Gun Specifics
Okay, so if you have an S&W L-Frame or GP-100, you can get an idea of the general heft and feel. While it kinda’ looks like a pre-war Colt, it’s beefier and brawnier. I’m thinking that’s where the Big Boy moniker comes from. There’s no warning about “No Plus-P ammo,” and, as a matter of fact, they say you can fire any factory load you want. I’m sure they don’t mean anything silly here folks, but there’s a lotta’ steel here and trust me, you’ll wear yourself out long before the gun cries uncle. Both styles are .357, and I did find the ejector star barely got .38s out of the chambers so a snappy push on the rod is in order for ejecting.
You’ll note the little hump at the top of the backstrap. Shades of the S&W Schofield, but as funny as it looks, it does help to keep the gun settled into a firing grip. Plus, it adds to the retro look and makes me want to say, “Unhand her, you ruffian!” when I hold it out at arm’s length. While not overtly “heavy-barreled” with a rib on top like some designs, I’d definitely classify this as a heavy barrel. There’s also no shroud or front locking lug, but there is a detent ball there, locking into the frame. This set-up allows a very comfy end on the ejector rod, so feel free to pound away at it if you get a balky empty case refusing to extract.
Another thing about this “outside of the box” gun is the fact — wait for it — there’s a tiny button in front of the inside of the trigger guard with a big surprise going with it. Press it and wonder-of-wonders, the entire cylinder and crane slips niftily out of the front. What a delight when it comes to cleaning. The only other revolver I’ve seen do that is a $4,000 Korth, thank you very much, while the Big Boy is a distant $928 MSRP.
The frame is generally de-horned and nice to handle. The firing pin is in the frame, and the action has a transfer bar, so it’s safe to carry with six in spite of the fact some might cry and tear their hair at the thought of it. “Oh, the humanity …” Barrels, at least for now, are right at 4″ and the look reminds me of a “copper’s” revolver in a 1935 city police department. Maybe in a swivel holster.
There are no unsightly action locks or, praise be, lines of pressed-in instructions about having to read the manual and don’t shoot yourself in the foot, etc. Thank you, Henry, we’re adults here and appreciate you realizing that. The cylinder rotates counter-clockwise, and the chambers aren’t recessed, which doesn’t mean anything at all other than it’s easier to clean. In the old days of balloon head cases, one could let go now and again, and a recessed case head made sense. Today’s brass just doesn’t do that, so why bother? Besides, it also makes it easier to load the chambers since you don’t need to do the “run your thumb over the case heads” after loading to make sure they’re pushed into the recess — especially as things dirty-up.
The really fun part of this is the fact the action is very good. As in other things, it falls someplace between a Colt and a Ruger. I like the fact there are two distinct clicks as you pull the trigger in DA mode. The first is a light “snick” as the cylinder locking bolt gently lands against the cylinder as it turns. The second is the bolt settling home in a notch just prior to the DA sear releasing. You can stage this trigger beautifully while you learn to shoot in DA mode if you don’t already know how. If I decide to keep one of these guns, I definitely plan on taking it apart and doing a light action job just to smooth things up even more. But they are exceptionally good-to-go right out of the box. Mine test out at around 10 lbs. DA and 3.8 to 4 lbs. SA, give or take. The SA press is very smooth with no grit, just a nice surprise break.
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