The Custom Revolver by Hamilton Bowen is a classic read for any revolver enthusiast.  Bowen breaks down so many of the custom touches that have made him famous in pistolsmith circle for years. Perhaps the most surprising part of the book is the wonderful style in which it is written.  Uncommon for a pistolsmith to possess such a command of his pen as well as his file. Until recently this book was unavailable to the general public because it was...

I recently got to spend a little time with David Sams of Sams Custom Gunworks.  Many of the regular followers of MCC know that David has had a profound impact on my gunsmithing life.  He is a true master gunsmith that continues to amaze me. David showed me his new line of suppressors.  They are made of stainless steel and can be fully disassembled for cleaning.  Rumor has it that at a recent test the dry fire of a .22 pistol was louder than the...

An interesting thing to come across our shop was a request to do the SM-1 in 20 gauge.  It is a great concept so that you don’t needlessly beat yourself to death, while still providing a great platform for a self-defense shotgun.  I love the 20 gauge and as others have shown, it doesn’t give up much to the 12 in buckshot testing.                     This particular SM-1 was made for...

Working on a Smith & Wesson 686 right now.  These are so fun.  They were made right and you can really achieve a lot out of them.  The slop that is so common in revolvers of the modern vintage is not there.  Certainly I work on all the new stuff, but you can tell the difference in the older guns. What should you buy?  I’m glad you asked.  If you want a gun that is going to be able to be worked up to a great level, get an older Smith...

I was thinking about how revolvers are so complex.  They really are like the proverbial mouse trap.  Everything must be fitted precisely to work in the right way.  Take for instance the issue of trigger return.  So many times a gun is fitted with a trigger return spring that is much lighter than the factory spring.  This sounds good at first, but in the end, it ends up being of little benefit if it causes short strokes. The trigger must return,...