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GrantCunningham.com - Revolver Liberation Alliance blog

You might have noticed something new.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Did you see the new "Training" tab in the menu bar?

I've been teaching on a semi-private basis for some time now, but with the recent addition of Combat Focus Shooting I decided to make the offerings a little more visible.

I’ve also added a new class, which I call Revolver Doctrine. It is THE class to take if you want to learn how to run the revolver efficiently and accurately! (If you’ve taken one of my public or private Revolver 201 classes, ‘Doctrine’ is an expanded version of that course. While coming from a self-defense perspective, it’s not a dedicated defensive course like Combat Focus.)

Please explore, and if you'd like to book a class - public or private - just email me!

-=[ Grant ]=-

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I couldn't resist.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

I realize that I've been neglectful with regard to pictures, but I just haven't "felt it" lately. This gun, though, I just had to show you.

PICT3615

This S&W 686+ was treated to a Super Action Job, Satin Steel refinishing, etc. What makes it unusual is that it has the uncommon unfluted cylinder. I loves me some unfluted cylinders, and just couldn't resist taking a snapshot of the thing before shipping it back to its owner.

-=[ Grant ]=-

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Holy cow!

Monday, April 05, 2010

I've completed the data entry for the reservation requests, and found that I had more than double the number of requests I expected! I find it difficult to convey my appreciation for your continued support of my work. It's heartening to have what I do resonate with so many people!

Some interesting things came out of the requests: Colt requests were WAY up this year. In the last couple of years most of the requests were for S&W work, second for Ruger, with Colt bringing up the rear. This year it was Colt by a huge margin, with S&W and Ruger darn near tied for a distant second place. Colt entries were double what the other two were.

Another oddity: Ruger "Six" guns (Speed-Six, Service-Six, etc.) showed up in numbers this year. I haven't had a "Six" in the shop for three or four years, and this time there were more than a dozen. I'm not sure how to explain that statistical anomaly.

Again, thank you to everyone who put in a reservation. It is most appreciated!

-=[ Grant ]=-

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The waiting list is now closed - thank you!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The waiting list is now closed; thank you for all your support!

Those who sent in requests will receive an email from “the system” sometime this week.

-=[ Grant ]=-

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Waiting list is closed. (I should have done this on Friday...)

Sunday, February 21, 2010

As I detailed last Wednesday, the waiting list closed Thursday at midnight. I've gotten several requests since then, which I'll honor. Any received from this moment on, however, will be deleted.

Also as noted, I will open the list up again in the next couple of weeks. If you want a spot on the list, watch for that opening.

-=[ Grant ]=-

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Waiting list is now open, Round One.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Many people have written to me over the last year, lamenting that they "just missed" getting on the waiting list. The last time the list opened, there was a huge rush of reservations. The list filled very quickly, and since they were submitted on a first-come first-served basis those who got in a little late were left out in the cold.

This time I'm going to do something to level the playing field a bit.

I am opening up my waiting list for a limited number of entries. I'll take reservation requests until midnight Thursday, and sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll do the exact same thing again. This will hopefully give more people a chance at getting on the list. (Of course the second opening will be announced here on the blog, just like this one has been.)

If after both sessions have closed I've received more reservations than I can handle, I'll let my database program select - at random - those that go into the list.

I know this is a bit unusual, but it's the only way to give everyone a fair chance. I receive many more requests for work than I can accommodate, and while I'd love to do them all the reality is there are only so many hours in a day. (I have to eat and sleep sometime!)

Here's how to submit a reservation:

1) Send me an email with the subject line "Reservation request" - nothing more, and without the quotes of course.

2) In the body, include the following information:

Name
Email address
Daytime phone number
The gun you wish to send (one gun per reservation)
A rough idea of what you'd like done

Don't obsess over which gun to list - you can substitute models later if need be. Please, don't say "I just want you to look it over/check it out"; if you need that kind of service, it's best to visit your local gunsmith.

Understand that these reservations will be roughly two years from now. Just to be clear: that means I probably won't call for your gun until sometime in 2012. If you don't want to wait that long, please don't put in a reservation.

These requests will be used only to fill out the waiting list, and my database will automatically send confirmation emails when the list closes in a couple of weeks. The reservations will not get any kind of individual response, so please save any questions or dialogue for a separate email.

Thanks!

-=[ Grant ]=-

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Notice anything different?

Sunday, February 14, 2010
Welcome to the new and improved grantcunningham.com!

The site has a new look, but more important has a lot of new functionality. You'll notice that navigation is easier and more logical, not to mention faster. The new search facility (see the top right-hand corner of the page) allows everyone - me included! - to find information contained in the many pages on the site. (It's powered by Google, and may take a day or two to fully index. If it's not working this moment, give it a day and try again.)

The blog now has a tag cloud in the sidebar. It's empty at the moment, because I haven't been using tags up to this point. As I add new posts, and get around to editing the older ones, you'll see the tag cloud grow.

That's not all - I now have Twitter and Facebook accounts, and you'll see the link buttons on many of the pages. Follow me, be sure to become a fan of the grantcunningham.com Facebook page, and tell your friends to do so as well!

(Of course, if you find any problems, errors, or bugs, please drop me a note.)

There's more to come. Stay tuned!

-=[ Grant ]=-
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Recent Project: 3" S&W Model 25

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

A long-time client called me a while back, and told me that he'd just acquired one of the Smith & Wesson Model 25 "Lew Horton" editions with the 3" barrel. He wasn't happy with the gun, and asked me to do a makeover.

If you've hung out here for long, you know that I love 3" barrels. I don't know why, exactly, except that I like 'em. This gun is no exception, and to say I was excited about the prospects would be an understatement.

I've actually written about this gun once before - it had the worst double action trigger I've felt on a factory gun in a long, long time. He wanted that fixed, and the gun converted to DAO. (It's an IDPA/carry gun for him, so he sees no need for single action capability.) The gun came replete with sharp edges, so sharp that I sliced open my left forefinger when I first handled it! Those needed to go as well. He also wasn't happy with the stock S&W sights, for which the gun had already received warranty repair - the first rear sight actually broke in two when shooting! Finally, he wanted general competition-friend modifications that would also be usable "on the street."

I started by getting rid of all the sharp edges, on all surfaces. The gun then went to the bluing shop for my Black Pearl finish. (This particular gun has the very hardest barrel steel I've ever encountered, and it caused no end of headaches in refinishing. The result is that this gun has a little more shine to it than any other Black Pearl finish I've done.)

Pasted Graphic 32

Speaking of the barrel, the crown was both crooked and rough. The hard barrel, with its thin walls, made a normal crown out of the question. I made a very, very small crown, just enough to correct the problems.

 Pasted Graphic 33

The rear sight was replaced with one of Hamilton Bowen's superb Rough Country units, and the front carries a gold bead sight from SDM Fabricating. The result is a fast-acquisition sight picture, useful for both competition and defense.

Pasted Graphic 34

Of course the gun received a Super Action Job, along with chamfering the chambers. The trigger was reworked to the modern, thin S&W style, rounded and polished smooth for comfortable double action work. The DAO conversion required bobbing the hammer, and on this gun I tried a new style: a kind of "scalloped" hammer. I've already decided that the next one needs a bit of modification (the bottom scallop is too deep to balance the top), but I'm pleased with the result and the way in which it offsets the cylinder-heavy profile of the gun. The trigger weight dropped from 15 lbs. to 9 lbs., and is of course smooth in both pull & reset.

Finally, we needed some decent concealment grips. They're made of a very nice walnut in a "boot" style by Don Collins, with some specific modifications to his basic design (to better fit my client's hands.)

pastedGraphic

The result: a more "special" Special Edition. (My client reads this blog, and hasn't seen the gun yet. To him I say: don't worry, it's coming back to you this week, but I couldn't wait to show it off!)

-=[ Grant ]=-

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My muckraking safety articles

Monday, July 21, 2008
I've been asked to provide a permanent link to my articles on the failings of gun safety rules. Happy to oblige; I've added them to the Library as well.

The original article: "On Safety"
Followup article: "Following the safety rules religiously"

Please read them and consider them carefully. Of course, I'm always happy to hear comments from readers!

-=[ Grant ]=-

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The stopping power series

Wednesday, July 02, 2008
I've added a link to my "Stopping Power" series to the Library. I have no idea why I didn't think of doing so earlier!

-=[ Grant ]=-

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