Revolver & 1911 Evaluations

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE OF TEDDY JACOBSON

I know I left out a few 1911 pistols in my very last commentary. I will finish up my 1911 comments and move on to Revolvers. I have no objection if anyone wants to cut and paste any of my comments on a forum or a chat room providing you put me down as the Author.


1911 Detonics pistol - I used to own one of the smaller pistols they made, I believe it was the MC-1, if my memory is correct. I have always experienced feeding and extraction problems with the smaller version. All these small 1911 designs lack the slide weight and these companies make up for it in spring power which leaves you and me in a catch 22 situation. These smaller designs can cause misery with ball ammo. The weaker ammo lacks the power to operate the recoil spring efficiently. I remember not having as much trouble with the full size model. I have not worked on one of these Detonics in years.
Would I buy a Detonics 1911 ?? NO


1911 Brown pistol - I have had about three of them in here in the past year. These are high dollar production guns that have a decent overall appearance and they seem to be fitted well. They were in here for minor problems so I never got to work on them in complete detail. The thing that I remember in detail about one of them was the very part that Brown made, which was the thumb safety was not installed low enough for the detent pin to fit into the thumb safety properly. Of all things to be right, this was not. I think Brown is the best of the high dollar production guns. Would I buy one for $3000.00 ?? NO


NOTE: The reason so many people experience problems with new 1911 pistols because there are not that many armorers that really know how to fine tune a 1911 pistol. They just are assemblers at these factories and they put them together as there time is allocated to produce in order to keep their job. Even private SMITHS do things and procedures to their liking. They are still putting a kink in the plunger tube spring as they have been told to do for years. If you have a spring that is 5/8 of an inch long and you put a kink in the middle, you have created basically two - 1/4 inch springs that will not compress as its jammed in the plunger tube. Try to tell these experts that and they will fight you tooth and nail. Its a waste of my time to educate a "MORON"
I could go on and on and give you many more examples but I will accomplish nothing but piss off the know it alls off even more. For example, If Fred Kart tells you not to recut the chamber of his E Z FIT BARREL, why not listen to him. Hes an expert, your cutter cuts the rifling in front of the chamber, its rough as hell compared to Fred Karts method. You have solved a problem that never existed, just made your rifling "ROUGH" in front of your chamber. I will let it go at that. IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE ME, CALL FRED KART AND ASK HIM FOR YOURSELF, HIS PHONE NUMBER IS, 910 754 5212 - Eastern Time...
I do not care if you have made 500 or 1000 custom 1911 pistols. I have worked on over 7000 1911 pistols and you can not BS me. I know to much, BS the people in the chat rooms. You can look like a hero in front of them, not to me.


REVOLVERS


NAA Revolvers - This is a wonderful company to deal with, the owner is a very decent man that wants to put out the best product. I do not see eye to eye with some of his sales people but I like their product. I have been carrying a NAA Mini revolver in my pocket for well over 10 years. It is a 22 magnum with a, 1 - 5/8 inch barrel. I have not shot it in years but its my friend and a constant companion. Wayne Martin of NAA fitted a non fluted cylinder to it for me years ago.
I also like the bigger version of their single action revolvers known as the BLACK WIDOW and the MINI MASTER. These are all very well made single action revolvers. I can recommend any of their models.


Colt Revolvers - old models , This is history that is long gone.

Python - I understand that this model has been discontinued. In my younger days this was an absolute work of art when fine tuned. I have found this more difficult to repair in some ways. It utilizes a two stage hand and the cylinder rotates clockwise while looking from the rear. I remember buying a new Python for $150.00 and the current retail price before they were discontinued was about $1000.00 They were smooth as glass and Colt had people that knew how to make and repair them. I still work on these revolvers but parts are difficult to get and the prices are high. I would have like to own a dozen of these fine revolvers from years long gone.


Colt Diamondback revolver - This was a superb revolver, you could think of it as a miniature size Python using the same type of internal lock work. It has not been made for years. I get one in my shop every now and then and no one ever had a better finish than the Colt Royal Blue. This was an all steel revolver.


Colt Agent and Cobra revolvers - I am talking about the old snub nosed revolvers that were an excellent self defense weapon when I was a kid. The main down side to these old revolvers was that it had an exposed ejector rod that could get bent during an altercation or if the gun was dropped. Many Police carried this as a second gun. These revolvers had an alloy frame. These were 6 shot revolvers.


Colt Detective Special revolver - This was an all steel snub nose revolver that was very popular with Police. It was much heavier than the Agent or the Cobra. It was offered in Colt Royal Blue and a Nickel finish. It was an excellent revolver for its time. I regret having sold mine. This was a 6 shot revolver.


Colt Anaconda revolver - This was a large frame revolver that resembled a Python but nothing beyond that. The internal lock work is totally different. It used a sintered steel hammer and trigger and used a coil mainspring as compared to the traditional Colt "V" spring. It was priced to be competitive. I once did one for John Taffin. This article was featured in GUNS MAGAZINE, July, 1993


Colt Trooper and Lawman revolvers - These revolvers were a different type action.
I write by memory and its difficult to remember every detail but I have worked on them all. I used to own a Colt Lawman revolver, it was solid like a rock but very heavy. Colt has for some reason changed internal revolver actions many times. Why ? I never could figure it out except to make it cost effective for the company to survive and easier to work on.

There are many other models that I am going to leave out like the Colt Viper as I am no Historian. The current crop of colt revolvers are made differently internally like the new Colt Detective Special, it is a nicely finished revolver. I have had a number of them in here in the past year for problems. Always remember that ALL COLT CYLINDERS ROTATE CLOCKWISE LOOKING FROM THE REAR. I do not work on colt single actions, so I am refering to all their double action models.


S&W Older revolvers - This part of our history is long gone also. In the 1960 era I remember the most sought after handguns was the S&W revolvers. They were superb. Those days are gone forever. All the different frame sizes were in demand, I remember going thru misery trying to locate a model 60. I finally did and I still own it, it can not be replaced. S&W never had the premium blue finish that Colt had but a blue S&W was very nice. S&W Stainless Steel revolvers were in demand everywhere. They brought premium prices if you could find one. Remember Dirty Harry in the movie I understand Clint Eastwood actually used a 41 magnum because they could not locate a model 29 in 44 mag. caliber. That story has been around for a very long time but there was no way I could ever verify it as being true. If you own an older S&W revolver, KEEP IT, DO NOT SELL IT BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO REPLACE IT THAT EASILY.


S&W revolvers - NEW MODELS. This is a culture shock for some one like me. S&W still make a very good revolver but there is no comparison to the revolvers they made years ago. Its like day and night. I do not own one new type S&W revolver. If I needed one I would not hesitate to buy one but I know they are not the same. They are still a reliable handgun but with a hollow sound to it. Are the frames and barrels cast ?? I do not know. The lock work is totally different, they now use MIM parts which means Metal Injection Molded. They are formed under high pressure and it starts as powdered steel, I am no metalurgist but when done right the MIM part is hard as hell.
I can not go into every model in the S&W line but having more shots is not always better. The more rounds in the cylinder causes the pads on the ratchet on the back of the cylinder to be made smaller and much more fragile. You can easily lose your timing on one or two chambers in an 8 shot cylinder. I recommend you stay with the 5 and 6 shot revolver designs.
This is such a complex subject, please email me with your questions.
Fiber optic front sights do not belong on a daily carry gun, they are too fragile and cleaning agents will destroy the plastic. Do not use METHYLENE CHLORIDE to clean your plastic front sights. All "J" frame snub nosed revolvers were 5 shot.


Ruger revolvers - This company still makes very good strong revolvers and does not use MIM or plastic parts that I know of. They are a rough design and the trigger return is the most noted complaint. The wannabbeee Smith should not be trying to retime or refine these revolvers as its not that easy. I like these revolvers but they can never be made as smooth as the older S&W revolvers. For sheer strength these revolvers can handle it, no one makes better castings than Ruger. The down side to Ruger products is that they do not sell critical parts to anyone. They determine which is a critical part, not you or me. The handgun must be returned to the factory to have the critical part installed and the factory will restore your Ruger revolver to factory specifications regardless of what has been done. As per their charges for this service I do not know.
These revolvers are all on the heavy side, I do not know if they have started to make alloy frames to reduce the weight. These revolvers are a good investment if you want a good reliable strong handgun that will handle hot loads, within safe limits of course. Ruger SP 101 is a 5 shot revolver.


Taurus revolvers - These are very reasonably priced revolvers. They are made in Brazil and their factory in the states is in Miami, Florida. I work on these revolvers all the time, and the actions are very rough but can be refined up to a point. It is not a replica of a S&W revolver. Many people like them because they are affordable and they work. They make all kinds of models , too many for me to comment on all the ones I know about. I have no desire to own one. The cylinders rotate counter clockwise when looking from the rear like S&W and Ruger and Rossi. Any questions email me.


Rossi revolvers - This is a Brazilian made revolver that is very affordable. It is a close copy of the old S&W design. I have worked on many of them and there are many budget minded people that own them. If you have any questions about Rossi revolvers email me.


Dan Wesson revolvers - These are well made revolvers that are more difficult to work on than the S&W design. They have a cylinder release in front of the cylinder. I do get one in now and then but not many. Years ago many people bought these Dan Wesson revolvers in a kit with different size interchangeable barrels. I have never owned one of these revolvers.


Charter Arms revolvers - I do not know if these revolvers are still made. The model that made them famous if I remember right was the Bulldog in 44 special caliber. I have never found them to be a quality revolver but the Bulldog was in big demand years ago. They are not an easy gun to work on.


AUTHORS PERSONAL NOTATION:
This commentary as well as all my previous commentaries are my personal opinion and my personal viewpoint only.


Teddy Jacobson / Pistolsmith
www.actionsbyt.com
281 277 4008
tjacobson@houston.rr.com
jaj45f@alltel.net
www.actionsbyt.blogspot.com/