Someone once asked me which firearm was my favorite. After thinking about it awhile I decided it was whichever I was holding at the time.

"Thou shalt not covet." ain't easy when gazing on that SAA. The sheep's horn just looks right with the color case finish of the frame. 5 1/2" barrel, I've got a holster I've been looking for something similar to that to fill with.

How did you eliminate the lawyer label on the bottom of the frame on that SR1911? It looks pretty good that way.

then polished it with real fine sandpaper. Then I took a medium grit (maybe medium fine .. test it and see what works best) sandpaper, laid it on it and pounded it with a plastic mallet until it almost matched the bead-blasted finish.

Later I was visiting Paco and asked him, "How do you match a bead-blasted finished on stainless?" and he said, "Lay some sandpaper on it and pound it with a light mallet."

I started laughing and said, "Hanging around you all these years HAS rubbed off!"

WORKS OF ART AS WELL AS EFFECIENT TOOLS

What are the details on that single action?

When I got it, it was worn, had been buffed so many times that there was no lettering on the frame or barrel. And it had been rebuilt by Christie's who kept guns running for the movie industry. The cylinder was a replacement. The inside of the barrel looked like an old sewer pipe.

I contacted Eddie Janis and bought a period-correct barrel. I also got a modern smokeless cylinder. I fitted the cylinder and the barrel .. replaced the trigger/bolt spring with the Heinie (sp) spring, installed a new mainspring and cylinder hand and bolt, timed it and played with it a bit. Then I sent it to Cosby Custom Guns and he refinished it, lettered it with the proper stamps, color-cased the frame and hammer, fire-blued the screws and made sure I had put it together correctly.

Paul Persinger made the one-piece Bighorn Sheep grips.

I used it in some Cowboy Action shoots, but stopped that as it was too purty to wear out again.

I had a big old Hereford cow that had only given me one calf in 4 years so I had the butcher come and make us steaks and hamburger. I put her down with this gun and a copy of the original load.. using the #454190 bullet over a case of compressed 3Fg black powder.

from the same guy.

The .32-20 was made in 1913 .. someone had sawed the barrel off and cut right through the end of the ejector rod housing, next to the screw. I got a period-correct barrel from Eddie Janis, replaced the cylinder bolt and hand, installed new springs and got it running.

I used vinegar to take off what was left of the blueing. The gun had been buffed and reblued enough times that there is no lettering on the frame. I left the gun "in the white" and had Paul Persinger make a set of one-piece walnut grips for it. And then I shot it. I was shooting CAS and had a Marlin 1894 in .32-20 so they went together well. Shooting blackpowder was fun.

When I moved to Mozambique I sold the gun to Gordon Marts of The Shootists. He has used it quite a bit. The photo below was at the first Shootists Holiday that I attended after returning to the States. Gordon had it there and I got a photo of it.

Nice photos too!

I keep missing Gordon. We never seem to make Holiday the same year. That 32-20 is beautiful in its own way. There's something about a "well worn" sixgun.

The restoration work is top notch. So is the story. I can see why it is a favorite. If it were mine, it would be hard to not keep that one in a holster on my side.

about yours. I haven't had the guts to have it chopped and customized, at least not yet. A 16" .32-20 with a full length mag tube does have its appeal, though.

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nm