Saturday, April 02, 2016

Who Knew? There Actually ARE Limits!

From The People's Cube:

San Francisco Furry Parade denied permit: 'too weird' 
San Francisco, CA - San Francisco is the City of Love for some, but it had little love for the Furries when they asked for a parade permit. Not only did the authorities deny permit, they told the furries that they were demented and should never visit the city again. It came as a surprise to all of us that they would respond with so much hostility to something so progressive. 
Currently, San Francisco city are sued by FENEC Adventures, Anthrocon Inc, and Anthropomorphic Arts and Education, Inc. for civil rights violations.

Mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee, explained: "We have our limits. It applies to people who think they are animals and engage in bestiality. These people are freaks and should be dealt with accordingly. If I had the power, I would put them in the nuthouse. San Francisco is going through some wild times already; we don't want to make it way too wild. There's plenty of existing diverse groups they can join instead of creating yet another freak show.”
 
One area resident opined, "We already have weird gay orgies at Folsom Street Fair with people dressed up as animals and acting like animals. How is this any different?”
Of course, it was an April Fool joke, as Furries are an important and respected part of the pantheon of progressives, unless of they're rubbing up against you and they're all icky-sticky like. But who am I to judge? They're certainly not nearly as weird as Chelsea Clinton.


Oddly, I was driving to Boulder one day a few months ago and right in the middle of some ranch land, where I expect to see the resident flock of wild turkeys, a group of Furries were having what appeared to be a tea party. It was very Alice Through the Looking Glass, not something one sees on the fringes of Cowboy World. Of course, Furries may actually be a political party in Boulder, whereas a few miles north in Wyoming they'd be a food source.

I considered stopping, since I am nothing if not the soul of diversity and I figured your average Furry could make a wicked pot of tea. But, upon reflection, I decided to check my privilege and roll on.

I expect more of this sort of thing as American continues circling the Great Drain of History, life being a cabaret, ole chum, and all that. 

Talked to Hamilton Bowen yesterday ("talk" being a euphemism for "email"). He's got one of my 2 1/2 inch .44 Magnum Redhawks he'd been doing a little housecleaning on. One of the hold-ups has been while he searched for a manufacturer for extra-long firing pins for Redhawks. A typical issue with the ingenious single spring system that operates for both the hammer and trigger (unlike the Super Redhawk, which went back to the more traditional mainspring/trigger spring system) which makes tuning the gun problematical. Sometimes reduced power springs work perfectly; sometimes they introduce the occasional light strike, which is not good for a gun designed as back-up for dangerous game…really really needs to go bang when you need it to go bang.


Hamilton's solution  [Ruger Redhawk Ignition Problems] was to install a longer firing pin and, paradoxically, a heavier spring.

For all of its utility, however, the Redhawk has a Achilles heel in the form of weak ignition due to its unique main/trigger spring arrangement, firing pins and the transfer bar safety system. It is not unknown for box-stock, brand new guns to suffer from weak ignition in certain circumstances, even with factory ammunition. For a gun that is often carried afield as not only a primary hunting weapon but a back-up gun, this is a serious shortcoming and must be addressed. 
The dual-action spring system, while ingenious, is often part of the problem since, to reduce felt single-action pull weights, owners have employed reduced-pressure mainsprings instead of tuning the sear surfaces for improved trigger action and weight. Using any sort of reduced mainspring in a standard Redhawk is inviting trouble. The Super Redhawk, on the other hand, has a separate trigger return spring which can be changed for a reduced-pressure part without jeopardizing actual ignition power through the hammer. For this reason, the Super Redhawks are viewed as more dependable and easier to tune. Properly handled, standard Redhawks will still tune very well but one should be mindful of the potential for ignition trouble and be especially careful.

There are several interrelated considerations. The usual industry standard (if there is indeed such a thing) for firing pin protrusion is around .050--.055. Few Redhawks will achieve this unless the transfer bar clearance in the hammer is minimized which will help. Even then, many simply don't have adequate protrusion Long firing pins will usually make up the difference and give guns dependable ignition. In rare instances, even this is not enough, no matter how close to minimum is set cylinder endfloat and headspace or how late the DA cycling drops the hammer. More spring tension is necessary. Bowen Classic Arms produces both 30# and 40# springs to replace the factory 20# part. While these springs rates may seem high, due to the compounding of leverage in the Redhawk action, this is necessary to achieve appreciable increases in hammer velocity. Even with the 40# spring, neither the single nor double-action modes will increase in weight a great deal and will be well within acceptable limits for field use. Some reduction in SA pull weight is possible with simple sear tuning typical of most proper tune-ups.
Eventually, all my Redhawks will be "Bowen-ized," just to be sure.

You guys know that I'm a fan of Redhawks, because all-in-all they're the "blunt trauma" of the revolver world. They lack the grace and the superb trigger pulls of my Smith and Wesson .44s, or the packability of single actions. But they have the singular appeal of a sledge hammer, the tool that works when all others fail. I have more rounds through my 4-inch .44 Magnum Redhawk than the snub, and I've just started shooting the .45 Colt/.45 ACP moon clip version.

I've always thought that if you were traveling in troubled times, there was a 2-handgun solution if you chose not to carry a rifle (I think I wrote about this 4 or 5 years ago). The first gun would be your EDC piece and  EDC holster. Second gun would be something like a .357, .44 Magnum or .45 Colt revolver with a vertical shoulder holster. If you had to kit up, your EDC would be on your strong side and the big boomer under your left shoulder. Make sure you have a backpack for essentials and extra ammo, a heavy duty "tactical" belt and a set of suspenders (Kyle Lamb's are excellent).

I thought abut this for the simple reason that if we have had a loss of civility sufficient for you to carry an rifle openly, the Schumer has seriously hit the fan, and possibly you should have considered driving, maybe a Bearcat loaded with gear and Mike Seeklander. The advantage of the 2 handgun system is that you can stay reasonably "gray," especially if you avoid the "Choice of Operators Everywhere" backpacks. There's plenty of choices these days.

My personal gun choices would be a G19 and a Redhawk .44. The backpack would include spare mags for the Glock (either the factory 33s or the Magpuls) and a box, maybe 2, of .44 Magnums, half 240-gr JHP, half Garrett dinosaur killers. The advantage of the Garretts is they'll penetrate…probably tank armor. Gives me firepower or longer range, more heavily penetrating options.

Thinking out loud…


17 comments:

  1. Does the new 45 Long Colt/45 ACP have the better long fireing pin?

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  2. Does the new 45 Long Colt/45 ACP have the better long fireing pin?

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  3. Anonymous6:59 AM

    Funny you mentioned the "operator of choice" backpack. While hydration plus storage backpacks have evolved into quite usefull things, many of them now look as if they belong on the battlefield.

    I have a ten year old Camelbak in bright civilian colors that has room for a ton of stuff inside and outside the pack. It screams "innocent day hiker" which makes it perfect for flying under the radar.

    I did surf on over to Camelbak this morning and noticed that they have been bitten by the operator bug. Many of their packs now come in square configurations, subtle colors, and with molle setups.

    My advice for those of you who don't want to be seen in an urban environment is to look like everybody else. My orange and tan Camelbak doesn't elicit any stares. But if I had a square black or camo Camelbak with molle straps.....that says GI Joe has some curious stuff in there.





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  4. Walt…nope, my understanding is the .45 Colt/.45ACP Redhawk shares the same parts as other Redhawks. I will note for the record that my test piece has NEVER had a light strike, including with .45 ACP in moon clips. It has been my experience that if a .45 ACP revolver is going to have light strike issues, it will happen with moon clips. My assumption is that if the moon clip is slightly bent, coupled with a lightened mainspring "trigger job," you'll get the occasional light strike. Sometimes, you get the opposite, a gun that will only work with moon clips.I have a cut down 1917 S&W that came my way through the local gun store. The owner, a friend of mine, took the 1917 snub in trade because, "I figured I'd call you and you'd buy it."

    He was of course right….that's exactly the sort of thing that's irresistible to me. Upon closer examination, it was obvious that someone had spent a lot of money on the gun. The snub conversion was perfect, even to the point of the barrel being roll-marked S&W .45 ACP centered on the new short barrel; action was excellent, the butt had been professionally rounded to the exact specs of round butt S&Ws and fitted with a set of custom Bear Paw grips numbered to the gun. I know the specs for the rounding were perfect because I was able to take the grips off and perfectly fit them to current round-butt N-Frame (a Model 24 .44 Special). It ran like a top, but would not fire .45 Auto Rim cartridges. I had Alpha Precision re-sping the gun to run with anything, since my SOP on .45 ACP revolvers was to carry the first cylinder full of heavy bullet Auto Rims
    and do ACPs in moon clips on the reloads. BTW, somewhere out there is a heavily customized S&W M25 ACP snub, built decades ago as a gift to my father. Through a series of miscommunications, my name, not my father's, was engraved on the barrel inlaid in gold. He loved the gun and always said it meant something special to him. It wasn't special enough, however, and I lost sight of it after his death. If any of you run across it, I'll buy it back, no questions asked.

    My experience with the convertible Redhawk is 100%, both with .45 ACP and .45 Colt. I always have a lot of .45 ACP, factory and reloads, around. In .45 Colt, I've shot powderpuff cowboy loads,self-defense loads and REDHAWK ONLY loads from Garrett with no problems. Still, I would like to have Hamilton go through it…he knows more about Redhawks than just about anyone else in the world. The .45 Colt/.44 Magnum is on the same chassis as the magnum versions of the gun, which is why REDHAWK/BLACKHAWK loads only. Interestingly enough, the first "super-magnum" handgun rounds I ever fired was out shooting heavy bullet blazing hot .45 Cols with Hank Williams Jr. through a Seville ".454 Magnum" and Hank's custom Blackhawk. The next year I saw Hank knock down a big moose in Montana with that Blackhawk and load at 90 yards (my pacing).

    The coolest thing about the Redhawk convertible it that is one of the few guns hat will double as a self-defense (in .45 ACP or Colt .45 defensive rounds) and a serious hunting revolver with the heavier loads. If you recall, I shot the GUNSITE 250 class with a 4-inch Redhawk .44 Magnum (using 950 fps 240-gr lead loads, if I remember correctly) out of a Blade-Tech holster and it was a GREAT experience, like shooting a laser beam. As a backcountry gun, it is superb. For hiking, consider a chest holster!

    mb

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  5. Anonymous1:43 PM

    Oh great! Now it's confirmed. I could actually be suffering from "inadequate protrusion" too! That's becoming the story of my life. ; )

    Well Michael, Since you're sort of the "de facto" mind-link between Ruger and us, what says Ruger about this condition?

    Since I too use my Redhawks as my "go-to" revolvers, do I have to worry? Should I "pop" for a heavier spring too? Sounds like I should be. I wonder if our friends over at Wolff have them.

    Help us "Oh-Banie-wahn".

    Life Member

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  6. Anonymous2:07 PM

    Here's the answer to my question "I wonder if our friends over at Wolff have them.":

    https://www.gunsprings.com/RUGER/REDHAWK/cID3/mID52/dID231

    - "Hammer Springs (Mainsprings), Extra Power.....None Available"

    Life Member

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  7. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I am hard on my guns…if you're Redhawk is 1005, DON;T WORRY ABOUT IT.

    MB

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  8. 100%, not 1005…although if it's 1005, that's cool…

    mb

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  9. Anonymous9:21 AM

    After the detailed description of the Redhawk "problem"(By Hamilton Bowen?), I still can't help but ask: At what point does it become broken? When that angry black bear is about to take a swipe at me in my Michigan woods? When that elusive pitbull-mix shows-up again in my woods? When I'm about to take out the aluminum block in the home-raider's get-away car?

    I use my Redhawks a lot too. I shoot full-power loads, liking the 320 gr. Hornadys for punching whitetails out of trees here. I just plain like to "show-off" with my 5 1/2"-er too.

    Oh woe is me. More sleepless nights. ; )

    Life Member

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  10. Let's step through this a different way…if you Redhawk is working just fine, don't worry about it. I have friends who have lowered the spring weight on Redhawks and not had the slightest problem. I have also seen the opposite happen.

    I think of the extended firing pin on Redhawks the same way I think of shock absorbers/springs on my trusty Honda Element. My 4WD Element, which I purchased new in 2004, needs new shocks/springs…not surprisingly since I've lived on a dirt road the entire time I've owned the car. It is a work truck…I use it for hauling steel targets, gardening supplies, bicycle and, once a week, garbage to the dump.

    It is not my pride and joy; it is not a collector's item; it is a valuable tool for where I live. As it happens, it's going in the shop this week, not for shocks/springs, but for other suspension work. As long as they have it up on the rack, I'll have the shocks replaced — no sense letting new suspension parts get beaten to death.

    But I have a choice…I can replace the shocks/springs with standard Honda replacement stuff (which, to be fair, have worked admirably for 150,000+ miles), or for a few dollars more I can go with a heavier duty set-up designed for heavier load carrying and towing. Since it's going in the shop anyway, it makes sense to me to beef it up now, save a trip to the shop to specifically do that work and maybe head off additional problems down the road.

    Ditto with the 2 1/2-inch Redhawk. I gave it to Hamilton to "clean it up," e.g. not necessarily lighten the trigger pull but take out all the roughness from an out-of-the-box gun. I also wanted to change the sights and specifically regulate them for the Garrett 310-gr "Defender" load. Oh, and since you'll have the gun apart, replace it with the longer firing pin.

    All guns, just like all cars, break. If you're looking at a long term prospect, it makes sense that if you're going to replace a part, and a better part exists for a few dollars more, use the better part if its within your budget. If you're building your dream 1911, or a 1911 you plan to carry to protect your life, do you order your small parts — thumb safety, hammer, slide release, extractor, etc. — from Bob's Discount 1911 Parts in SHOTGUN NEWS (or whatever it's called these days) or do you choose Wilson Combat Bullet-Proof parts?

    mb

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  11. Anonymous4:35 PM

    Michael,
    Thanks for your thoughtful follow-up on my light-hearted, but serious questions.

    I'm with you on your rationale in this last post, but I just can't help but ask, and I'm not tryin' to be a smart-ass, but is Hamilton's assessment then "much ado about nothing"? He also has my respect, although I have not used his products, as I have used yours. In any case, I may be taking his assessment of the Redhawk triggers idiosyncrasies too seriously then.

    Thanks again, for your loyalty to all of us out here.

    Life Member

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  12. Anonymous10:53 PM

    I love it. Already have a vertical shoulder holster for my 5" S&W 629. Either a Glock 26 or 34 on the right hip. Good combo and with a bulky vest, discreet. Though it will look like you have a left breast...

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  13. Thanks for the post, people who are really concerned about their safety and security may take help from the Firearms training classes to have guns for their safety and security . This can help you in making things safer and secure for yourself and your loved ones.
    Regards:
    MA Gun License

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  14. NJ Larry7:34 PM

    "I expect more of this sort of thing as American continues circling the Great Drain of History, life being a cabaret, ole chum, and all that."

    I can't agree with you more. Tonight I read that Mississippi passed Constitutional Carry. My thought? Yes its great BUT ... this country is undergoing a great fracturing. Where it has reached the point that rather than America being an attractive force bringing people together it now has repelling forces that are pushing folks into various and sundry insulated communities. CC and gun rights is just one force working to split up America. You are either for it or agin it. Religious rights. Abortion rights. Social justice. Income redistribution. La Raza. Transgender rights. Aggressive CHALKENING (yeah look it up, its a new phenom on college campuses) Federal govt control. Hell, reparations... A zillion issues where you have to choose.

    I tell my kids, ALL four of my grandparents came here with NOTHING. They all came within a few years of 1900 in the great European migration. They learned English. They learned the culture. They got jobs and worked their asses off. They raised families. In 40 years all the children were fighting Nazis and Japs for survival. The grandchildren 60 years later had the life of Reilly. Solid middle class and all the opportunity anyone could ask for. What I see for my kids now ... well, I am scared.

    While I would rather spend time on gun springs and scopes and twist rates I am forced a dozen times a day to realize my America is gone. And I don't really know what comes next.

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  15. Anon, you're right in the sense that Hamilton (and John Linebaugh and Billy Wilson and all the top-end 'smiths) are involved in very fine-slicing. As am I, honestly. One of the things we try to do with SHOOTING GALLERY and THE BEST DEFENSE is get past my specific "quirks." I own and shoot very high-zoot guns…I have been doing this a long time, and if I can make a connection between my career as a music "critic" and as a gun guy, the problem with people like me is that the more we do what we do, that is, listening to vast amounts of music or shooting lots of different guns, the more "specific" we become in what we like. I'm a really HUGE fan of music from the mid-1950s recorded at the old Sun Studios in Memphis with either "Mr. Sam," Sam Phillips or "Cowboy" Jack Clement on the board. I LOVE that music! But that is an example of fine-slicing. To be realistic, the only thing I can honestly say about that music is that I like it. As I've said before, I would pay money to see Taylor Swift shoved into a wood chipper or beaten to death by Tanya Tucker with an empty Jim Beam bottle. Clearly, a lot of people don't agree with me.

    My high-end guns are fine-sliced…that is, built to my very specific demands, based on my years of shooting. I KNOW what I like, and I know how to explain that to the 'smiths who build my guns. Lately, as you know, I've been obsessed with RDS G19s…I can probably assemble one in my sleep. I still don't have my "ideal" RDS G19 like I want it. I have talked to experts at Glock and top Glock 'smiths…I'm getting there. My goal, aside from having the gun like I want it, is that you guys will get to learn from my experience and use what you want from the things I tried. The truth is I can reach pretty much anyone in the industry for a chat about very finely-sliced points. (And my Sweetie, who shoots 3-Gun, has noted that many of those conversations are painfully dull!!! LOL!). But I don't want to spew bullshit out to you guys. Better to test it on my own guns than add to the endless mass of crap on the Internet.

    Hope I can give you some useful information!

    mb


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  16. NJ Larry…listen to tomorrow's podcast…

    mb

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  17. Anonymous7:21 AM

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