Gary Reeder custom

[Dpmsman]

I was at a local gun show yesterday and a Gary Reeder custom Ruger caught my eye. All I can say is wow that action was smooth!! It's his African hunter model in 475 linebaugh stanless with a large comp. Well being at a gun show I though it way over priced but then again I have no idea what the going price is. Does anyone have an idea what these custom gun are worth? Being that I would have to pony up some major money is it a quality conversion? How's the shoot ability being a lighter gun in a large caliber? I guess I'm really wondering if anyone has any experience with these guns?

Thanks Jon

[06ackley]

I don't have one but my brother has one of Garys customs in 45 colt.It is a nice gun and shoots very well.The action is very smooth also.He got his done without all the engraving and stuff and its just a very nice pistol.

[contender1]

Customs are expensive,,, and often do not sell for the amount spent on them,,, even when from known custom gunsmiths. Go over to www.singleactions.com & look around. A lot of stuff about customs there.

[AK Caster]

Well being at a gun show I though it way over priced but then again I have no idea what the going price is. Does anyone have an idea what these custom gun are worth?
Thanks Jon

What is the owner's selling price?

[Dpmsman]

He's asking $1975. I know a lot of value is in the condition and it was in excellent used condition.

[44man]

You lose money with custom guns. You lose selling a Freedom too.
Like putting $10,000 in a car and expect to make money. Reeder guns never shot better then a BFR out of box. They just have a funny look.

[Fergie]

Gary is a ornery old fart, a good man, and a damn good gunsmith.

You could call his shop and talk with either him or his wife, and they'd likely be able to fill you in on the pistol in general.

I recall a few folks on the site having a Reeder Custom, but can't remember who at the moment...possibly Char_Gar?

[Tatume]

Gary Reeder has prices on his web site: http://www.reedercustomguns.com/

I've done some business with him and he was accommodating and honest. Can't ask for much more.

[Char-Gar]

Gary Reeder's work is as good as anybody in this country, bar none! His prices are reasonable considering it is all custom work. His styling is not traditional and some folks think it is garish, but I like it. I have found him easy to work with. He has done work for me 3 or 4 times.

About the year 2,000 or so, Jim Taylor cut a deal with Gary for a short run of 20 custom Ruger Blackhawk pistols. Each one was different, but number 1 - 20 in the series. Here is No. 5 which is mine. It is a 45 Colt.

For sights, I put a "V" notch rear and a brass bead front. This set up is not for shooting small groups, but for fast acquisition in the field. My eyes are now 16 years older and this is an excellent sight combination for me. Not as precise as others, but fast and easy to see. It was a good choice. The barrel is factory Ruger, but Gary cut if off at both end, put on a great crown, rethreaded it and put the best throat in the barrel I have ever seen. Of course he removed the instruction manual. The cylinder throats were opened up to .4525. This handgun does not lead and is quite accurate. It is as accurate as you can get with factory barrel and cylinder. To better this, it would take a custom barrel and line-bored cylinder. However, it shoots far, far better than I can hold. There are a number of other modifications as well.

It rides in a horse hide pancake style holster, which was a gift from Rob Leahy, of Simply Rugged. There is lots of friendship and memory in this pistol and rig, which makes it more that special to me.

[sixshot]

After handling 3-4 Reeder guns belonging to a friend I have to say the work is very good. I'm not into engraving but the bluing, action work, crowns, & all other custom work has been very good. I recently bought a 30 Carbine that had been through Gary's shop & had several hundred dollars work done to it, all was top notch, I like the gun a lot, including the free spin pawl, deep dish crown, Taylor throating, action job & excellent bluing.

Dick

[Dpmsman]

Well it sounds like Gary does quality work. Since I would be buying it second hand unless I over pay I shouldn't lose money on the deal down the road. I took the guys card now I need to figure out what's a far price. That's the hard part what is a far price?

[Ramjet-SS]

The fair price is what the market will bare. So what are you willing to pay?

[44man]

Gary does good work, not what i was referring to at all. It is the price you can expect. Same with a Linebaugh or Huntington gun. All good but when you sell, can you recover the costs?
My .475 BFR cost me $715 out the door and nothing has out shot it so would I pay $3000 for a Reeder because it looks nicer? Would I EVER buy a Freedom?
To have a Jack Huntington revolver would be great but all I have shot only shot as good as factory.
Only so much can be done. You get into appearance only and cost.
To buy an expensive custom when a Ruger Hunter will do 1/2" at 50 yards Lets me wonder what you look at.
My BFR's have done 1/2" at 100 but now I worry about them. They changed barrels and twists and they will not answer me about it.

[dubber123]

If 2 guns shoot the same, I don't mind paying extra (to a point) for a better looking or fitted gun. BFR's are the Glock of the revolver world. Both are excellent at what they do, but neither will win any beauty contests.

[gunguychuck]

I have a Gary Reeder 510 Hunter in 510 GNR. It shoots very well and has a smooth action.

[Dpmsman]

The real question is what to pay for a used custom? There are a few on GB right now bid up to around $1200 with 2 days left. Is that about what they go for?

[Char-Gar]

The real question is what to pay for a used custom? There are a few on GB right now bid up to around $1200 with 2 days left. Is that about what they go for?

I have no idea what used Custom revolvers sell for, but I would not buy one unless it came from the Pistolsmith himself. It is quite easy to screw up handguns by doing "custom work" on them. I would want to be the one that had the work done, from a smith I knew and trusted. I have had more than one gun truly butchered by some of the best known names in the country.

Never assume that because something is sold as a "custom gun" with somebody name attatched to it, that is well done work, worth more than a box stock gun. Never every buy such a thing unless you have it in your hand to inspect and know how to evaluate worked on handguns.

I have bought several hundred handguns over the years, and I won't buy one that has been "worked on", "modified" or "customized". I only by factory stock guns that have not been messed with. It cost me allot of money to learn this.

The Reeder pistol in my pic above, was bought NIB and sent to Gary unfired.

[MT Chambers]

I believe that those custom revolvers along with the Freedom Arms '83 are the finest made and $1900 doesn't sound out of line, it's less than a F/A.

[Dpmsman]

When I posted about the Gary Reeders on GB that was for reference only. The revolver I'm considering was one I looked at and held at a gun show. Granted I do not consider myself an expert but the fit and finish was superb, action was smooth as silk and trigger was one of the best I've pulled. It looked like a safe queen to me. Which make me wonder was the recoil to much for him or is there something else a matter? Or maybe he just needs money. Hard to say.

[Char-Gar]

Do you really need a custom 475 Linebaugh with a big compensator? What are you going to kill with it? What are you paying for? Is it worth that kind of money to have something you have no need?

Buy it it you want it...

[DougGuy]

It's really about a value you cannot possibly try and rationalize with a calculator. Without this 6th sense of appreciation for the out of the ordinary because it's unique, we'd have never had a tenth of the stuff that makes our culture what it is. Drag cars, surfboards, guitars, art, written composition, there are so many things that scratch an invisible itch and I think the Reeder custom is reaching that part of the OP.

This is a neat story.. Doesn't have anything to do with this revolver, but it's along the same lines and maybe it will help some of you understand that it isn't about practicality at all, it's about something that is just cool, and that coolness alone gives it value that cannot be measured in dollars.

Allen Collins, the Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, played a Gibson Firebird guitar with some different mods done to it that gave him "his" sound that you hear on all their classic records. One of the components of the "Allen Collins" sound, was a certain off the wall very obscure German made tremolo that he installed on this old Firebird. It is likely he got it really cheap or maybe even free, but for whatever reason, that's beside the point. For many years even people who knew him fairly well, roadies that toured with the band, his proteges, nobody knew exactly what make or model this tremolo was. Here is a photo of Allen, with the tremolo unit on the Firebird guitar, see red arrow...

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/Allen%20Collins%20pics/Allen%20FB%201%20zoomed_2arrow_zpsv9fyowkr.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/Allen%20Collins%20pics/Allen%20FB%201%20zoomed_2arrow_zpsv9fyowkr.jpg.htm l)

I got curious and started googling weird guitar related keywords, and I FINALLY hit on an image of a German made jazz guitar from 1962, that came with the SAME tremolo installed! I had finally figured out WHAT it was, and who made it. More googling, and I sent some emails to some vintage musical instrument dealers in Germany with photos asking about any of these tremolo units. Lo and behold, I actually came up with 2 of them, at a fairly exorbitant price, but I had two of them in my hands none the less!

As scarce and rare as these pieces are, I couldn't just slap it on a guitar just to see what it sounded like, it was so cool it needed a "project" guitar all it's own that would put it in the PROPER light, on a PROPER guitar that would be my "Allen Collins Tribute Firebird" guitar.

A couple or three thousand dollars later, here it sits, a Gibson Custom Shop Firebird I guitar, with the elusive German made Hopf tremolo, complete with the exact same tremolo arm with the white plastic tip (that came from a different guitar than the tremolo came from) that pretty much replicated Allen's main Firebird that he used from Skynyrd's beginning all the way up to the Fox Theater shows in 1976..

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/2003%20Gibson%20Custom%20Shop%20Firebird%20I/BlackBird3.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/2003%20Gibson%20Custom%20Shop%20Firebird%20I/BlackBird3.jpg.html)

Overall this guitar cost more than the Gary Reeder custom revolver by a goodly amount. I play it almost every day. It is my go to instrument when I want to play. I cannot assign a value to it, the creativity that it sparks is unmeasurable. When I let my fingers play and never think ahead of what notes I want to play, and just jam, I don't really think about what I am going to do next and until I hear the sound coming out of the amp, I don't have a clue what it's going to sound like.

And I first thought wow that's a lot of money for guitar parts! Ya right..

[Rifle 57]

Doug I would like to hear you play sometime do you have any thing on U-Tube ?
Loren.

[DougGuy]

Doug I would like to hear you play sometime do you have any thing on U-Tube ?
Loren.

Nahhh my band days came and went before youtube was popular..

[Dpmsman]

Do you really need a custom 475 Linebaugh with a big compensator? What are you going to kill with it? What are you paying for? Is it worth that kind of money to have something you have no need?

Buy it it you want it...

I have been thinking about what you've said and you are correct. Do I need this revolver? Not in the slightest. I can get done all I need doing with my 44mag. I don't know all the ins and outs of this particular gun it might be a total piece of junk. I just thought that I could get some info on it and maybe buy a custom revolver that I otherwise could not afford. But I must say if we lived our lives by needs alone we would all be much richer and perhaps duller. I was taught to listen to my elders and will do so. Thanks for all the advise.

Jon

[C. Latch]

This is a neat story..

It sure was. Thanks for telling it.

:)

[alamogunr]

One reason I have never asked the question, "How much is XXXX gun worth?" or "How much should I pay for this gun?", is that when talking about custom guns, one person's perception is different than the next person's.

I have a Linebaugh .475 that I bought 2nd hand, unseen, except for many many pictures. I had to totally rely on the seller's honesty and integrity. It was supposedly unfired. When I received it and inspected it, I could find no evidence of being fired. Could I have been fooled? YES! But at that point it didn't matter, I fired it soon after receiving it.

Did I need it? NO! But I sure enjoy owning it.

Did I pay too much for it? Maybe. But after owning it for 7 years and enjoying shooting it, I don't really think about it anymore.

I've got some other custom guns that I don't worry about paying too much since I dealt directly with the smiths that built them. I don't like them any more or any less than the Linebaugh gun. By the way, I checked with John Linebaugh and got the build date per his unique number on the gun. His record matched the gun I have.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Linebaugh gets $8500 + your Ruger Bisley to make a 475 or 500 5 shot gun. He seems to sell a lot of them.

www.customsixguns.com (http://www.customsixguns.com)

Randy

[shaner]

Nahhh my band days came and went before youtube was popular..
Nice story Doug , I've done similar things. Why cause you want to and they make you feel better in life! And alot of time that is a lot better than recovering the money you spent.

[shaner]

Well it sounds like Gary does quality work. Since I would be buying it second hand unless I over pay I shouldn't lose money on the deal down the road. I took the guys card now I need to figure out what's a far price. That's the hard part what is a far price?
To me I always just tell myself. " If you want the thing and have the money for it? Buy the damn thing! ". You can sit forever wondering or worrying about whether you can make money or lose money down the line, nobody knows. Look at it this way, You may buy it and enjoy it so well that you ask to have it buried with you? Then you worried about nothing! [emoji1] [emoji6]

[Tatume]

Linebaugh gets $8500 + your Ruger Bisley to make a 475 or 500 5 shot gun. He seems to sell a lot of them. www.customsixguns.com (http://www.customsixguns.com) Randy

Did you mean to say $3800? Still an awful lot.

Take care, Tom

[Lloyd Smale]

gary makes a good gun. Just to much bling in most of them for this guy.

[Whiterabbit]

Before you reported the asking price, I was already thinking in my head

"about a couple grand"

I've been keeping tabs on the used market lately. Something like that is not uncommon to see an asking price of 2400, then 2200 a couple months later, then drop to 2 grand and it's gone in a couple days.

If you offered something like 1800 for a 1975 asking price, TO ME that is not insulting... And reasonable, assuming it's not too, uh, 'blingly' ans WR suggests (and I totally agree with him)

[Dpmsman]

165593It's the upper revolver with the comp. I wasn't as interested in the bling as the smoothness of the action and the chambering. I'm interested in getting a 475. Sorry about the double pic.

[Char-Gar]

I have been thinking about what you've said and you are correct. Do I need this revolver? Not in the slightest. I can get done all I need doing with my 44mag. I don't know all the ins and outs of this particular gun it might be a total piece of junk. I just thought that I could get some info on it and maybe buy a custom revolver that I otherwise could not afford. But I must say if we lived our lives by needs alone we would all be much richer and perhaps duller. I was taught to listen to my elders and will do so. Thanks for all the advise.

Jon

I think all of have been bitten by the "gotta have" bee early in our lives. But the venom grows weaker with the passing of time. It is then we realize that what we really gotta have is found in our relationships with friends and family. The material things begin to lose value. Having fun with who and what we have becomes more important that looking for the next new toy.

[44man]

Custom guns lose more then factory guns when you want to sell. Those that own custom want a profit Like spending $50,000 for an old car, put another $50,000 into restoration and expect $200,000 at sale when top bid is $40,000.
Freedoms alone lose so much it is crazy.
My opinion is that if a gun is for sale it is wrong. I would NEVER sell my best.
Same old thing-BLING and BRAG. Is there a revolver on earth worth $3800 or more?

[alamogunr]

Custom guns lose more then factory guns when you want to sell. Those that own custom want a profit Like spending $50,000 for an old car, put another $50,000 into restoration and expect $200,000 at sale when top bid is $40,000.
Freedoms alone lose so much it is crazy.
My opinion is that if a gun is for sale it is wrong. I would NEVER sell my best.
Same old thing-BLING and BRAG. Is there a revolver on earth worth $3800 or more?

I would have to disagree with that statement. Maybe some do want a profit but I believe that most are like me, we appreciate them too much to sell. I will pass my very few to my sons. If they decide to sell, whatever they get will all be profit.

I don't look too often but Freedom Arms guns on GB start too high for me to consider very seriously. I haven't looked at new prices lately either. A Freedom is not a custom gun but might as well be. And I don't think one could go wrong buying a used Freedom Arms revolver. They are built like tanks.

[dubber123]

I would have to disagree with that statement. Maybe some do want a profit but I believe that most are like me, we appreciate them too much to sell. I will pass my very few to my sons. If they decide to sell, whatever they get will all be profit.

I don't look too often but Freedom Arms guns on GB start too high for me to consider very seriously. I haven't looked at new prices lately either. A Freedom is not a custom gun but might as well be. And I don't think one could go wrong buying a used Freedom Arms revolver. They are built like tanks.

I paid $750 for my last F/A. Right place right time, but I bet $1,500 buys lots of them. I think new BFR's are close to $1K right now.

[alamogunr]

I paid $750 for my last F/A. Right place right time, but I bet $1,500 buys lots of them. I think new BFR's are close to $1K right now.

My used FA was $1500 w/2 extra cylinders. I just looked at GB and there was one with a start price of $.01 with a reserve and a "buy it now" of $1,795. Most of the rest were higher. I suspect that most had been shot very little, some possibly less than one box of shells.

[Gunslinger1911]

Like others have said, if you want it and can afford it - get it. lol
For the big bucks, just be sure it's what you want, you probably won't get your money back out of it.

Most of Garys guns are too blingy for me - and expensive.

That being said, years ago I had him convert a 357 Blackhawk to 5 shot 50AE. Plain, simple, no bling.
The BH was bought used for $125, I put about 20,000 rounds thru it, and then spent $700 for the conversion.
Was that a smart thing to do ? For me, you becha ! Economical ? Dunno, don't care.
I love that cannon.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Did you mean to say $3800? Still an awful lot.

Take care, Tom

Tom; I was talking about these. http://www.customsixguns.com/sixguns.htm

I guess these are knife and gun matched sets but the knife is worth maybe $200 and the stocks on the gun probably $300 for the Elephant Ivory.

That still leaves $8K for the gun.

I saw in his services area the $3800 number as well so I don't know what he's doing? The guns are definitely well done, but My SBH Ruger Bisley with the barrel Chopped to 5" with Weigand Front sight and Bowen Rear and bead Blasted and reblued has about $850 in it including the cost of the gun new. However it is a .44 and not a 5 shot .475 or .500 So I could see some extra there. Don't know if I could see another $3,000 or $7,000 but some people gotta have the biggest and best. Most can't shoot them, but What the Hey?

Here's what I did,,, maybe a set of Ivory Micarta Stocks are in order?

Randy

[44man]

Proof is shooting not looks or feel when you hand your gun to a friend and tell the price.
I shot too many Ruger's to 1/2" at 50 yards and shot pop cans at 200 yards to think many thousands would make the gun better. Every S&W 29 would do 1/2" at 50 meters for me.
Something to be said for custom but it is how you feel and defend the money spent.
I think to defend the money spent is the worst to consider. But if you are rich, buy it but to assume it will shoot better then a Ruger or BFR, I have bad news for you.
The BFR has been the best and only gun finish that looks like a Ruger instead of a Freedom is the problem but I will out shoot every Freedom ever made.
It comes down to BLING and money thrown away.
I am a nut and have shot to 1/2" at 100 yards so if a gun is pretty at 5X the cost and does not shoot 1/4" at 100 what do you have? With the amount of money I expect 1/4" at 100.
I shot too many custom guns that only did what factory guns do.
I built many custom rifles with BLING but I made them shoot unreal groups at the same time.
What do you do to improve a revolver other then sights or finish?
SBH with over 80,000 rounds at 200 yards. 165778 1-5/16"
I really need to see what $3,800 does. Can a safe Queen SHOOT?

[dubber123]

I only have experience with 2 F/A's, both of which I own, so my samples are limited. My 4.75" .475 F/A was pretty close to perfect out of the box. The trigger wasn't so great, about 4#. Crisp, but 4# is way too heavy. An easy fix, as the sears are cut nicely, and you just tweak the return spring. 2# is much nicer now :) I wish the bore was smoother, but it doesn't seem to affect accuracy much. The second F/A was a .357 mag model 353 I picked up used for $750. The throats were smaller than the bore, so Dougguy fixed that for $35. The .475 kicks like a mule with 440 grain boolits at 1,340 fps. but will tuck 5 into 1.5" at 50 yards on average. My best was 5 in .8" at 50 yds. This is iron sights, no Hubbel telescope aboard. Not as good as some can shoot, but seems to impress most guys I run into.

The .357 F/A is an obnoxiously long contraption that would surely suit .44man. It is basically useless to me as anything other than a range toy. The goofy long barrel does make it easy to shoot, and in the limited use it has seen, I can get a cylinder in 1" at 50 yards on a semi-regular basis with iron sights.

The 1 BFR I dealt with is a 6.5" .475 Linebaugh. It was about the same new as I paid for the used F/A .357 The BFR's are a good deal, and this one shoots very well, and seems to recoil less than my 4.75" F/A. It had a god awful trigger, which was expected as it is basically a big Ruger Blackhawk. Luckily the triggers are easy and basically free to fix, so now this one has a 2# trigger too. The sights are the cheesy cheap Ruger rear, functional but sloppy and cheap. The front sight is less than Ruger quality, as Ruger at least uses steel, not aluminum. That can be replaced too. The grips are some kind of plastic on the BFR, I won't call them rubber as that is an insult to rubber. Tap on them and see what I mean. Oh, well, grips aren't too hard to make. The fit of the grip frame on this one would make Ray Charles hang his head. No big deal, a file and some sandpaper fixes that. It's a good thing they are stainless. Other than that, the only gripe I have is the Torx head bolts they assemble stuff with. Magnum Research should get a Brownells catalog, they sell GUN screws there, not the stuff I use to put decks down with. They might even sell them the right length, so you have more than 1 thread holding the grip frame on.

Spend your money where you will, I haven't found mine wasted on F/A yet.

[44man]

Maybe the best deal today is the Ruger Hunter in .44 but don't stick a Bisley in my face.
BFR's do not have Torx, but Allen heads and I have complained to them about the short front grip frame screw. I think they fixed them.
Grips on the BFR's are Uncle Mikes and work. They are as close to Pachmeyer as you can get.
Freedom has a close to Bisley and it will beat you bloody unless you get the rubber grips from them. But I hear they are no longer made.
Many hate rubber but it still is BLING not shooting. Does elephant grips shoot better?
The custom thing is a puffed chest rich man thing.

[dubber123]

Maybe the best deal today is the Ruger Hunter in .44 but don't stick a Bisley in my face.
BFR's do not have Torx, but Allen heads and I have complained to them about the short front grip frame screw. I think they fixed them.
Grips on the BFR's are Uncle Mikes and work. They are as close to Pachmeyer as you can get.
Freedom has a close to Bisley and it will beat you bloody unless you get the rubber grips from them. But I hear they are no longer made.
Many hate rubber but it still is BLING not shooting. Does elephant grips shoot better?
The custom thing is a puffed chest rich man thing.

Lol, long ways from a rich man here. I eat plenty of Ramen noodles ;) I'm a regular ole dumb carpenter.

Torx/Allen/Cheesy. All the same to me. The length thing on the screws/bolts was a dumb mistake but fixable. Preventable too. Uncle Mikes are not Pachmayers. I don't like Pachmayrs either, but they don't sound like the plastic stuff BFR sticks on their guns. They both do fit like **** though. :)

I know you hate F/A, and through years of railing on them, most of the world knows that you do. All I am saying is that for a crappy handgun shot like me, I sure can't see where BFR's outshoot F/A's, and are fitted much worse, and have some lower quality features in comparison. They SHOULD, they cost a lot less.

I'm not a snob, some of my favorite guns I paid less than $200 for. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy owning some finely fitted and finished guns either. If F/A's really shot as bad as you say, I'd jump on board with you in bashing them for the money they charge. Mine shoot very, very well. If a BFR in a configuration I liked comes along for the right price, it will come home too. For $1,000 they can keep them.

[44man]

I never owned a freedom but many friends did and a few still do. Fit so tight the bullets wore the throats out of round and ate the forcing cone and rifling away on one side. .357 with .357 throats and .3599 grooves. Out of round barrels too. One with a hammer block, other with a transfer bar, push the hammer to see the pin come out so you can't have a round under the hammer.
They are the most complicated guns made with parts that fail. $100 to make a lighter trigger plus postage both ways when a spring change can be done but it is a strange spring. Take one apart once. The finish and super tight fit does not make a shooter. Some custom makers will not work a Freedom. They want a Ruger.
Over 200 different loads in a Feedom .357 led to nothing. He put it on consignment and could not sell it. Lost thousands at the end.
Freedom came on big time at IHMSA because of better sights but I beat them all with a Ruger,
Hold the gun and admire it but then shoot it.

[dubber123]

My .357 F/A had smaller throats than the bore, which was oval, (not uncommon on any brand). Dougguy reamed the throats, ($35), and I can get 1" 50 yd. iron sight groups at 50 yds. I am not a world class shooter, don't claim to be, never will. This load is a 220 grain 9 BHN boolit at close to 1,500 fps. Would harder boolits shoot better, probably, maybe, I don't know. Anyone who claims 1" with irons at 50 is poor accuracy is a much, much better man than me.

[Seancass]

I never owned a freedom
...
Freedom came on big time at IHMSA because of better sights but I beat them all with a Ruger,

You're ability to highjack a thread with irrelevant, hateful spewing of opinions is the stuff of internet legend.

If you are a fan of real life data, maybe you should check out the results from the IHMSA World Championship. Not a single Ruger even competing in revolver class. Not even a 44 mag hunter.

[Char-Gar]

You're ability to highjack a thread with irrelevant, hateful spewing of opinions is the stuff of internet legend.

If you are a fan of real life data, maybe you should check out the results from the IHMSA World Championship. Not a single Ruger even competing in revolver class. Not even a 44 mag hunter.

You know Sean, 44man is entitled to his opinions and his posts just as you are. There really is no need for all that stuff of your. You are over the top and out of line. You are not required to agree, but a little civility goes a long way. On this site we can "ignore" another member. I would suggest you use it if somebody irritate you so bad, you have to be so snotty. I have found plenty to disagree with 44man over the years, but he is a member here, just like you and entitled to the same courtesy and respect as you. Courtesy and respect, does not mean agreement.

The detached and long distance nature of the internet has resulted in a culture of rudeness. Things are said here that in days gone by would result in pistols at dawn on the field of honor.

[Seancass]

Oh, I don't suspect 44man will get too offended by my opinion! He certainly knows his stuff! But would it kill us to stay on the subject of Reeder and his guns and not whether or not the BFR is the best thing ever?

And you're right, the internet can make anyone or any statement seem rude when the reader wants to be offended by it.

[dubber123]

I contributed to the thread drift with the BFR/F/A peeing match. Sorry for that. Keeping on topic, I wouldn't spend what most custom makers ask for their wares. A lot of them are merely barrel/cylinder swaps. You get stock Ruger grips, and stock Ruger sights. That might be worth an extra $1,000 if I really wanted a specific caliber, but 3-4 grand or more? Nope, not me.

[44man]

Oh, I don't suspect 44man will get too offended by my opinion! He certainly knows his stuff! But would it kill us to stay on the subject of Reeder and his guns and not whether or not the BFR is the best thing ever?

And you're right, the internet can make anyone or any statement seem rude when the reader wants to be offended by it.
I am never offended and nothing is personal. it is only what you desire and like. But I have been a gunsmith forever and see things to post. Nothing but facts, no denigration intended.
You can't go by FEEL or looks with anything. Seen some of the most beautiful guns made that will not shoot. I have shot a lot of Jacks guns with satisfaction and notice they have more cylinder play then factory.
Can Gary make a good one, darn sure but in the end it comes down to cost. Can roll engraving or a high polish make a gun shoot? Can a super tight cylinder work?
No Rugers? I won every shoot with mine, many 40's and Ohio state with 79 out of 80, lost the last ram from a shake. I was international production revolver class. I was international class with single shots too. Also .22 where I won state. Brand new Ruger Mark II out of box with no sight settings. 57 out of 60 and all shoot off chickens at 100 yards. Cheap stinking Wildcat ammo.
You have to know IHMSA, you do not miss a single target or you are done. The 40 are a pain to get rid of, the winner is at the little shoot off targets at 200 meters. 50 meter chickens mostly. Shoot at a pencil dot with opens once. I never seen a custom at shoots because they fall into unlimited that competed with XP100's, etc.
One shoot I had time to play and put up a cardboard chicken at 200 meters. Shot my 7R but had 2 shots left from my .44 so I took them.165962Yeah, yeah. 3/4" at 200 meters. In the foot. I did not miss with the 7R either but beat it with the cheap Ruger.

[Char-Gar]

Oh, I don't suspect 44man will get too offended by my opinion! He certainly knows his stuff! But would it kill us to stay on the subject of Reeder and his guns and not whether or not the BFR is the best thing ever?

And you're right, the internet can make anyone or any statement seem rude when the reader wants to be offended by it.

Well, maybe you are right. Some folks don't seem to be offended by anything. Being a Texan of the old stripe, I don't understand that, but some folks are like that.

All I can say is that if you said that to me, face to face, we would have a real interpersonal problem, for it was rude and ill mannered.

Thread drift is a fact of life on this board, and can be expected to happen. If you are going to be your panties in a wad every time it happens, I don't predict a happy future for you here on this board.

[onceabull]

Does anyone here remember the last time a significant Revolver silh.match saw a BFR or Ruger shooter finish in the top 10..??? Freedoms rule, with once or twice a year a DW... sure seems like someone with a established rep. could be offered enough to try competing with a BFR... ???? Onceabull

[Seancass]

Nothing but facts, no denigration intended.


I liked that post.

I'd love to see more customs on the range, but simple fact is, most of us can't afford a full custom! Maybe the fancy gun don't shoot, or maybe it's just the guy that can afford it is not the same guy who knows how to shoot it!

[alamogunr]

I liked that post.

I'd love to see more customs on the range, but simple fact is, most of us can't afford a full custom! Maybe the fancy gun don't shoot, or maybe it's just the guy that can afford it is not the same guy who knows how to shoot it!

I resemble that remark!

[Seancass]

Hang on, there's a guy over there in the corner I haven't offended yet!
:D

[44man]

Have to watch gun weight so many BFR's are out. They are BIGGER. We always griped because of the poor Ruger sights that we could not change since Ruger did not offer better. They wore so I bought screws by the pack. Freedom's came with great sights.
The only gun that never did good was the S&W 29. Accurate to 1/2" at 50 meters but set them down for target setters and the next shots would miss because of the grip hold, felt the same but POI could be 10" off at 50, add to 200 meters!
Custom guns could NOT shoot production. Your Linebaugh or Reeder had to be shot in unlimited.
Ruger's CAN win but most do not know how to make them shoot. Nobody EVER out shot my Ruger's because the loading bench is where it happens. I don't think a Ruger Hunter can make weight either. I don't know about a SRH either. I shot pop cans at 200 with them but can they be shot production? Rules are rules and my SBH would not be allowed in nationals because the trigger would kick forward. Solved with a longer transfer bar. But I could not take it to the nationals. A 1-1/2# trigger does not sit well.
I made a walnut stock for my XP100 and had to take it to the post office in town to weigh. I had no good scale at the time, got funny looks but the lady weighed it for me. Ever take a gun into a post office?

[TXSlade]

The only BFR I owned was such a poor shooting piece of ****, I won't look at another ever again. I am glad someone out there has so much affinity for theirs, I wouldn't buy one to use as a jack handle. And to be honest, it wasn't cheap.

I have a love for Rugers, but my last 44 mag (Ruger Hunter) pissed me off so much I didn't buy another ruger until I bought a Precision Rifle a month or so ago. when I bought the Hunter new the barrel would unscrew, straight up, it would not stay tight. I've had so much great Ruger service, I sent it in, and it came back exactly the same. I couldn't believe my eyes. I took a bath getting rid of it, I told the truth to the buyer.

Now, as I get older, I keep only 3 boomers, I've sold the rest. A 4 3/4 FA, 6 1/2 FA that was my late fathers, and a 10 inch or some crazy thing. All of them cost in the $1000 dept, admittedly, a long time ago. Only the 10 in has glass. The shorty will make sub inch groups at 50 yards, if I can hold it. the 6.5 is the one I shoot the most, and at one time i had a scope on it and got sub inch at 100, without glass I don't worry about groups, but I can hit a silver dollar rock out well past 100 yards. The 10" I just haven't played with much, but goofing off I've gotten solid 1" at 100, 1.5" at 200, not great, but considering that gun I've shot less than 50 times, I don't think its a bad shooter. The scope is used from the mid 80's, lol.

My point is, I respect your opinion 44man, but every time I see someone suggest a Freedom Arms you **** all over it. Yet do you see me **** all over the BFR because of the one I got? Or Ruger because of the that one and the one they"fixed". I had an Anaconda that literally made ONE FOOT GROUPS lol from their custom shop. I love Colt, not going to **** on them. But the way you just foam at the mouth to bad mouth Freedom Arms is almost silly.

I could be wrong, I think you wrote, you don't know of any good Freedom Arms, or they can't shoot good groups, something to that affect. Again, I might be remembering wrong, I have three, all shoot fantastic, never have broken a single thing, and I only sent my Fathers back for some upgrades to make his even more special. If you said nothing to that affect, I apologize.

In my experience, my BFR was ****, and everyone I know that has one has been unimpressed, so they all must suck, right?
Of course not.

For crying out loud, there are people who buy, Hi Points and think we all buy over priced junk. As far as I know, Hi Points work, and shoot fairly accurately, who am I to judge.

In conclusion, 44man, you got good info, you are a very knowledgable man. But, you sound like a broken record, if Freedom Arms is mentioned, here it comes. Not just on this forum either, I think you have spread your disdain on other forums? Constructive criticism, I hope you take it as I meant it to be, respectful.

[TXSlade]

For everyone info!
I used NO PROFANITY!

[john_anch_ak]

I used to own one of his African Hunters in .475 Linebough, this one was built on his own frame and not the Ruger frame. S/N 30. I had to sell it to fund another toy I wanted. I paid $2500.00 for it and sold it for an even $3000.00. If I remember right, he only built 50 of these African Hunter models using his own frame. I sure do wish I had kept it, but of course I wish that about every firearm I've ever sold or traded.

[44man]

It is as respectful. Yes, seen Ruger's and guns of every make not shoot good too, time to sell.
Now I hear BFR's have different barrels and if they don't shoot, I will be down on them big time too. I already griped to them with no answers. Badger was bought out so MR changed to Green Mountain, fine barrels but I hear twists are changed. Not looking good at all.
There are good Freedoms too, maybe all here were the bad ones, like DW when they changed hands and nothing was right. Some still fell in the money hole and got a good one.
I never bought or owned a Colt, too much for too little. I read the anaconda was junk, from a gun rag.
Freedom declared bankruptcy, WHY if they are so good? Colt has had bad times for many years. S&W changed hands and went to pot. DW crashed.
I worked at UAL for 42 years and we had it tough to meet standards. They were tight and we had pride but today I would not spit on an axe handle for them. Fool with employees that hate you and suffer.
Today I hate GE, Maytag, sears, Cub Cadet and many more. I don't want any mower made by MTD either.
I bought a new Mark II Ruger target model, could not hit a thing and finally seen bullets hitting the ground 10' in front of me. I found nothing wrong to see, sent it back and got a new gun so accurate you would cry. It happens but some companies care. I never had a problem with Ruger, Rem or Mossberg. I had my shooting box picked up at a shoot by mistake. same as the guy had. My Ruger cylinder was in it. Ruger made me a new one free. I sent a check and got it back. I called and the lady said no problem, cylinder was free. I eventually got the box back so I have two cylinders for my gun. How you treat them is important. Get nasty and you get nothing. Those great folks just work for a living.

[Lloyd Smale]

different strokes I guess. I love a nice custom and have a few. Cant afford them anymore though since retirement. Across the board my customs from linebaugh, clements, harton and bowen have outshot out of the box rugers. Yes ive had an exceptional ruger that would shoot right along side of them but ive had some real bumb guns from them too. Never had a bumb custom.

As to FA guns ive had three 454 premiers and a 475 premier. All three were exceptional shooters. Only problem ive ever had with FA guns is there throats tend to be to tight for a lot of cast bullets. Two of the three I had were but FA addressed it for free so I cant complain. I think every hand gunner deserves at least one custom. Theres just something about the process of going through the options and having one made just for you and theres the anticipation while waiting for it to come and then low and behold the day comes and you get to take it to the range and shoot it. Just allways meant a lot more to me then coming home from the gunshop with another ruger.

As to bfrs heres my experience. I bought a 480 brand new with the intention of having John Linebaugh rechamber it to 475. This was before bfr chambered them in 475. John said hed do it but would prefer I had one built on a ruger and gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. So I sold it and bought a ruger to sent to him. My impressions of the 480 were this. ITS BIG, lots of sharp edges, trigger had a lot of creap (just like a ruger). I was kind of angry out of the gate. I don't like real long barrels. This gun was advertised as a 6.5 which is to long but I was going to live with it. When it came it was 7.5 inch. I called them and they told me it was the correct gun and the reason it was longer then I though it would be is that they measure barrels for the end of the the frame instead of from the forcing cone like EVERY OTHER gun manufacture in the world! It was also suppose to have a red insert sight (Not a be deal to me) I asked them about that and they said they don't do them any more. I said I ordered right from your website and it said it would have one. they basically said Tough SH88. It came with a stainless front blade that washed out in any kind of light. To be honest I never shot it. AND IT WAS BIG and I'm not a fan of big, long heavy sixguns. Personaly if there was a brand new bfr and a brand new Blackhawk sitting next to it in the gunshop and the owner told me I could have either one free, the Blackhawk would come home with me. If for no other reason because of the rude way I was delt with by there customer service dept. Ive never been treated like that by any other gun or gun accessory dealer EVER.

[onceabull]

Anyone that cares and can read the English language already knows that the Freedom Arms bankruptcy had squat to do with the quality of their firearms...Thus,someone who post o'wise has a demonstrated character flaw... Once more,when was the last time anyone finished in the top ten in a "factory" eligible revolver Silh.match of significance using anything other than a Freedom or DW revolver..?????????? Onceabull

[TXSlade]

First time I read where you said there might be a good Freedom, thank you.
As far as the bankruptcy so much of that is to be attributed to a lawsuit originating from a scumbag who shot his hunting buddy in the leg, if I remember correctly. Here is a video on youtube from the lawyers scrounging for more customers in their class action lawsuit, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD6m-oGUDlI watching that video just makes me sick. It is made out to be like a news program, but it is actually a commercial for a law firm.

[dubber123]

First time I read where you said there might be a good Freedom, thank you.
As far as the bankruptcy so much of that is to be attributed to a lawsuit originating from a scumbag who shot his hunting buddy in the leg, if I remember correctly. Here is a video on youtube from the lawyers scrounging for more customers in their class action lawsuit, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD6m-oGUDlI watching that video just makes me sick. It is made out to be like a news program, but it is actually a commercial for a law firm.

I didn't watch the video, but I think what happened was the guy claimed the hammer snagged on something while holstered, and the gun fired blowing a substantial hole in his leg. There are many who believe he was practicing his fast draw and found out he wasn't good at it.

[Lloyd Smale]

what I heard was he was quick drawing to impress his buddys and his thumb slipped off the hammer and he had his finger pulling the trigger and shot himself. Total dumb A!! and then to have the gall to sue someone because of his own stupidity.

[sixshot]

I've owned 2 FA guns & probably fired at least 50 others owned by friends while we were at the NRA center in Raton, New Mexico, never shot a bad one. You shoot yourself with one, don't blame the gun!! Everybody knows it wasn't quality that caused the bankrupcy, everybody!!

Dick

[44man]

Every story is different. I heard he snagged his hammer on the drover he was wearing, the hammer slipped off and the hammer block failed so the round went off. After seeing both fail in my shop i have no opinions either way. I have made new parts for them when the hammer pushed the pins out by pushing the hammer with my thumb. My parts still work.
Read all warnings that come with Freedoms and ALL say, NO ROUND UNDER THE HAMMER. Why a hammer block or transfer bar depending on model?
Have you EVER seen a Ruger transfer bar fail to prevent a fire?
Dang, S&W and clones along with all Ruger's, BFR's can have all chambers filled full. Old Ruger's had Colt type actions so you left an empty.
Freedom did not want to pay royalties for better and safer so made things so complicated they failed.
A Freedom owner has never taken a gun apart. Be my guest. You send back and have no idea.
Every single problem some have is a gun sent back no matter who made it.
Custom makers quit making some things because they do not work, like sights that blur the target, S&W red insert---Junk. A few want the sun out front. 7 yard shooters.
Shooting IHMSA was smoking sights to stop glare, dead, flat black. No one in their right mind would have a glare out front. Baughman ramps suck and undercut work.
But again, Bankruptcy can be caused by over charging and loss of sales.
I needed my timing belt changed on my 4 Runner, got from $700 to $1300 so I decided to do it myself. I bought the kit, belt, water pump, seals, idler pulleys and belt tensioner for $157. Spark plugs and new PCV valve, coolant, special puller. Came to $230, work of course but is just my time. Pay $100 for a trigger spring change! You have no sense at all.
You complain about custom but he might be right. The custom maker has to put up with unreal requests. Ask Gary for a 1/2" revolver at 100 yards once. The gun will shine and have all kinds of markings but show your groups.
Been watching good groups at 6 FEET. Why not stick the barrel on the paper?
Yes some Freedoms will shoot but what are your requirements, 10 yards or 500 meters?
ME, I want less then 1" at 50 meters and less is better. Had revolvers to 3/8" and less.166427 Beat this BFR group at 50 yards with your Freedom 166428 .454 freedom at 50 with factory on the left. After I fixed it with cast PB at max at the right.
Go for a walk on the wild side, can Freedom or a custom turn you into a one hole shooter? Spend your money and expect to be an EXPERT after much money. You can't pay your way to shoot.

[44man]

are you paid by magnum research to sale there products on the internet I thought this thread is about custom gun not stock gun?
No, not at all. In fact I am worried about BFR's having a barrel change. Screw up and I will be the worst ever. I go by facts only.
I have contacted them over it with no answers.
I have never made a dime

[ole 5 hole group]

Back on subject - if the price is right in your opinion, you won't be disappointed in a Reeder Revolver in my opinion. I have a Reeder Ultimate Black Widow in 44 Mag (just cus I wanted a 5-shot 44 mag - why? just cus) - shoots as well as I can hold, so I can't ask for any more. I purchased it new and paid the freight and waited a couple months - wish I could have purchased one used and saved a little. The donor revolver was a bisley blackhawk 45 Colt that couldn't hold 3 inches at 25 yards and I CAN hold better than that - most days anyway.;)

[44man]

Most custom guns are top rate but what you feed them is still what they need.
I don't like to read "the gun shoots better then me." NOT TRUE. Yeah, I said I could throw the gun on the bench and it would hit the target but it is the loads the gun needs.
You pay thousands for a gun and load scuds.
Watch me buy a Freedom.
Guns are like old cars. Spend $100,000 on a junker and spend another $50,000 to restore it and expect $500,000 at sale. You live with the car. You live with a $3000 gun that shoots no better then a $300 Ruger. Beat a FT made in 1956 for $96. Or a 29 at $140.
Any gun that refuses to shoot anything is scrap metal. Money spent does not leave you TOP SHOT.

[ole 5 hole group]

Matter of opinion there Jimbo - that ole bisley blackhawk 45 Colt I had, possessed oversized throats in 5 of the 6 cylinders and each was a tad different and I really tried loading for that revolver over a 4 month period with no joy - So instead of turning it into scrape or selling it to another person who might think they could get it to shoot, I sent it to Gary and that hunk of junk came back a real sweet shooter - so, spending money sometimes does turn a hunk of metal into a shooter - now spending money to become a shooter only works if the money is spent on reloading components and range time but after doing so for a number of years, you will have to spend a little money on the handgun in certain shooting disciplines, such as bullseye, if you want to piss in the tall grass with the big dogs.

Just like in benchrest - you don't see any stock Remington 700's in the winner's circle - you'll see some highly modified/improved Model 700's on occasion but never a out of the factory box 700. Don't ever remember seeing a stock 1911 in the winner's circle either in Bullseye, unless someone possessed a good Colt National Match, as there were a few of those, but most were reworked some, while most of us ponied up for a "Custom" once we reached a level we thought we "needed" one and then found out we could have waited a year or two before putting up our hard earned cash.;)

I totally agree that each firearm has a sweet spot for one or more loads and it's up to the shooter to find it - or else one has to have the custom builder make the firearm to shoot a certain factory load, such as a 1911 shooting the federal 185 grain super match. My custom Baer 1911's with the 1.5 option will shoot my 185 grain reloads tighter than the 185 Federal Match, which disappointed the hell out of me - but it is, what it is.

[dubber123]

I mentioned my $750 F/A .357 mag had smaller throats than the bore. True, for the money that shouldn't have happened. Just like the .450" throats and .452" bores on a LOT of Ruger .45's shouldn't happen. Then there are the .456+" throats on some of the older Rugers, (worked on one), and a LOT of model 25 S&W's. I didn't whine, I fixed it, or should I say Doug fixed it for about $35. It does indeed shoot in an inch at 50yds, with my bleary eyeballs, iron sights and all. This is with the second load it ever saw, a *GASP* soft BHN 9 boolit at near 1,500 fps. I know it's not possible, please don't tell my gun. :) Would it shoot better with the required HARD boolits, maybe, probably, don't really care. Would it shoot better with a big honkin' scope up top? most likely. For me, 1" at 50 yards is darn fine accuracy. Oh, and that is for all 5, not just the good 3. :)

[sixshot]

Fine shooting dubber, yes 1" groups at 50 yds, especially with iron sights is really good. My eyes won't allow it anymore, not with irons. I hate scoped handguns but have scoped 2 in the last year out of neccesity. Many 45's seem to need some throat work to get best accuracy, not so with the 41's or 44's usually.

Dick

[dubber123]

Fine shooting dubber, yes 1" groups at 50 yds, especially with iron sights is really good. My eyes won't allow it anymore, not with irons. I hate scoped handguns but have scoped 2 in the last year out of neccesity. Many 45's seem to need some throat work to get best accuracy, not so with the 41's or 44's usually.

Dick

This gun came with F/A's silhouette sights, awesome sight picture, so ugly they made me queasy. ;) I thought I would try the express sights. Couldn't maintain windage with the shallow "V". It got milled down and a notch to fit the bead cut. They shoot well, but are painfully slow to acquire. I'd much prefer a Patridge front and plain old square notch rear, but I am too cheap to buy another set of sights. I actually have thought of scoping it, it's way too big for a field gun, and the .357 mag wouldn't be my first choice anyways. If it's just a range toy, I'm sure the scope would help groups.

I wish I could see and shoot like I did 25 years ago, and knew the handloading tricks I do now. I suspect lots of shooters here on the site are much better shots than me.

[44man]

Dubber we are in the same sinking boat. Back in the day 1/2" at 50 meters with opens was common for me. Ruger or S&W. Darn, even did it with a friends Taurus .44.
John had the same with his .357 freedom. .357" throats and .3599" groove, also out of round. took 3 barrel changes to get it right but 200 different loads, bullets/boolits and every powder made never got a group. That gun cost him a fortune and he lost it all to get rid of it.
Now Jerry's .454 was one of the first out of the factory. I never seen a revolver worn at the cone, throats and some of the rifling worn away just past the cone like this one. Fit so tight and out of line with the bore. it wore the throats out of round. He shot factory loads and about 300 total.
Line boring, A joke! I will take Ruger cylinders any day.
Nobody believes I shot 1/2" at 50 with opens and rejected anything over 1".
Bought my BFR in .500 JRH and had no Ultra Dot yet so I put the old Loopy scope on it. I laid 5 shotgun shells on the sides to shoot the bases at 50 yards. I hit all 5 but lost a few in the weeds.166552 3/4" targets, all centered. With the Ultra Dot I have shot 1/2" groups at 100.
But work on my Vaquero does this at 50 yards. 166553 Notice the Pachmeyer grips for the 320 gr Lyman at 1160 fps with 21.5 gr of 296 and a Fed 150 primer.
SBH at 100 yards off hand. 166554

[dubber123]

My F/A .357 still has the oval barrel, I just made the throats bigger. Probably a 1/2" 50 yd gun. If it does 1" regularly with irons, soft boolits going fast, I have to imagine it could do better. I can't prove it with my shooting. :)

[Petander]

Hot dang I just saw and handled a Reeder for the first time ever today.

248519.

I already have cast and coated bullets for this,a gc and pb version that were intended for light 470 NE plinkers... it never happened.... I'm afraid I made a downpayment. I was actually selling guns today but well...

[Char-Gar]

Hot dang I just saw and handled a Reeder for the first time ever today.

248519.

I already have cast and coated bullets for this,a gc and pb version that were intended for light 470 NE plinkers... it never happened.... I'm afraid I made a downpayment. I was actually selling guns today but well...

This thread has risen from the dead! I still own and enjoy my Reeder revolver.

[Petander]

Yep,I'll get this one , dear Santa...

Is this originally a Ruger that has been worked on or what?

248714

[Petander]

Fiddling around some more. 475 j-bullets check here.

249262.

These are cast,coated and sized .4765. Won't drop through the cylinders,the bullet sits nice and even. Bullet tips are flush with the cylinder front end.

Can't wait to load for this one.

249263

[DougGuy]

Have the throats honed to .477" if you want to use those maybe? That sure is a purty one you got there! I am sure somebody in Finland has a Sunnen or equivalent Finnish made honing machine.

[Petander]

Have the throats honed to .477" if you want to use those maybe? That sure is a purty one you got there! I am sure somebody in Finland has a Sunnen or equivalent Finnish made honing machine.

Might do that. But I'll try a .456 boolit first I think. I made these particular boolits for a friend's 470NE, these are very hard and spring back when sized with a 476 die.

This is one of those guns that makes you want it after handling it for a few seconds. I've been emailing with Mr.Reeder himself to find out what we have here. He has been very helpful.

[Petander]

Now I'm confused again. This info is on Reeder website:

249553

249554

So I wrote:

"If the frame,barrel and cylinder are yours,there's not much left of a Ruger in this gun,is there?
Just trying to figure out what we have here."


Mr. Reeder wrote:

"The African Hunter you have is not a Ruger and has never been a Ruger. We are a licensed manufacturer just as Ruger is and the gun is a Reeder Custom, not a Ruger."

--------------------------

Then why did someone send in a Ruger in the first place ??? What am I missing?

249555

[megasupermagnum]

That's a good question. I called Gary Reeder about a year ago seeing what exactly could be done to a GP100 in converting it to a 41 magnum. The guy is cranky for sure, although I saw nothing but good work from him. He seemed insulted when I asked about cutting down on the frivolous things like the sights, engraving, and trigger work (most GP100 triggers are already very good). I don't think his "engraving" is actual engraving, and is kind of ugly in my eyes. I didn't say that, but he still made it sound like all of his Skorpion revolvers, his name for the 41 mag GP100, get a scorpion on them no matter what.

From what I heard, he uses the frame and trigger. The single actions he may use the grip frame, but I believe he does his own version of a bisley too. What he does to the GP100 is modify the frame window (he doesn't get more specific than that on his website), fit a cylinder, and swap the barrel. If it was a 6 shot, he would have to change it to a 5 shot internally. I assume the 5 shot 44 specials could be used as is. So it is a lot of Ruger left, just with a Gary Reeder barrel and cylinder, whole gun worked over... and lots of engraving.

[Petander]

Megasupermagnum, thank you very much.

This kind of custom revolvers are rare on this side of the pond,we are not allowed to hunt with handguns. Expensive toys but I do like quality guns... I have been practising silhuette for that imaginary Safari for decades.

249557

In this case,considering the price I want to know exactly what we have here before I purchase. I just bought an old Chevy Van,trusting the seller instead of checking things... a mistake. A good looking windshield had to be replaced right away,it was raining inside big time. 200 k "kilometers" turned to miles overnight. Two sets of "good condition tyres" are rock hard eight years old...

[RJM52]

249720

Back in 2000 I got the hots for a Ruger Bisley in .41 Magnum...but at that point finding was was impossible as they had been discontinued. Saw a picture of a Reeder Long Colt Hunter and called and ordered the same gun in .41 Magnum. Has a 5-shot cylinder, 5.5" barrel, vapor honed stainless finish and black Micarta Bisley Gunfighter grip which I like a lot more than the Ruger Bisley grip.

Sights were Freedom Arms Gold Dot front with Ruger V-notch rear which I didn't care fore. Replaced the rear with a Bowen white outline and have had several different front sights in place depending on the shooting conditions. Most of the time now there is a FA green FO front as it stands out best for me.

Because the gun was built as a 5-shot I can have the .41 GNR cylinder converted to .410 GNR which is based on a .454 case instead of a .41 Magnum case. The .41 GNR would probably work well in a long barrel revolver or TC Contender but with the 5.5" barrel there is only 30 fps difference between the .41 Magnum and .41 GNR when using a 170 grain Sierra JHC bullet.

Bob

[GLynn41]

Interesting about the mv difference between the .41 mag and the GNR version. Not disagreeing with you as you got what you got. My 5.5" .41 Rhawk was a .41 mag then a .41 GNR -- I gained about 80 t0 150 fps
my .41 GNR did better with heavier bullets as to velocity gain. the 170 did 1702; 210 Gold Dots were 1510 Fps, 225 gr Keiths were 1550fps. 255 gr wfn were 1440 .. but mine was a rechamber
The .410 is very different -- it is as easy to make as the .41 GNR but as expected more mv
255 gr 1630 fps. It is also a rechamber in a Rhawk… Yours being a custom would be different than mine.
. My .41 GNR I have now is a 9" TC 210 grain cast HPGC PC from a group buy mold goes 1840fps with a medium load.
This is also not a promotion of Gary ...nice revolver

[Petander]

I went to pick up a 457 Linebaugh shellholder today. I don't know what exactly happened but this 2003 Single Six followed me home:

249845

[white eagle]

from what I have seen Gary Reeder does very good work
regardless of what they are called or the original manufacturer
I am not to hip on some of the designs but he will make them the way
you want them
I have been eyeing some of his work for a long time

[ShooterAZ]

I have had him do action jobs on a few of my SA handguns, he does a good job on those. I'm another one who doesn't really care for his "engraving", but to each his own. He also does a lot of specialty caliber Contender and Encore barrels. His shop is attached to their storefront, and both are quite small. Gary's wife Colleen is a real sweetheart, and has always been super helpful whenever I go in. I don't go in as much any more, because she raises Jack Russell terriers right there in the gun-store. It stinks like all get out in there, and that's putting it mildly.

[Petander]

Yeah well I returned the Single Six today,it's not right company with the Reeder Custom... It may be Christmas before I can pick it up. But I handled it again... good good...

I wonder if Mr. Reeder would customize a Single Six in 22LR? Might even ask. A stock SS just doesn't cut it as an accompanying 22...

[Petander]

from what I have seen Gary Reeder does very good work
regardless of what they are called or the original manufacturer.

Yes,work seems good. I just got interested in details,how much Ruger do I have,date etc. I didn't mean to insult Mr Reeder by asking. If I buy this (unfired,new price), then decide I won't keep it I will have a hard time selling it. Can't sell "I don't know what or when". I don't collect, I circulate and sell everything that I don't use much. Custom is harder to sell,average folks know nothing about these.

Might pass on this after all. I also just heard of a kb accident where loading gate hit shooter's shoulder and came out from his lower back leaving a 9" wound. It was NOT the guns fault but it was a similar Reeder and I'm only human...

I think I will pass after all. It's only money but you can get five 586:s for the price.

[RJM52]

GLynn...thanks for the information...

With a 170 grain Sierra I'm using 26.0 grains of H110 and 29 or 30 grains in the GNR. Not home right now so I'm not sure but as I recall the velocity from the 5.5" barrel was 1550 for the .41 and 1580 for the GNR. A 6.5" Blackhawk runs the .41 load at 1630.

Bob

[GLynn41]

That is a fast Ruger load. I killed a 5 pt with 29 gr of H110/fed 155/170 gr/ 5.5" Rhawk @1702

[ShooterAZ]

I have the Complete Reloading Manual for all the Reeder GNR cartridges. If anyone needs specific data, shoot me a PM and I'll send it to you.250326

[Bwana John]

When I see GR "custom" revolvers I am reminded of Patton's quote about pearl grips.

The only reason I go into the shop is to hold the puppys.

and... since when is acid etching "Engraving" ?!?