Movie hats

[Yahoody]

Not all that well known as actors but saw Buck Taylor and Peter Sherayko recently and it just reminded me of how old I am. As they say, "no one gets out alive".

Peter Sherayko as Texas Jack Vermillion and Buck Taylor as Turkey Creek Jack Johnson in Tombstone (1993)

and the early days

 

[deadlyhandsome]

The lt wt Colt by Hamilton Bowen is one of my favorites. Robb has sold me guns before, but I can't afford the really nice stuff. He lives down the road a piece from me. He actually used to raise beef steers, so the engraved ivory grips are more than just decoration and a copy of an older, classic style.

When my uncle retired from the US Forest Service after more than 40 years we presented him with a S&W 38/44 that Hamilton Bowen converted to .44 Special and customized. It also has a set of Roy Fishpaw’s walnut stocks. Beautiful work. We thought of ivory stocks, but the cost was eye watering. Bowen does great work if you’re not in a hurry. I’ve been thinking of one of his GP-44 conversations from a Ruger Alaskan in .454/.45 Colt as a retirement gift to myself Not pretty or classic, but a near indestructible everyday side arm.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Your friend Robb has several really nice guns

Another one of his I lust over!

It broke my heart when USFA went out of business. I thought they had a great business model.

 

[Tukwila]

When my uncle retired from the US Forest Service after more than 40 years we presented him with a S&W 38/44 that Hamilton Bowen converted to .44 Special and customized. It also has a set of Roy Fishpaw’s walnut stocks. Beautiful work. We thought of ivory stocks, but the cost was eye watering. Bowen does great work if you’re not in a hurry. I’ve been thinking of one of his GP-44 conversations from a Ruger Alaskan in .454/.45 Colt as a retirement gift to myself Not pretty or classic, but a near indestructible everyday side arm.

View attachment 257510

I wish Ruger would make their Alaskan with a 4 or 5" barrel! I have eyed Bowen's stuff for decades..... including that GP44. I planned a poor man's version, buying a SRH in 480 Ruger with the idea of sending if off to have the 7.5" barrel chopped to 5". But the darn thing shoots so good as-is that I'm reluctant now to go ahead with those plans!

And those ivory stocks cost more than my best pistol!

 

[Tukwila]

It broke my heart when USFA went out of business. I thought they had a great business model.

Have you seen the Stand Mfg 45 Colt for about $2,000? Pretty.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Have you seen the Stand Mfg 45 Colt for about $2,000? Pretty.

No. I’ll check it out, thanks.

 

[Tukwila]

No. I’ll check it out, thanks.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I wish Ruger would make their Alaskan with a 4 or 5" barrel! I have eyed Bowen's stuff for decades..... including that GP44. I planned a poor man's version, buying a SRH in 480 Ruger with the idea of sending if off to have the 7.5" barrel chopped to 5". But the darn thing shoots so good as-is that I'm reluctant now to go ahead with those plans!

And those ivory stocks cost more than my best pistol!

I had an Alaskan in 454. It was nice, but the barrel length was the dealbreaker. As a hip belt gun it was also too heavy and uncomfortable. I’m looking at the 4.2” conversion and a Double D Guides Choice chest holster. I have a 3” GP100 in .44 Special and matching Guides Choice Holster that I really like. It mostly sees use as a snake gun, but I also have 250g Keith bullets at 1000 PFS that are pleasant to shoot and potent enough. The chest holster is a comfortable as I could wish, and if you haven’t tried one I highly recommend it.

The .480 is intriguing, but I’d go with another in .454 and only plan on shooting .45 Colt through it. A 325g WFNGC at 1300 FPS will take care of anything I need. I might feel differently if I was heading to Alaska. The recoil of the stout .45 is at my upper limit for recoil and the cheaper components are also a factor.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

They look pretty nice. I’d have to get the .38 Spl as I’d be afraid that some of my +P .45 Colt ammo might accidentally find its way into it. I didn’t used to care for the .38 and thought it was an anemic cartridge without much use in the modern world, but I shoot a lot of it anymore. It’s pleasant to shoot, accurate, and cheap. I used to hot rod my loads a bit, but not anymore.

My current residence doesn’t allow me to cast and my reloading equipment is all boxed up. Another hobby that is simmering waiting for my retirement.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Nothing wrong with a 38 Special. It was the gold standard for years in LE. Lots of good options for ammo as well. Only down side in a SAA? Heavier and a different balance compared to a 45. One of my favorites in a SAA is the 32-20 and heavier yet.

Persinger's carved ivory is real art and a treasure. Fun to carry and shoot.

A USFA 38 with Persinger's work.

View attachment 257541

Beautiful, but outside my budget. I enjoy looking too, and that keeps me in the good graces of the wife and the retirement advisor.

Two of the most unpleasant revolvers I’ve shot were small calibers: a 30 carbine Blackhawk and a .327 Federal Single Six. The recoil was light, but the blast and noise was off the charts. 32-20 sounds like a fun gun with black power equivalent loads. As I get older I’m less attracted to the heavy hitters.

 

[RBH]

Getting this thread back on track....

Seems a hat shop in Utah are claiming the same...

Burns 1876 The Cowboy Shop
March 30 ·

Pick out your favorite Yellowstone Hat!! We were honored to make them for the cast and we would be honored to make one for you!

If I am not mistaken they changed hat makers for the 3rd season...maybe during the 2nd.

 

[hatophile]

Not all that well known as actors but saw Buck Taylor and Peter Sherayko recently and it just reminded me of how old I am. As they say, "no one gets out alive".

Peter Sherayko as Texas Jack Vermillion and Buck Taylor as Turkey Creek Jack Johnson in Tombstone (1993)

and the early days

Great movie. Tombstone and Long Riders, two of my favorite more modern westerns. But of course, those are both over 25 years ago now.

 

[Yahoody]

If I am not mistaken they changed hat makers for the 3rd season...maybe during the 2nd.

No doubt. Without the matching funds for Season 3's bigger production budget from Utah they moved production to where the money was Kayce and Rip both needed better hats anyway. But hard to understand how a month or two of production wrecks a hat

 

[hatophile]

No doubt. Without the matching funds for Season 3's bigger production budget from Utah they moved production to where the money was Kayce and Rip both needed better hats anyway. But hard to understand how a month or two of production wrecks a hat

Sorry, almost back on track! Breaking the sound barrier is what hurts. Most of the small calibers and all the magnums will do that. 32-20 will as well when loaded hot. Some had the same complaints early on. 32-20 was likely the first "magnum load". But the "heavy" 115gr lead bullet @ 900 in the 32-20 is a nice round for target shooting and small game. That load duplicates the original BP loads and is cheap to reload. 32-20 is an exceptionally accurate round. Pumped up a bit in a lever gun it will equal a 30 carbine.

Uberti 32-20s
View attachment 257588

Finally? Budgets? Standard was mentioned. Standard is building on the USFA CNC programs to Uberti specs just as USFA did prior. USFA quality was better. I have both to make that comparison. But the real value is the current Uberti and the real Colt clone, Pietta. Both are exceptional values and high quality guns if you want something to actually shoot and not just bragging rights for the $ spent.

Three Uberti 44 Specials. All exceptional guns that took little tweaking to get there.

Nice shootin'.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

No doubt. Without the matching funds for Season 3's bigger production budget from Utah they moved production to where the money was Kayce and Rip both needed better hats anyway. But hard to understand how a month or two of production wrecks a hat

Sorry, almost back on track! Breaking the sound barrier is what hurts. Most of the small calibers and all the magnums will do that. 32-20 will as well when loaded hot. Some had the same complaints early on. 32-20 was likely the first "magnum load". But the "heavy" 115gr lead bullet @ 900 in the 32-20 is a nice round for target shooting and small game. That load duplicates the original BP loads and is cheap to reload. 32-20 is an exceptionally accurate round. Pumped up a bit in a lever gun it will equal a 30 carbine.

Uberti 32-20s
View attachment 257588

Finally? Budgets? Standard was mentioned. Standard is building on the USFA CNC programs to Uberti specs just as USFA did prior. USFA quality was better. I have both to make that comparison. But the real value is the current Uberti and the real Colt clone, Pietta. Both are exceptional values and high quality guns if you want something to actually shoot and not just bragging rights for the $ spent.

Three Uberti 44 Specials. All exceptional guns that took little tweaking to get there.

.44 special is a pet of mine. I load it warm, but not hot. A while back I switched from Skeeter’s load with Unique to Alliant’s Power Pistol which is cleaner.

I shoot several guns that exceed the sound barrier, but the 30 carbine and .327 Fed were an order of magnitude worse. I have a 2 1/4” barreled Ruger SP-101 in .357 with 125g loads that exceeds the sound barrier, and while loud, it’s much more pleasant to shoot than those other rounds from their longer barrels. Actually, the 32 H&R is a nice little cartridge and despite its “magnum” moniker it’s a pussycat to shoot. I also keep my velocities down to avoid leading as cast is about all I shoot anymore.

I haven’t handled a Uberti in years, and I’ve never handled a Pietta. It’s always dangerous when I go inside a gun store so I try to stay away, but maybe if I’m just looking....

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Italian guns have changed a lot in the last 10 years! No doubt in my mind we can directly USFA for that. Both the major Italian replica handgun makers have really upped their game. You can easily make comparisons now that simply weren't logical a decade ago.

The Pietta is an "exact" copy of the Colt..or darn close as some parts are interchangeable. But only in 38, 44wcf and 45. You can how ever rechamber a 38 cylinder easy enough to 44 Special and fit it to a 44-40. So the Pietta guns are Colt size unlike the Ubert/USFA/Standard guns which have a larger cylinder and frame window with a slightly different balance. 4 click hammers ala Colt on the Pietta. Uberti has recently changed to a 3 click hammer and a new internal safety although you can replace it with the Colt style parts it adds to the cost.

I use to shoot a lot of handgun ammo, while in the gun business. But have an childhood affinity and family connection to old Colts and lever guns. So something I still really enjoy doing.

View attachment 257606

And always in a short brimmed "movie" hat

View attachment 257611

My ever tolerant gelding, Brazen. He has his own ear plugs but not his favorite past time
View attachment 257612

The .44WCF is usually a couple thousandths smaller than the .44 Spl: have you had good results getting the Specials to shoot well in the WCF barrel? I don’t want want to have to order separate molds for a .44 Special shooting through a WCF barrel. I have two molds for .44 right now and they both drop .430” bullets.

 

[T Jones]

I'm looking to getting something like this for home defense. Smith and Wesson Governor, or the Taurus Judge. Both of these hand cannons can shoot either 410 shot gun shells or 45 caliber rounds, and in the narrow hallways of my home either of these two guns would be easier to wield than a shotgun or a rifle.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I'm looking to getting something like this for home defense. Smith and Wesson Governor, or the Taurus Judge. Both of these hand cannons can shoot either 410 shot gun shells or 45 caliber rounds, and in the narrow hallways of my home either of these two guns would be easier to wield than a shotgun or a rifle.

Not legal in California so no firsthand Knowledge. I will say that the proper rifle or shotgun is quite maneuverable inside a home. When SWAT or SRT make entry and go in after the bad guys they are holding long guns. I don’t drink all of Jeff Cooper’s Kool Aid, but I generally agree with the philosophy that your handgun is used because it’s convenient and always at hand. A long gun is almost always preferable when concealment or carry are not concerns. Just my 2 cents.

 

[T Jones]

Not legal in California so no firsthand Knowledge. I will say that the proper rifle or shotgun is quite maneuverable inside a home. When SWAT or SRT make entry and go in after the bad guys they are holding long guns. I don’t drink all of Jeff Cooper’s Kool Aid, but I generally agree with the philosophy that your handgun is used because it’s convenient and always at hand. A long gun is almost always preferable when concealment or carry are not concerns. Just my 2 cents.

I did have a nice 12 gauge Mossberg Pump that I wish I never sold. It was basically a short barrelled riot gun. To this day I regret ever getting rid of it, just as I regret getting rid of a Ruger 357 Blackhawk I once had. Anyway, when I'm ever able get either the Governor or the Judge it will serve a dual purpose for me. Home defense and personal protection when I'm out and about. After some consideration I finally decided to go for a CCW.

 

[RBH]

OK gents....back to hats.