I don't know what it is, but even though I own a couple of automatic pistols there is something that just draws me to revolvers.  Wether it is the simple elegance of their form and function, ruggedness and reliability or just that unidentifiable it that they have.  Some of the wheelguns I own are strictly utilitarian, like my Ruger GP-100, a strong modern design rendered in stainless steel.  But this gun has a different appeal, this Colt Police Positve Special was likely made in the late fifties from a design that dated back to the turn of the century and remained basically unaltered untill it was dropped in the mid seventies.  Made with lots of hand fitting and a fine hand polish this gun marks in many ways the end of an era.  An era when craftsmanship in the builing of revolvers was a necessity.

     While many today lament the end of such attention I certainly don't.  Modern production methods allow for parts to made with tolerances were impossible to conceive of in a era before computers and robotic manufacturing.  Metal alloys are stronger and more durable, coatings and finishes are more restitant to wear, sight are more precise, and reliabillity is at an all time high.  The craftsman maybe gone from the hardfitting* lines of modern gunmakers.  But his passing ushered in era of affordable, reliable and accurate firearms.

Additional photo below the fold.

* Hardfitting-the process of final assembly of a handgun, namely revolvers, which even today require some handfitting to ensure proper functioning.

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 11:09 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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