Straight Case

"Hammerless" revolvers

In my not-so-humble opinion, "Bobbed" and "Hammerless" revolvers are nothing less than a waste of tactical advantage, which is what defense with firearms is all about.

In this post, esteemed gun-blogger PawPaw writes about how he gave a Smith MDL 60 to a family member, and she shortly complained that carrying it caused the hammer spur to dig into her body, and the solution sought was to bob the hammer spur off. With all the gun-talent in that family, they evidently did a nice job of cropping the hammer, but doing the job in the first place bothers me enough to write about it.

Why not sell the gun, and get a revolver with a shrouded hammer? These have vestigial spur on the hammer, can still be cocked for single action, but don't rub holes in your flesh if you choose to carry IWB.

There is just a little checkered stub of the hammer showing on that Smith, and the shrouding offers the advantage of adding some weight to the firearm, for steadier shooting.

There is HUGE tactical advantage of single-action fire, well aimed, at a distance from the target.

It is a somewhat extreme example, but I have made 4 out of 6 hits with table-supported single-action fire on a man-sized target 300 yards distant with my Colt Anaconda 44 Magnum, shooting factory 240-gr JHP. When I carried a .357 Magnum Ruger Security Six 4" on patrol duty, I was required to be able to put 5 out of 6 on a man-silhouette, using single action, two-hand Weaver, at 50 yards. Towards the end of my duty-revolver days, just before going to a Glock 17, I routinely warmed up for that qualification stage at 60 yards, the max range available on our Sheriff's tactical pistol range.

I, too, carried a Smith & Wesson Model 60 on duty in the olden days, both as a second gun in a pocket holster sewed into the pocket of my winter prowl jacket, or OWB holster under a blazer if I was working plain clothes. My only modification to that gun was done by an expert armorer, who put an outstanding "action job" on it while he and I worked the Front Desk in the station-house one evening. I later put neon green dots of paint in the rear sight channel, and painted the front sight orange neon. Foolishly, I sold that gun when I went back on Extended Active Duty in the USAF in 1979.

Today, I have a Ruger SP101 five shot two-inch. It is a heavier revolver, has a fine spur hammer on it, painted sights, and I can easily hit the man-silhouette at 60 yards with it.

Yes, with very long practice and continued familiarization, you can get ALMOST as good double-action results with a revolver as you can with single-action, but most folks don't have the time or ammo to do those hours of work. One fifth of that work on the range with single action and you are safe and proficient with your revolver.

Most who carry snubbie revolvers are confident people: confident that they can get the job of defense done with 5 shots. That confidence level increases markedly when proficiency at longer ranges is attained, and that calls for single action practice. 

Russ shotgun bleg - RAAC MK-1919B

Does anyone know whether this Russian American Armory shotgun uses the same magazinges as a Saiga-12? You can get 10 & 12-round magazines for the Saiga-12, as well as this drum-type 20-rounder, but the RAAC MK-19B comes only with a 5-rounder.

I'm impressed with the book stats on this gun, though, and might get one if it takes bigger magazines. I will probably go look at one soon, but I might have to drive a ways to do that...

 

The B.A.G. Day Pitbull

It came in, some three weeks or so after I ordered it. The "instant" background check, which used to take less than five minutes, consumed over an hour. This after the Oregon State Police, who manages it, managed for it to break down on a weekend, ruining the gun show experience for many just recently, but that's a FUBAR to address another day.

I cruise home with the two purchases, the revolver and a box of 40 S&W Speer Gold Dot 180-gr JHP, which set me back the princely sum of $29 for 20 rounds. I'll be looking up what those are made out of and duplicating them shortly...

That's the handsome molded case the gun came in, and note the cleaning materials. Ed's Red in the spritzer bottle, a Glock cleaning rod just under the case, and the box the Gold Dots came in, but at that price, they should have had their own molded case...

I did minor dis-assembly, and after scrubbing off some of the factory filth (I guess no gunmaker cleans up a firearm before shipping it these days), we see this side-view of the Pitbull...

Note the (normally hidden by the grips) engraving on the sideplate, which says "Charter Arms 357"....No, it's not, but obviously this is an interchangeable part with the Undercover series of revolvers, and that's a good thing. Straightforward takedown is available here pulling the hammer through to cock, pinning the main-spring carrier, relaxing the hammer pull and removing spring and carrier, then hammer pin and hammer. Which came first, the Ruger or the Charter Arms, they both use this system?

Next, I scrubbed the bore and the chambers of the cylinder, and did about 50 or so dry fires to loosen the gun up a bit. Dry the Ed's Red off of everything, then with open cylinder making a SAFE gun (I never closed the action, I ran a manual of arms unloading drill.

HOO-BOY! You can FUBAR the unloading drill VERY easily. The Owner's Manual says to tip up the barrel to get gravity on your side, and I'm here to tell you that you won't fight gravity. You will LOSE to gravity, as seen below.

First, a proper hold and start to unloading. Note that I have not tipped up the gun because I wanted a photo of the cylinder with the complex star-mechanism holding the rounds in, even as they are being extracted...

For action unloading, the gun should be elevated another 45 degrees towards vertical. Note how thick the star is. That's because it is hollow, and contains the tiny retractable extractors, one per hole, that engage the grooves on the base of the rimless ammo. This same revolver will be offered shortly in .45ACP as well as 9mm (the 9mm will chamber both 9X19 and 9X17 ammo).

So, next I deliberately FUBARed the unloading cycle to show you how it would look if the correct manual of arms was not used...

Note that double-punching the extractor pin in front of the cylinder has resulted in the star and it's protruded internal extractors having let go of the cartridges, which now will not be extracted except by fingernail or rod. If these had been fired rounds (cases swelled a bit), this would effectively put the gun out of action. It is completely incumbent on the operator of this revolver to drill in the unloading/reloading procedure until it is done properly each and every time. This revolver might not like Blazer Aluminum or Russkie lacquered steel ammo, but I'll check that out at the range and get back to you on it.

Next, we go over to the loading bench to see what I might have to cut down on that $1.45/round cost of the Gold Dots, although it's fine defense ammo and I'll probably carry it. It is a "short barrel" load, not as hot as this Buffalo Bore stuff, but a good deal more manageable. We have to remember that this is a 20-oz revolver, and I can tell you from several hundred rounds' worth of experience with my Bulldog 44 that these light snubbies are a handful in the 40+ calibers. So, when I'm working up my defense loads, here are my choices of bullets...

Those are the Hornady HAP, 180-gr JHP. I'd load those for penetration rounds, since they are slow-expanders. They would be thumpers, probably carrying 6.5-gr of Unique behind that bullet. That's about SAAMI-max for non-+P. @ 33,900 CUP. They would NOT be fun to shoot, but would probably penetrate 16-20 inches.

Those are the Hornady standard JHP, XTPs, but in a lighter bullet, 155 grains. 6.0-gr of W231 will kick those puppies out of the Pitbull at 1,000-1,100 fps, right in their max expansion zone, but comfortably under SAAMI max at 33,200 CUP.

OK, Charter Dog, you say, why don't you just stick with the BullDog 44 which you know that you have killa rounds ginned up for? Well, it's all about ammo commonality in a hostile world, isn't it? The 40 S&W has become the most popular intermediate handgun cartridge, and there will always be plenty around. If the SHTF, the only way I am going to find more .44 Special out in the wide world is if I stumble into a SASS troop carrying his .44, and even then, his Single Action .44 will probably have Skeeter Loads in it, and those are too stout for my 20-oz revolver. I give up about 15-20% of my muzzle energy by going "down" to the 40 S&W from .44 Special, but I can get ammo anywhere, even more places than .38 or .357. Matter of fact, a snubby .357 loading and the Fo-Tay are about on a par in power at snubby distances. In the meantime, I could wind up paying for this gun with reduced ammo cost.

Range report to follow, stay tuned.

Clue me in on this H&K rifle

What is so special about a semi-auto-only H&K, wannabe assault rifle but not C3, that it should cost $4495?

No other provenance listed.

I'm clueless.

The strange story of Kel-Tec CNC, Inc

I belong to KTOG, a Yahoo! Group (discussion board) for owners of Kel-Tec firearms. I own three models of Kel-Tecs, a P-11 (9mm compact), a P3AT (.380 sub-compact) and a pair of Sub-Rifle 2000s (pistol-caliber carbines).

The Kel-Tecs I own are highly functional firearms, and I depend on the two pistols for personal defense in concealed carry. Now that it's Winter, and bulky clothing is appropriate, I am carrying a Charter Arms Bulldog 44 revolver, but when it warms back up, and I wear less clothing, I'll go back to the P3AT, or the P11 if I have an overshirt on.

I trust the Kel-Tecs. The company has some quality control issues, but they are all wrapped around things like shipping dirty guns, rather than spending the few bucks it takes to clean a firearm after manufacturing and test-firing it. The guns work, and on the one occasion I had one fail, I survived the failure (overcharged round blew the P3AT up in my hand, but the force was directed downward, and I got only a slight scratch on one finger. Kel-Tec rebuilt the gun).

The problem with the company nowadays is not the design or quality of the firearms, it's the build rate. Kel-Tec CNC is a small company, employs only about 30 people IIRC, but they have over a dozen models out, and have several more in testing stage. They produce everything from Main Battle Rifles (the RFB bullpup in 7.62X51), to light battle carbines (the SU-16 series of Stoner-inspired folding carbines), to pistol caliber folding carbines (the Sub-rifles), seven different pistol models, and a unique twin-magazine 12-ga pump shotgun (the KSG). That's an impressive array of models that even huge companies such as Ruger would, and do, envy (envy, as in copying the design and building their own).

The problem comes in production. A large company would probably devote 30 people to each model of a firearm's production, but Kel-Tec has only 30 people in the whole company, so they rotate production. That is, they operate one or two production lines at a time, changing production lines several times a year.

The process of rotating production results in Kel-Tec having shortages of certain models in high demand. This has happened lately with the RFB, the KSG, and their unique 30-round .22 WMR pistol, the PMR-30.

Lots of gripes are generated. The company released a few KSGs, and a couple of them showed up on auction sites, NIB, where they brought 4 times their MSRP. More gripes. Don't I remember that this happened with the first few Toyota Prius' delivered? The first big flat-screen TVs?

The problem, dear readers, is that one marketing dude with talent can sit down behind a computer and generate huge buzz for a product, that same product which 29 other guys out on the production floor have trouble turning out enough of to meet one fiftieth of the buzz-guy's generated demand.

That's called marketing, and it's a normal function of Free Enterprise, so lighten up on Kel-Tec CNC, OK?

Name that Gun - Edition Two! SOLVED!

Today, I had the distinct honor to have an old friend introduce me to a neighbor of his who has a magnificent collection of blackpowder cartridge guns of yesteryear. I got to spend almost two hours with this fine collection.

I'll write a post or two on this collection, which the owner allowed me to photograph part of, on the condition that the photos not identify him or the location.

Without further ado, here is the first "Name that Gun". Usual rules apply, first to get it right gets their name in Glorious Bold letters right here!

You shouldn't need a hint, but this type revolver predated our War Between the States by a full decade or more...

So, you're feeling cocky, eh?

I can tell you that this is the only handgun I looked at (didn't touch, either). The rest of the firearms included a series of fine double fowling pieces, all blackpowder cartridge arms, and this:

So, smarties, name that gun! To get full credit for this one, you'll have to guess the manufacturer (not so hard as it might seem), and I'll give you TWO stabs at the gauge.

We'll talk more and have more photos when there have been some tries at the correct results posted. Yes that's a "tease", and you know how I hate teases, so it's hard for me to wait, also!

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You give up too easily. That's NOT a scattergun, it's a dangerous-game DOUBLE RIFLE!!! Yep, a Holland & Holland 10-bore "Elephant Gun"

BTW, 10-bore is .775 caliber! An 875-gr bullet travelling at 1900 feet per second makes over SEVEN THOUSAND foot-pounds of muzzle energy, and in the double-rifle, you have TWO of those at your immediate command. Wowza!

Is that a Bulldog 44 in your pocket or are you happy to see me?

Heh-heh!

On the Second most important anniversary in my life, the 44th anniversary of my first enlistment, I decided to commemorate the occasion.

Off to the local gun emporium, Keith's, and NOT waiting for a consignment I have there to sell, I got the last Charter Arms Bulldog 44 in the place. It was my second choice, actually, I REALLY wanted this one, but the one I bought probably would have gone to the big Gunshoe this weekend, and might not have been there next week when the rifle I was selling got sold.

First impression: GAWD, THIS THING IS LIGHT! Less than 21 oz, more than 4 ounces lighter than my Ruger SP-101s. It fits in the same holsters as those Ruger snubbies, too. I bought a Galco Hi-Ride OTB unit to carry it in, but it's the wrong one, has to go back, the restraint strap doesn't clear the hammer spur. Both of my Uncle Mike's Size Zero will fit, though.

Here's the as-yet un-named heavy snub, not ready for action:

Here it is, charged, with two reloads standing by. Extra credit if you can name those quick-loaders:

Give up on the quick-loaders? They're chargers for the venerable Enfield No. 4 Mk 1, one of my ready-to-go battle rifles.

The ammo? For now it's Cor-Bon 165-gr JHP. That will probably get heavier as time goes on and I get more familiar with how the gun handles. My objective is to load up something with the Xtreme Bullets 240-gr Copper-Plated Round-Nose Flat Point. Probably not up to Keith-level, but maybe something like this:

240-gr Xtreme CPRNFP, seated to cannelure, heavy roll crimp. Powder 14.0-gr Hodgdon H-110, increasing in stages to 16.0 maximum. Speed should start around 900 with the light charge, and work up to around 1050 with the heavier load, which is SAAMI-standard, (not +P). Muzzle energy there starts at 430, very respectable, and ends up at 588, SERIOUS level. I hear that Elmer hisself had run as much as 19.0gr of H-110, which would CUP-out at around 30K, pretty hot, maybe too hot for the light revolver.

Can't wait to get to the range, but first, I have to get to the bench. I priced out some cowboy loads at the shop, and they were $35/50, a bit steep for my blood, so I will brew up some light 240-gr LSWC loads to get started, maybe 6.0-gr Unique. A couple boxes of those should get me used to the trigger and the feel of the gun in my hand. Next trip out, I'll move up to the Xtreme-bullet stuff.

Re-Do: Lyman 44 says 6 grains of Unique is too light, start with 9. Speer # 8 says 6.0 is a fine starter with a 250-gr cast boolit, Hmmmm....needa refereee here.

 

Straight Case of Love at first sight

...with Dan Coonan's pistol.

What's NOT to love about a full-size 1911 shooting The.Most.Versatile.Caliber.Period

/mind spinning, starts to calculate how he can budget for that beauty/

AND, it will function on .38 Special, too.

Hat Tip to that photog guy with all the Russ followers...thanks, Oleg

"No Case" respect

For almost 90 years, the Colt Dragoon 44 was the heaviest pistol load available (60 grains FFg powder), and it stayed that way until the .357 Magnum was invented in the mid 1930s. The Dragoon was a Black Powder (No-Case) hogleg. The Texas Rangers were the first to carry them as a service weapon, in the form of the Walker Colt, an early model of the Dragoon.

Here's a video of a scene from Lonesome Dove, and it's a story about old men and an old pistol getting some respect. Note the exaggerated motion needed to cross-draw that hogleg, but the actor does it perfectly. The only spoiler in that scene is that the pistol should have made much more smoke when it was fired.

The Colt Dragoon was also prominently featured in "True Grit", the first one with John Wayne.

I'm Judge-mental

...As in I have a mental problem with the Judge family of revolver-weapons. I'll present it in bullet-point format, since I know readers have other things to do, places to go, gunshows to visit.

• The Judges are a compromise weapon which do nothing as well as other weapons.
• They are NOT good shotguns, and in the long form, are neither good rifles OR good shotguns.
• Ballistics tell the story. Shooting three pellets of 00 Buck out of a snubbie revolver gives you three each, 54-grain projectiles at no more than 1000 fps, and probably less. Is a 54-grain projectile an effective man-stopper? Even with 3 hits per round fired, I think not.
• I've got to think that the 3-inch cylinder is also not the best way to unload a .45 LC bullet downrange. There will be efficiency losses there, also.
• In the carbine versions, the gap the bullet has to jump reduces efficiency as well.

OK, mister Straight Case, try this on for size: a .454 Casull version of the Judge!

Answer: No thanks. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, as my sainted mother used to say.

For Bug Out, or other reasons, you are best off with a handgun/carbine combo. I can put together the following combos from my safe:

1. 1911A1 and Marlin Camp 45 carbine, caliber .45 ACP.
2. Ruger SP-101 in .357 magnum and Marlin 1894c in the same caliber.
3. Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum and Marlin 1894c in the same caliber
4. Glock Model 22 in .40 S&W, and Kel-Tec Sub Rifle 2000 in same caliber, same magazines.
5. Kel-Tec P-11 in 9mm Luger, and Kel-Tec Sub Rifle 2000 in same caliber, same magazines (except the short mags for the P-11 won't fit the Sub Rifle, but the long rifle magazines fit the P-11).

As you can see, ammo commonality is a BIG DEAL here at Straight Case. Any of these combinations are easy to master, none have "Tommy" gear on them, and they are all in common calibers, all Straight Case calibers.

What is my favorite among them? It's a toss-up. I like the faster loading/reloading of the 1911/Camp 45 combo, but I can't reach out very far with either. I can ring a large 120-yard gong at the range with that carbine, but I have to hold over about 5 feet to do it. I don't even try to shoot my 1911 past 25 yards.

The .44 combo has range advantages. I can and have put 5 out of 6 on the K5 of a K28 target at 100 yards with the Colt Anaconda, and have actually ranged and rung a 300-yard gong at Usery Mountain range in AZ. I can hit those targets all day with the carbine at 200 yards. The carbine is slow to reload, though, it takes about a half-minute to poke it full of .44 Magnum rounds. I have speed-loaders for the Colt, though.

Combo #2, the Ruger SP-101 and Marlin 1894C combo in .357 is probably the easiest to shoot, and that will go to the least-recoil tolerant in the Bug-Out crew. I'll load the revolver with some .38 Special +P, and the carbine with some Hawg-level 158-gr Unicor JSP reloads that feature 16.0 grains of Hodgdon H-110. Those rounds will be flat-shooting out to 150 yards, with maybe a foot of hold-over for that distance.

BTW, I can train ANYONE to be a useful Bug-Out watch-stander in a half-hour with that combo, using Federal American Eagle .38 ball (130-gr FMJ), which has a very mild recoil. With that ammo, the report and recoil of the rifle is about what you'd get shooting a .22 rimfire with standard-velocity Long Rifle ammo in it.

The other thing you'll notice about this bunch of combinations is that they are friendly to carry. None of the long arms weighs much over 6#, and with the exception of the Colt Anaconda, the revolvers are lightweight as well. The semi-auto pistols aren't that big, either.