Duelist with the R-M Conversion

[Athena Jake]

I know people will have a variety of ways to grip their revolvers.
I am interested in shooting duelist, and have fired a box of 44 colt with a full load of BP, with the stock grips on my R-M Conversion (Model III version).

The wood grips are slick the revolver rotates up in the hand, and I waffle through cocking it and do it again.  Lots of this is due to lack of practice, I milk the grips, and my index finger creeps across the trigger as I pull -- all sorts of hinkey going on.

So I figured I might post and ask for pointers before teaching myself all wrong.

[litl rooster]

    Duelist is the reason I bought mine, I had similar problems with Vaquero's.  You might start by steel wooling the glaze off the finish. Yes they will loose the protection of the varnish but if you use them enough it will disappear also. Then practice a bunch. I have a bunch of nerve damage in both my hands so it takes me some precious mouments on the clock to get them balanced in my hand. Once they are there I can get them cocked and fired.  These guns were designed for shooting with one hand and they feel right for it. I now shoot gunfighter, just very slowly. Practice Practice Practice

Good Luck

[Tabaquero]

Howdy Athena Jake,

I had a similar problem untill I started to keep my "pinky" finger curled under the bottom of the grip. That keeps the revolver from rolling up in your hand.

Regards,

Tabaquero

[Athena Jake]

litl rooster and Tabaquero,

Thank you for the info, practice practice practice was definitely in my plans.
Snap caps in the evening and range member ship soon!
I had read about the pinky under the grip will try that next time I shoot, seems sort of awkward when holding.

Have sanded down one wooden grip, and protected it with a little linseed oil/turpentine/tung oil mix I use on a lot of stuff.

[Athena Jake]

Got the grips sanded down, using foam block sander, that was a bit of work, that varnish is tough!

I can report that the gun sat squarely in my hands when shooting this past Saturday!
Even though it was an after rain Illinois hot muggy no breeze summer day.

I TRIED to remember to curl my pinky under but it just didn't happen, I worked for two nights on drawing dry firing (with snap caps in) holstering transition... yeah

Thank you for the idea!

After BOOM<SMOKE>KLANG!<STILL SMOKE> <<GIGGLE>> sort of lost track of the whole thing but muddled along safely anyway.
Didn't set any new land speed records but darn duelist is FUN!
And the smoke and fire, like the 4th of July all over again!  (OK I will save THAT enthusiasm for over in the Dark arts area! )

All 50 rounds not on bit of sluggishness, not gumming up nothing, was a sweet shooter all the way through.  The shield that sticks out in front of the cylinder to protect the base pin is a great thing!