Monday Gun Porn!!!

You thought I forgot, didn't you?

Take a look at my two absolute favorite .44 Special snubbies...one very retro; the other pretty high tech. The pretty blue gun is a Cimarron Arms Thunderer, a gun that didn'te really exist in the Old West, but as the ad says, should have!

Essentially, it's a Single Action Army top in .44 Special mated to a grip reminescent of the original Colt Thunderer double-action, the big fat .41 version of the ill-fated Colt Lightning, or, as Colt cleverly called it, “New Double Action Self-Cocking Central Fire Six Shot Revolver.” John Wesley Hardin was a big fan of both the Lightning and the Thunderer; legend says William Bonney was also a devotee of the clunky Colts. Lightnings, with their Rube Goldberg double-action broke with amazing regularity. My grandfather, Morgan Bickers, pulled his Lightning when his Memphis drugstore was getting robbed. It jammed, and he threw the gun at the would-be robber, hitting him on the forehead, knocking a chip out of said forehead and the hard rubber grips of the Colt. Years later, my grandfather would tell me the best piece of advice I ever received regarding guns:

"Son, don't own no damned old gun that won't go bang when you pull the friggin' trigger!"

Them's words to live by, even today!

I wanted what amounted to a cowboy snubbie for those times I'm in cowboy drag with Tequila, and Mike Harvey at Cimarron had the perfect ticket. The 3 1/2 inch barrel still sports an ejector rod, unlike the more typical "Sheriff's Model" short-barreled S.A.A. like this EMF copy. I like the idea of an ejector rod, since my fingernails are already bitten short.

This little beast does bark, but it'll do a single hole group at 7 yards with WW Cowboy loads. Bob Mernickle is making me a crossdraw holster for concealed cowboy carry!

For those less formal occasions, my NUMBAH ONE FAVORITE SNUBBY OF ALL TIME, the titanium-framed S&W 296 44 Special. Yes, it look mutated! But it doesn't weight anything (and, yes, it kicks FIERCELY, but much less so than an ultralight .357 snub), carries easily in a BIG pocket and is fitted (as are all my carry guns) with Crimson Trace laser grips. This is my trail gun; it's been schlepped all over the west, usually in a pocket or in a Survival Sheath System chest holster that conceals under a fleece vest and holds the gun just below by breastbone for a right-hand draw.

These little monsters have been discontinued for a while, and there's a whole subculture of S&W fans stalking the remaining examples. Still, it's the ne plus ultra of big bore snubbies!

Coming up, I've got a new Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special on order. We all have Bulldog stories. I have on occasion been less than kind to some older examples, but I'm pretty excited about the new ones from MKS Supply. I'll have a full report when it trickles in. I've also ordered one of the superb Bond Derringers in .44 Special. These are Really Cool Guns (and 'way big for derringers), and I couldn't resist adding one to the .44 Special collection. Tequila has won a world championship shooting one of the Bonds, and they're like tanks. The best thing about 'em is they're NOT TACTICAL! Also, Greg Bond is a great guy. Again, a report when it arrives...