Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns ..well I went and did it...

As probably everyone knows I am a .41..Freak, Addict, Cult member...use whatever kinda slur you want...I represent that remark...

One of the guns I have always wanted but was never made was a .41 Colt SAA...as in Magnum or Special not the old Long Colt that was really a .401...but nothing was ever made.

A few years ago there was a spark of hope... While visiting US Firearms having a Flat Top Target tuned I was shown a prototype of their new Shooting Master. Basically a SAA with a slightly heavier 7.5" barrel, bead front sight and a rear sight adapted from the early Colt 1911 ACE .22 target gun. The gun was to be offered in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .41 Short Mag. .41 Short Mag was really nothing more than a .41 Special. When I asked "why" since the gun could handle .44 Magnums wasn't it just going to chambered in .41 Magnum...the reason.. Some big name Cowboy Action Shooters wanted something unique and that is what they had lobbied for... So I asked if a standard Flat Top Target could then be ordered in .41 Special and was told it could be...once they had some .41 barrel blanks in house. And for that matter they would make it in .41 Magnum if I so wished.

So every few months I would call but no blanks came in...then the Shooting Master disappeared and then so did all the SAAs...so that dream went up in smoke without a shot being fired...

Fast forward to Sunday... Out with friends we stopped in a few shops I only get over to once or twice a year. In the second shop there was...a .357 Shooting Master LNIB.... And so the plan was hatched.

Was able to get the gun for a very reasonable price considering the only ones I have ever seen have all sold between $1200-1500.00 and that was when USFA was still in the SAA business. After some thought an email was sent to Dave Clements of Clements Custom Guns asking the possibility of have it converted...and the very quick reply..."yes it can be done".

And at the same time I was also emailing with a friend in Az. who just happened to be emailing with someone who had worked at USFA. From him I was able to get an extra .357 cylinder...

So now the plan is to ship the gun and extra cylinder to Mr. Clements, have the barrel and original cylinder saved and the new cylinder fitted, timed and rechambered. The new barrel will be 5.5" long to match the Flat Top Target .22 and Clements Keith Long Range front sight installed.











...so that is the plan...hopefully it will be back by Thanksgiving to take hunting.... I had thought about having a .41 barrel made to match the factory as Dave said he could take the front sight blade and mount it on the new barrel. But after putting the gun in a Bianchi 1L found that 7.5" guns are for shootin' not carrying... I have several nice holsters that will fit the 5.5" barrel so that is the way I am going..

.41..it is a disease...as CF Members Ron and Dave have found out...don't stand to close to Bob or you will catch it too...

Bob

Bob,

What a fantastic revolver that's going to be. The .41 Magnum is such a magnificent round. The more and more I look at the .41 Magnum, the less and less I like the .44 Mag. The .41 Magnum just makes more sense on most every level. You truly are a man after my own heart; .38 Supers and .41's...I'll bet you drink good beer too.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! That, is drop dead gorgeous.

the enabler/pimp strikes again to make me feel inadequate.
that will be a nice pistol.
I spent part of the rainy day reading old 41 articles from years ago out of handloader. And then i see this.
He is trying to get me fishhooked on commanders too.

.38 Super Commanders at that...he's an expensive friend to have.

Spectacular revolver there! We are ALL going to want to see this when all done up. Just.... wow

...Kevin...being a .38 Super fan you are already 1/2 way there...

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/41magnum.htm

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/41heavy.htm

http://www.shootingtimes.com/2011/04/07/ammunition_ready_for_the_41_special_040711/


I've about decided that I am going to have the gun chambered for .41 Special and have the barrel marked .41 Short Mag as that was the way the factory was going to mark it. It would also be basically .41 Special +P in that it would show that the gun was rated for more than just 1000 fps loads.

Bob

ps..and yes..there is no BudLite in my house.

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt41spec.htm

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/41keith.htm

Very, very nice!

OMG! When I read the Subject " well I went and did it" I thought OH HELL, NOT YOU TOO? But I was glad to find out we don't have another wife on the war path..I'm a .41 Mag fan too. I have a Ruger blackhawk in that cal. I bought from a guy 25 years ago for 100 bucks. It's a great hog pistol. I need to blow the dust off that one and take it to the range.
Nice gun!

That should make a wicked fine hunting gun Sir.

I am a HUGE .41 Mag fan and probably the only person still to this day to qualify for their TN handgun carry permit with a model 57

..you SAA guys... I need a better set of stocks for this... Smooth..maybe ivory Micarta...but thicker than regular SAA grips...any ideas....

Bob

Considering the gun, you might want to think about Ivory - Ivory. That's going to be an heirloom gun when it's finished, might as well go buck wild.

..yes but it is going to be a shooter and not sure I want to chance several hundred dollars of ivory to recoil... The TruIvory grips on the Flat Top Target are just as pretty as the real deal...

Bob

...fit to not only the frame but the hand...

http://chiselandplaneworkshop.com/r...gallery_a301e3d6f25e36c981bdb3fd85856d20

I like the design of the Munden Recoil Control grips in ivory Mircarta or ebony..

I have an old set of Buffalo horn grips some where in my barn. Not sure how Black grips on a blued gun would look. I looked sharp on my SS Ruger.

...now I don't know...what barrel length do I get... 4.75 or 5.5.....

I have two 5.5s...a Garry Reeder Custom .41 Mag and a USFA Flat Top Target .22/.22 Mag. But I have several Rugers with the 4 5/8" barrel and they just look "right" with the barrel ending at the end of the ejector rod.

Have been looking at Clements website and he has 5.5" and 4.75" guns sitting right next to each other with the same front sight and I am beginning to lean toward the 4.75"...

Help....

Bob

I'm a 4.75" kinda guy myself. Basically there aren't many shots I'd take with a 5.5 or 7.5 that I wouldn't take with the 4.75" gun. They pack nicer, and like you said, they just have that look about them. Man, I love the sights on that gun, that just looks so classy.

..also..the above pic of the rear sight... Apparently the previous owner took a black Sharpie to it. Cleaned it off and now it is nice brass again.

...so do we do this barrel like this....







or this...









Bob

...well...after a year and a grand it is back...and David Clemants did an outstanding job...







The grips "were" going to be originally done by TruIvory but in a custom thickness fit to the gun... That plan fell through when TruIvory got so busy they would not take any more custom work... So on to Chisel and Plane for their Ivory Micarta...and plan two went down the drain as he could not obtain linen or canvas like FA has on ther guns that have nice grain to them...just a flat white... So plan number three...nicely grained walnut...



Unfortunately the first set provided to David Clements was not to his satisfaction and the frame was returned to C&P who then sent me pics of 4 of their best blanks...the one picked is what you now see on the gun. And they are much larger than the standard SAA grips...it is a pleasure to shoot.



The front sight was the topic of several emails and finally it was decided to match the Flat Top Target sight on the .22 Magnum but make it a little wider. Mr. Clements also knew I liked long range shooting as he had made a long range front sight blade for my FA .41 Magnum so he added a bar for more precise holdover. He also made a second matching blade of a different height so between the two blades and the adjustable rear it should handle all bullet weights.





[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/Single%20Action/DSCF7722_zpscd146af4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/Single%20Action/DSCF7726_zps9b5f3d77.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/Single%20Action/DSCF7727_zps5613d0d3.jpg[/img]

I gave the caliber a LOT of thought...do I do the .41 Magnum or .41 Special.....well for a "special" gun why not a "special" caliber..so in the end that is what it chambered for... .41 Special. I only kick myself now as a few years ago I bought 12K rounds of .41 Special brass and sold most of it off...only have a couple hundred rounds left...


So here it is with it's "Little Brother" .22/.22 Magnum...

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/Single%20Action/DSCF7724_zps4cf327ae.jpg[/img]

On the way home from the shop this afternoon I stopped at a friends house out in the country to try it out. Absolute joy to shoot...and dead nutz on the money at 25 yards with 220 cast Keith bullets and 7.0 grain of Unique...

So there it is...Bob

Nice looking revolvers. I haven't seen a USFA in a long time, save for one in a large LGS, who wants a premium for it. Really odd how they suddenly quit making SAA's, when they'd made a nice reputation for them.

From people I know who worked at the factory, they said the owner just got tired of it...it is really too bad he just didn't sell the business to someome else...

The big shop where I bought the .22/.22 Magnum always had 2-5 used USFA revolvers for sale in addition to the new ones they had....now like you I have not seen one there in months...

Bob

Beautiful Gun! As a .41 addict, I am drooling

That's awesome! You definitely get style points for going with the .41Spl. I still go back and read Taffin's article from the late `80's about the Bowen .41Spl Colt.

It really is a crying shame what happened with USFA.

You can get antique paper micarta from Sheffield Knifemaker's Supply.

Damn that's a cool set of revolvers.



Travis

does "I hate you" mean anything?

Very nice.

Just picked up my brand new SA Armory Kote TRP .45 yesterday locally at what I considered a good price. I guess I should have had my "itch" scratched. But.. then.. I saw these. You can't help but love these pistols! I have been a fan of that caliber for many years.

The .41 seems to be going extinct. I now have only 2 friends that own them!

Congrats on a fine handgun. Very unique.

Very nice.

Reeking of class and cool.

That should make a super cool belt gun for walking the high sage and mountain mahogany, as well as the deep timber.

The jacks will be getting quite nervous when you belt that one on and start slipping through the brush..

They will learn a new version of "The walking dead".

Thanks....it is going to be a tough decision what goes out to Idaho this year. I guess you might want to see this one though...

Jacks...what Jacks... Last year when they heard I was coming not only the Jacks but all the coyote moved out of the valley for the week I was there.

Today I took the motorcycle down to my friend's place who has a nice range. We did some spring cleaning and also got to shoot the SM a little more...the wind was blowing 20-30 mph at some times so holding was a little tough. But the 212 Keith Penta-Point/7.0 Unique were right on the money at 20 yards and the 250 Keith about 1.5-2.00 high.

Problem now is brass...I sold most of the .41 Special brass off and only kept about 300 rounds for the Taurus Trackers... So sometime soon I am going to try and borrow a friends power case trimmer and cut down a thousand Starline brass I have...

Bob

Nice USFA's also seem to be going up in price, too...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=407605123

Damn! I didn't realize the prices had gotten so frickin high!!!
I've got a USFA in a 4 & 3/4" 45 Colt with a an extra 45acp cylinder that I special ordered in 1999 with the Royal Blue & Color Cased Hardened finish & Factory walnut grips. Mine is super accurate with both cylinders, shooting 1.5" groups at 25 yards off of a sandbag using 230gr cast bullets and Tite Group Powder. Mine still basically looks new since I've babied it & kept plent of oil on the finish.
I do however, carry it here at the Ranch in an Old El Paso Saddlery Tom Threeperson's Crossdraw holster from time to time & have killed numerous feral hogs and rattlesnakes with it. I saw a NIB USFA twin to it in .44 special at the Tulsa Gunshow back on April 5th for $1500 that I knew I should have purchased!
Maybe I'll find another before they get priced out of sight. Guess for now, I'll just have to keep carrying my go to .44 specials in a Colt SAA Thrird Generation and my Ruger Flattop Bisley in .44 spec.

Bob, that is a fine looking pair. I am envious!

Far as problems go, that's one I'd be willing to wrestle with in a heartbeat!!

Dood, I just LOVE your taste in handguns.

Thanks Kevin....

Almost had a nervous breakdown yesterday... Was out shooting with all the single actions doing some sight checking when the Clements went south...as it would not hold a "pattern" on a silhouette target at 35 yards.... At first I thought it was a bad batch of cast bullets but it was the same loads I had been shooting and had been doing well with... I shoot one of the other SA and all the rounds are spot on...

Looked at the sights...there is one tinyweenie set screw that holds the sight in place...it had loosened up and the sights was just flopping back and forth with each shot... But then it started to feel like the gun was "loose" when I would fire it...upon inspection ALL the screws were backing out... Once everything was tightened back up and sight set things got back to normal.... But all the screws will be LocTited shortly... The windage screw is going to be a major PITA.

This was 35 yards sitting at a 6" paper plate with the 212 grain Keith PantaPoints...7.0 grains of Unique...



Sights are best for a light colored background and good sunlight...I and the target were in the shade so it made precise sight alignment/picture a little difficult...but it is getting the job done..

Bob

You have some really nice toys!

How do you align the white bar (shown below) in your sight picture?



It seems interesting.

That is a holdover bar for long range shooting... The standard sight picture is black. As the distance gets long...as in 100 yards or more, one just keep elevating the front sight in the rear and the bar will start to appear in the bottom.

Last fall Mackay Sagebrush and I were shooting out to 550 yards across a dry lake bed. The bar lets one get the same shot to shot sight alignment.

Bob

I thought that could be it. That's pretty cool. I guess you then range the gun with the bar in the bottom of the sight notch and at the top.

You and others here inspired me to shoot at a steel critter at 100 yards with my Ruger 22/45 this morning. I think a setup like that would have been interesting try out.

It is fun and very challenging....

This is a the front sight David Clements made up for my Freedom Arms 83 .41 Magnum...



When Mac and I were shooting last fall we were using S&Ws. The red ramps can be used much the same way, just hold up parts of it.

Mac shooting out across the lake...targets started at 200 and worked out to 550.



Shooting from the porch of his cabin at a 100 yard gong...



..and you don't need a "Magnum"....although Mac was using a .44 Magnum and I a .41 both had handloads under 1000 fps... Big bullets help because they are easier to see when they miss the target as they'll throw up dirt a .35 won't...

Bob

Thanks. Great pictures, too.