He has assisted various agencies in designing their own customized training programs, and as an adjunct instructor for the Federal Bureau of Investigation he currently enjoys teaching some of the world’s most elite law enforcement agents. McKee was awarded an expert rating with handgun and rifle by Colonel Jeff Cooper of Gunsite, and has been an adjunct instructor at Thunder Ranch since 1995. Shootrite founder and director Tiger McKee is a lifelong student of personal combat, and is one of the nation’s top firearms instructors for armed citizens, law enforcement, military and security personnel. From what I’ve done so far I can safely predict it’s going to be a great combination. I’ve only had a chance to test fire it and haven’t had time to work on accuracy to see how the Big Dot works so I’ll save that for another column. It combines the best of the old school revolver modifications with new technology, and. The Model 10 looks unique I’ve never seen anything quite like it. To provide them with extra friction I stippled them using my soldering iron. The sight installation and park job turned out perfect.įor stocks I went with a set of Precision Gun Specialties Hideout stocks (729-100-001), which fit my hand well and matched the pistol’s looks and personality. After spending so much time with the 10 I’d grown found it so it needed some type finish to make it look sharp. While Matt had the pistol for machining he asked me if I wanted it parkerized.
I finally determined how to do it, and with a little help from Matt W. I studied on this for a few months, ordering, testing and measuring different sights from XS.
The problem was how to install it on a fixed sight revolver. I like XS dots, and for this pistol their Big Dot was ideal.
It took me a long time, but after working over everything and installing a Wolf rebound and mainspring spring (080-665-201) I had a revolver that snapped the hammer smoothly with a good crisp break. Not only does the trigger have to be worked, which involves tuning every other component inside as well, but I also learned about things like working the cylinder and latch so it opened easily and snapped shut crisply. After reading and rereading I discovered there is much more to tuning a revolver than I thought.
A search with Brownells provided Kuhnhausen’s manual on S&W revolvers (924-100-001), stones for honing, proper size screwdrivers and springs.
While the metal work was easy, working the action and internals was something I’d never done.
Those hammer spurs snag on clothing, plus for a fightin’ pistol you ain’t gonna be thumb cocking it anyway. Bobbing the hammer was mandatory for the old-school look and carrying. The sharp edges on the trigger itself were rounded off for comfort and control. I also thinned the front of the trigger guard so it would be quicker to get my finger on the trigger. The key, like most things in life, is to take plenty of time, measure twice, cut once, and use the right tools for the job. I used a cutting wheel, files, and lots of sanding to get the grip reshaped to a round butt. Metal work was nothing new for me I started with hotrods and Harley motorcycles decades ago. The Model 10 is a square butt frame, so the first step was to cut it down and reshape it to a round butt, which is easier for me to conceal. Then, somewhere along the process, what began as a test monkey ended up being a really fine fighting revolver. It was the perfect revolver for my first work. The blue finish was scratched up and worn but internally it was in good condition and the price was right. 38 special with a four inch barrel – to practice on. When I decided to learn how to work on S&W revolvers I picked up a “throw-down” Model 10 – a K frame.