This post we are going to take a look at “The Holy Smoker” by Uberti – chambered in 32-20 and it is just a hoot to shoot – Recoil?? You’re kidding – right?? With a weight of just over 2 1/2 lbs combined with the 32 caliber “cowboy” load – recoil is almost nonexistent – sights are pretty much dead on and with the 4 3/4 barrel it’s really not too nose heavy .

Let’s take a look at “both sides now” . . .

This particular Uberti was imported by EMF Firearms – chambered in 32-20 ( We’ll get to that in a bit ) – 4 3/4 barrel / not too nose heavy – single action – the trigger only drops the hammer – the hammer must be manually cocked or “pulled back” with your thumb for each shot – unlike a double action trigger – with wood grips – color case hardened frame – and the bluing still looks good !

Let’s take a look at the parts – Note the frame – the older the gun the more the color case hardening fades . . .

From the top down – 1. Frame with stocks ( or grips ) – trigger mechanism – barrel 2. Cylinder 3. Bushing 4. Base Pin 5. Screw – hold the Base Pin in place – just five basic pieces – or . . .

5 Easy Pieces – That might make a good name for a movie – just saying . . .

The base pin has two notches towards the left side in the view – insert to the first notch – revolver runs – insert all the way in – the base pin protrudes and blocks the hammer – disabling the firearm – at that point it cannot fire – a very manual “safety” . The bushing is used to space the front of the cylinder against the force cone as well as to keep lateral movement of the cylinder within specs –

It is far easier and less costly to simply replace the bushing than to replace the cylinder – generally the bushings were made “softer” than either the cylinder or the frame so that the bushing would wear first – it being a simple replacement . One issue with used guns of this pattern is that a lot of folks don’t remove the bushing every time when they clean them – notice that this bushing has damage to the finish and surface rust is an issue – which can quickly become a functional issue if not kept cleaned and lubed . It needs to be part of your regular cleaning routine because every time you fire you are forcing powder residue into the assembly .

The bushing goes in the cylinder – then those go in the gun – but if they are “rough” then they tend to drag against each other and slow the whole operation down – although most people don’t notice the problem until it becomes severe simply because your thumb is providing the means to cycle the pistol not recoil impulse or gas feed – but there is ( at least to me ) a noticeable difference if the assembly is properly cleaned and lubed .

Caliber markings should be on the barrel – in this case 32-20 – as well as manufacturer and or importer . . .

The weight of the pistol . . .

at over 2 1/2 pounds along with the very light recoil of the 32-20 and add in a 3 lb trigger just makes this a pleasure to shoot – and after literally thousands and thousands of rounds through it – this little darling still locks up tight and shoots real nice . . .

A little bit on the 32-20 . . .

32-20 on the left – 32 acp on the right – originally introduced in 1882 by Winchester as their first “small game” cartridge – and although it was a little light for deer – many were harvested with it over the years – the cartridge was ideal for rabbit and squirrel ( remember folks that this was before the 22 rim fire ) as it did not cause a lot of damage to the meat or the pelts . It was originally a black powder cartridge – the 20 in 32-20 denoting a loading of 20 grains of black powder – with a 100 grain bullet you’re going to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 fps and about 215 ft lbs of muzzle energy – not a powerhouse but a very accurate low recoiling round – for a lot more on it here’s a link to WIKI for you . . .

Are “cowboy” guns worth the effort ? Yes – Yes they are – there is nothing like them in the hand gun family – they are very excellent teaching tool – safety – proper grip – sight alignment – trigger manipulation – kids and adults just take to them like a duck to water .

“Slow Poke Sam” didn’t have the best day – but the key is the next time you improve your time – your gun handling – your overall proficiency etc. – compete against yourself first – get to where you’re “good” – then look to the left or right on the line and start comparing yourself to other folks – what are they doing different? How can I apply that and improve? Would they be able to teach me that technique and could I apply it or incorporate into what I am doing and or capable of and thereby improve on what I’m doing ?? Hell folks I’m my own worst critic because I know what a given gun is capable of – I need to rise to that level of proficiency through practice – not through bitching about not being able to do it!! – When I started with handguns I could barely keep hits on an 18 x 24 target at 50 feet let alone worry about scoring on the target!! That is one of the fundamental reasons there is such a movement afoot to demonize everything about firearms – especially with children – these kids quickly learn a myriad of things – patience / discipline / self control / focus / rational logical thought processing / cognitive thought processing – damn that’s a laundry list of things that a large group of “politicians” ( see I was nice!! – I did not say satanical fucks !! ) don’t even want so called adults doing!!

As far as the 32-20 firearm family goes – I’m not sure if any are still being manufactured and the used ones are becoming fewer and farther between – out performed by cartridges like the 32 H&R magnum and the 327 Federal Magnum – and for soft recoil and accuracy 38 Special loaded with 148 grain Wad Cutters at about 750 fps are hard to beat and more readily available both as off the shelf firearms and ammunition .

I’ll get the “Bisley” post together this week as well as work on the post on the next two “cowboy” guns in 32-20 – we’ll took a look at those two with some “internal” pics – kinda give you an idea of what? – how? this stuff goes together – I’ll leave you with a Hickok 45 video about some differences between the Colt clones and the “Colt Brand” colts – and he points out the fact of diminishing returns in manufacturing processes – pretty good stuff . . .

Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!