In praise of the N Frame

Free Republic ^ | 5/23/2005 | Jack Black

[Squantos]

I looked at that....they have a couple of SASS rigs and that was it per what I could find on line........ I don't think EPS is the original site. We'll have to research and get the real skinny on when S.D. sold out etc and where his shops were. Not all were in El Paso if any to best of my knowledge........

[Lurker]

Know I don't know whether to hate you or offer to buy your beer for life...I'm lusting after an 82A1, but I think it's out of reach $$ wise.

Check out Hi-Tech. I've spoken to him a couple times, and he's always treated me right. I'm thinking of bopping down his way since it's only a few hours from me, and filling up the truck with goodies on a cash basis if ya know what I mean.

Take care my friend.

L

[Squantos]

Beer for life ?!?!? You can afford a barrett then.......:o)

[Poser]

I've got a 686. I love it.

[Lurker]

I'd just have to find a dealer who'd agree to take $5.00 a day for about 3 years or so.

No problem!

L

[Squantos]

LOL..........Stay safe I have to go find food for the table !

Later L !

[Jack Black]

I'm in awe. I can't hit things with a handgun at 400 yrds. Obviously the Redhawk is a very accurate piece. I have heard it said by knowledgeble folks that the N-frame is best suited to the .41 mag, and that the .44 mag is a bit much for the general design of the gun, which as is pointed out dates to the first decade of the 20th Century.

[B4Ranch]

>>I've been boycotting S&W handguns ever since my wife found out how many I have.<<

I'll buy some from you if it'll help the marriage and your homelife.

[Lurker]

I would tend to disagree with your information re N-frames.

IMO it's way stronger than it really needs to be for .44 mag loads.

L

[Noumenon]

Yup. Got one exactly like the one in the photo. Great walkin' in the woods sidearm. Rides in a Galco Miami shoulder holster.

[Noumenon]

Speaking of guns, I had a nice 54th B-day party with some friends who live up on Hoodooo Mountain just a little ways from here. We sat around a fire pit, ate Bambi burgers, drank a little whisky, smoked cigars and shot guns - not necessarily in that order. As nice a birthday as I've had in a while.

What made the shooting special was that I got to shoot a replica Shiloh Sharps in 45-70. Black powder cartridges, 34 inch barrel, too. Looking through that peepsight at the front double blades was like looking back through history. Never shot a rifle with as nice a set trigger as that one. I could perhaps get a little insight as to how those old-timers made those 1000 yard shots.

I udnerstand that they hold a Quigley shoot somewhere. Now that'd be something to see.

[Lurker]

It sure would be.

Happy Birthday my friend.

Regards,

L

(54, oh my God I'm glad I'm not that old...not yet anyway! Well not for a few years anyway.)

[Tijeras_Slim]

I picked up a Tom Threepersons holster for my 1926. Perfect for the period.

Yes indeed.

[MarkL]

I've been boycotting S&W handguns ever since my wife found out how many I have.

I've only got 3 of them :-( .

I've got a Model 57 in .41 mag, a 625-5 in .45 acp, and a 629 that Ron Power transformed into one of his Grand Masters.

I love these revolvers!

Mark

[Jack Black]

CZ makes really nice guns. They are best known for the CZ-75 which is an original design semi-auto pistol. It has been copied by a number of firms worldwide and was the basis for the cult-favorite Bren Ten, the first 10mm pistol that Jeff Cooper helped design. They also make a nice Mauser style rifle. I bought one of their 22s for my child a few years back and it's a great rifle. CZ's are also really good value for the money, in my opinion. So at least Dan Wesson has gone to a good firm. But they are not American, though like many foriegn gun makers they become more American the longer the sell guns here. (Don't HK, SIG and Beretta all make guns in the USA now? Taurus is almost headquartered here?).

Sadly the DW revolvers are no where to be seen on the site. I'm assuming they might be taking a little time to get things straightened out then reintroduce them. We shall have to wait and see.

[archy]

Excuse the slight misuse of my CW II ping list. thought this might interest many of you though. can someone ping the BANG! list, that's really the right one.

I reckon most of the CWII folks are right fond of the N-frame S&W themselves, or at least would happily consider it as a substitute standard or recreational piece.

But I've been mighty fond of the several M57/M58 .41 magnum N-frames that have passed through my hands, as well as a few pretty good old M27s, M28s and a couple-three M1917 Smiths and their M37 Brazilian equivalent. Oh, and a pair of .44 magnums as well, one an early 8-inch barrelled 5-screw version, and a more recent 4-inch barrelled piece.

But the M57 and M58 were my real working guns for a couple of years, and it was entirely possible that my life could have depended on them. It never came to that, thankfully, but I'm sure that they'd have gotten the job done. And I remain convincen that if a 4-inch barrel is called for, the .41 was the way to go.... though more lately, a custom .45 Whitetail was very useful.

[archy]

Damn ! My Grandfather was down in El Paso in late 20's and early thirties (where me dear ole mum was downloaded)......Wonder when and where the S.D. Shop was exactly ?

Here's some background on the history of the outfit for you, from the source here.

Tough men and tough conditions demanded tough leather and it was found in the shops of El Paso Saddlery and S.D. Myers. Eight years after El Paso Saddlery formed, S.D. "Tio Sam" Myers opened his leather shop in Sweetwater, Texas. It was 1897. Both companies would operate separately until the 1920s when El Paso became part of S.D. Myers, who had moved from Sweetwater to El Paso.

In the 1970s, S.D. Myers was sold and moved its operation to Oklahoma. At the same time, Bobby McNellis purchased the El Paso segment of the company and retained it in El Paso, making it the longest continuously operating company in the city. McNellis modernized the company by adding the latest designs in sixgun leather to go with the Western and military holsters already being produced. A look at the current El Paso Saddlery catalog, compared with an old S.D. Myers catalog, reveals that McNellis did more than simply purchase El Paso Saddlery, he also obtained the holster patterns of S.D. Myers. The excellent designs of both companies now continue under the El Paso Saddlery banner.

McNellis relates the following about El Paso: "In 1889, El Paso, Texas, was the most notorious town in the West. Gunfighters, gamblers and outlaws alike found this border town an ideal haven. Its wide-open atmosphere gave rise to such popular pastimes as gambling and prostitution.

"In those early days the Saddlery's customers ranged from professional gunmen who needed sturdy holsters to house the tools of their trade, to cowboys seeking rugged saddles for their ponies. Average citizens, requiring nothing more than quality belts and leather goods, were also customers. While among those customers numbered such men as John Wesley Hardin, John Selman, John Milton, Captain John R. Hughes of the Texas Rangers, Bat Masterson, Killing Jim Miller, George Scarborough and Pat Garrett, you also may be assured of receiving the same individual attention and guaranteed satisfaction that has distinguished the El Paso Saddlery Tradition."

One of the most famous names identified with El Paso Saddlery is Gen. George Patton. In 1916, then 2nd Lt. Patton ordered what would become one of the most famous sixguns in history. Who hasn't seen photos of the colorful general wearing his fully-engraved, ivory-stocked, 4 3/4" Colt Single Action Army .45 Colt? That sixgun became the symbol of his leadership and every soldier could tell by the ivory-gripped pistol that Patton was out front.

Patton purchased his beautifully ornate .45 Colt from the Shelton Payne Arms Co. of El Paso. The silver-plated sixgun, serial number 332088, was shipped on March 5, 1916. Four days later, Mexican revolutionaries crossed the border at Columbus, N.M. Patton had his sixgun when he joined the punitive expedition under Black Jack Pershing.

Photos exist of Patton wearing his Peacemaker in Mexico but it is difficult to determine what type of holster he was wearing. Not so during his World War II service as a great leader of men and tank commander extraordinaire. In 1935, while stationed in Hawaii, Patton ordered an ivory-stocked, blued 3 1/2" S&W .357 Mag. to supplement his Peacemaker .45.

Sometime in the late 1930s, Patton entered the S.D. Myers shop in El Paso to order leather for his soon-to-be-famous sixguns. For each, he ordered two holsters, one left- and one right-handed. Thus, he could wear either sixgun on either side. The outline of each sixgun is quite different and the holsters were formed to each. Photos show Patton wearing the Colt Single Action on the right side at times, and at others, the Smith took that position. Today, one set is in the museum in Fort Knox, Ky., while the other remains with the Patton family.

The holsters were purchased in a plain-brown finish with a matching military-style belt about 2" in width. In addition to the holsters and belt, Patton also ordered a 12-loop cartridge slide for .45 Colt cartridges and a handcuff case which was used to carry a compass. The holsters were patented by Myers in 1938 and became almost as famous as the general. This Border Patrol Model holster was standard equipment for most peace officers until well into the last half of the 20th century.

The #5 Patton holster, along with the military-style belt, is still in the El Paso Saddlery catalog. It's available in a plain finish, basket-stamped or floral-carved. The shank of this historically important leather is metal lined so it can be bent to conform to the hip. The safety strap can be fastened out of the way and a muzzle plug prevents dirt and debris from entering the holster's bottom. It's available with a smooth lining to protect firearms.

Several years before Patton entered the El Paso leather shop, another famous sixgunner brought his design for a radical new holster to El Paso and Tio Sam Myers. It was 1916 and Mexican revolutionaries were making raids into the United States. Lee Trimble, a Texas Ranger, and Tom Threepersons, a former member of the Northwest Mounted Police, were assigned to guard this embattled territory.

[Squantos]

Thanks Archy..........awesome read. Thank You very much.

[monkapotamus]