Ruger BH .45 belly gun...

[Bucks Owin]

Ran across this little "Social S/A" browsing around in my photo files just now. I figure even if you were to miss someone with the big ol' .45 Colt slug, the muzzle blast and flame should scare him into submission....

It looks kinda odd, but the more I look at it, the more it grows on me. There's some nice touches here, the Bisley hammer, rounded brass gripframe, (w/"engraving") required lack of ejector rod...

Jeeze, what a belly gun! (Or maybe an old west "detective's special") :D

Dennis

How many besides me (and whoever built it) would actually use this creation as a carry gun if they owned it I wonder...?

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/BucksOwin/moreb-gun.jpg

[StarMetal]

As dearly as I love my Ruger three screw Blackhawk in 45 Colt with 4 5/8 barrel, that creation is down right ugly and I don't like it. I wouldn't carry that big clunk of steel around for a belly gun when there are chopped 1911's smaller, lighter, and just as effective.

Joe

[Denver]

Cool gun. I like that grip frame. I would have used a Vaquero frame instead which would eliminate the adjustabe rear sight for a cleaner looking gun. And that Butt Ugly front sight just wouldn't do. I'd go with something on a ramp, or maybe a dovetailed sight like Bowen uses. My 2 Pesos.:Fire:

[StarMetal]

Exactly what Denver said is what turned me off. The sights make the gun look like crap. A Vasquero would have been a better choice.

Joe

[9.3X62AL]

From the wear patterns on the rear sight, it appears to have been carried quite a bit.

From having carried a LOT of revolvers around, you don't gain much concealment by lopping off 2"-3" of barrel from a 4-3/4" Colt SAA or a 4"-5" DA wheelgun. If you don't have a holster, the longer barrel actually helps retain the piece in one's waistband.

The first handgun I ever fired--and the only one I fired for some time--was the 1906 Bisley SAA in 32-20 I now have. I became quite adept at operating that well-placed low spur hammer, and from extensive use of the rudimentary sights on its 4.75" barrel I developed a pretty good feel for hitting things with sidearms of that barrel length.

A Bisley Colt in 44 Special or 45 Colt with barrel length up to 4.75" would make a VERY effective defensive tool. Ugly is as ugly does.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Sights, who neesd sights on a belly gun? Grind em off, it would come out of your pants quicker as well. Mick.

[lar45]

That rear sight looks like the one on my USA 45 Seville.
Cabela's used to offer a Mellineum single action in 45 colt for $250. I think it was a brass framed Uberti with parkerized finish.
If I could shoot it acuratly, I'd pack it around.

I saw a picture of an old time "Bubba Special" on a Colt SAA. The guy just unscrewed the barrel and shot the frame with cylinder in it. I'm sure it would work for under the poker table accuracy.

Instead of sights on the 2" bbl, I think that a Rib the full length of the barrel with a gold bead up front would work. maybe do that on the Vaquero frame, or similar, with a groove down the top strap.
Kind of like the AMT 45 back up. It just has a groove down the full length of the slide.

[waksupi]

Sights, who neesd sights on a belly gun? Grind em off, it would come out of your pants quicker as well. Mick.

Mick, that was my first thought. A firearm for "social purposes" shouldn't have much need for sights. I know I can keep everything in the kill zone at 7 yards without sights. We do competition, where our sights are taped over, so you have no choice. Good night time type drill.
All in all, I really like the concept. Something you could put in a winter coat pocket, and be totally unobtrusive. And an extremely bad surprise, to some dumb ass who may try to be a problem late at night. Lotsa folks wear Carrhart coats in this area in the winter. It would pretty much disappear, and not "print" in those.
My Combat Commander, that I usually wear in a forward tilt holster, made by a saddle maker friend, would be pretty much unaccessible, at thirty below. I'm buttoned in pretty tight at that level of cold. Druggies don't feel the cold, and are out in all weather.
In Ed McGiverns book, he shows pictures of big bore pocket pistols, that are very similar, I seem to recall. And they were meant to be fired from in the pocket. Those ones were double actions, with bobbed hammers, I think. I'll have to get my book out to check. A single action pocket pistol sounds like a Polish invention, and would be fine, if you could remove it from your pocket, and re-cock it before putting it back in, to shoot the guy the second time.

[lar45]

Mick, that was my first thought. A firearm for "social purposes" if you could remove it from your pocket, and re-cock it before putting it back in, to shoot the guy the second time.
Second time, first time? It all happened so fast I just don't remember ;)

Someplace, don't remember where, I was reading about the Pocket/belly gun. The pics of some of them had the front of the trigger gaurd cut out and trimmed down to the bottom point of the trigger. The hammers were bobbed, but had checkering on the top of the hammer, so the trigger could be pulled part way and the hammer thumbed back for single action work if needed.

EAA has a nice little 357 snubbie, the Windicator, that comes in a 2" or 4" bbl and go for around $200 new. I shot one( 2" bbl) at the local gravel pit/range several years ago. After a couple of shots to get a feel for the sights, I was able to hit 2 liter bottles at 100 yds fairly often. Dealer cost on them at the time was $150. I don't know why I didn't just order a 6 pack to put on the shelf.

http://nas3.atlanta.gbhinc.com/GB/053825000/53825193/pix581579484.jpg

For small pocket carry in warm weather, I have a FMJ derringer in 45/410 and 22lr. It's not the quickest thing to take the saftey off and cock it one handed, but it's a lot better than a rock.

[Bucks Owin]

I'd like to see what kind of groups I could get from this creation from sandbags. If it shot decent, I'd leave the sights alone....(although I would "prefer" fixed sights on such a gun) I have my doubts about the extremely short barrel though...

FWIW, my wife owns a High Standard .22 WMR derringer who's short barrel keyholes any .22 mag ammo I've tried in it. I normally load it with a shotshell first up, a "buzzsaw" for the second round....

Dennis

PS: On the other hand my cousin has an little old M-36 S&W .38 Spl that "he's" able to shoot about like a target pistol! I could never hit much with it....

[Char-Gar]

I have seen very few handguns, I would not care to own. That ugly thing in one of them. I wouldn't take it as a gift...not EVEN a gift?

[Biggfoot44]

What "extremely short" bbl ? I sometimes carry a tarus 450UL in .45LC, and that's a 2", this is a field gun by comparisson. Brass frames had avid fans a cpl decades ago, if it bothered me too much it would get a baked on finish. But yes I'd be glad to have it.

[Shuz]

Bucks--I sure would if it were chambered for .44 mag. I'd use reduced loads tho, as I do now with my 329PD. It's light allright, but still pretty bulky to "conceal". The reason I say .44 mag. is not for the power, but for the simplicity. The only revolver cartridge I shoot is .44mag at various power levels and always with cast boolits. Makes life a lot simpler for me.--Shuz