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Most of you are Skeeter fans, like me, and have read most of his stories. One of my personal favorites is "Dobe Grant's Old 45 Colt", pg 117 of Skeeter Skelton on Handguns, the magazine on the left in the pictures.

This is the Colt New Service 45 ACP that Dobe sent to Sedgley in Joplin, MO before he shipped out to the South Pacific with the Seabees, lying about his age, after his only son was killed in the war. Dobe ends up getting shot at, and attacked, by Japanese soldiers while bull-dozing a runway on an island and kills a few of them with his gun.

I decided a few years ago to duplicate this gun. It took me a while to find the right base gun but it finally popped up on Gunbroker about 18 months ago. I sent it to Alan Harton in June of last year and I just finally got it back. Being a 45 Colt fan, I opted for that caliber instead of the ACP, other than that, I tried to keep it as close to Dobe's gun as possible.

The gun came with a 4" ribbed barrel with a ramp front sight, already in 45 Colt (barrel stamped 45 LONG COLT - definitely a Jug Johnson stamp :-P ). I had Alan install a drift adjustable rear sight, lanyard, ejector rod button, action job, bob the hammer and sight it in with a 250gr LRNFP over 8gr Unique. He sent me a few pictures after he sighted it in, with a simple "This gun really shoots".

I thought I would share with you guys...

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Next step is to get a set of combat "boot" grips made out of mesquite for it.

Thought you Skeeter fans out there would appreciate.

Matt

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Great looking, ol Dobe would be proud.

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Thanks, Matt.

:-D

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..

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.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

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the remains of British proof marks on that old Colt.

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vintage so I figured it was an old British WWI gun, probably a 455 Eley or something like that.

Matt

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to 45 Colt back in the day. The conversion works very well, but the short cylinder sometimes limits the length of the bullet that can be used. If that is the case the shorter and lighter 452423 works well.

My Colt New Service 45 Long Colt cylinder measures 1.6455 If that is of any help. The 455 Eley cylinders were a smidge shorter, just enough to cause issues with standard 45 Colt loading. My Colt if a 1921 vintage handgun. [image]

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I have a 452423 FX bullet mold. We discussed it years ago, long story short it is a 452423 that was cut deeper in the block for a bullet of around 275gr. it would be perfect for a short cylinder New Service .45 colt, or a FA 97.

I have shot several hundred of them, it is a good shooting bullet.

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I sure do miss Skeeter.

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...

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makes me a bit nostalgic to read of a resurrection. Thanks, it did my heart good to read and see this,

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When I bought mine with a N frame rear sight added I thought of that story. Yours is about perfect.

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...

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

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Yep, There are a few I will go back and reread every so often.

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I always remember the last line,"Old Fletch? He stayed on Tinian."

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of rereading Skeeter's tales. I've always wondered how he does that !!!

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Still buried in my ex wife's basement with about a thousand Shooting Times and G&A mags since back in the eighties I'm sure.

Bob

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Wonderful gun, wonderful story, wonderful memories of growing up reading Skeeter.

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Sincerely,

Hobie

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Skeeter was one of a kind, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything he wrote.

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right ;-)

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

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Nope. This one will sit in a Border Patrol style holster, as did Dobe Grant's, and will get a steady diet of standard pressure, 250 gr LRNFP over 8gr Unique and I will be quite content with that. :-P

Matt

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and always relish going back and reading him.

There have been so many OM Ruger 357 conversions to 44 Special, inspired by him (and rightfully so) that I thought I'd do a different take on a Skeeter inspiration.

In any case, I'm looking forward to getting out to the range and plinking with it. It just might make the short list to make an appearance at Shootists Holiday this year.

Matt

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I've been a Skeeter fan since I found 'Good Freinds...' At a gunshop almost 20 years a go now. I have wanted to do just what you have done several times, just never have gotten around to it. Glad to see someone is keeping the story alive!

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thank you for sharing the re-creation -- and happy shooting...

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I like that a lot.

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