Revolver rabbit hole!

[Jakashh]

Hey, I was limiting it to single actions and I thought I did a good job of holding myself back by not mentioning Picra.

If you wanna talk double actions, we can always fire up the Korth v. Manurhin v. old-S&W-worked-over-by-a-great-PPC-gunsmith debate.

You just reminded me of that mystery 38 you let us shoot at one of the Hicksvilles. Jesus that thing was a dream.

 

[benenglish]

You just reminded me of that mystery 38 you let us shoot at one of the Hicksvilles. Jesus that thing was a dream.

That was one of the third alternative I mentioned, the old-S&W-worked-over-by-a-great-PPC-gunsmith option. I use it to demonstrate to people that a properly fitted S&W revolver will have a trigger that does not "stage" or "stack" in any way.

For the record, it was a Model 10 worked over by Sage Custom. I have no idea who that was and I'd be very, very grateful to anyone who could clue me in regarding who was the gunsmith for Sage Custom.

Unfortunately, the masters of PPC gunsmithing for revolvers have mostly retired or died and their knowledge is being lost. I occasionally run into otherwise very knowledgeable gun folk who don't think it's possible to build a perfectly smooth trigger on a Smith. I've also pulled the triggers on a couple of present-day "name" gunsmith's S&Ws and, to put it mildly, I wasn't impressed. They were excellent triggers, sure, but definitely not as good as that revolver you shot.

On the Colt side of the house, there were never more than a handful of gunsmiths who could do a Python trigger that didn't stack...but it was possible. I've had people explain to me how it's mechanically impossible to improve a Python so that it doesn't stack but I've also had the privilege of pulling the trigger on a full-house Reeves Jungkind build so I know it can be done. In fact, that's one reason I wouldn't want a classic Python today. If I wanted the trigger optimized, I can only think of a half dozen gunsmiths I would trust and 3 (or maybe 4 or 5) of them are dead, retired, or so close to retirement you'd have to beg to get them to add another job to their queue. Last I checked out the two guys I'd trust, one was no longer accepting work and the other had processing times measured in years.

 

[mitchntx]

Interesting ... the 29 I posted above has had some trigger/action work done by a gunsmith out of Tolar Texas. Small shop, personable fella, reasonable pricing ... but the que for work has become staggering of late.

I asked for the 29 make-over because I had not had good luck with a 45ACP trying to put down wounded pigs. i had the 29, it made a loud bang and seemed like a reasonable choice for a hunting side arm.

The before and after difference was astounding.

If this world ever gets back to some sort of reasonableness and there is another gathering, I'd certainly like to get a comparison between what I have and what others consider great. I haven't the frame of reference to declare mine good or great ... just a heckuva lot better than it was.

 

[CodyK]

Got the “wood” grips. Not impressed. Gonna have to spend the $200 plus for the good ones!

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[SQLGeek]

What don't you like about them? They look good on the gun.

 

[benenglish]

Got the “wood” grips. Not impressed.

Magna style grips can be pretty and they're fine for very low-recoil shooting. On an N-frame, they're probably a bad idea.

If you're serious about finding comfortable wood grips, that's a big subject. Study a while before committing any real money. Just the question of smooth vs. textured vs. stippled vs. checkered vs. aggressively checkered is something worth quite a bit of time to think through.

 

[Moonpie]

Got the “wood” grips. Not impressed. Gonna have to spend the $200 plus for the good ones!
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Needs white grips.

 

[benenglish]

What don't you like about them?

I'm sure Cody will chime in but I can't imagine that style on a .44 Magnum. That's just asking for the rear of the trigger guard to painfully slam into your middle finger.

 

[CodyK]

What don't you like about them? They look good on the gun.

It’s not so much the looks, although in person they look a little cheap, as it is just how thin they are. With the Pachmayr grips I had on there, they were thick enough for me to get a good grip with my big ol’ hands. Not to mention they have a small thumb rest. I do like the look of wood for sure. Gonna look around like Mr. English recommended.


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[Jakashh]

For the record, it was a Model 10 worked over by Sage Custom. I have no idea who that was and I'd be very, very grateful to anyone who could clue me in regarding who was the gunsmith for Sage Custom.

Yep, i remember it had a massive bull barrel and a sight rib. I’m a fan of leaving things alone but I’d contemplate sending mine in if Sage Custom were still around and I had the money lol. I recall looking for them online when I got home to see if I could dig anything up but I got nothing.

Got the “wood” grips. Not impressed. Gonna have to spend the $200 plus for the good ones!
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Never seen magna grips on an 8 3/8” barreled S&W lol. I can see why you’re not impressed though.

 

[Jakashh]

If this world ever gets back to some sort of reasonableness and there is another gathering, I'd certainly like to get a comparison between what I have and what others consider great. I haven't the frame of reference to declare mine good or great ... just a heckuva lot better than it was.

My 29 had some sort of trigger job done too, where the SA trigger was so light you only had to think about it and the hammer would fall lol.

Unfortunately it wasn’t very durable and gave out as soon as I took it home. I sent it back to S&W and asked them to return it to stock, so if I ever make it back to a TGT meet you can compare yours to a baseline.

 

[SQLGeek]

I'm sure Cody will chime in but I can't imagine that style on a .44 Magnum. That's just asking for the rear of the trigger guard to painfully slam into your middle finger.

Wasn't even thinking about them being on a .44 Magnum. Was too busy picturing them on my 4" Model 28.

 

[CodyK]

My 29 had some sort of trigger job done too, where the SA trigger was so light you only had to think about it and the hammer would fall lol.

Unfortunately it wasn’t very durable and gave out as soon as I took it home. I sent it back to S&W and asked them to return it to stock, so if I ever make it back to a TGT meet you can compare yours to a baseline.

The single action on mine is less than a pound! Put your finger on the trigger and think about pulling it, and it goes off!!


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[Old_Sarge]

Decided I “need” a revolver. First thought was to get a Taurus or something inexpensive (came close to ordering a Taurus .44 magnum off grabagun) but I really want a S&W or Ruger. Trying to study up on different models, but the Smith and Wesson .357’s have me going in circles! There’s the model 19, the 60, and the 686! There are K frames and L frames! This may take some book learnin’ before I figure out what to get.


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You can't go wrong with a wheel gun, and those are all good choices.
Not sure if you want something to carry or you just like to shoot a revolver once in a while (me).
Having said that, my friend has the Ruger 100 and he loves it.
I like the S&W 586 with 4 in barrel, smooth as butter and very accurate.
Big, heavy gun though, not for concealment.

But if you want something less expensive this EAA Windicator isn't fancy, but it works and hasn't given any problems (cost half as much as the SW).
Also comes in 2 in or 4 in barrel.
So if you are not sure about dropping $700 there are choices.
I don't have any problem with Taurus but the grips always feel thin and skinny on many of their revolvers, ya know? The model 65 or 66 fells weird in my hand, shoots fine, just don't like to hold it, yuck.