I've Got a "Thing" for Small, 3" Revolvers

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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Jeff H said:
I do still hold a grudge against the GP100, irrational or not. It was the "cheaper to make" (bulkier, heavier) version which superseded the Security/Service/Speed Six series I think so highly of.
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The Service/Security/Speed -Six series or DA sixes collectively, were great guns. The often quoted line, "the size of a K-frame with the strength of an L-frame" is a fitting description of the DA six's.
The GP-100, for all practical purposes, is the Ruger version of a L-frame Smith & Wesson. I think the GP-100 would enjoy greater acceptance if the production of DA Sixes had continued. But, that's not what happened.
S&W introduced the L-frames in 1981 and the GP-100 was introduced in 1985. The DA Six's held on until 1988 and that was the end of an era.

The GP-100 did introduce some cool features, like the forward lock on the crane, A' la S&W triple lock. And the peg style grip frame makes a lot more sense from a production viewpoint (one frame for round butt or square butt styles). The non-rotating ejector rod is probably an improvement and the GP-100 lock work is simpler than in the DA six series.

The SP101, by default, became the replacement for the 2.75" Speed-Six. The GP-100 is unquestionably strong, but it came at the cost of some bulk.
 
Outpost75

Outpost75

Active Member
Jeff H said:
That one's a real gem!

I'd get along with that grip/adapter a lot better than I do with this black rubber GOURD hanging off mine.
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I was lucky that the gun came with the adapter and the hard rubber grips were sound. Here is a picture of it as received before rebuild by Sandy Garrett of Northern VA Gun Works.
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Original barrel-cylinder gap was too large, pass 0.008"/hold 0.009" with bore frosty from use of chlorate primers. Magnaflux inspection of the pulled barrel revealed a crack at root of the thread, so Sandy fitted a piece of Douglas barrel as heavy as would clear ejector rod. He also corrected end shake and timing. B-C gap is now pass 0.005/hold 0.006". Detail stripped, ultra-sonic cleaned, carded away old internal rust, fabricated and silver-soldered new front sight, targeted, adjusted to point of impact at 25 yards with Fiocchi 262-grain lead ammo, and matte blued. My Carhart barn coat winter pocket blaster.

FYI expanded bullet is Speer 250-grain Deep Curl from Starline .455 Mk2 case with 4 grains of Bullseye. Got 600 fps from the original barrel with big gap. Stopped in 4th gallon water jug expanded to 0.70". I would fully expect 650+ fps from the rebuild.
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oscarflytyer

oscarflytyer

Well-Known Member
That Colt is WAY too Kool! And Bret - if you are too chicken to take that 3" 44 SPC out in the woods - I will handle your light work for you!!!

I have a pair of 44 SPCs. NMBH 4 5/8" and 624. LOVE the 44 SPCs! And would like a 3" Bulldog or the like! Also like the 44-40 just as much as the SPC.
 
Outpost75

Outpost75

Active Member
Here is the back story... The .455 cylinder was short-chambered just enough that .45 ACP headspaces on the shoulder cone of the .455 Eley cylinder, so the base of the .45 ACP case is standing proud just enough for the hammer nose to set them off reliably without clips for headspace. The empties mostly fall out of their own weight, or if needed use a fingernail.

This is NOT for frequent use because the 1915 gun is not heat treated, so .45 ACP would he as an emergency expedient only. But nice to know. Accuracy of .45 Ball fired in the .4555 cylinder throats was acceptable with the original barrel. The new Douglas barrel has normal .45 ACP bore and groove dimensions.
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Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Jeff H said:
I can't do that. Some people quip that "a gun is just a tool" to rationalize poor treatment and neglect, but I treat ALL my tools with respect and take good care of them. They get some bumps and bruises along the way but that just makes them prettier to me.

I've gotta have it out playin' with it. I've sold a few I didn't feel right about using, but don't ever trust ME to keep a pristine collectible pristine. I ust don't have the discipline to keep things looking new.
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I lost my Model 19 Smith in a swamp, spent the better part of 2 days looking for it! Found it at last, right where I thought it would be, but I spent a lot of time up to my armpit in cold water trying to feel for that gun!!! I am now a big believer in lanyards on revolvers used in swampy areas!!! Just gotta invent a rig that will function as a lanyard stud that doesn't require altering the gun at all. That's why I get skittish about it. I'll never be able to find another gun like it, much less afford it, so I'm very careful with it. Oddly enough, I think nothing of traipsing all over with my Kit Gun! Never thought about that before, but it's kind of odd IMO.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Bret4207 said:
I lost my Model 19 Smith in a swamp, spent the better part of 2 days looking for it! Found it at last, right where I thought it would be, but I spent a lot of time up to my armpit in cold water trying to feel for that gun!!! I am now a big believer in lanyards on revolvers used in swampy areas!!! Just gotta invent a rig that will function as a lanyard stud that doesn't require altering the gun at all. That's why I get skittish about it. I'll never be able to find another gun like it, much less afford it, so I'm very careful with it. Oddly enough, I think nothing of traipsing all over with my Kit Gun! Never thought about that before, but it's kind of odd IMO.
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Bright idea emoji.jpgHogue grips might be an easy candidate for modification, with their attachment screw at the bottom of the grip.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
oscarflytyer said:
That Colt is WAY too Kool! And Bret - if you are too chicken to take that 3" 44 SPC out in the woods - I will handle your light work for you!!!

I have a pair of 44 SPCs. NMBH 4 5/8" and 624. LOVE the 44 SPCs! And would like a 3" Bulldog or the like! Also like the 44-40 just as much as the SPC.
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Har! In yer dreams! I have a 3" Charter Bulldog that hits the woods with me. 6.0-6.5 gr unique and the 429421 work well but she torques to the left as the range gets longer. Another gun that I think would benefit from an adjustable sight operation.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Winelover said:
View attachment 37335Hogue grips might be an easy candidate for modification, with their attachment screw at the bottom of the grip.
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That's certainly a possibility, thanks for the idea. I had a set of Houge Mono Grips (one piece, so not really a "set") on my 681 I carried at work. The stirrup/yoke thing broke after some time and tied the gun up. I never found any replacement. But I would think any grip that extended down past the bottom of the grip frame might allow for a pin or something to be inset and a strap of flat spring or shim stock might be drilled for the pin and a ring secured in the loop the shim stock formed. A bit crude I suppose, but if it works...
 
P

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Bret4207 said:
I am now a big believer in lanyards on revolvers used in swampy areas!!! Just gotta invent a rig that will function as a lanyard stud that doesn't require altering the gun at all
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If the choice is between slightly modifying the gun versus LOSING the gun; that’s pretty easy choice.

I just did a quick survey of a few of my handguns and found that a lot of them have lanyard loops. Some incorporated as part of the original design and some that were additions, albeit often factory options.

If I’m never going to sell the gun, then the addition of a lanyard loop is a non-issue. If I lose the gun and cannot sell it because I don’t have it, then maybe a lanyard loop would have been an acceptable modification.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Outpost75 said:
Here is the back story... The .455 cylinder was short-chambered just enough that .45 ACP headspaces on the shoulder cone of the .455 Eley cylinder, so the base of the .45 ACP case is standing proud just enough for the hammer nose to set them off reliably without clips for headspace. The empties mostly fall out of their own weight, or if needed use a fingernail.

This is NOT for frequent use because the 1915 gun is not heat treated, so .45 ACP would he as an emergency expedient only. But nice to know. Accuracy of .45 Ball fired in the .4555 cylinder throats was acceptable with the original barrel. The new Douglas barrel has normal .45 ACP bore and groove dimensions.
View attachment 37331
View attachment 37330
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I allegedly have a New Service, 2 of them actually, coming back to me shortly. One was a 455 that was opened to 45 Colt probably 75 years ago. I kinda would have liked to play with the 455! But I can live with the 45 Colt. The New Service is actually a bit large for my hand. Still, they're lovely pieces!
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Bret4207 said:
I lost my Model 19 Smith in a swamp, spent the better part of 2 days looking for it!...
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We called lanyards "dummy cords" in the Army.

Like the Scarlet Letter - a mark of shame to have one's weapon tied to their person.;)

I get it though and potential LOSS is not LOST on ME. This is likely one of the reasons I tend toward "cheaper" guns too, because I can own one plus a backup for the same or less money. I can enjoy the beauty of someone else's really nice gun for free and spend my money on multiples of something which someone could actually almost afford to lose/ruin, etc. A convoluted philosophy, no doubt, but it's not willful, it's just the way my mind seems to force its will upon my conscious self.

So, really, my teasing is more on me than on you. You're probably the more balanced and rational thinker in this case.

Now, if I were ever to LOSE one of my "cheap" guns - one I've gotten to know and get along with - I'd be heartbroken if I lost one. The practical and fiscal "logic" my mind foists upon me would have no bearing and I'd probably spend five times what the gun is worth to recover it. I know, I'm weird, but I gave up trying to be "normal" a long time ago.

I'm thinking more about the lanyard idea now too. I have lanyards on knives, firestarters, flashlights, match-cases, compasses,... and I never go out on boats, walk river banks or wade swamps any more, but still, it makes a lot of sense. No revolver I own would present a problem doing it on, as none of them are very collectible and I would have no qualms about drilling a hole in them.
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
CWLONGSHOT said:
I just last week saw a No box 65-1 for 1200$
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Sounds about right, I mean I MIGHT be able to get about that for one of my cars.:oops:

Come to think of it, I guess I kind of do cars like I do guns - forego a little luxury and maybe have to work on them once in a while...

Still, I'll let someone else tote $1200 around on their hip. For that, I could buy three of these Rossis, lose one, wreck one and STILL have one left! ;)

NOT criticizing those who are OK with spending that on a gun - I just can't/won't do it.
 
RicinYakima

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Jeff,

Only have two 3 inch revolvers. Top one is a S&W Model 60-10 about 20 years old with an updated front sight. Normally I only shoot light end 357 loads in it. The Geo. Lawrence holster from the early 1970's in more interesting; it is pig skin lined and made for the early blue Model 36 3 inch with adjustable sights. Never saw one of the guns except in a catalogue, but found the holster on eBay for $10 and shipping cause it will not fit anything else.

Bottom is a 1909 32 WCF that has had the barrel replaced with a cut down vintage 1915 barrel, according to the serial number. It was part of a pair of 32 WCF I bought in Spokane, WA, at a gun show. Sadly there was no history of either one, just out of an estate.
 

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RicinYakima

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
RicinYakima said:
Jeff,

Only have two 3 inch revolvers. Top one is a S&W Model 60-10 about 20 years old with an updated front sight. Normally I only shoot light end 357 loads in it. The Geo. Lawrence holster from the early 1970's in more interesting; it is pig skin lined and made for the early blue Model 36 3 inch with adjustable sights. Never saw one of the guns except in a catalogue, but found the holster on eBay for $10 and shipping cause it will not fit anything else.

Bottom is a 1909 32 WCF that has had the barrel replaced with a cut down vintage 1915 barrel, according to the serial number. It was part of a pair of 32 WCF I bought in Spokane, WA, at a gun show. Sadly there was no history of either one, just out of an estate.

View attachment 37340
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3 inch S&W's b.jpg
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Jeff H said:
We called lanyards "dummy cords" in the Army.

Like the Scarlet Letter - a mark of shame to have one's weapon tied to their person.;)

I get it though and potential LOSS is not LOST on ME. This is likely one of the reasons I tend toward "cheaper" guns too, because I can own one plus a backup for the same or less money. I can enjoy the beauty of someone else's really nice gun for free and spend my money on multiples of something which someone could actually almost afford to lose/ruin, etc. A convoluted philosophy, no doubt, but it's not willful, it's just the way my mind seems to force its will upon my conscious self.

So, really, my teasing is more on me than on you. You're probably the more balanced and rational thinker in this case.

Now, if I were ever to LOSE one of my "cheap" guns - one I've gotten to know and get along with - I'd be heartbroken if I lost one. The practical and fiscal "logic" my mind foists upon me would have no bearing and I'd probably spend five times what the gun is worth to recover it. I know, I'm weird, but I gave up trying to be "normal" a long time ago.

I'm thinking more about the lanyard idea now too. I have lanyards on knives, firestarters, flashlights, match-cases, compasses,... and I never go out on boats, walk river banks or wade swamps any more, but still, it makes a lot of sense. No revolver I own would present a problem doing it on, as none of them are very collectible and I would have no qualms about drilling a hole in them.
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I getcha. The Bulldog or the Charter "Undercover" 22 I had here for a while are more like "shove it in the pocket of your barn coat and go" type guns. But if I lost one I'd spend the rest of my life trying to recover it!!!

Seems like every time I take one of my cheap, ratty guns out nothing ever happens to it. Take out one of the nicer ones and I end up wading through mud up to my ears and the gun gets filthier than I do. It's like a curse or something.
 
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