Search results

If the 5 Stand setup has portable targets, the presentations can be changed to keep the shooters interested. Often there is a rabbit station for a jumping ground clay target, as well as a teal clay thrown from a raised tower, with the trap on an elevator mechanism to refill easily. Wireless...

A wise old metallurgist once explained than any ore refined into some metal product will try, over time, to revert back to the original ore status, typically through rust or other oxidation. Our job, as caretaker of metal objects, is to defend the metal from oxidation. I also am a fan of color...

HKS is most durable, IMO. You MUST practice with it, enough to get firm muscle memory. HKS is "insert rounds, hold cylinder static, twist knob while vertical, wait for cartridges to fully drop, close cylinder." Safariland II is "insert rounds, wait for cartridges to fully drop, close...

Safariland has replaced Kydex with their own proprietary blend of Nylon in their 7-series holsters. It is noticeably friendlier to gun finishes than Kydex. Either can be kept clean with a rinse in plain warm (not hot) water. Leather may squeak when new. Takes care to keep exterior finish...

The yoke screw for the earlier, smaller sized screw must be fitted. In a factory setting, takes a little time; time is money. Users who disassemble the 3 sideplate screws have a tendency to be less than careful to replace them whence they removed them. "My cylinder doesn't open/close right!"...

The dishout/checkering on the receiver might make one think it was a left hand model.

The collet bushing will crack in a few thousand rounds, if the front of the slide isn't dead square. Just something of which to be aware.

Another factor that can cause the hammer to fail to set off primers is too much "wobble" left and right. This can sap hammer force considerably. A fix, if this is the case, is is the correct number of Powers hammer washers, on the correct side(s) of the hammer.

All S&W 25's are blue steel; no SS, no alloy made. I am seeing a lot of rust between in the image in the area of the thumb release mechanism. The suggestion to soak in Kroil or similar is a great one. Remember do not try to dryfire the pistol with the sideplate removed and the hammer spring...

Simply Rugged makes the holster as a regular item. I have one of them, for the purpose you mention. Galco is good stuff, as are others. Whatever you do, don't tote your M17 in a cheap holster. Your gun likes to keep its finish.

A while back I owned a 4" SS Security Six with an extra heavy contour factory barrel. Barrel was heavier than the standard heavy barrel. It had the box with it when I sold it; now wish I'd kept it. Had a 2 3/4" SS Speed Six (fixed sights), in I believe .38 Spl. A good gun but heavy for just...

The 6" is less desirable to many, as opposed to the 4". I've only run into one 686 that was really messed up; that was a dash 5 that had horrible machining under the lockplate. That particular one should have been scrapped at the factory. Many other 686's, to include no dash, and dash 3's...

Hoppe's formula has changed over the years. That old bottle, with the raised letters and old style non-Zip label, contains a different formula. I think we can expect changes over time in other long time gun cleaning products. Balistol works pretty well on a number of gun and related products...

From the cylinder turn ring and the blue loss on the barrel, it has been carried a good bit, as well as shot plenty. Cylinder notches don't appear dished; good thing. Grips are the rounded undercover typed. Can't be positive from the image, but it could be a .312 smooth trigger. All in all...

It's easy to damage most rimfire guns with even a little dry fire. Always place fired cases or the appropriate size plastic drywall anchor in the chamber/cylinder before commencing. Remove or rotate these frequently. I've used action function dummies for this, however they aren't especially...

One can find side view parts drawings for a stock 1911 sear spring. Sometimes even a lifesize template. Too often a "gunsmith" will bend the spring legs willy-nilly, getting things out of whack. Understand what each leg does before doing bending deviating for the pattern. Another couple "must...

The 1911 platform is like many semi-auto ones in that out of spec parts will cause unintended consequences. The 1911 has been around for over 100 years and worn out/out of spec parts are too easy to find. Users tend to try to Dremel tool and coarse file parts, resulting in an out of spec and...

If you have small hands or your carry space for a handgun is on the small size, the 34 has things going for it there. Otherwise, the 18 is the winner hands down for 1st to acquire. The 34 will need bigger grips, such as the S&W target wood grips or the S&W banana grips, for someone with any...

I have made trades similar to this before. Other party had a BOR (big old revolver) that didn't match their wants but suited mine. I had a nice little revolver that was hard to find and filled a want for them. Swap done/both happy.

Standard factory gun barrels will still be rough inside after the handful of test fire rounds at the factory. I like to clean/lap any new barrel in by firing with copper jacketed factory rounds, followed by bore cleaning. For the 1st 10, it's fire 1, clean with solvent, dry patch. For the...