towtruck

I size the same way. I use fired cases and bump back accordingly.

Scarce around my area. If they do have them in stock they will only sell by the hundred or the prices are stupid.

The wife and I picked up a new 4.25" Python a few weeks ago and today I had a minute to take it out and look it over some more. Incredible gun. Fit and finish, lock up, looks...all spot on. The gun has good weight to it and should make it a great shooter. But..... I have never been a fan of full underlugs on any barrel over three inches. Too much forward weight "feel" for my liking. This gun has that full underlug. Add in the vent rib and there is some weight out front to tame recoil. The grips are beautiful in style and finish. They feel good in the hand except for the back strap area where they have a squared off flat ridge on both sides. This ridge is felt in the hand and does not feel natural. Otherwise I love the grips. While in the safe I picked up my old trusty 1957 Ruger Blackhawk 357 with 6" barrel. This is a well worn, finely custom tuned piece of firearm history that just feels right in my hand. Nice balance, nice feel to the grip, not forward heavy, and just a workhorse with the best custom trigger job I own. Once I shoot the Python my preference may change but right now that old workhorse has got to be the best handgun I own, hands down. It shoots perfectly, rolls in the hand and soaks up all the recoil, and is just "right" for me. I was actually looking for a SAA when I decided to get the Python as it was in stock. I really need to get my hands on a SAA and just see how they feel in my hand. I want to see if one of those feels like my old Ruger. If I could only keep one of my handguns that Blackhawk would be it, without hesitation. I need to go out and shoot the Python when the weather gets good enough to hit the range and really get to know the gun. I have loads from mild to wild I want to shoot in it to see how it compares and what it likes. I expect it to be a very accurate firearm and expect to love the way it shoots. But, can it top that old single action beast that has won my heart for so long?

Proof of existence....Got it Tuesday and have not had time to even look at it until today. Really have not messed with it at all. I did pull the trigger a bit and while it is very smooth with no over travel it is a bit too heavy for my liking. Don't get me wrong, it's nice but I did expect a lighter single action pull than it has. Double action pull feels about the same weight as single action....not bad for double action pull. The fitment of all the seams and joints is the best I have ever seen on a firearm. The side plate seams are almost invisible. The front of the crane to the frame seam is tight and even. Cylinder lock up with trigger held back is solid as a rock on all six holes. I have high hopes this gun will be a great shooter.

That chart shows me at a medium…… I can’t get my hand in most gloves unless they are a large to xtra large. The sizing must be different than most. you have seen the custom grips on my revolvers ( big as a log). i wear a mechanics glove at work that fits pretty good but I have never tried shooting with them….. seems foreign.

I have a hard time finding gloves that fit. I have large skinny hands and most all gloves don’t work well for shooting. I can see a benefit if you get a pair that fits right.

Once I am caught up on remodeling and horse projects I am going to have a mountain of ammo to reload. Lots of 38, 357, and 45 piling up waiting for the handle puller to get freed up. With the new revolver coming that is going to eat up more ammo.......I am in much need of some recoil therapy!

Never owned one but did shoot one twice. First time shooting one I hated it. Was handling other guns that day and hated the grip angle. Second time shouting one it was the only gun I shot that day and the grip angle did not bother me. Plus I shot it very very well. I don’t own anyTupperware guns but if you’re interested I say go for it.

Must. not. resist.....

.......the wife walked out a new owner of a Colt Python! This feed store is near my house and I had never realized they sold guns. Up high on the wall was a Python. I struck up a conversation about not knowing they sold guns and the owner was telling me who his clientele was and why he had the guns he had in the store. The Python was an odd man out in mostly lower end to mid range guns. All the revolvers he had were the cheap Heritage guns. His semi auto's were mid range and lots of colored one's for the ladies. These are the guns he sells most. I asked if he had any SAA's and he said no, as nobody buys that type of gun. I pointed to the Python and asked "then how did that get here?"......he told me his rep called him, when three guys were in the store looking at guns, and wanted to sell him the Python. The store owner asked the three guys if any of them wanted a Python and one said "yes". When the gun arrived and it became time to buy it the guy backed out so there it sat on the wall. The wife and I leave the store and made it about 200 yards away when she asked me about the Colt. I told her I had been wanting to buy a new gun and told her how nice it would be for her to shoot. Well, we went back and made the store owners day when I told him " my wife wants to see your Python". She picks it up in ten days.

I have been using Winchester small rifle primers in place of small pistol magnums for a while in the multiple 357's I shoot. No issues so far. The Winchesters seem to be the softer of all my SRP's. We have a small local shop near me that is still selling bricks of primers for $125.......I just cannot bring myself to spend that much.

Very nice

That's a whole lot of carnage there!

I watched just up until the officer that got pepper sprayed got back into the fight. I did not need to see any more. There was ample time, opportunity, and personnel to put one set of cuffs on the guy before Mr I got sprayed came back into the fight. Total lack of training or willful disregard for any training they may have had.

I grew up in farming and logging country. Worked on many farms and have lots of stories involving hay, beer, tall barns, and getting too drunk to climb down. we raised chickens, ducks, rabbits, and other critters. Butchered them all and knew how to do it all from lopping their heads of to burning the hair off the bare naked chicken carcasses. I wouldn’t trade any of it, so much life experience to be had.

That’s sharp looking. I have been lusting after a SAA lately but am just too busy spending money on the house and horses to get interested in gun buying.

Is the end of the wrist pin showing wear, like it ran on the liner for a while or is it fairly untouched? Is the piston intact? It could have locked up and broke the piston but I have not seen that before. I have never daylighted a block but have blown up my share of big cam 400's and a 350 as well. The 350 had half the oil pump break when a guy borrowed the truck and cold started it and took off full speed with no warm up. He drove it until the oil light came on. We pulled a main and rod bearing and they looked okay so we fixed the pump and I started driving it again. It started to thump under the Jake and I shut it down before it sent parts flying. The first 400 I broke was tired and I was flogging it bit with heavy loads off highway building a dam pulling a belly dump with 100,000 lb gross weights. Developed a knock and I shut it down before bad things happened. The last 400 I broke had less than 5k on a complete rebuild. Our shop painted the engine black to look like a 444. They also poured the fuel to it. The pyro temps would soar very quickly. They told me that no new drivers should drive it until it broke in. Myself and another trusted driver were breaking it in. The first day out with it I called the shop and told them it had too much power. They ignored me. I babied that engine as did the other driver. I was pulling Foxfarm hill in two inches of snow when I lost a little power and had to shift down one more gear. A few seconds later I heard a squeal for about five seconds then it stopped. Two miles up the road I smelled oil and pulled over. The dipstick had blown out but nothing else seemed off, no noises or anything else. Twenty miles later and on another smaller grade I smelt oil and again the stick was out. I really started to baby the engine at that point. I had to stop at some train tracks just before getting into Oregon and while accelerating across the tracks the engine let go but stayed running. I quickly turned the truck around into a wide spot and called for a wrecker. The truck was sent back to our shop after a shop in Oregon found two seized pistons. One pulled the liner down and the other pushed it up. It knocked out all kinds of smaller parts. The shop tried to blame me for the failure. When I told them I was in 2" of snow and at a speed one gear lower than the engine would normally pull the hill they backed off of me. The shop rebuilt it the exact same way and sent it back to me. I made one four hour run in it and took it in to Cummins and had them set it back to a 400hp. Cummins told me it was pushing 500hp the cheap way and it would not last. I never told our shop I had it de-tuned.

My first driving job was 40 years ago. I have been in, under, and around trucks for a long time. Spent many years behind the wheel, many years wrenching, and coming up on 22 years inspecting them. One thing I know is they all break. There is a balance....if you have the time to maintain one 100% you cannot log the miles needed to make money. The balance point is proper maintenance and timely replacement of wear parts. Never to get behind on the small stuff. I am currently seeing newer trucks headed down a horrible path. These trucks are not getting maintained at all. I go under them and they are dry, no grease anywhere. They have extended life engine oils and are not getting looked at often enough. These owners are the type to fix it when it breaks and not doing proper preventative work. Even the log truck I am driving is not getting the care it should get. I have been driving it for six months and it has had zero done to it. Granted it has not driven more than 3000 miles, but it needs greased regardless. It's that lack of preventative care that kills them. I'm not so sure the wrist pins were effected by the water. They only rock back and forth unlike the rods and mains....usually the bearings will start to flake out when water is introduced....never saw an engine fail for water on the wrist pins....but I have not seen it all. My neighbor just replaced an engine for 45k as well......tis the season!

We in the northern end are just experiencing a normal wet year so far. Ten more days of rain forecasted and we are cheering for the water. Other areas of the state are getting hit pretty bad with big downpours that have no time to soak in. Drove in 6” of fresh snow and two heavy rain storms yesterday picking up a load of logs at 4600 foot elevation. One normally dry creek was busting and about to go over the road. I saw lots of water in a few front and back yards but no wet houses near that creek.

I drove 320 miles for a burrito once…..

I agree, but, working within the law I have some nice hand me downs. there is not a single micro stamped gun to be had. A data base for tracking something that does not yet exist because they realized somebody just might pull the technology out of thier ass and then there would be no way to track the numbers.

A data base for unicorns and hens teeth.

I'm still trying to figure out how the college works. At the same time I am trying to keep my mouth shut and just do what they ask of me. I only have mornings to work there then I have to get too my full time job. The college knows this but individuals forget. I have been there long enough now to know what is going to happen and avoid problems for the most part. I am going to have a meeting with my boss soon and air my concerns plus some other issues I am having as I want to retire from the state and only work at the college....dang Calpers rules are getting in the way and I need the college's help in making it all happen. edit...just checked the two traffic cameras on either side of our landing.....I made the right call not to go. The other driver is going into the woods with the loader operator today. The college won't let the loader operator work unless someone else is there....so the other driver will sit there why the one guy loads and then works on the road as he has zero experience on equipment and couldn't run any if they needed him to.

Well, because all we have is a 20 year old to run equipment in the morning I bowed out until they can get the road opened up. With age comes wisdom.

I am supposed to be loading in the morning a few miles from where this traffic camera is......the snow just started to fall there a couple hours ago and the highway is covered...looks to have one pass with a plow truck already....I'm not going to turn a wheel tomorrow if I don't have to.....I'm too old and too smart to go blindly into all that without it being properly plowed for me. I took chances on the first few storms but it's too late to play games now.