Cowboy Campfire - March 2007
Welcome back to the Campfire folks and thanks for stopping in. We are mighty pleased you are here and hope you stop by often. For the past two months, we’ve been discussing basis items a cowpoke might want to have on-hand for their gun bench. Some of you whipper-snappers thought it might be of benefit for ol’ Badlands here to begin a discussion on work bench basics, so here we are. In the two previous Campfires, we put the spy glass on a number of items and this month we will finish that review. As stated earlier, every hombre is different in what he or she may want or need on their gun bench or what they feel is a necessity. And by crackie, whatever your choice, you would be right, since it fits your needs. This series was designed for those pards who may be new to the sport, or, been a shooter and now want to work on their firearms a bit. We’ve discussed those items that make cleaning and simple repairs or upgrades a bit easier, so here we go for this month!
One thing I always find of great value is a selection of books either specific to my firearms or, ones offering the finer points for a wide range of guns. Of special value to me are the disassembly and reassembly instructions as well as good schematics. As many of you folks learned the hard way (including me!) reassembly is not always just the act or reversing the disassembly process! Many times a particular part or assembly is easier to put back together iffin’ you ‘press down on the doohickey while gently twisting the thingamajig’ – or something close to that! The ‘smiths that do this for a living know all the tricks to make the task easier and more enjoyable – we may as well learn from their experience, too. For American made firearms, there are some very inexpensive Cowboy Gun Takedown Guides offered for the most popular models, such as the Colt SAA (#100-002-268). These are in a 8.5” X 11” format and include step-by-step, easy to follow instructions with lots of black and white photos. You can find a number of these guides on page 40 of our Cowboy Catalog #3 and an extended line covering a number of firearms in the big book.
A huge name in the gunsmithing of SAA style revolvers is Jerry Kuhnhausen and Jerry’s books go well beyond the basics. If you really want to know just about all there is to know about your Colt or Ruger single action revolver, consider these two offerings. The first is called The Colt Single Action Revolvers – A Shop Manual Vol. I & II (#924-000-001). There are 770 photos among the pages of text and this covers the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation Colts. Folks, this is a tremendous book for the Colt enthusiast, just as his other book – The Ruger Single Action Revolvers – A Shop Manual Vol. I # II (#924-000-002) is for the Ruger fan. As with the Colt book, this book is 255 pages in a 6” X 9” softbound format and filled with photos and tips. Either of these books would be excellent additions to your gun library and for use at the bench.
The Winchester Model 94 remains one of the most popular shotguns for competition and though the prices have climbed sharply over the past decade, there are still thousands of shooters out there to be found. The Winchester 94 Factory Manual (#567-100-094) is an exact duplicate of the original factory manual. Within the 8.5” X 11” format you will find complete takedown and assembly instruction along with black and white line drawings.
Let’s get back to the bench top folks and discuss a neat product to hold your sixguns while you are cleaning or repairing them. The Versatile Rack Revolver Rack (#100-000-579) for Four Guns or the Six Gun Rack (#100-000-580) is what you need to keep those hoglegs organized. The steel frames are vinyl coated to protect the gun finish and the rubber feet keep the rack in place on the bench. Lots of us amigos have a spouse that shoots with us as well, making the four gun rack just right for those ‘after the shootout’ clean up chores. The part I like is that the rack takes very little space on the bench top. I find these also work excellent in the gun safe as the revolvers are stored side by side in a butt forward – muzzle up position. Even the six gun rack only measures a mite over 14” long by 5.25” wide. This small footprint allows me to get every inch of usable room out of the shelf in the safe while the guns are kept apart and protected. You will find these products on page 37 of your Cowboy Catalog, volume #3.
Another essential for my bench top is a selection of Lewis Lead Remover products for the calibers I shoot. For you veterans of this sport, the Lewis is nothing new – been around for decades – and the reason it’s been around so long is that if works great! Since our choice of slugs is limited to non-jacketed lead alloy for obvious safety reasons, the many different powders and bullet choices we use can leave some pretty heavy build-up in the cylinders, forcing cones, and barrels. The good news is that the entire Lewis line has been expanded to now include products for our rifles and shotguns as well as revolvers. The most difficult rubber tip for us to perfect has been the .32 caliber, as natural rubber just does not hold up with such a small outside diameter and large enough inside diameter for the brass screw to thread in. We’ve been doing research for a period of time now and believe we have the answer at hand; not only for the .32, but as an improvement over rubber for the other calibers, as well. The trick is to get a tip material that compresses well and maintains good pressure against the brass screen so the screen scrubs the lead from the barrel. And, the material has to be impervious to the oils and solvents we use and provide the owner with good service life. Partner, this here ain’t no small task! Regardless, I believe we are close to resolution on the .32.
One reason I like the Lewis is that I can use it without solvents and it remains very effective. I have seen some of the folks – especially those using black powder – put a smear of J-B Compound (#083-065-002) around the screen and then use the device as directed. They claim this makes quick work of any build-up and an examination of their firearms shows this to be true. Regardless, I still use mine dry and it works super. Cleaning out the deposits at the front of the chambers is a snap and the forcing cone tip makes that job a quick and simple task, too. With the Lewis system, there are no components that can damage the bore of your firearm – aluminum rod, aluminum forcing cone attachment, brass patches, brass caliber adapter, aluminum adjustment nut, and rubber tip. Though in our last installment I said we could devote an entire series of Campfires to cleaning supplies, I feel the Lewis system is unique enough that for me, it is an essential for the bench – even though it is a cleaning system.
For working at your bench, the next item is not essential but it sure is mighty handy. I’m talking about the Brownells Premium Shop Aprons, in long (#084-071-000) and short (#084-071-050) sizes. These are made from top quality 2-ply all cotton duck and features abound. The long apron extends to below the knees and has three pockets and, the neck and tie straps are double ply and reinforced for years of service. The short apron stops just above the knees and it too has three roomy pockets. This apron features a continuous loop, D-ring, double thickness strap system that the user can adjust easily to match their body height and desired length. Both these aprons are machine washable and will keep all the oils, solvents, and grime off your cowboy duds.
The last item for this series is something my faithful readers have heard me discuss many times in the past, and no, I don’t own their stock and they give me no payola, dang it! Badlands here is a stickler on safety and when I leave my gun bench or reloading table, I only do so after I’ve removed all the gunpowder and lead residue as well as oils and solvents built-up on my hands. It doesn’t take much lead contamination for the body to begin reacting and the results are not fun. I watched my father suffer from a bout of lead poisoning many years ago and that memory carries with me today. It only takes a minute to grab a ESCA-TECH D-Lead Cleaners Wipe (#100-002-192) and remove that grime from your hands. As I told you pards before, I keep a container on my gun cart, at the reloading table, and there is one on the gun bench, too. Aside from a posse of good RO’s and the range safety officer, this is one of the best safety measures we can take – whether at the range or at home.
Folks, this concludes this 3-part series on basic items for the gun bench. Sure, we could have added file sets, taps and dies, and all manner of other paraphernalia, but we promised to keep this simple. Let me know other topics you would like to see covered in the future and I will do my best to follow-up on those. Until next time!
Keep your aim straight and your belly full!