By Steve Ostrem
In the exotic world of custom revolvers, Hamilton Bowen, of Bowen Classic Arms (BCA) has emerged as the high master of turning ordinary handguns into functional pieces of art. For over 25 years his shop has been producing everything from the large, 5-shot Ruger conversions that the faint of heart dare not contemplate, to much more unusual offerings like a Smith and Wesson J frame that fires the 25ACP round with the aid of full moon clips. From the .577 caliber down to .22, Bowen Classic Arms has produced the finest revolvers available anywhere at any time, and this book, The Custom Revolver (#100-001-278), gives us a rare glimpse into the world of custom wheelguns.
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| To set the stage, the beginning of the book spends a good deal of time discussing the merits of the various designs; the raw material so to speak. The Ruger single action and double action pistols are discussed in great length, as well as the Smith and Wessons and, of course, the great Colt Single Action Army. In the course of rebuilding these guns and altering them to meet needs not envisioned by the designers, Mr. Bowen has come to know each one intimately and demonstrated an amazing knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses. |
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Bases upon this knowledge, he goes on to discuss the limitations of each firearm and what sorts of alterations or conversions are possible with each. Ever wonder why you don’t see Smith and Wesson Model 25s with 45 Long Colt and 45 ACP interchangeable cylinders? The amount of information in these pages is amazing, and it is only the beginning.
Bowen goes on to discuss sight systems, barrel fitting and shortening, trigger work, and spend much time on detailing work; that is to say, metal fit and finish. Be sure to check out the pictures in the book before you tell someone you really know how to file and polish metal. You may be surprised at the level of work being done routinely at BCA. Personally I’ve never seen better. There are some great pictures of a large barrel blank being turned into a ported barrel for a Redhawk with an integral underlug and sight base. The procedure is described as requiring two days on the milling machine before the real work, the polishing and detailing gets started! Other interesting tidbits include the trials and tribulations of persuading a .577 caliber Redhawk and a Paradox Single Action, (ball and shot), to shoot accurately and regulate properly. I also found the chapter discussing the pros and cons of the various calibers, both standard and wildcat, to be worth the price of admission all by itself.
Obviously I think a great deal of this book and the guy who wrote it. My own copy is 4 years old and beginning to look a little worn from being paged through at frequent intervals. One point worth mentioning; this is not a how-to manual. It is rather a thorough look at what can be done with these revolvers and what levels of performance and appearance can be reached. The book is clear and well written, and the forward is by Ross Seyfried, someone who is more than just a little qualified to comment on custom revolvers. There are also a number of color plates of some of the more exotic pieces produced by BCA that give a better idea of how exquisite these handguns really are. |