Recent content by David Bradshaw

KWJohnston.... Bill Ruger knew recoil of his original Blackhawk .44 Mag with aluminum Peacemaker-style grip frame was brutal. This lead to incorporation of a longer grip frame, cast in steel, for his Super Blackhawk. Both Super Blackhawk and his later Bisley grip frame handle recoil. I shoot...

***** The Freedom Arms Model 83 is Dick Casull’s .454 revolver as factory production. As you infer, to call the Casull revolver in .357 Mag “353” is bound to confuse. Why not assume it designates a different cartridge? I think of all Model permutations of Dick Casull’s revolver as Model 83. To...

***** Mus408.... the 10mm Auto at the height of its glory isn’t a .44 Magnum in its sleep. King Kong is not on the mind of most persons who go armed. The easiest way to compare the two cartridges----180 grain or othet bullet----may be to use them on deer. Having done so, without comparison in...

"But IF I were to load 6 on a New Model , I can't see a need to do more than shut the loading gate.” ----Biggfoot44 ***** Close gate and advance cylinder to engage cylinder latch. I suspect you include this touch, as all revolvers are meant to start the cocking stroke----double or single...

Bill Ruger’s transfer bar lockwork is a PASSIVE SAFETY system. The revolver is loaded & unloaded without touching hammer or trigger. Peacemaker lockwork requires manipulation of hammer & trigger to load & unload. The only safe carry is HAMMER DOWN on EMPTY CHAMBER. It is a manual safety...

***** Don’t normally lube magazines, but believe they must be kept clean. The great Ruger .22 auto much prefers a clean magazine for prom lifting of the next cartridge. Great as it is, the .22 Long Rifle is a dirty little bird. I’ve shot the MK II with excellent reliability down to 15 below...

“.... have a Sig P230 I carried for years and love it... just wish they came in 9mm...” ***** SIG/Sauer P230 is, as you know, a compact, straight blowback pistol in .380 Auto. Recoil of the 9mm is much too severe for straight blowback operation. Short recoil or delayed blowback soaks up...

Tyrone.... somewhere I have a photo of an unfired (proof fired, of course), Blackhawk .41 Mag with 6-1/2” barrel belonging to Bill Ruger, Jr. We were cleaning guns in his collection and I took a pictures of a few guns; not as many any self-respecting archivist would have. Obviously assembled...

***** Redhawker.... black powder produces much less energy the smokeless. Black powder is a low order explosive----very low order. Black powder can explode in open air, its decomposition from solid to gas rather instantaneous. Smokeless powder burns and is a propellant; it does not detonate...

"Regarding barrel for FA 454 Casull, did they changed steel later since noted forcing cone ring is omitted? As for IMR 4227, I tried using it behind 325 SWC-PB (I designed it with 2 grease grooves) in 45 Colt, Ruger Bisley. Managed to get on first try about 3"/25m. However, I think that noted...

Onty.... athank you for your kind words. Haven’t a compilation of articles. Freedom Arms offered the hardened forcing cone insert at my behest. I had eaten through a number of forcing cones on a number of revolvers. As you know, IHMSA silhouette witnessed aggressive consumption of magnum...

***** BARREL FACE EROSION----more often referred to as FORCING CONE EROSION, comes mainly from high pressure loads with slow powder. Smaller bores with a huge charge of slow powder have more time for the cutting torch affect to work, with a smaller area to heat. Some powders are worse than...

Doubt your aluminum front sight was made by Ruger. David Bradshaw

“....looking for a good .357 round to carry in my GP100 for bears. Black bears that is.” ***** Sounds as though the idea is self-defense. Riding mountain bike with granddaughter last week, she spots a black bear at about 70 yards, feeding fresh green grass. Corner of a small hayfield. The...

***** Hopefully, someone at Ruger will read your objection, along with others, and restore a straight cylinder. The taper may well encourage to revolver to fall out of the holster and, just as bad, direct SIDEBLAST back to the shooter’s face. By any measure the taper is ugly, and shall not be...