Michael Tinker Pearce
Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2016
- Messages
- 1,577
I've often thought, for no reason I can articulate, that it would be cool to have a Detective Special in .32-20. I happened to have an early Police Positive Special in .32-20 that I procured for ballistics testing that I had been considering parting with now that I've finished the tests, and I decided to have some fun with it instead. Traditionally Linda encourages me to play on Veteran's day, and for scheduling reasons I was celebrating that today, so...
I cut and crowned the barrel at 2", made and mounted a custom front sight with a slot cut in the back and filled with enamel. I widened the rear sight aperture as well. I reshaped the right side-front of the trigger-guard for fast access to the trigger. I'd already made stag grips and mounted a Tyler T-Grip so that was covered, and I did a basic trigger-job.
I fired some test shots over the chronograph at 5 yards because .32-20 isn't a great candidate cartridge for a snubby, and I was curious to see what it could do. Not badly at all, as it turns out. I loaded 90gr. Reverse-HBWCs over 4.9gr. of Power Pistol, and got an average of 925 fps. for 171 ft./lbs, with an ES of 21. It was only five yards but five double-action shots produced a one large ragged hole for a group. I really like this gun; can't wait to get it to a proper range and wring it out. I've discovered it takes very little convincing to get a .327 Quickstrip to accept .32-20 cartridges; I think I need to make a holster for this one; makes a pretty nifty little carry-gun.
No, I don't shorten the barrel of every revolver I lay hands on, you folks just don't get to see much of the 'stock' guns because they aren't nearly as interesting.
I cut and crowned the barrel at 2", made and mounted a custom front sight with a slot cut in the back and filled with enamel. I widened the rear sight aperture as well. I reshaped the right side-front of the trigger-guard for fast access to the trigger. I'd already made stag grips and mounted a Tyler T-Grip so that was covered, and I did a basic trigger-job.
I fired some test shots over the chronograph at 5 yards because .32-20 isn't a great candidate cartridge for a snubby, and I was curious to see what it could do. Not badly at all, as it turns out. I loaded 90gr. Reverse-HBWCs over 4.9gr. of Power Pistol, and got an average of 925 fps. for 171 ft./lbs, with an ES of 21. It was only five yards but five double-action shots produced a one large ragged hole for a group. I really like this gun; can't wait to get it to a proper range and wring it out. I've discovered it takes very little convincing to get a .327 Quickstrip to accept .32-20 cartridges; I think I need to make a holster for this one; makes a pretty nifty little carry-gun.
No, I don't shorten the barrel of every revolver I lay hands on, you folks just don't get to see much of the 'stock' guns because they aren't nearly as interesting.