"I'm just a workin' stiff," you're thinking, "I can't afford a custom gun." A lot of folks think a custom gun is too expensive for the average shooter. But is that really true? Brownells Gun Techs™ Steve Ostrem and Caleb Savant are joined by master pistolsmith Bobby Tyler of Tyler Gun Works in Friona, Texas, to answer that question. Using a Ruger® Blackhawk® in .45 Long Colt as a "base gun," Bobby walks us through the process of ordering custom work from his shop. Caleb and Steve pick options, and at the end we'll find out HOW MUCH it costs.
They start with the "Accuracy Package": barrel crown, forcing cone, cylinder-to-barrel alignment, endshake elimination, and a tighter barrel-cylinder gap (which maintains bullet velocity by not letting gas escape). Then an "Action Job": 100% spot-on timing and a crisp-breaking 2.5 lb. trigger pull. .45 Colt is a great caliber, so let's not change that, but let's shorten the barrel to 4-5/8" and install a Freedom Arms front sight. The factory rear sight on the Blackhawk tends to shift a bit under recoil, so a Bowen rear sight will fix that. A Belt Mountain base pin is slightly oversized and will keep the cylinder moving smoothly. Replace that factory aluminum ejector rod housing with a tougher steel one.
The grip frame is a big area for customization on single action revolvers. Steve and Caleb prefer a Bisley grip frame. And the grips? Steve likes wood. But mammoth ivory and stag are popular, too. The guys go for Turkish walnut.... which'll look darned good with a color-cased frame. Or should the whole gun be blued? They settle on a color-cased frame, loading gate, and trigger, with a special custom touch on the hammer. What says "custom gun" more than custom engraving? Bobby has an engraving package that says, "I'm a beautiful working gun but I'm not a safe queen." The guys go for it.
NOW, the moment of truth. How much does all of this custom work cost? You will be surprised! Caleb and Steve agree: the myth that a custom gun is out of the reach of an ordinary working person is 100% BUSTED.
VIDEO HERE (20:41 minutes)
No such cartridge as a 45 Long Colt.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not technically, but it does help in differentiating between a 45 ACP and a Colt 45 when talking with people that aren't real familiar with firearms.
Deleteand the 45 Scofield or .45 Smith and Wesson
DeleteThing is, most of that quality SHOULD be part of the Smith from the factory. They shouldn't charge more to fix their known design and manufacturing failures.
ReplyDeleteNo need to single Smith & Wesson out. There's not a single firearm out there that can't be improved on which is evident by all the aftermarket parts out there, including Glocks, which according to the fanboys is the World's Greatest Handgun.
DeleteMyself, I've always looked at a stock handgun the way old skool bikers looked at a stock Harley - it's a nice base but nothing you want to be seen with in public.
OK, as an owner of a Ruger Blackhawk:
ReplyDeleteYou can actually buy a Ruger (or at least you once could) with Bisley grips. Mine is one -- I also prefer the Bisley, because they're much bigger than the standard grips on a Blackhawk, which are tiny, and I think they do this because Ruger wanted the Blackhawk to be representative of revolvers from the late 1800s, which were made for men with smaller hands than ours. I think the average height in those days was several inches shorter than it is now.
But it seems a little silly to custom-build in a feature you can get out of the box. And the Bisley angle isn't something everyone likes, it's a little more perpendicular to the barrel.
And there's no reason to try to f*ck around with cylinder-to-barrel alignment and timing on a revolver made by Ruger, Smith & Wesson, or any other good manufacturer. That's just dumb, you're not going to improve anything by tightening up clearances that mechanical engineers spent months of man-hours agonizing over. There are GD&T characteristics to consider here that these guys won't even be able to measure -- I doubt they have a CMM in their shop. If it's a revolver made in Brazil, then have at it, can't hurt. But leave that Ruger's inner workings alone.
And worrying about the strength of a part on a Ruger revolver -- that's hilarious. They're built like a brick shithouse. And don't get me started on chopping off the barrel -- I'd sooner shorten my own dick, particularly in a round like Colt 45. They must like the pretty barrel flash of wasted powder the lower recoil because of lower barrel velocity. But let's put custom sights on it after we cut the sight radius in half. And covering a revolver with engraving is like covering an otherwise lovely young woman with tattoos -- talk about gilding the lily.
I'd let them improve my Ruger trigger, and they could replace the ugly Ruger black with pretty rich bluing, the the ugly reddish Ruger wood with something with nice grain. That's about all I'd ever want done to it, it's an almost perfect revolver.
The only thing I've done to my Blackhawks is a trigger job and I've done it to all of them.
DeleteRuger's SA triggers are heavy.
I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum Bisley Grips 3.75 inch Barrel
DeleteDan Wesson, stainless 44mag, Monson manufactured. I think i'll leave as is.
ReplyDeleteMy gunsmith assures me my custom Mauser in 7x57mm will be ready for deer season. He has assured me of this for the last three years.
ReplyDelete