Perfect Packin’ Pistol
APG-Style
This APG custom raffle gun (in this issue!) is a candidate for John’s “Perfect Packin’ Pistol” category.
Several years (decades?) ago I coined the phrase Perfect Packin’ Pistol, or as it has come to be known by many readers, PPP. I originally defined a PPP as a DA or SA sixgun with a barrel length of 4″ to 51/2″ and chambered in a cartridge which could be counted on to handle any situation arising. This means a PPP could be chambered in anything from .22 up to one of the various .500s depending upon one’s environment. It has to be easy to carry, accurate, quick into action and ride just as easy under a pillow or bed roll as it does on the hip.
The joy in a Perfect Packin’ Pistol is the search — not the finding. We just get closer and closer to absolute perfection. If the absolute PPP was ever found we would no longer have an excuse to experience so many possibilities. Several times a week I hear from readers sharing what their quest for the PPP has led them to, and this year the American Pistolsmiths Guild has joined the quest.
APG is a group dedicated to practicing pistolsmithing, not just as science, but also as high art. As a fundraiser each year, a special handgun is created, with several ‘smiths doing various aspects of the finished product. This one was a top candidate for the title of Perfect Packin’ Pistol.
Field Gun
Normally, each year’s offering is a one-of-a-kind fancied up museum-style piece, which is raffled off. However this particular year was different. There was not one, but two, identical (except for finish) APG pistols, both of which were raffled. One was engraved and ivory stocked while the other was an everyday working sixgun. I was given the high honor and privilege of shooting the latter.
I have had custom sixguns and semiautos built by a dozen or more of the world’s best, however this is the first time I’ve ever experienced a group effort. Five different craftsmen combined their best to produce a .45 Colt as has never been seen before. Not only does APG come up with a grand idea each year, they also have to deal with the logistics of passing it from pistolsmith to pistolsmith, in this case five artists, to complete the project. This year an N-frame Smith & Wesson was chosen as the base gun. The finished product has a 4″ heavy underlugged barrel, beautifully blued finish, and custom stocks.
John stuck with factory loads to test the APG raffle gun.
The N-frame proved to be outstandingly accurate with factory loads.
Let’s take a look at who we did what. Scott at DSM cut and crowned the barrel, installed a Weigand Combat DX front sight base complete with a McGivern gold bead, and also narrowed the barrel rib to fit the profile of the Smith & Wesson receiver. Jim Dubell at Delta Gun Shop took a Smith & Wesson supplied .44 Magnum full underlugged barrel and re-bored it to .45 Colt. Turnbull Restorations color cased the hammer and trigger.
Now for the finishing touches. Hamilton Bowen tuned and tightened the action, set the single action trigger pull at 3 pounds, furnished a black powder style chamfer on the leading edge of the cylinder, marked the barrel as to caliber, installed a Rough Country heavy-duty rear sight, and then finished the entire package in bright blue.
Topstrap work is simply stunning.
The Weigand Combat DX front sight and McGivern gold bead is classic.
Only one thing was left and that was the grips. I “discovered” Keith Brown a few years ago and purchased several of his beautiful stocks. Keith specializes in some of the pre-War designs found on Smith & Wesson sixguns. These include Roper and Kearsarge patterns, as well as early target grips provided on those old classic Smith & Wessons. To finish off the APG-PPP, Keith crafted a beautiful set of S&W Target grips complete with the diamond around the screw hole, except in this case the diamond is an ivory inlay. If one set out to design the Perfect Packin’ Pistol big bore double action style, this one would be is about as close as you could get.
Shooting the APG PPP was pure pleasure! Normally when testing a new sixgun I like to try hundreds of rounds of my reloads. However, this being a one-of-a-kind sixgun I prudently decided to stay with factory loads only. I’ve never had a problem with any of my reloads in 45 years of testing sixguns, however I simply did not want to take the chance. Factory .45 Colt loads on hand, Black Hills 250-RNFP, Federal 225-LSW-HP, Speer 250-Gold Dot HP and Winchester 225-Silvertip, were all tried and all shot beautifully. What else would one expect from a sixgun touched by the above-mentioned craftsmen?
