Skorpions & Grim Reapers

Are you going to be messing with those guns all evening?” Oops. I think I was had, as it were.That very afternoon a big brown truck dropped off two aesthetically beautiful revolvers, thanks to the craftsmanship of Gary Reeder. But alas, her tone showcased the fact it was one of those questions a wife poses where you know it’s already too late — you’re caught. I could detect just enough sarcasm to know I’d better be thinking of ending my new-found attraction for the two brawny revolvers from Gary Reeder. At least for this particular evening. However, I confess to being somewhat amazed at myself for all this. I’m a die-hard single-shot handgun kind of a guy usually, and these were, well — revolvers!

I drive a Ford truck most every day of my life. It’s a nice truck, reliable, dependable and gets me from point A to point B consistently. But it’s that “nice” word that sometimes bothers. At times, you don’t want to be nice. Once in a while it’s an enjoyable experience to get behind the wheel of a BMW and let ’er rip. And right there on my desk, as my wife’s question still hovered accusingly in the air, were two guns easily qualifying as the BMWs of revolvers. I thought, “We’ll learn more tomorrow then, won’t we?”

Who Is This Guy?

Gary Reeder has been building custom guns for over 30 years. He’s a serious, dedicated handgun hunter, and many of his creations are purposefully designed for handgun hunting. But he is also a master craftsman and his workmanship can be appreciated by anyone who loves guns. Reeder Custom Guns is home to an array of designs, from cowboy action to handgun hunting. You don’t have to necessarily be a handgun hunter or cowboy action shooter to want and appreciate a really fine custom handgun. Amazingly enough, our test guns are only two of his over 70 unique offerings.

Just released out of the Reeder stable is the new Grim Reaper, a follow-up to the original BMF series. The test gun was chambered for the mighty .500 S&W. It’s also available in .445 Super Mag, plus a full lineup of Reeder’s own cartridge creations, including calibers like .256 GNR, .307 GNR, .358 GNR, .457 GNR and several others. Reeder manufactures his own frames and currently offers five different models.

The Grim Reaper Is built on the company’s stretch frame and is all stainless, ideal for inclement weather. The triggerguard is rounded, which is a welcome feature for a heavy thumper like this. A squared-guard will often (usually?) knock your middle finger knuckle. Remarkably, Reeder also builds his own cylinders and barrels, and not too many gunsmiths do that. Engraving on the non-fluted, 5-shot stainless cylinder clearly showed the Grim Reaper at his best. The barrel length on my test gun was a compact 4″, and sights consisted of the dangerous-game-type V-notch rear sight with fiber optic, florescent green front sight. These sights are ideal for close range encounters with critters that can bite or claw you to pieces.

I also like the low position of the hammer, much like a Bisley. A pleasing contrast is struck with the stainless frame and its black micarta grips. The external pins and small parts are also contrasting in their black chromex appearance. In spite of the revolver’s moniker, it’s handsome and not at all what you’d expect from a Grim Reaper!

A cool service Gary offers is you can get the serial number of your choosing on your Reaper. You can even get creative and use your name, initials, or any lettering up to eight digits. The gun came with five ports in the barrel, developed by Ken Kelly of Mag-Na-Port International. After shooting Mag-Na-Ported handguns for years, I have come to appreciate their effectiveness in reducing muzzle rise. Cosmetically the revolver is easy on the eyes. Tight tolerances in the cylinder gap were on par with Reeder’s attention to fit and function and is typical of what you would expect from a master gunsmith.

Skorpion — It’s Alive!

The other test gun received was their relatively new Skorpion in .44 Special. Basically this is a 5-shot GP-100 also available in .356 GNR and .41 Magnum. Larger calibers are not applicable on this small-frame revolver. The Skorpion is built on the customers base GP-100, with Gary adding a new, non-fluted cylinder. The cylinder, engraved with a scorpion naturally, is all-stainless, along with the hammer and trigger. The finger-grooved wooden grips Hogue made for this gun not only look good but feel very comfortable in my smallish hands.

Our test gun arrived with a 5″ barrel, but customers can order any length barrel desired. Like sights on the Grim Reaper, the V-notch and fiber optic sights make target acquisition fast and easy. A gold bead can be substituted in place of the fiber optics if you’re of that school of thought. The Skorpion is truly a custom sixgun, with internal enhancements like a silky smooth action job and a superb trigger. Outward appearance features a high luster deluxe finish.

The .41 Magnum and .44 Special will be numbered starting at 001. Reeder can work his magic on stainless guns as well, adding all the embellishments performed on non-stainless revolvers, in your choice of high polish or a satin Vapor-Honed finish.

Do They Shoot?

Waiting for the rain to subside, I taped a dime on the wall and passed the time away with a session of dry firing. Both guns had good triggers, breaking crisply and cleanly at around 3 pounds. There was no creep or a rough and gritty pull. A good trigger like this makes shooting a handgun so much more enjoyable. Luckily I had some DoubleTap ammunition in both calibers on hand, so when the deluge finally let up I hit the range.

Three different offerings in the DoubleTap lineup included their 180-gr. JHP, 200-gr. Barnes TAC-XP, and a 240-gr. SWC Hardcast for the .44 Special. Throw in a box of Buffalo Bore Anti-Personnel 200-gr. Hard-cast Wadcutter and I was anxious to see how the .44 Special performed. For the .500 S&W, the Grim Reaper would digest the 275-gr. Barnes XPB, 400-gr. WFNGC and the rhino-stomping 480-gr. Equalizer, an impressive gathering from DoubleTap for sure.
My friend and shooting buddy, Joe, accompanied me to the range for a lengthy shooting session. Joe is somewhat younger, although still an experienced shooter, with keen eyes and steady nerves. He is also bigger and stronger than I am — a perfect candidate for the Grim Reaper!

We both found the relatively mild .44 Special enjoyable to shoot. After running four different loads through the Skorpion, it seemed to favor the DoubleTap 240-gr. SWC. We shot this revolver from a rest and offhand, at a variety of ranges. The Hogue grips make you grip the gun in the same position for every shot, and this consistency is important when shooting any handgun. While the V-notch and fiber optic sights are great at close range, you might prefer the traditional square notch and post for simple target shooting.

We didn’t encounter any issues with the custom revolver or the ammunition, which made shooting the Scorpion a lot of fun. Joe finished the last few rounds busting rocks consistently from a far-off steep bank, shooting off-handed. Personally, I believe the Skorpion would be a very nice packing gun for long hikes, horseback rides, fishing trips, certain handgun hunting exploits such as deer or hog hunting and even home defense. Joe thought hunting rabbits with a reduced load would be fun, and make sense. A good, dependable custom revolver — built to perform. What more do you want?

The .500

The Grim Reaper will appeal to those who may find themselves in potential problems in big bear country or the Dark Continent, where there’s always something lurking that can kill you. We shot all three offerings from DoubleTap, both from a rest and offhand. I confess I would be lying if I told you this 4″ .500 S&W wasn’t a handful. It was built with a specific purpose — to stop a threat from getting to you.

I frequently fish for king salmon in Alaska and on my last trip, the bears were thick as grasshoppers. They were diligently searching the streams for a calorie-rich diet of salmon, the same reason I was there. When you’re fishing a stream and you can’t pay attention to your line in the water because you’re always looking over your shoulder, there are a lot bears. The Grim Reaper riding on the hip as you wade-fish a steam would give you much-needed piece of mind in case of a turbulent situation.

By the time you read this I will be in Africa hunting an area where buffalo and elephant are always present. Again, the piece of mind thing comes to play. When the big .500 S&W was first introduced, I took it to Africa and was the first person to take a cape buffalo with the new cartridge. Interestingly, it’s the only buffalo I’ve ever taken with one shot. At that time I was using Cor-Bon’s 440-gr. Hardcast bullet. This is a serious hunting cartridge.

The Grim Reaper is a power-house, packin’ pistol delivering a mastodon knockout punch. At the end of the day, DoubleTap’s 400-gr. WFNGC load performed best on paper. However, the 480-gr. Equalizer would be my first choice if elephants were trampling my tomatoes. Handloaders will have the option to tailor loads for casual plinking sessions, which can turn the mighty .500 into something actually fun to shoot! Joe and I both found the fiber optic dot easier to distinguish than standard sights in low light shooting conditions; something that might come in handy with a gun of this nature. Oh, and Joe couldn’t resist busting a few rocks to smithereens with those 480-gr. Equalizers!

Something For Everyone

Gary Reeder is not only a master craftsman, but an experienced handgun hunter who has been promoting this alternative method for many years. He organizes at least two handgun hunts every year, and sometimes takes a group to Africa. Along with a series of revolvers offered, Reeder Custom Guns also builds custom 1911s, including two of my favorites; the Interceptor, and an ideal concealed carry pistol, the Condition One.

Handgun hunters will gravitate toward some of his custom Encores and Contenders, specifically designed for hunting using Gary’s lineup of custom cartridges he developed himself. Then there are custom lever guns, Ruger #1s and a very specialized AR platform.

The new Grim Reaper and relatively new Skorpion are just two of the many custom revolvers available from Reeder Custom Guns. Gary offers many options for a wide variety of applications and tastes. Delivery time on most of Reeder’s work is around three to four months, which is amazingly fast in the custom world. If you’re looking to get a big-blaster, or simply an elegant .44, Reeder’s is a dandy place to start your search.

For more info: www.reedercustomguns.com

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