February 13, 2012 | TELEVISION APPEARENCE — Some months ago Bowen Classic Arms was privelaged to host Mr. Michael Bane and the crew from Shooting Gallery. Episode #151 "Full Custom" featuring Bowen Classic Arms is slated to premiere at 9:00pm EST on Wedneday February 15th, 2012 on The Outdoor Channel. Check your local listing for details, and more information can be found at Mr. Bane's website Downrange.tv or at Outdoorchannel.com.
January 1, 2012 | BOOK UPDATE— After much consideration and toil, the decision has been made to hold off on reprinting The Custom Revolver in the first edition. Instead, Mr. Bowen will be working on a second edition of the book for a new printing. Subsequently, we have decided to release the first edition as an e-book for those earnest seekers of the truth. The e-book is nearly ready and should be available soon through both Amazon and Apple.
December 12, 2011 | Price Changes— Much as we hate to do it, we must raise our prices on both parts and labor, effective January 1rst. Some parts we have produce have not sustained price increases since they went into production, in some cases, many years ago. Alas, events have overtaken us and prices from many of our vendors and suppliers, to say nothing of insurance, shipping and power providers along with hosts of others, have gone up, up and away. As the wise man so famously said "Son, you cain't make up them losses in volume.". We hope and trust our friends and customers will understand and bear with us. And, for God's sake, vote in November like your very lives and livelihoods depend on it.
December 11, 2011| RUGER REDHAWK IGNITION PROBLEMS— The Ruger Redhawk is the finest big-bore heavy-duty revolver available, combining the capacity for ultra big-bore calibers and sensible size. The great N-frame S&W, despite its refinement, grace and periodic updates over the years, simply isn't large enough or tough enough to handle the heavy .45 loads or the .475 and .500 Linebaugh rounds. The X-frame S&W is simply not a serious revolver due to extreme physical dimensions and weight. 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.
Unfortunately, there are known instances where even longer firing pins and heavy-duty mainsprings aren't the solution to ignition problems. Indeed, in these extreme cases, the problem is not really a matter of hammer power or firing pin length at all but rather a function of Ruger's transfer bar safety arrangement. Here is how to tell the difference: Classic 'light strikes', the traditional indices of poor ignition (out-and-out failures to fire or hang-fires)are usually manifest in the form of primer impressions from the firing pin that are deep and quite closely resemble impressions of cartridges that fired normally. Hard to tell them apart. On the other hand, cases where the transfer bar is short or partially retracted on firing, there may be just a faint dimple or a obviously shallower than usual firing pin impression. In this instance, there are a couple of problems with the transfer bar safety.
Ruger's transfer bar safety system is ingenious, effective and ordinarily dependable as a crowbar. It requires a somewhat different lockwork in single-actions but little else. The whole system consists of the single part, the transfer bar itself, working with other parts already in place even on guns without the system. There is a step in the hammer to accommodate the bar when the hammer is at rest and the bar retracted to prevent transfer of hammer force to firing pin. In the single-actions, there is usually little trouble unless a transfer bar breaks (only one such case ever observed at Bowen Classic Arms) or the firing pin head and transfer bar have some many miles on them that they are peened and battered to the point they reduce effective firing pin protrusion. This is a theoretical problem since no known examples of such failures have come to our attention. The Redhawk, on the other hand, has one firing pin difference that can allow wear and peening to the point use might cause a failure. Ruger single-actions which have a spring-loaded plunger in the base pin to push back on the transfer bar to enable it to ride up and over the firing pin without snagging it and tying up the gun. Since Redhawks don't have an provision to prevent this snagging, the firing pin is domed to allow the transfer bar to function smoothly and ride up and over the firing pin on cocking. As you might imagine the flat of the transfer bar is contacting only a point on the dome-headed firing pin and, in time, might peen a flat spot on the pin or a divot in the transfer bar or some combination of both. In either case, you have less firing pin protrusion. On Redhawks of more recent manufacture, this problem is exacerbated by a shorter transfer bar with a radius at the top to aid in bypassing the firing pin. In extreme cases, the flat face of the transfer bar doesn't get past the centerline of the firing pin and you can end up with a point contacting a line which dramatically increases the contact patch pressure and will accelerate wear with the usual predictable results on reliable ignition. But, alas, there is more.
Not all ignition failures in Redawks are traced to the gun. Some are traced to the shooter. The syndrome is often hard to diagnose. The Redhawk is a fairly heavy gun and often equipped with long, heavy barrels, especially in the Super models. It is difficult to hold up the gun (shooting off-hand) without a good bit of that weight laying on the side of the trigger finger. When the trigger is pulled, the finger lurches rearward a bit and, with the change in pivot point of the gun, the muzzle lurches downward which has the effect of pulling the trigger away from the trigger finger. When this occurs, the transfer bar is partially retracted BEFORE the hammer lands on the bar/firing pin. Depending on how much the transfer bar retracts, you may realize a failure to fire. If the firing pin strike in the hammer is just a small dent, this may be a shooter problem. Good shooting technique will help and often cure this. Never-the-less, the gun has still failed to fire in a relatively normally use situation. One way to diagnose this phenomenon is to shoot the gun off a rest. Chances are, problem won't occur. At this point, about all one can do is weld up and lengthen a transfer bar. This is a tricky last resort but should do the trick.
Our best advice is to shoot any Redhawk at least a couple hundred rounds with the ammo you plan to use before heading afield. In the unlikely event you experience any ignition failures, there are steps to take to correct the problems. With a little patience, you will have a peerless heavy-duty revolver.
June 1, 2011| Books Out of Stock — We are sorry to announce that The Custom Revolver is temporarily out of stock. We are currently engaged in procuring a reprint, and hope to be able to start shipping books again soon.
January, 2004 | Colt Bulletin— Traditional sources for Colt single-action revolver parts and hammer/trigger rebuilding vendors are increasingly unreliable and unable to provide us with timely, dependable service. In turn, we can no longer offer predictable delivery and the quality we require in our own work. Accordingly, we can no longer undertake repairs and restoration projects on Colt revolvers, particularly vintage guns. Further, getting parts, especially hammers and triggers, for late-model guns is increasingly difficult, if not impossible. In the short term, we will continue to offer our basic tuning package but only for unaltered 2nd and 3rd generation guns.
Where guns arrived with modified or damaged parts, we will advise their owners of the problem and request that the owner procure new replacement parts. If that is not possible or satisfactory, the gun will be returned at the owner’s expense. We are also dropping from our upcoming catalog the Flat-Top Target conversions and will not offer these even on a special-order basis because too many of the specimens submitted have proven to be so poorly fitted and finished that we cannot offer our best workmanship.
We regret the inconvenience but ask that our clients understand that we are in the custom pistolsmithing business and are not gunsmiths or blacksmiths. That said, we’ll do our best to recommend specialists who can attend to restorations and repairs. While we admire the pre-war Colt revolvers, for our purposes, the late-model United States Firearms guns are far superior. In terms of fit and finish, they have no equal and are the best vehicle for fine custom single-actions. In view of developments at USFA, it is entirely possible that, in the near future, we will no longer offer services and modifications for Colt revolvers of any stripe.
September, 2003 | Old Model Ruger Revolver Source — Old Model Ruger single-action revolvers were once plentiful as houseflies. But now, 25 years out of production and sought more and more by collectors, these guns are increasingly hard to come by. Which is not good news if you are seeking a suitable .357 Magnum for a .44 Special or .32-20 caliber conversion. Help is on the way.
Bill Hamm, Ruger Collector’s Association member and field representative, is an active collector and dealer in Ruger products of all sorts and, often as not, will be able to run down a nice non-collectible gun at a fair price to use in a custom revolver project. Few of us have the time or contacts to turn up guns on demand and, while Bill cannot conjure them out of thin air, chances are, if you give him a call, he’ll turn up something within a few weeks, if not sooner. Good guy to have on your side and if you see guns that might be of interest to Bill, let him know and help repay the favors.
Contact him at (423) 488-4866 or at BILL@GUNBLAST.COM
Written queries should be directed to P.O. Box 778, Harrison, TN, 37341
May, 2003 | Serial Number Placement on 5-shot Single-Actions — In the course of the last few years, we have encountered an increasing number of Ruger New Model receivers with poorly stamped or positioned serial numbers. The number is located under the cylinder window on the receiver’s right side towards the muzzle end of the cylinder. This is not a defect nor would it be a matter of any consequence were it not for 5-shot caliber conversions.
The cylinder window has to opened up slightly top and bottom to accommodate the oversize cylinders. This machine operation may whittle on the serial number if the number is stamped too close to the window or is stamped crooked, leaving even one of the numerals in the line of fire. Defacing a serial number is a no-no. Consequently, it is imperative that you examine your candidate gun before sending it to us to ascertain that the serial number placement is satisfactory and compatible with the pending modifications. This little sketch will show you what to look for:
The main thing is to have enough clearance between the numerals and the window. .030 is a questionable minimum. .04 – .050 is better, especially in terms of appearance. At any rate, paying some attention to this one detail will save all of us a lot of headaches and shipping costs. It is not convenient to have to hunt around for guns with good numbers but better safe than sorry. Feel free to call with any questions.