The case for the double action only revolver.

I endorse the practice of rendering defensive revolvers double action only (DAO.) Many people ask why, and I thought I’d give you my thoughts on the matter. Let’s start with the usual argument for retaining single action capability, which I call the “Walter Mitty scenario”: the mythical need for making precise long range head shots. […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 8, 2007

Maintaining your gun’s fine finish.

Those who have highly polished guns – polished nickel plate, bright stainless, or Colt’s justly famous Royal Blue – often ask about the best way to keep these fine finishes looking good. My recommendation: Selvyt. It’s not a paste or a wax, it’s a cloth – a pure cotton, non-impregnated cloth that jewelers have been […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 28, 2007

Bent ejector rods.

A common complaint about the old-style Colt Detective Special is the unshrouded ejector rod. Many people believe that the exposed ejector rod is a liability; should it get bent during a struggle, the theory goes, it will tie up the gun and make it inoperable. Not quite. Many folks have experienced this problem with a […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 14, 2007

“Stainless” doesn’t mean “won’t rust”.

I hear the advice all the time: “buy a stainless gun, because they won’t rust.” This kind of comment is what prompted General Norman Schwarzkopf to say “bovine scatology!” Yes, stainless will in fact rust under the right conditions. What are those conditions? Generally, if you get moisture trapped in a place where it doesn’t […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 12, 2007

An unusual lubrication problem.

I get the most interesting phone calls! A client who works for a public agency in California contacted me with a problem. As you may know, California has pretty strict ideas about what constitutes a carcinogen. Management in his agency won’t let him use any lubricants that contain “substances known to the state of California […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 24, 2007

Getting your gun engraved.

The lure of a personalized and decorated weapon is centuries old. Embellished swords and knives from the 17th and 18th centuries are well known; before that, soldiers in high standing had their armor decorated. Some of the earliest firearms in existence are lavishly treated, with inlays and fine woods. Today many people desire to have […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 22, 2007

The importance of endshake.

An often misunderstood aspect of revolver construction is the idea of endshake. Endshake is nothing more than the amount of back-and-forth movement (or front-to-back, if you prefer) that the cylinder is allowed to make. Measuring endshake is easy: using a set of feeler gages, the cylinder is pushed forward and the barrel/cylinder gap is measured. […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 15, 2007

Triggers are three-dimensional.

It’s surprising how little attention is given to the back of a revolver’s trigger. I recently came across a gun that had been worked on by another gunsmith (more on this in a future blog post), and one aspect of the gun illustrated the limited understanding of revolver shooting by many ‘smiths. The face of […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On December 27, 2006

Battle of the “J” frames?

The internet forums sporadically ignite with a common debate: what “J” frame is the best? The disagreement seems to center around the fans of the exposed hammer models (who hold out the dream of needing to make a “precise, long range” single action shot) and those of the enclosed hammer Centennial models (who opine that […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On December 20, 2006

A primer about primers.

When doing action work, I ask my clients how they’ll be using the gun. For instance, a competition shooter who handloads their own ammunition can utilize a lighter action than someone who needs the gun to work with a variety of factory ammunition. Why is this? Well, primers are not created equal – the brands […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On December 11, 2006

A bit of opinion about MIM parts.

Heard about “MIM” parts? MIM is an injection molding process for metal parts, and it has been revolutionizing many industries. In the revolver business, both Smith & Wesson and Taurus have made use of MIM parts. Like any new process, however, there are those who decry the new technology; some gunsmiths spread the misinformation that […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On October 16, 2006

Let’s talk about triggers.

I had an interesting email recently. The writer said that he’d contacted a number of gunsmiths to inquire about action work. In every case, he said, all he could get out of them was “we can make it lighter.” Occasionally I’ll get an inquiry from the other side of this phenomenon – someone whose only […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 27, 2006

Measuring chamber throats – calipers vs pin gages.

There is a huge amount of misinformation regarding revolver accuracy. Folks, assuming that you have a gun in proper repair – timing, lockup, chamber-to-bore alignment – the most important factor in accuracy is the chamber throat dimension. What is the chamber throat? It is the slightly constricted opening in the chamber, just in front of […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 4, 2006

Lubrication 101: Gun oil, snake oil, and how to tell the difference.

Important update and disclaimer: This article was originally written in 2006. In it, I made specific recommendations for Lubriplate products, recommendations which have not varied significantly in the decade-and-a-half since publication. At the time it was written I had no affiliation with Lubriplate or their dealers; I was simply a happy customer who found their […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 18, 2006

What is a “good” trigger?

I recently met a fellow who was shooting a Colt Detective Special. We talked about his gun a while, and I asked him if he’d had any action work done to it. He said he hadn’t; sure enough, on trying his gun, I felt the typical Colt factory trigger – heavy and ugly. Since I […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 1, 2006

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