Let's get silly!

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Remember these?



That's my infamous Big Iron and my Small Iron revolvers in .45 and .32 respectively.   Both are based on SAA clones.  Fun to shoot, and while heavily customized, they are still fairly "ordinary" in their own way.   There's nothing really "silly" about them.  

But, I think the next gun DOES qualify as "rather silly."



This is a Phelps Manufacturing Heritage I revolver chambered for, wait for it...  

.45-70!

I only discovered the existence of these things recently.   It seems that Mr. Phelps left the Century Manufacturing Company soon after its founding and made these instead on his own.   Clearly the same "design," as the Century Model 100, the only differences are the lack of a crossbolt safety, and it's blued steel instead of bronze.

And, I got it for about half the price of what the Century pistols seem to be going for these days.

Anyway, I wanted one of the Century guns ever since I saw them advertised in Guns & Ammo back in the early 70's, but could never find/afford one.   So when I discovered these in general, and this one in specific, I scarfed it up!   

But, you know, there is a way that this can be even MORE silly.   And that would be by pairing it with this...



That's a Pietta replica of the model 1863 Pocket Revolver, converted to .32 S&W.  I can't imagine a more dramatic difference.  Yes, this is a very silly thing indeed.

The Phelps weighs in at about 6 pounds, unloaded.  I have a feeling that even though I am a strong advocate of 1 handed revolver shooting, I'll probably shoot this thing 2 handed.   Not because I am worried about recoil.   I have a feeling that my Trapdoor safe loads using Trailboss won't have much recoil to worry about, and that the weight of the gun will absorb it.   But I don't know if I'll ever find out.   I plant to shoot my .45-45 ammo in it.  (.45-70 trimmed back to .45 Colt length.)  So I'll be shooting ammo in it that is no more powerful than hefty .45 Colt loads.  I just don't think recoil will be a problem.   

Of course it would be fun to shoot these gunfighter style.   (Boom!  pop.  Boom!  pop.  Boom!  pop.  Boom!  pop.  Boom!  pop.)  But I don't think I could hold the big one up 1 handed long enough to try it.

But, just for fun, it would be quite humorous to take the Phelps to the range and shoot at some paper targets.   Four rounds of .45-45 smokeless and then 1 round of .45-70 loaded with black.   I bet onlookers would be shocked! 

I think I shall dub these guns, The Giant Iron and the Mini Iron.  

No no no...   This is getting far too silly.   I see a British Colonel headed my way.   I better get while the getting is good.

Bye all!

Edited April 7 by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

[Griff]

NE must also still be in the grip of Winter! 😁

[Eyesa Horg]

We are, it's snowing now! 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

39 minutes ago, Griff said:

NE must also still be in the grip of Winter! 😁

Assuming you mean New England and not Nebraska, yes, it is.   It actually snowed this morning. 

It's all gone now.

[El CupAJoe]

[watab kid]

as a kid i cought a lot of crawdads with one big claw and one small , we ate them , if they were mutants i guess we got infected if they had something but we did boil them first so im guessing that killed it 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 4/7/2026 at 1:37 PM, El CupAJoe said:

Looks like a girl I dated in high school.   She  wasn't much to look at, but  man, could she dance.

[watab kid]

55 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Looks like a girl I dated in high school.   She  wasn't much to look at, but  man, could she dance.

knew a couple of those myself , nice young ladies , hope life treated them well , 

 

those i harvesed from the creek were great eating 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

8 hours ago, watab kid said:

knew a couple of those myself , nice young ladies , hope life treated them well , 

 

those i harvesed from the creek were great eating