The S&W Bodyguard 38 is a new venture for Smith in their revolver product line.  No doubt it was influenced heavily by the Ruger LCR.  I guess what I find most interesting right now is that Smith seems to be a little behind on the development of new things.  The Bodyguard and the Governor are both following other manufactures ideas.  One might argue that it is better to be late if your product is better in quality, but I have not shot the Governor head to head with a Judge yet so I will let others make those observations.

One thing about the Bodyguard is that it is extremely lightweight.  At 14.3 oz it is not a gun you will want to shoot all day at the range.  However, it deserves a closer look because the design is unique in several areas.

One is that the cylinder release is ambidextrous.  It is positioned on the back of the frame making it easy for lefties.  The cylinder design is different as well.  In a traditional Smith the rotation is counterclockwise.  The Bodyguard has a  clockwise rotation without a traditional ratchet system on the cylinder.

While it may look like a J-frame, it is more of a hybrid.  Springs are different.  Takedown is completely different.

On the plus is side is the integrated laser with several functions.  Many people have really liked the way it is mounted to the right side plate.  Obviously lasers have their place.  Some don’t like them, but I find them very useful in several situations especially if eyesight is a problem.

While I like the Bodyguard, I don’t know if I’m ready to get rid of my J-frames just yet.  Only time will tell, but it appears with a new design things will go one of two ways:  1.They will become standard for the industry.  You will see more and more revolvers go to this type of configuration.  2.  The Bodyguard will end up like the Glock 36.  It will have a small but dedicated following.  I tend to think you will see option 2 take place.  Those who love it will be sold forever.  The mainstream will find it hard to get rid of the tried and true.

Last month I was customizing a PPC revolver for a customer when I discovered the mythical floating hand.  The gun was a 686-1 in .357 magnum.  It was the perfect candidate for a PPC gun.  If you are not familiar with PPC, they are competitions that were originally designed for Law Enforcement officers.  They are great tests of accuracy with the handgun.

In the initial bench tests of the 686-1 that was sent to me, I was encouraged that we had a good gun that could be tuned for PPC.  However, when I removed the side plate, I found something that I had heard about, but not seen; the floating hand.

This image from the S&W forums shows the differences in the two hand styles.

Smith introduced these in some of their models during the mid 1980′s.  The thought may have been to save time in assembly and fitting.  Thankfully the changes did not last.  Within about 3 years the original hands were back.

The biggest drawback to the floating hand for my purposes was that it did not allow for a consistent trigger pull.  It was simply too sloppy.  When trying to achieve a consistent pull you need things to be the same every time.  The problem of the floating hand was remedied by installing and fitting an oversize hand and the trigger pull was greatly improved.  While it is not detrimental to someone just plinking around, it would not have allowed me to achieve a desirable trigger pull.

There are many reasons to consider buying one of the Ruger single actions. They are rock solid, can handle higher loads, competitively priced, and with a little work can be turned into a fantastic shooter. One of the things that I like to add on all the Ruger single actions is the Power Custom Free Spin Pawl. This part allows the cylinder to move in either direction when the loading gate is open.

When the loading gate is closed the pawl functions just like a the factory part to lift the cylinder ratchets which turns the cylinder. When the gate is opened, the pawl is disengaged to allow the cylinder to rotate freely in either direction. This make loading the cylinder much easier because you don’t have to cycle through the cylinder completely if you miss a chamber.

Power Custom sells the Free Spin Pawl for $39.99. If you have ever been inside of your Ruger Single Action you can handle the installation. The part usually requires some fitting that can be done with a belt sander and trial fitting until it works. The downside to this process is that putting the gun back together several times can be an exercise in patience.

Power Custom sends directions with the Free Spin Pawl, but oddly enough the directions were printed so small you would need a magnifying glass to read them. A detailed description of this process is found in Jerry Kuhnhausen’s Ruger Single Action book, available from Brownells for $34.95. The pictures are well done, and the manual will help you with other projects you may want to take on with your Ruger.

We offer this service as part of our Ruger SA builds or individually on your gun.  If you have been considering an action job anyway, this is the perfect time to have both done while we are already inside the gun.

The door at Mossy Creek has been a revolving door of late.  It seems that more and more of you are sending in revolvers for trigger jobs and customizations  We finish them and send them out only to have more come into the shop.  There are the usual Ruger SP101′s, J-Frames and Ruger Blackhawks, and Taurus revolvers that keep rolling through.  As we got to thinking about this, it reminded us of how a business is started with certain plans and intents, but ultimately the work chooses you.

When I started MCC in 2005 I never thought about working on revolvers.  It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate them, I actually carried one as a backup/off-duty weapon.  I just never thought about modifying them.   After all the only people that have revolvers are old dudes, right?  Not at all.  I have found that there is a culture of revolver fans who appreciate the old wheel gun for what it is truly worth, but I simply wanted to help cops, 3 gun competitors and people who liked Glocks as much as I did.

In fact the revolver process started with a Glock.  A great customer from GA, called after he received his Glock from us to see if we could do something for a Ruger SP101.  He emailed everything  he wanted and asked us to give it a shot because he knew us and our reputation for turnaround time (still at about 2 weeks after the last 6 years).  I liked what he asked for and posted a few pictures.

This picture changed who we were and what we do today.  At that time, Glocks, Remingtons and AR-15′s dominated our books.  Today we probably spend 75% of our time on revolvers.  Who could have predicted that it would turn out that way?

I have thought about this a lot this fall and I have come to a few conclusions as to why this happened.  1.  Not many people advertise that they work on revolvers.  It seems it is a lost art.  Perhaps it is not slick enough.  2.  Every factory trigger job can be improved.  We recently received a Taurus for a trigger job that seemed to stack as the trigger was pulled.  After a few minutes the error was determined to be a burr that had been overlooked at the factory.  Polishing, tuning and custom springs had gun 100% better.  3.  There are tons of people who like us love revolvers.  My personal collection continues to grow.  Each one brings a new and exciting challenge.  4.  Faster turnaround than some of other gunsmiths.  Who wants to wait a year or even 3 months?

As we start our 7th year, we have to say we are grateful.  Gunsmithing provides an outlet for a passion.  It is so much fun to get to meet people from all over the country who share that passion.  Instantly there is a connection.  Thanks for being a part of what we do whether you are a customer or simply a reader.  For now we will continue to send those revolvers out the revolving door.

I am often asked my opinion on the best revolver available today.  Certainly we have in many ways seen the peak of the great revolvers in one sense because we have ushered in the semi-auto age.  However, in recent years many companies have begun to market new and improved revolvers.  Smith & Wesson has even begun selling blued revolvers again!!

With polymer choices, .410′s from Smith and Taurus, and the alloy guns made for concealed carry, it is certainly a cool time to be interested in revolvers.  The options are endless.  If you haven’t been shooting revolvers, I want to encourage you to get one and have a great time learning to shoot the old fashioned way.

Before the explanation, a word should be given about caliber.  The great caliber debate may never be settled.  I am not a ballistician.  I am a gunsmith.  To speak with authority on this issue would not be my place.  I will however offer two pieces of advice.  1.  Shoot something you can control in the small revolvers.  If you can’t shoot a box of .357 magnum without hurting, don’t do it.  I like the small revolvers chambered in .38 special.  2.  In larger revolvers, I like the .357 magnum.  It is adequate for all manner of applications.  Advice given.

To understand the which company produces the best revolvers we must look at what I believe is the deciding factor; cost.  Each company, Ruger, Smith, Taurus, Charter, has some fixed cost for materials.  Metal is metal.  It cost what it cost depending on the markets.  Machining is machining.  It cost what it cost.  Labor is not labor, and I don’t just mean foreign job wages or American job wages.

When you look at a Smith, Ruger, Charter, and Taurus revolver in .38 special a few things come out.  Smith and Ruger generally spend more making the revolver look better cosmetically.  Smith’s blueing is better than Taurus’ blueing to me.  It is more pleasing to the eye.  Taurus looks better than Charter.  But that is not where the quality is really at.

If you look inside the revolvers the Smiths and Rugers will be cleaner cut and finished.  In other words the work that goes into final fit and finish is noticeably different.  This is where money can be saved. Removing machine marks.  Polishing surfaces.  Making sure angles are true.

A good example:  Charter uses a cheaper spring system for their trigger return spring.  It takes less to do this, but it also makes it a gun that we simply won’t work on for trigger jobs.  There is nothing that can be done.  This doesn’t diminish there functional capacity for anyone who wants to buy one.  But you are not buying a Smith, Ruger or Taurus. In one way this should make total sense.  The person buying a $250 revolver probably doesn’t want to drop $100 on a trigger job.  No problem here.  Functionality wins.

If you are buying a revolver I would first look at the Smith and the Ruger.  Then would be a Taurus.  Certainly the Taurus Judge deserves a look.  They pioneered a great one with the Judge.

Deciding between Smith and Ruger is a matter of preference.  Smith makes the greatest small revolvers for concealed carry.  It is hard to beat a J-Frame.  I love them.  I also love the older Smith full sized revolvers.  Having said that, Ruger makes tanks.  The SP101 is my favorite small revolver because I can actually shoot it in 357 magnum comfortably at the range.  They build work horse revolvers that are hard to beat.

Confused?  Just tell the wife you need to buy one of each for testing and evaluation.  Works around here!

Humidity is crazy right now in Nashville.  It is making life “thick” for us.  I wanted to remind all of you to take care of your firearms, reloading equipment etc.  It is very easy to wipe a metal surface down with some light oil and it will go a long way towards keeping your gear good.

I say this to remind me as well, because I had a J-Frame I neglected about 4 years ago when we moved to Nashville, and it looks like cancer took it.  The gun is still serviceable, but it makes me sick to look at it.  It is the only gun that I have with a deformity.  I keep it because it is sentimental for LE days.  Cancer and all it is still special to me.

For many years Ruger produced a line of revolver that ended in 6: Speed 6, Security 6, Service 6.  They were the precursor to the GP100 and Sp101.

As usual with Ruger, they are rock solid.  In some ways, they are a little easier to get inside of than the modern revolvers.   They only drawback for custom work is that they do not use a coil spring for the trigger return spring.  This makes tuning the trigger a little harder, but replacement spring kits are available from Brownells.

A quick look at Gunbroker shows many of these guns available for a very reasonable price.  If you are looking for a ranch gun, home defense revolver, or simply want a full size revolver for plinking these fit the bill.   A watchful eye could probably find one or two for sale at the local gun show for a decent price right now.

By the way, the stainless models look great bead blasted! $100

Trigger Jobs-$100

This past week I delivered a Smith&Wesson 640 Pro series to a customer that had requested the Package for the gun.  The gun shown from the S&W website has dovetailed sights which may be a new feature as his did not have these.  We removed the front sight and put the Big Dot from XS in its place.

These guns come ready for moon clips which aids in faster loading, but they also still allow the gun to be fired traditionally.  They are heavier than the Airlites, but not so heavy that you wouldn’t like it.

These guns are great candidates for a work up for CCW.  When the trigger pull is smoothed and the old front sight ramp replaced they are great shooters.  With the Badger Grips installed full house .357 magnum was no problem.  If you are a Smith&Wesson fan, you might want to give these a look.

One of our customers asked us to clear up a few terms used for modifications on revolvers.

Crowning the barrel-the crown of your barrel is beveled edge at the muzzle end of the barrel.  Most are cut to 11 degrees.  You would need your crown recut if you had dings in the beveled edge.  The crown plays a large role in accuracy.  Most of the time the crown is fine.

Chamfering the cylinder-Chamfering the cylinder is when you break the edge of each of the chambers on the cylinder.  The chambers are then polished to remove all cutting marks.  This aids in smoother reloads.

Moon Clips-Many revolver shooters prefer moon clips for their guns.  Moon clips aid in the reloading time of the revolver.  If you have ever seen Jerry Miculek shoot you know what I mean.  He uses them.

Moon clips are useful, but they will not allow you to shoot the revolver traditionally anymore.  The extractor will not work.  Unless. . . you have the mod done like S&W is doing with the Pro series of revolvers.  Then you can use either.

I recently had the opportunity to put a Big Dot on a S&W J-Frame.  Same sight as the Ruger SP101, and same process for installation.  Your gun is a candidate if it is a newer J-Frame with the pinned front sight, otherwise the gun would have to milled to accept it, and blued refinished.  Probably not feasible if you don’t have the pinned sight.

At 25 yards it was no trouble for me to hit pie plates at our local range.  The sight sits very well on the gun and makes it point more naturally for me.  I always feel like I am dipping the barrel down to align the sights on revolvers.  With the Big Dot I just put the sight centered in the notch and put the Big Dot on the target.

This is a great improvement for smaller S&W that don’t offer much in the way of a sight picture.  If you can improve your accuracy with your daily carry gun, you have given yourself one more advantage.  Especially with the smaller revolvers which are much more difficult to shoot accurately.  Sight installed is $100.