Recent content by straightshooterjake

The older Gold Cup models have several differences from the standard 1911 pattern. The Gold Cup triggers are wider, so the channel in the frame for the trigger has special Gold Cup dimensions. There are very few aftermarket triggers available for the Gold Cup. The barrel shroud is also...

At first I thought the takedown feature does not make much sense on a short barrelled pistol, but after further thought, I realized that the takedown feature adds interesting modularity. So even though taking down the pistol might not be that useful, switching components will be very easy. For...

I own a series 80 Colt Gold cup, and I am not planning to fully disassemble it anytime soon. There are a bunch of differences between a Gold Cup and a standard 1911, and one of the differences is a tiny part called the "sear depressor," and an even smaller "sear depressor spring." The sear...

I shoot at a private club, and their outdoor range, which has card key access, is about the only recreational facility which I am expecting to remain open through these difficult times. All the indoor facilities at the club are closed until further notice, but the outdoor range has enough room...

Count me as another fan of Aguila. I don't love the distinctive smell of their ammo, but it is acceptable. But what really matters is the quality, cost, and overall value, and in all of these areas they do quite well. I have had better luck with Aguila than with any of the cheaper bulk packed...

The strain screw is not an adjustment. The screw should be firmly tightened. If you want less tension on the mainspring, I would recommend buying a new screw, shortening it as needed, and then keeping it firmly tightened. If you want to keep the screw loosened, but held in place with...

There are at least two or three small shops making plugs, and I believe the designs vary a bit. I have not tried any of them, but I probably will at some point. One thing I do know is that all of the plugs are favored by people who want to avoid problems with the lock. I am sure google can...

If i wanted to do anything with the flag or the lock, I would get one of the plugs that fills the lock hole. The presence of a plug makes it very clear that the lock has been disabled. The plug also looks better, but in this case, that is not the important part. As silly as it sounds, the...

I have never seen any locking compound on the strain screw of a factory stock S&W revolver. I have also never seen any indication that the factory uses red locktite at all. Red locktite creates a near permanent bond that can only be broken with heat. The yoke screws on recent production...

A hard chromed 686 sounds very cool. Even though I respect the toughness of Rugers, I prefer a Smith for my own use. I expect a chromed 686 will serve you well. I do want to comment on the above quote though. In order to get department contracts, companies need to compete vigorously on...

@460Shooter said pretty much what I was thinking. The other posts about maintenance also have many good suggestions, but I am wondering whether some modifications to your carry arrangement might give the pistol a lot more protection. One thing I often think about is how holsters are...

If you want to do the work yourself, I wrote a long article on the subject on my blog. The article is here: Improving the trigger on Smith & Wesson Revolvers I should also note that while I enjoy working on revolvers, I am not exactly in the "you should do it yourself crowd." What i would...

This is a very important point. Most people never think of this. But as a lefty who has been present during a couple of serious firearms failures, this issue is always in the back of my mind when shooting right handed long guns.

This, I would guess, is the reason there are not more left handed bolt action rifles. Being a lefty has taught me that what I really want is things that are ambidextrous, or at least ambi enough. They don't need to be fully ambi, but they need to be close enough that none of the operations are...

My favorite of the LadySmith S&W guns is the model 65 revolver. The model 65 is a fixed sight K-frame .357 magnum. The LadySmith version has a 3" barrel, round butt, and a shroud under the barrel which covers the ejector rod. As far as I know, the LadySmith revolvers are the only model 65...