The Guns We Own

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

I just made my first gun purchase. I would post a photo but still am not able to post this site yet. Anyway, I bought a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum, new. It has a 5 1/2" barrel with a non fluted cylinder. I could only find one in the country with the 5 1/2' barrel and it is stainless. So I will make due. Won't have to clean it as much as I would the blued. It's a beautiful little gun and I have yet to put a round through it.

 

[mikewint]

Aaron, you will like it. Check my back posts I have almost the same gun except mine is the Bisley and has a longer 7.5in barrel. The Bisley grip helps with the recoil putting it straight into your hand reducing barrel climb and the longer barrel adds weight. Enjoy

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

I was looking for a Bisley with a 5 1/2" barrel but could not find one. I friend of mine has one but they're are none to be had in the country. I looked EVERY WHERE. Bob's has the Hogue grips to. I'll have to keep a tighter grip with the pinky on the lower grip to counter the rise.

 

[GrauGeist]

Congrats on the Ruger, Aaron!

Sounds like you've got yourself a gem and in a .44, that's sure a handful!

I've fired several of the large caliber revolvers over the years, like the Dan Wesson, Ruger Redhawk/Blackhawk, etc. and didn't really find them to be something I'd want to own. This of course excludes the family's vintage Colt .41, which is a real kick in the ass to run a few rounds through.

Semi-auto pistols aside, I've found that in a tense situation, a .357 tends to be more manageable.

 

[mikewint]

Dave, agreed, would not trade my Python for the world plus you can plink with .38 special
Aaron, ran across this one at a local gun show and snatched it up. I've personally always liked the longer barrels. Dave is certainly right about the recoil. It's manageable but not a shoot all day gun. Box of 50 and it's time for the .22. Problem with the Bisley is there are no soft grips for it, at least none I've been able to locate.
As to the 5.5in check out gunbroker.com there are 3 of them for sale, just checked

 

[GrauGeist]

Well, I should make a point right now, that this new revolver of Aaron's will always be his crown jewel.

I should also mention that if it's pointed at a bad guy, there is a very good chance that the bad guy will suddendly feel the need to find Jesus and the report of that beast will make the bad guy not only fill his drawers, but scream like a school girl.

A .44 is not something to be taken lightly!

Personally, the revolver that I own, that is the most fearsome, is my .36 Parker Dragoon. Aside from the fact that it makes one hellova flash-bang, it's accurate as hell and has the advantage of being double jeopardy: soft lead round makes nasty un-round holes when it hits something as well as initiating gangrene in the wound if not treated immediately.

 

[Shortround6]

If you don't handload you can use .44 Specials for fun/practice although they are not so easy to find.

I have 2 old Blackhawks in .45 Colt. 7 1/2 and 4 5/8 barrels.

 

[mikewint]

Dave not familiar with that one. Cap Ball or Flintlock? Muzzle loader or revolver? Added plus with black powder at close range you can set them on fire

 

[GrauGeist]

Mike, the Parker Dragoon is a .36 "cap and ball" revolver that was favored by Confederate (and some Union) cavalrymen and various officers. It wasn't as heavy as the Colts and with the lack of a "top strap", enabled the exchange of loaded cylinders for spent ones...think of it as an early "speed loader", if you will.

If memory serves me right, Clint Eastwood used historical accuracy and was shown swapping cylinders during a street melee in the movie "Pale Rider".

 

[Shortround6]

You can swap cylinders on the Remington (and few others) a lot easier.

The Colts tend to leave you juggling an extra piece or two.

I don't know what method the Parker Dragoon used.

 

[mikewint]

Thanks guys, that's what I thought it was but I'm more familiar with the Colt dragoon. Been wanting to get into black powder though I tend to favor the old flintlocks. A few companies offer "kits" where you put together your own Kentucky long gun

 

[GrauGeist]

The Parker used a similar lock tab as seen in your photo of the brass bodied revolver. With the absence of the "top-strap", the barrel assembly quickly slides forward, leaving the entire cylinder exposed, which is then removed and replaced with relative ease.

Reassembly is done by a few moves once the loaded cylinder is installed: align the barrel assembly on the center pin, slide into place and push the lock tab into position. Simple enough that it could be done on horseback by the Cavalrymen.

An observation here, also: having a brass bodied revolver without the "top strap" was never a good idea, as the brass lacks the necessary strength that steel has, especially in the larger calibers such as .44.

Here's my Fluted cylinder Parker assembled and then seen with the cylinder removed:

 

[Siddley]

I love blackpowder guns, but one thing worries me about them - given my enviroment - and that is the amount of sparks they produce from the muzzle.
It is tinder dry here for months on end and wildfires are a very big deal.
Does anyone reading this live in a similar sort of climate ( south western US maybe ? ) and have experience of BP firearms ?

In the UK it wasn't a problem of course, because it hardly ever stops raining

 

[GrauGeist]

Here in the West (Northern California), blackpowder deer hunting even has it's own seasonal time period on the calendar...matter of fact, hunting season is in full swing for both blackpowder and centerfire rifles.

It is true that a blackpowder weapon can start a fire, but it's very rare that a forest fire (or brush fire) has been caused by a blackpowder rifle discharge. On that same note, when Elk hunting in the past, I used to carry my Parker (seen above in previous posts) as a sidearm when we would be up in the high country. Not only was it good for protection (it works remarkably well on rattlesnakes), but in an emergency you have the option to start a warming/cooking fire with it.

 

[Shortround6]

The Parker used a similar lock tab as seen in your photo of the brass bodied revolver. With the absence of the "top-strap", the barrel assembly quickly slides forward, leaving the entire cylinder exposed, which is then removed and replaced with relative ease.

Reassembly is done by a few moves once the loaded cylinder is installed: align the barrel assembly on the center pin, slide into place and push the lock tab into position. Simple enough that it could be done on horseback by the Cavalrymen.

An observation here, also: having a brass bodied revolver without the "top strap" was never a good idea, as the brass lacks the necessary strength that steel has, especially in the larger calibers such as .44.

Here's my Fluted cylinder Parker assembled and then seen with the cylinder removed:

Very nice.

The advantage of the Remington is that you have one less piece to juggle. Instead of barrel plus frame and cylinder the Remington has the loading lever drop, the cylinder pin is pulled forward (but not out) and the cylinder drops out the side. A bit more fiddle to put the cylinder back but then you have one holding the gun and one holding the cylinder.

 

[Siddley]

I wouldn't like to drop a loaded and capped cylinder on a hard surface....

 

[GrauGeist]

The nipples are recessed enough that if capped and then dropped, it would be a rare thing for it to hit just right to set the cap off. Then again, anything's possible...

Usually, I am more concerned about a "chain fire" situation where the discharging cylinder ignites an adjacent cylinder. That too, is not a very common occurrence and can be prevented by being careful.

 

[Siddley]

Thought you might like this - it's a Uberti repro, obviously. I got it in a really neglected state, rusty and the wood was scratched and covered in some awful shiny varnish.
I took this photo after refinishing the wood with oil and cleaning up the metalwork. I saved almost all the bluing. I just noticed that I hadn't got around to replacing the rearsight when I took the pic.
Now it doesn't look so shiny, I keep the steel parts oiled, but the brass I allowed to age naturally.
I'm tempted to chop the barrel to a carbine length ( it's 24" ) but I'm still undecided. Maybe I'll make up a new barrel instead.

 

[mikewint]

Siddley, as you can see I live in Arkansas, North-Central to be exact and things can get very dry here. Two years ago all 4th of July fireworks were cancelled because it had not rained in 2 months. I have a back yard range and don't think I'd chance shooting black powder unless I watered the range area first. The local gun club has a black powder day but their range has nothing but dirt.
Dave, that is a really nice handgun. Going to have to look closely at the next show to see if anyone brings in a BP handgun. Though that IWI Tavor... On a different note I would have thought .36 and BP a bit light for that area. I'd probably pack the .44mag or at least the XDm .45 for a bit more stopping power.

 

[GrauGeist]

The two main calibers of sidearms during the Civil War were the .36 and .44, of course other calibers were present.

The .44 was often referred to as "Army" while the .36 was considered as "Navy". As it happens, the .36 was most often preferred by Calvary for it's weight and size. As for being a light caliber, unlike the .44 being effective at range, the Calvarymen were using the .36 at close ranges, much like the intention of the Navy's use of the .36 to repel boarders in close-quarters fighting.