Let’s Talk About Gatts,
You Know, Roscoes

Not everybody is enamored with striker-fired half-polymer pistols, and to prove it one only needs to check social media for forums and groups, such as “The Art of The Revolver,” “Friends of Elmer Keith” and “I’m with Roscoe.”

Here they talk about “Gatts.” You know, “Roscoes.” Hardware. Time for a little handgun noir.

Anybody who’s seen Humphrey Bogart in “The Big Sleep” as private dick Phillip Marlow, whose car is equipped with a dropdown dashboard panel stocked with a couple of Colt revolvers, and doesn’t want one of those simply can’t be an American at heart. Marlow was a “shamus.” (More noir.)

There happens to be a rather devoted following for the revolver, whether single- or double-action, primarily six-shot models in calibers sometimes snobbishly dismissed by the current generation of handgunners. What do they know, right?

One hasn’t really lived until they’ve emptied a Colt Detective Special into a silhouette target at seven yards or fired a few rounds through a Smith & Wesson .44 Special at a genuine tin can.

A pal of mine, a retired sheriff’s detective from a department up in Washington State, once had me knock together a belt holster for a .38 Special snub gun he confessed to carrying more than any other of his numerous sidearms.

“It’s really all I need,” he observed.

Modern bullet design and new propellants make even standard .38 Special loads fairly fearsome for social work — a fact yours truly appreciates because one of my favorite little sixguns is a vintage Colt Diamondback I acquired about 10 years ago. It has a 4-inch barrel and its finish is still in decent shape. I’ve found good results using a 125-grain JHP propelled by 4.7 grains of Hodgdon’s HP38, and some time back I came into several hundred 110-grain JHP bullets that might become rabbit medicine.

Some years ago, I loaded up several hundred target rounds pushing a 158-grain lead semi-wadcutter ahead of 3.5 grains of HP 38 that proved to be remarkably accurate out of a 6-inch Smith & Wesson Model 19 and a 6-inch Colt Python. I’ll be heading to the range with a box full of those loads to run through the Diamondback because it’s a mild load but strokes along at about 800 fps, or enough to conk a cottontail permanently.

Not supposed to be used with +P ammunition, my handloads for the Diamondback never exceed the recommended maximum for standard .38 loads and are typically 0.2-0.3 grains lighter.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2810119402570440/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ImWithRoscoe/

What’s in a Name?

Nobody seems to know where the terms “gatt” and “Roscoe” came from as nicknames for handguns, but they go right along with “heater” for creating atmosphere.

Probably born in Hollywood scripts, James Cagney told one of Bogart’s henchmen in “The Roaring 20s” to keep his hand off of his heater. We’ve also heard revolvers referred to as “cannons” or “kacks” or “rods.”

They’re all sidearms, and even in today’s world, they have a well-earned place in the self-defense/personal protection scheme. They’re easy handguns for teaching beginning shooters, and they are often a better choice for women or older citizens who may not have the strength to work the slide of a semi-auto.

Whatever you call it, the revolver is a proven fight-stopper and many a life has been spared thanks to the ability of the man or woman using it.

Speaking of Guns

Ruger recently announced yet another variation of its popular Mark IV semi-auto pistol, this one a real eye-catcher with a 10-inch bull barrel.

Small game should start praying because a pistol with this gun’s pedigree is certain to be dead-bang accurate. Offered in either stainless steel or alloy steel with an aluminum grip frame, this new Ruger just might qualify to be called a “hogleg.”

Both versions carry 10-round single-stack magazines and feature adjustable rear sights paired with fixed front sights, checkered synthetic grips, push-button takedown and a magazine disconnect that prevents accidental discharges.

The blued version hits the scale at 46.3 ounces empty, while the stainless specimen is heavier at 53.5 ounces. Each pistol comes with two magazines.

Pistols with 10-inch bull barrels are not to be discounted as game-getters or target punchers. That length of bore will get the most out of any .22 LR cartridge on the shelf, and with a rifling twist of 1:16-inch, you’ll be launching a bullet with a very good stabilizing spin.

Full disclosure: This correspondent owns a Ruger Mark IV with a 5.5-inch bull barrel that is simply awesome when it comes to accuracy. I did a review of the pistol when it first came out a few years ago and liked it so much I bought it. I immediately bought a third magazine, and when Ruger did a factory recall to address an apparent problem with the safety on some guns (mine wasn’t one of them, but I sent it in anyway for a refitting), the company provided a free magazine for all those handgunners who sent in their grip frames. Turnaround time was exactly seven days and the pistol functions like a precision watch.

If someone can’t punch X-ring holes repeatedly with this new 10-inch Mark IV target model, they’re simply not trying very hard.

https://www.ruger.com/products/markIVTarget/models.html