bigmedicine
Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2006
- Messages
- 46
Greetings all,
Well, in early summer of last year, I finally had to satisfy my itch to get one of the new Puma 92's in .454 Casull. I had read most every post I could find, and was satisfied that the platform was sound and that it was the way to go. For me, the flexibility of the .45 Colt/.454 Casull combo was too good to pass up.
When I got my rifle, I was happy with what I received. Good (but not great) wood, good bluing, and a very sound gun. The action was very tight and about as far from smooth as you could get. I let my Dad shoot the gun and after he cycled it, he refered to it as "brushing your teeth with sand." Ouch! Finally, the sights were exactly as had been described - poor. Note - I am not attempting to bash the Puma, only to confirm that some of the items still have not been improved.
After some thought, I went ahead and sent my rifle down to Steve Young. He was very patient and helpful when describing what he suggested for the different complaints I had about the rifle. Although he is advertised as a CAS specialist, he was tremendous in making suggestions for my rifle that will primarily be used as a deer rifle. I went ahead with the following: Action Job, Williams FP rear sight, Marbles fiber optic front sight, metal cap on mag tube follower, remove that horrific safety on the bolt, bed stocks, and put on some sling swivels (prices as listed on his website www.stevesgunz.com). When I got the rifle back, I had already procured a Merit replacement aperture - one that is adjustable from nearly a ghost ring down to the smallest possible. I had used this on my receiver sight for my 9422 and loved it.
When I hit the range, the first thing I noted is the complete lack of effort and/or thought I had to give the action. It is absolutely perfect. Slick without any notion of sloppiness. I am thrilled! Seond, the trigger is now actually breaks rather than goes through a breaking "process" - previously, there was much creep and grittiness. It is now wonderful. The receiver sight/front sight combo is really handy and easy to use. I have not shot in low-light settings yet, but at the range and even in my basement, the thing just lights up. Not having the bolt safety is a definite plus and the sling swivels will be great when I am needing to sling the gun. As far as bedding the stocks - that is something I can't really evaluate. It is one of those things that I hope I never notice - if that is the case, then it worked!
Shooting the gun is easy. I have had the chance to shoot everthing from mild to toasty in both .45 Colt to .454 Casull rounds and the thing really shoots well. Not a benchrest rifle by any stretch, but when you can shoot right at an honest inch at 50 yards, I am very happy. Recoil is obviously evident, but compared to shooting a slug gun it is an improvement.
Anyway, if anyone is out there wanting to improve their Puma, give Steve Young some thought. He is a real gentleman and a true craftsman. The upgrades and improvements were worth every penny to me. Now if I can overcome the challenge of keeping this thing away from my boys, I will have an easy to carry rifle that will positively drill any deer I can see from my stand. I can't wait for this next season!
Good luck with your Puma - the Winchester 92 design really is great!
Well, in early summer of last year, I finally had to satisfy my itch to get one of the new Puma 92's in .454 Casull. I had read most every post I could find, and was satisfied that the platform was sound and that it was the way to go. For me, the flexibility of the .45 Colt/.454 Casull combo was too good to pass up.
When I got my rifle, I was happy with what I received. Good (but not great) wood, good bluing, and a very sound gun. The action was very tight and about as far from smooth as you could get. I let my Dad shoot the gun and after he cycled it, he refered to it as "brushing your teeth with sand." Ouch! Finally, the sights were exactly as had been described - poor. Note - I am not attempting to bash the Puma, only to confirm that some of the items still have not been improved.
After some thought, I went ahead and sent my rifle down to Steve Young. He was very patient and helpful when describing what he suggested for the different complaints I had about the rifle. Although he is advertised as a CAS specialist, he was tremendous in making suggestions for my rifle that will primarily be used as a deer rifle. I went ahead with the following: Action Job, Williams FP rear sight, Marbles fiber optic front sight, metal cap on mag tube follower, remove that horrific safety on the bolt, bed stocks, and put on some sling swivels (prices as listed on his website www.stevesgunz.com). When I got the rifle back, I had already procured a Merit replacement aperture - one that is adjustable from nearly a ghost ring down to the smallest possible. I had used this on my receiver sight for my 9422 and loved it.
When I hit the range, the first thing I noted is the complete lack of effort and/or thought I had to give the action. It is absolutely perfect. Slick without any notion of sloppiness. I am thrilled! Seond, the trigger is now actually breaks rather than goes through a breaking "process" - previously, there was much creep and grittiness. It is now wonderful. The receiver sight/front sight combo is really handy and easy to use. I have not shot in low-light settings yet, but at the range and even in my basement, the thing just lights up. Not having the bolt safety is a definite plus and the sling swivels will be great when I am needing to sling the gun. As far as bedding the stocks - that is something I can't really evaluate. It is one of those things that I hope I never notice - if that is the case, then it worked!
Shooting the gun is easy. I have had the chance to shoot everthing from mild to toasty in both .45 Colt to .454 Casull rounds and the thing really shoots well. Not a benchrest rifle by any stretch, but when you can shoot right at an honest inch at 50 yards, I am very happy. Recoil is obviously evident, but compared to shooting a slug gun it is an improvement.
Anyway, if anyone is out there wanting to improve their Puma, give Steve Young some thought. He is a real gentleman and a true craftsman. The upgrades and improvements were worth every penny to me. Now if I can overcome the challenge of keeping this thing away from my boys, I will have an easy to carry rifle that will positively drill any deer I can see from my stand. I can't wait for this next season!
Good luck with your Puma - the Winchester 92 design really is great!
