Rob is aware of my background in gunsmithing. He knows I enjoy bringing the best out from my sixguns. But I am not sure he wasn’t pulling my leg when he presented me with a Single Six that was about as beat up as it could be. Like, professionally beat up. This thing not only had scars, scratches, and scrapes, the main frame was a tiny bit warped.

Jim starts off with a comical gunfight story about Texas Ranger Charlie Miller. Shane talks John Wootters and how he pioneered whitetail deer hunting. More about grip frames and how to pick one that doesn't bust your knuckle. Their favorite carry and hunting ammo. Things that Jim and Shane disagree on. Opinions on 9mm 1911 guns.

Now to the part that seems to draw attention. The brass grip frame. Ronnie Wells’ RW Grip Frames does everything from building laser-accurate custom revolvers to manufacturing sights, hammers, triggers, and yes, grip frames. Hundreds of variations of grip frames as a matter of fact.

While most of my friends are accomplished pranksters, my friend Jeff Quinn was certainly the most creative of us all. He has crossed the river, but I am going to tell you how I am going to remember him. While Jeff and I were sure enough friends, we mostly spent our time together picking on each other. Sometimes it just got out of hand….

The 308 Winchester has been the parent case for a lot of good rounds since its inception in 1952, including the 243 Winchester, 260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, 338 Federal, and 358 Winchester. There isn’t much a true hunter can’t bag with this assortment of cartridges pushing good bullets designed for penetration. We’ve used the 308 Winchester and 7mm-08 Remington to hunt a variety of critters at home in Texas and in South Africa.

Officer Bill McLennan, now a detective, was appointed as an official member of the committee while I acted in an advisory capacity only, without a vote. As longtime fans of Elmer Keith, we adhered to his advocacy of large caliber heavy bullets at moderate velocity for man-stopping purposes.

This gun was a .45 Colt SAA that was fully scroll engraved. It had a silver finish and a beautiful, cream-colored set of smooth ivory stocks on it. Besides that, the barrel and ejector-rod housing had been shortened to 4 inches and it had a dovetailed front sight.

Of course, I had the 44 Magnum I call “The Hammer” with me. Doc clobbered a fantastic buck at 104 yards with it. Doc Barranti and Nick Rukavina did have 44 Specials. Shane Jahn was carrying a 41. I know...I will do my best to help him. At least it was a very beautiful 41…

One way we can shoot more for less is by utilizing firearms chambered in 22 LR that are similar to the centerfire guns we are hunting with. A variety of twenty-twos can be had in a multitude of configurations to mimic our big guns. Bolt action rifles, lever actions, pumps, semi-autos, single shots—they are all out there. Same goes for the handgun hunter and that’s what we’re focusing on today.

It may seem laughable to call the venerable 45 ACP a forgotten cartridge, yet in the realm of single action revolvers it remains almost totally eclipsed by the mighty 45 Colt. Tradition and nostalgia play a large part in this, to be sure, and there’s simply no denying that the larger case is capable of much greater performance, especially in the larger-framed guns like the Ruger Blackhawk.

“Beware the man with one gun...he probably knows how to use it.” We’ve all seen and heard that quote all of our lives. And I’d be willing to bet good money that there’s not a single member of the GUN TALES family that falls into that category.

From the time in high school when I discovered Skeeter Skelton’s articles and his admiration for the Smith & Wesson Model 27, I wanted one. The big N-frame chambered in 357 Magnum made sense to me. I think it’s one of the best-looking double action revolvers ever made. Of course, Skeeter’s editorials infused a need for a five-inch gun that still eludes me to this day. I stumbled onto one at a gun show many years ago.

There was a time, back in the olden days, when point shooting was taught in just about every police firearms academy. The only reason that it wasn’t taught in citizen defensive schools was because there were no defensive schools for citizens. All of that changed when Jeff Cooper founded the American Pistol Institute, that we now call Gunsite, in 1976.

Back around the air-conditioned comforts of the coffee table, we continued our dissertations on packing guns. We both came to the consensus that the mid-frame Ruger Flattop is surely one of the best, especially when it comes to building a custom gun. I just happened to have along one such custom specimen that we handled and shot during our visit. It furthered our position on the subject, and we can find no reason to change our opinion.

One night on patrol I was the second officer to respond to a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store. The suspect was a large, angry guy waving a baseball bat at a thoroughly intimidated clerk—it was all clearly visible through the glass front of the store. The first officer to arrive was kneeling by her patrol car, stainless Colt 45 1911 out and ready. We’d worked together often, and I knew she was a gutsy cop. I moved up, and baseball-bat-boy dropped his bat and surrender

Just as I got in sight of the house where the dice game was being held...and all the squad cars were parked...I saw the back door open and one of our local characters come running out, clearly making a break for it.

Every serious sixgunner prefers accurate sixguns. I expect sub 2-3 inch groups at 50 yards, handheld. But sometimes a sixgun barrel does not perform its best due to tight spots in the barrel rifling. Sometimes I turn to a custom barrel for best results. However, even custom barrels will sometimes have restrictions in the bore and require firelapping. It should be noted that our custom sixgunsmiths do not manufacture custom barrels, they install them.

One of the things that facilitated this whole concept was the invention of the Hollywood fast-draw holster. I truly don’t know who first came up with the idea, but it appears to me that Arvo Ojala was right there when it happened. The main feature of the concept was that the holster had metal in the area that held the gun’s cylinder.

One of the most overlooked and important cartridges in our collection is one of the smallest and oldest. I’m referring to the 5.7x15mmR that made its debut in 1887. You’ll recognize it by its American name, the .22 Long Rifle (.22 LR). Not to be confused with the .22 Short, .22 Long, and a few others of the .22 genre, the .22 LR is its own man. Along with the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR), it is undoubtedly the most common of the .22 rimfires out there today.

Val Browning entered the brightly lit show floor and strode confidently to his company’s large booth. He was excited to gauge the reactions to a shotgun of his own creation called the Double Automatic. The expo was for salesmen and dealers to learn about new products, and for the firearms companies to connect and fraternize with these buyers who sold their firearms to hunters and shooters.