Christopher Carson

Following up on this for the benefit of the campfire... I talked with Al Story a few days ago... He told me he's starting up a new manufacturing run of .44-40 cylinders, and taking orders now. At least for the .44 Rem Mag Vaquero (old model) cylinders; I didn't ask about the .44 Special New Model Blackhawk version. His websites are: http://www.brcrifles.com/ http://www.rugercyl.com/ -Chris

Hmmm... Thanks, Dan, hadn't really thought about trolling for cylinders. I can start doing that, too... And in the meantime, Joe, I'm still reading through David's website (pretty impressive). Looks like his "normal" conversion also includes a new barrel, and I wasn't thinking to go that far. Seems like just getting the cylinder throats right is about all I'd need to hit minute of 16" pie plate. -Chris

A follow-up, for folks sittin' around the fire... I couldn't figure it out from their website, so I just talked with Al Story at Borchardt Rifle (Works/Company/Corp... and Borchardt is spelled a few different ways on their website, too). The short version is that they make drop-in cylinders for whatever frame size we've got. The page about .44-40 drop-in cylinders says Vaquero and New Model Blackhawks, but means NEW Vaquero. The caliber-non-specific page about cylinders for Super Blackhawk frames also applies to original Vaquero frames, and they could do .44-40s for those too. This is the page that says "requires gunsmith fitting." I asked about fitting to a customer's frame; they don't do that. They adjust the timing using frames they've got there on hand... hence the "drop-in" feature... and Al said that would apply to their cylinders for the larger-frame Rugers too. BUT... They have no stock, and they're in the process of changing over their drilling machinery... and Midway is apparently keeping them busy with .22 cylinders (??)... so it'll be at least a couple months before BCR can begin delivering something like a .44-40 cylinder. -Chris

Thanks for looking at it for me! You might remember I just had my account remade a few weeks ago because I wasn't able to post anything anywhere. Can't see how that would be germane, but I mention it just in case. Can't really think of anything else useful. Seems I ought to be receiving email notifications, but... I'm not. -Chris ***** I just sent you a private message (PM), let me know if you get it.****

Thanks, Pat, just posted there... -Chris

I'm not receiving notifications via e-mail. I've gone to account settings, and everything is turned on... including all the e-mail options at the bottom of that settings page... and I get the notification red flag up by the bell and a pop-up at the bottom of the browser window... but I'm not receiving anything at all my e-mail. I've check the online junk folder, and my Outlook client junk and McAffee spam folders, nada. Help? -Chris Hi Chris, 1. If you didn't check Outlook's SPAM folder for you on their server, do so. If SASS messages are there, loosen your SPAM setting and add sasswire@sassnet.com to your White Mail list there. Also add it to your PC's address book. 2. As a mass of people aren't reporting this, it is likely to be your personal settings here or the things listed in No. 1. I get email notifications with the following settings. Go to Settings, Account Settings in the drop-down menu next to your name. On the right, under Other Settings, select Notification settings. Check the first box for "Send me news and information. Under Method to use for Content I Follow Automatically, select A notification when new content is posted. Under Notification Preferences, if desired check the first and last box. Click the Save button. Let me know if it works.

A clarification: I'm not receiving notifications in e-mail. When I log into the site, I do see the little bell thing light up in the upper right corner, if it's lit up. But it's mainly the e-mail thing I'm hoping to solve. On notification settings, the first three options are checked. The fourth -- a notification when new content is posted -- was originally checked; I just changed that to the second option (one mail per day). Nothing in notification preferences was checked originally. Further below all those, every option that can be turned on... is turned on, both in the notifications column and the e-mail column. As is the little green check mark on the lower left of the reply screen, that says "Notify me of replies" to this specific thread. Haven't received any e-mail notifications. Yes, I've checked the junk folder online, as well as the spam and junk folders on my local Outlook e-mail client. Nada. -Chris

Hmmm... might be right. Says "Ruger Vaquero or New Model Blackhawk." I'll have to ask... As to accuracy, I also shoot a .44-40 Schofield, and it has a .430 barrel. Didn't have any issues getting it to shoot well, although I did go to softer bullets. -Chris

Thanks guys, OK ref FAQ read only. I did search there for notifications, notification, notification settings, etc. but didn't get any return. Notification settings have been turned on all this time, on threads I'm following. No notifications received. Including the recent posts on this thread; I got nada. -Chris

Sorry for resorting to posting about it here... but for some reason, posting account questions in the SASS Wire FAQ section isn't enabled for me... And I discovered that when I began to post about the first problem, which is I'm not receiving notifications to responses posted on threads I'm following (or started). Can somebody help me out please? -Chris

Thanks, all, I appreciate the pointers. That BCR link looks especially interesting, although I too would think timing might need some extra tweaking afterwards. Trailrider, I do remember reading the name Milt Morrison... but haven't seen references to him in years, I think. I wouldn't be surprised if Crow and Linebaugh are doing this kind of work -- although 44-40 might be a bit odd for Linebaugh -- but I thought useful to gather together info about as many possibilities as I could before starting in earnest. Cheers, -Chris

Have thought for years I would prefer to load .44 WCFs instead of .44 Rem Mag from my Ruger Bisley Vaqueros. (Not "New" Vaqueros.) Something to better complement my .44 WCF Win '73 and the .44-40 Schofield. Thinking about it for years just never has turned into action... couldn't find a round tuit, I guess... But I'd imagine an early question would be about who could do the work, and that assumes being able to acquire cylinder blanks, and then do the line-boring, fitting, timing, etc.... So who would ya'll recommend for further discussion? -Chris

Nobdoy makes one here now, that I know of... unless the semi-custom shops are up again. You could shop old Ithaca's (but not the SKB-made ones, from Japan... although those are nice guns too), Iver Johnson, Parkers, L.C. Smiths, Stevens, LeFever, Winchester, maybe Remingtons, and possibly some of the J.C Higgins (Sears) guns may have been made here, too. Probably others, but those come to mind first. -Chris

Been using a 16-gauge SxS for about 45+ years now, came from my Grandad. Got another from a Great Uncle, also works fine, but it has twist (Damascus) barrels so I don't use it too much. For CAS, you can buy 16-gauge loads on-line by the case, but there's not much choice in light loads similar to Winchester's Low Noise/Low Recoil (aka Featherlight) loads. Remington Game Loads, for example, are (I think) 1-oz. shot at 1100 fps... unlike Winchester's 26-grams (~7/8-ounce) of shot @ 980 fps. These are usually available at promotional prices at Bass Pro and places like that. OTOH, as you say, you could load your own; Ballistic Products has components. Besides, the standard loads are no big deal. (You can by real high-brass hunting loads, too, although you have to do some shopping to find those.) If it has an automatic safety, yes, it'll reset each time. I've disabled automatic safeties on other guns... but never bothered on this 16-gauge, and I'm so used to it I never even notice myself taking it off safe. I wouldn't mess with the safety until you've shot several matches with the gun, then you can decide whether it's an issue or not. And I bet it wouldn't make any difference until you really need to shave 100ths of seconds off in order to beat somebody like Deuce Stevens I'm not familiar with that Stevens. Be aware, some manufacturers made a 16-gauge on a 12-gauge frame; not much advantage there, for field carry. Stevens has a broad line of guns, though, so I'd expect they made theirs on a truw 16-gauge frame, i.e., somewhere in physical size between a small 20 and a standard 12. -Chris

Probably Ruger's New Bisley Vaqueros. No, wait... they don't chamber those for .44 WCF... -Chris