's pretty much Colt (or copy thereof) of Ruger. At first, I thought this would be the end of my .32-20 story, but that was not to be. When I saw this Winchester 92 at my local Cabelas, I could not pass it up. Saddle ring carbine with a 20" barrel, lettering to 1909. This is a very fun gun to shoot. Now, if any of you know me, this next gun will not come as a surprise. A Colt Lightning. While not my favorite SASS gun, that would be my AWA Lighting in .45 Colt, this one is a close second. It sure is pretty, even if the finish is not original, I have no complaints. Works like a dream. With a 26" barrel, it letters to 1897. My next gun in the caliber was something of a surprise. A Colt Bisley. With its 4-3/4" barrel, caliber, and surprisingly low price, I could not pass on it. I never really thought I'd own a Bisley, as the one time I handled one, I didn't like the way it felt in my hand. But, when I actually shot a match with it, along with the above 3rd Gen and the Lighting, and shot a clean match, I realized I didn't really notice the difference while shooting. In other words, I liked it. Don't have a letter yet, but Colt's online thing dates it to 1904. I liked the above so much that I had to get this one when I came across it. This gives me as close to "matched pair" as I've ever been. This one dates to 1901, and feels practically brand new. I'll point out now that for some reason, .32-20 Bisleys seem to be far less expensive than a standard 1st Generation SAA in the caliber in comparable condition, or even Bisleys in other calibers. I don't know why, but it is nice as far as I am concerned. I can afford them! My most recent .32-20 is something of a surprise to me, a Marlin 1888. This one letters as a 24" barrel, but actually has one that is 19-7/8" long. I have never been a fan of Marlins, mostly cuz I shoot left handed. But I knew about the existence of this model with top eject, and generically, I had always thought if I ever found one for a reasonable price, I'd consider it. Well, when I found this 1888 vintage one, in .32-20, for a very reasonable price, I acquired it. Not fired it yet, but I am looking forward to the first shoot of the year, when will do 1 stage with each of these 4 rifles to see which one I do best with. Something that surprised me is how it has a much smoother action than either of the Winchesters. And that's my .32-20 journey. Generically, I'd like to get another regular SAA that's not an antique, but prices for vintage Colts have exploded of late, so who knows. In other words, .32-20 is great!

I think it's the guy in blue to the right of the gal from Boston.

A coupla weeks ago, I mentioned that I had found a place that provides something akin to a "factory letter" for Mauser pistols. The cost is 50 Euros, and there is a discount if you get more than one. Some folks warned me to be cautious, and I would like to add some info for your consideration. First, the place that offers this is found here... http://www.paul-mauser-archive.com/ Second, I am sure that many of us have heard of Simpsons LTD, a gun dealer out in Galesburg, Illinois. I have bought a few things from them over the years, and they seem to be a reputable place. Some of there stuff is expensive, but you can find good deals there as well. Among other things, they do Luger appraisals. https://simpsonltd.com/luger-appraisals/ Of note is the link to the Mauser Parabellum Certification Service. This site is connected to the Paul Mauser Archive listed above. All of that seems to me to suggest that this is a legitimate thing. Anyway, I decided to pull the trigger, so to speak, and I got back the first letter for one of my Broomhandles yesterday. Among other things, the did ask me to provide pictures of my pistols, so I sent them some, being sure to highlight any and all markings I could find on the guns. Anyway, it seems that SOME records of the pistols made by Mauser do survive. They sent me a very nice 9 page PDF document that incorporates a couple of the pics I sent them, as well, as whatever info they can provide. Among other things, based on the records they have they were able to tell me that my pistol was made in either 1933 or 1934. They seem to have some info on serial number ranges, but not necessarily information on specific numbers. They also explained what some of the features on my pistol indicate with regard to manufacture, the name of the person in charge of the factory when my pistol was made, what some of the markings on it mean, as well as the generic history of the model. There are also photocopies of relevant lines from some of their ledgers that probably relate to when my pistol was sold. (I found myself thinking that much of this was very similar to some of the generic details that S&W puts into their letters along with the serial number specifics that they can provide.) There are also some copies of period adds and other generic stuff. All in all, I think it's a very satisfying product. It might not have a lot of specifics, but it does have a lot of good general info that I was not aware of. One that surprised me was that my specific model was one that was modified to accept a detachable magazine. Most of them did not have it, but the mods were made to the model itself, so it would apparently work with one, if I could fine the correct one for it. It all makes for good documentation for the collection. I am looking forward to the letters on my other Broomhandle and my two Lugers. (Total cost to me was 110 Euros, so you can see the amount of discount.)

Hmm... Interesting. This argues against the "teeter totter" problem I mentioned above, but it's still a possibility. Or may have just been a fluke. If you, or anyone, wants to shoot it, I think it's a good bet to send it to Lassiter for a once over. When Yul mentioned the cursive lettering, I looked at the images again, and realized which pic he was talking about. I flipped it upside down. I'd say that first letter is a J or a T. The middle is a G. The last letter is possibly a T or an F. Don't know if that's of any use. I hate cursive. Never use it myself, and I see it so rarely that even the neatest most "perfect" letters are hard for me to decipher! This is a very curious gun. A lot of things may remain a mystery, but it is a curiosity. I'd still get a Colt letter. I doubt the embellishments to the stock are from them, but they would tell you if the nickel finish is original or not.

Well, it IS a 12 gauge shotgun, so there's no way it could even remotely be legal as a main match pistol.

How did you get the slide to open? I am curious. Have you test fired it? How's the bore?

Wish I was going! I'd let you photograph mine.

It sounds to me like there is something wrong with your rifle. I have a Winchester 95 made in 1903, first lever gun I ever bought, that is chambered in .30-40. The magazine holds five, and you can close the action on an empty chamber, or put one in the chamber. It works the way you would expect/want it to. Something is absolutely not right if it's jacking out a live round. The 95 is a great gun, and it's about long overdue time that there is a place for it (and the Savage) in our game, even if it is only in Wild Bunch.

Legally speaking, there is no such thing as a "suppressor." Read the text of NFA 34. It talks at length about, and regulated silencers, but doesn't say a word about suppressors.

If you use in multiple guns, and assuming Magtech or similar brass, then resizing will be needed. CH4D is the way to go. The RCBS don't really resize. 12 grains of Red Dot is a good load. 10's a bit too light.

You say it won't open, but also that the slide release is flopping loose. I see that the hammer is down, will the gun open if you thumb cock the hammer? There is a very real possibility that a specific internal part that has been described to me as a kind of "teeter totter," has cracked after a round was fired, and that's why it won't open. I've had that problem on both real Colts, and reproductions. It's a design flaw. You may be able to jiggle it loose or even pull the pump back with a lot of oomph. Of course, I don't want to dismiss the concerns of others have raised about a live cartridge in chamber, but I tend to doubt it. The action is closed. There's no way you could close it on a cartridge other than a .44-40 or a .38-40. Other .44's won't chamber, to say nothing of a .45. But could someone have forced it? You can't rule out stupidity. Are you comfortable with removing the magazine tube, and putting it back? That'd go a long way to letting you know if it's loaded, or if a cartridge is stuck under the carrier, which could also be the problem. These are some wild guesses based on some difficulties that I've had with my own Lightnings. I enjoy shooting them, but I am no gunsmith. I can only describe what some have said to me.

Oh my! That is one be-you-tifful rifle. If it worked, I'd say it's worth a pretty penny. No honest idea of what it would fetch. But the fact that it's non functional, to me, makes it not worth all that much. Absolutely a .44-40. How's the bore? Is there any documentation on it? If this was done at the factory, which I bet is unlikely, that would greatly enhance its value, even in a non working state. Generically, it's something I'd enjoy owning. I'd send it to Lassiter to have it fixed, and then I'd shoot it. If I was trying to sell it, I'd still contact him, and ask him he'd be willing to look at it to see if it CAN be fixed. If it can be, I'd say fix it unless it would be stupid expensive to do. I'd also get a Colt letter. Knowing I'd have to do some potentially expensive repair work would make me hesitant to pay a lot of money for it, as is. If I saw that an an estate sale that I walked in on off the street, I'd offer $150. I'd go as high as $250. Would not go any higher on the very real possibility that it could never be anything but a wallhanger without spending a LOT of money. If it were fully functional, I probably couldn't afford it.

Hey, Happy Trails! Nice to see you. I'm still enjoying the Lighting Bolt.

I was gonna say it's a very interesting looking revolver. But we already have a more correct answer.

Trailboss for pretty much every pistol or rifle cartridge. Red Dot for 12 Gauge. Green Dot for 20 Gauge.

I don't understand why WB stages are written for 6 rounds when it is built around guns designed to hold 5 in the magazine

Well, if you wanna do that, you need one that looks like this... This one was made by Chiappa. Not SASS Legal for some reason, but some clubs will let you use them at a local. BTW, I got a conventual stock for it give me a "two in one" package. Very nice.

Looks pretty good. I've got one by Chiappa, their "Terminator" model, which has an 18.5" barrel and a pistol grip stock. (And a solid lever) Not SASS legal in that config for some reason, but fun. I assume Cimarrons Terminator will be similar. If the 28" barrel version has fixed/full choke, I'll be interested. If screw ins, I don't know.

Okay, here's my "92 Journey." My first 92 was the above pictured Rossi. Never thought there was anything wrong with it. Then I got an Armi San Marco 92. Very pretty rifle. HORRIBLE action. Several pards remarked that was "painful" to watch me try to use it. I agree, it was. First gun I ever had an action job done on as it REALLY NEEDED one. I told the gunsmith I didn't want a race gun, I just wanted it to work like a real Winchester. The smith, I don't remember who he was, did an excellent job for me. Then I got a real Winchester that had a big loop lever on it that had been rebarrelled to .44 Magnum. (Started life as a .38-40) Anyway, the next time that I used the Rossi, I realized that compared to reworked ASM and the Winchester, I realized that the Rossi was not as nice as I thought it should be. So, I had Happy Trails give it a once over to smooth it out. Now, it's great. Since then, I've gotten another real Winchester in .32-20. This one is just sweet. My most recent 92 is a Chiappa Take Down Mares Leg in .44-40. Right out of the box, as smooth as the .32-20. So, 92's are great guns. Vintage Winchesters are the best, Chiappas are a close second. Pre-Safety Rossis are "okay," but need some minimal work. The Armi San Marco should be avoided. I did buy my brother a Rossi, with the safety in .357 Magnum. It wasn't as nice as my older Rossi, so I had an action job for it. My brother thought it was nice. No idea what the no safety Brownings or Japanese Winchesters with the tang safety are like.

I used it till I ran out. Had some Win231, and it lists loads for .45 Colt. Double charged a couple cases and lost 2 guns friends were using. Nobody's fault but mine, but I am hesitant to keep using it.