Cowboy Buck's Review on Dam Road Gun Shop

COWBOY BUCK DAM ROAD GUN SHOP REVIEW

DAM ROAD GUN SHOP REVIEW

The best gun shop in Wisconsin is tucked away out in the country not far from the small town of Delavan, Wi. Delavan is the picture of small town America, a picturesque little town with awesome family owned restaurants and other business'. The kind of places where you can get to know the owners and staff, eat a meal that you actually get full on, see families and groups of friends visiting. It reminds me of a northern Wisconsin town or what my home town used to be. 

Just a few miles out of town is Dam Road Gun Shop. The first time I went there I thought it was to small too have much, but then I stepped inside and was shocked by all the shooting, hunting, reloading equipment and more that I saw. Most of all, I saw a lot of guns and I don't mean the usual overstock of the moments "In Gun" that bring out everyone that wants to be with the in crowd. What I mean is that I saw a very wide variety of guns, from antiques and really good used guns to the most expensive Sig Sauers and everything in between.

Please don't let the small building fool you, there are over 5,000 guns on the property. If you don't see what you want, ask, because chances are they have it and Mike Palenski (the owner) will know just where it is. Also, ammo like crazy, even during the ammo shortage. If your a newbie and wouldn't know a musket from an AK, just ask, Mike and and his son Tom or other staff members like Dale and Steve, they will be happy to explain and answer any question. They DON'T talk down to you like your an idiot (we've all been in to many gun shops like that), but Dam Road isn't that way. They have spent many an hour explaining scopes, black powder guns and numerous other things with me.

 Remington 700 CDL Classic Deluxe 30-06 Rifle 

A Beautiful Leather and Deer Hair Rifle Strap

for my Remington 700 CDL Classic Deluxe 30-06

both bought at Dam Road Gun Shop

They even carry a very wide array of SASS, Cowboy Action Shooting and Re-enactment Guns and ammo. Mike is into SASS shooting. There is a very impressive selection of hunting rifles, scopes, ammo and gear. I just got a beautiful Remington 700 CDL Classic Deluxe 30-06 Lefty with Leupold scope and a beautiful leather sling for this up-coming deer season as well as ammo.

This is a collage of my deer hunting set up, 

everything in the photo, except the Buck Knife, 

came from Dam Road Gun Shop

It is all very cool for a gun shop to have such a wide selection of firearms, but as we all know that doesn't do much good if the prices are too high for you to buy them. That is not the case at Dam Road though. Mike's prices are not only below the MSRP, but well below any gun shop I've ever been in. I've bought many guns from them and not one time did I ever feel I paid too much. As a matter of fact, I always feel that I have gotten a great price. I've never dickered over a price, 1- because they are fair prices and 2- because I know that if there is anything wrong with the gun, Mike will make it right. 

One incident with Dam Road that I will never forget was the time I had decided to buy a Smith and Wesson 500 Magnum, so I started reading everything I could find about the gun as I usually do before buying any gun. As I was studying, I had decided on the 4 inch barrel version and saw on the Smith & Wesson website that a Special Limited Big Rock Edition with a grizzly bear head on the frame and bear paws on the cylinder. When I saw that revolver, I knew I had to have it, so I started checking around the web only to find out that the big wheel gun was out of stock everywhere. I called S&W and they didn't know when or if Big Rock would be ordering anymore to be made or not. Frustrated, I started calling a ton of big time gun shops, but no luck. Keep in mind that I had never asked Dam Road about any limited edition firearms up to this point. After deciding that the bear edition wasn't to be had, I called Tom, Mike's son, and asked if they had any 4 inch barrel 500 Mags in stock and he said they did, so I headed on up. When I get there Tom opens the bright green case and lo and behold there sits my new Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum Big Rock Grizzly Edition. I smiled so big that Tom asked me what was up. So I told him the story and he started laughing. Needless to say, I was happier than a coon in a campground.

The 500 Mag on the counter Dam Road

Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum

Big Rock Grizzly Edition

Another example is when I decided I wanted to buy a 1911, I researched and decided that I wanted a Remington 1911 R1. I called Mike and he said he had a Commemorative Edition brand new. I was really surprised that he had one. 

In 2011 Remington started making 1911 pistols again, they made them during World War 1, along with Singer Sewing Machine Company, Remington Rand Typewriter Company among others. The 1911 was a Colt pistol, but due to the amount needed during WW1 and WW2, Colt couldn't meet the demands by themselves. Therefore Colt sub-contracted 1911 pistol production to other companies to help Colt supply the United States Military with the side arm. During the two World Wars roughly 1,968,533 1911 Pistols were produced by Colt, Remington and other United States Companies. A staggering amount. No wonder Colt didn't have the facilities to produce them all.

Remington hadn't made a 1911 model pistol since WW1, but in 2011 on the 100th birthday of John Browning's greatest invention, Remington announced that they were going to start making them in several different models, two of which would be Commemorative Editions. There is the edition like mine with special engraving, Commemorative 1911 - 2011 engraving, match grade barrel, special grips, Special 1911 utility tool, Certificate of Authenticity and more. All contained in a Special Limited Edition Package. The other was basically the same, but with real gold inlays.

Both of these Commemorative Editions were believed to be completely sold out years ago. However this summer, 2014, Mike still had a new, unused, unopened one. So I jumped at the opportunity and asked Mike if he would hold it for me, which he did, and I told him I would be right up to buy it. I was and still am, one very happy man. The Remington 1911 R1 is the best, most accurate pistol I have ever shot or owned.

REMINGTON 1911 R1 CENTENNIAL .45 ACP

The best and most accurate pistol I have ever shot.

They also offer gunsmith services and Mike does a great job. I had him work on a 1959-1960 J.C. Higgens Model 101-540 12 gauge, side by side, double barrel shotgun sold by Sears, Roebuck and Company at their stores. (Just like the one my Grampa owned, I've even nicknamed that cherished gun Grampa) Mike did an awesome job for a very inexpensive price. Scope mounting, bore sighting are also available.

My Grampa shotgon is my 1959-1960 J.C. Higgens Sears, Robuck and Co. Model 101-5401 12 gauge, 

Double Barrel, Side by Side Shotgun

( These were a Stevens Model 311 made by Stevens Firearm Co. for Sears )

In closing Dam Road Gun Shop is one of those American places where you can go to shot the bull with the guys, swap stories or information. All the while shopping, confident that your getting good prices on quality firearms, ammo and equipment. Along with advice or guidance that you can count on.

I am changing my rating system to 1 to 7 shells, 7 being the being the best.

I am giving Dam Road Gun Shop a 7 Shell Rating

         

Review of the Henry Repeating Rifle .44 Magnum Big Boy

Henry Repeating Arms Co.

Henry Lever Action .44 Magnum/ .44 Special Rifle

HENRY REPEATING RIFLE - .44 MAGNUM/.44 SPECIAL LEVER ACTION RIFLE

"The rifle that won The Civil War and The Wild WEST"

            

HENRY REPEATING ARMS, .44 MAGNUM, .44 SPECIAL LEVER ACTION RIFLE

In 1860, Benjamin Tyler Henry invented the Henry Repeating Rifle for The New Haven Arms Company, later to become The Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Henry Rifle was the first truly dependable lever action repeating rifle and could hold 16 rounds of sixteen rounds of .44 caliber rim-fire ammunition cartridges that could be fired at 28 rounds per minute. That rate of fire was astonishing in 1860, when most soldiers were shooting black powder musket, which had to be reloaded after each shot. Reloading a musket is a slow process, with most solders only being able able to fire 3 rounds per minute.

Benjamin Tyler Henry

An antique Henry Rifle advertisement

The above information, tells of how revolutionary The Henry was in it's day. With this new gun, B.T. Henry went to president Abraham Lincoln with one of his rifles, and presented him with a gold plated Henry rifle, that now is in The Smithsonian Institute. Lincoln loved the rifle, being an accomplished shooter, really admired the rifle. Lincoln wanted to order many of the Henry rifles for the Union troops, but do to interference from the men in charge of equipment for the Union Army. (Yes, the was a lot of the political red tape then too). Abe was only able to order 3,140 of the rifles.

President Abraham Lincoln's Henry Rifle

The original Henry rifles shot the Henry Cartridge, the first fully contained copper or brass cartridge. They were .44 caliber and completely self contained, one piece cartridges, making them way easier to load than a cap & ball gun. Plus they were water proof, so people didn't have to worry about keeping black powder dry.

                               

A .44 Henry Cartridge found on a Civil War battle site.

The only problem with the original Henry was that there was no wood under the barrel, so when the barrel got hot, the men would have to let it cool. The advantages so far outweighed the that one disadvantage though, that when The Union soldiers would reenlist, a lot of them would spend their reenlistment bonus on buying a Henry rifle and ammo for it. That purchase gave them 28 shots a minute as apposed to 3 with a musket, therefore giving them a better chance of getting back home alive and well.

The Henry Repeating Rifle was not the only repeating rifle at the time though. There was also the Spencer Repeating Rifle, which was also invented in 1860. The Spencer held seven rounds in a tube in the buttstock, it shot fast, but had to be reloaded more often because of only holding seven rounds per tube. The Henry's tube, which was mounted under the barrel held 15 rounds, therefore it didn't need to be reloaded as often.

The Spencer held a .56 caliber bullet, but had terrible ballistics. The Henry having a .44 Caliber, which is a pistol caliber, had more power per shot, however didn't shoot as far as the Spencer.

Spencer Repeating Rifle

                                                           Spencer Repeating Rifle diagram

When the Confederate soldiers first encountered both rifles, they were stunned. Many Rebs thought that the amount and speed of ammo being shot meant they were up against a troop of soldiers, when in truth it may have just been a few scouts or snipers. The Confederates did get their hands on some of the rifles from fallen Union soldiers, they went on to call The Henry Rifle, " That darn Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week." People have said that The Henry was the first Military Assault Rifle.

Reports of The Henry Rifle have been well documented in Civil War history. The 71st Infantry of Illinois was the most known and maybe only whole troop to carry Henry Rifles. An account of that came from Major William Ludlow’s account of the Battle of Allatoona Pass. “What saved us that day was the fact that we had a number of Henry rifles” wrote Major Ludlow. “This company of 16 shooters sprang to the parapet and poured out such a multiplied, rapid and deadly fire, that no men could stand in front of it and no serious effort was made thereafter to take the fort by assault.”

71st Infantry Illinois with their Henry Rifles

When the Reb's did get ahold of a Henry or Spencer, it didn't do them much good once the ammo with it was gone, because both the rifles were made in and for the North. That meant that after the Confederate soldiers shot up that ammo, they couldn't get any more.

Both companies ended up being bought by Winchester shortly after the Civil War. The Spencer stopped being made, but The Henry was given a side loading port a fore end stock and became the Winchester 1866. Ammo for the Spencer was made into the early 1900's, but ammo for The Henry was made until The Great Depression hit America.

The Henry Repeating Lever Action Rifle wasn't made in America again until The Henry Repeating Arms Co. opened in 1996, They now have two plants, one in Bayonne, New Jersey and one in Rice lake, Wisconsin. The new version of The Henry is true to it's Civil War namesake, except it has an improved closed loading tube, wood fore end and, since the original 44 Henry ammo isn't made anymore, it comes in a wide variety of caliber options. The closest and most powerful being the .44 Magnum / .44 Special Big Boy Version. The Big Boy in .45 long Colt is also very popular among Cowboy and Single Action Shooters.

The most commonly seen Henry is The Golden Boy, which is a .22 caliber version. Henry a present has roughly 17 rifles available plus a lot of special limited edition rifles commemorating Abe Lincoln, The Boy Scouts, one for all the US Military branches and many more.

I bought my Henry Lever Action Big Boy in .44 Magnum, which will also shoot .44 Special, after wanting one for a very long time. It is after all, a real Cowboy Rifle. Holding it at gun shop was great, holding and firing it after I bought my own was awesome.

The first thing that I noticed and have a lot of people agree with, is that The Henry is a beautiful piece of gun art. You won't find burrs or blemishes, scrapes or scratches on a newly unboxed Henry. The machining, polishing, blueing and woodworking are incredible. The brass receiver, barrel lop and butt-end are stunningly beautiful and shined to a mirror finish. The wood is American Walnut. All of the fits, joints and finishes are great. Pictures of the Henry really don't do it justice, you have to see and hold a Henry to really appreciate it. The next fun step is shooting it. 

I went to the range and shot 44 Magnum and 44 Special ammo I've also shot new and reloaded ammo and it cycles through my Henry perfectly. I did fire one once that didn't eject well when shot at a very fast rate of speed, but I have shot 7 or 8 of them and only seen that one have that trouble. It isn't anything I would worry about. The lever action cocking, ejecting and reloading the chamber are smoother than butter. The Henry is a heavy gun which helps with the .44 Magnum recoil. The kick is no more than any quality deer rifle. There is no need for a rubber butt plate.

The semi-buckhorn sights are easy to use and were very accurate right our of the box. The octagon barrel is awesome and helps keep the barrel cool. The loading tube is simple to use, just depress and turn the cap, pull out the spring fed magazine, insert the ammo, re-insert the (inner tube and cap) magazine, turn to lock it into place and your ready to go. And the shooting is FUN.

The Henry makes me feel nostalgic, like I should be a Texas Ranger with Gus McCrae and Capt. Call in Lonesome Dove fighting bandits or Comanche's. That is another thing about the Henry, it is mentioned as a main rifle in many Western novels and movies. Some are Lonesome Dove, True Grit, Django Unchaned, Cowboys and Aliens, Silverado among many more. How can any Western movie or novel lover not get excited by reading (epic novel) or seeing (movie or TV series) Call and Gus carrying those beatiful Henry rifles. With description like " The roar of Call's big Henry" or watching Robert Duvall using his horse as  a breast works and fighting those Kiowa's and buffalo hunters to save Laurena.

The cost of a Henry Big Boy in the big bore calibers is very reasonable at $750 or $450 for the Henry Golden Boy in .22 caliber. The special edition rifles such as the Lincoln Edition or Deluxe models are more, but they are collectors items and are still not excessively priced. 

Plus your getting a 100 % American made rifle. The president and owner of Henry rifles Anthony Imperato is a company owner that can be really be reached. I have never tried, but I have heard and read of many who have. He can be reached and (I've heard you get a response from the president himself at;

 http://www.henryrifles.com/contact-henry-repeating/contact-anthony-imperato/

Henry just announced that they will be making an exact reproduction of the original Henry rifle in America for the first time in roughly 150 years.

Also Henry announced that the Wisconsin plant will begin making 30-30 & 45-70 rifles and they are now shipping to gun shops.

Other great things about the Henry are;

1- You can send in your very own rifle and have the brass receiver engraved.

2- All Henry Lever Action Rifles come with the normal lever size, but for $50 you order a large loop lever.

3- All Henry Lever Action Rifles can be used by right or left handed shooters. I am left eye dominant, so I shoot rifles left handed. It comes in handy when I don't have to worry about finding a left handed rifle.

I am going to end this review a bit differently, usually I give a star rating and explanation with each subject. I have however went into greater detail on this review, so I am going to give the Henry 5 star rating.

***** Stars perfect rating for my Henry Lever Action .44 Magnum/.44 Special by Henry Repeating Arms

Remington R1 1911

Remington 1911 R1 Centennial

Remington honors John Moses Browning's greatest invention and the world's greatest pistol ever by starting to make them again.

It is now 2014 as I write this 102 years after the U.S. Military adopted the 1911 as their service pistol. It was ahead of it's time then and still is today. The 1911 has won two World Wars, The Korean war, served in The Vietnam War and countless other conflicts. As well as saving many civilian lives. The 1911 has helped to make and keep America the greatest nation in the world.

                  Eliphalet Remington 

The Remington R1 1911 is the first 1911 I've ever owned. The famed and rightly ( I now know ) respected 1911, has been around for 103 years and still ahead of it's time. 

The Colt 1911 .45 ACP caliber was invented by John Moses Browning, the firearms genius, from Utah. The ACP stands for Colt Automatic Pistol.

               John Moses Browning

Browning had invented many firearms, almost all of which were a huge success. In the first decade of the of the 1900's, America knew it was going to wind up in WWI, knowing so, they wanted a state of the art semi automatic pistol for the military. Colt got Browning's invention and won a new government contract to build what would become the 1911 pistol. 

The first 1911 pistols came out of Colt's factory in 1910, but the military started issuing them in 1911, hence the name. The pistol held 7 rounds in a clip that slips into the grip and, once cocked, can fire the seven rounds as fast as a soldier can repeatedly squeeze the trigger. It also came with at least 2 safeties, the thumb safety and the grip or "Beavertail" safety.

The thumb safety is simply a lever that is flipped up and locks into a notch in the slide, making the slide immovable, that way it can't fire. The grip safety nicknamed a Beavertail, has to be pushed forward when you put your hand around the grip, squeezing it forward. So if my hand isn't around the grip, even if the thumb safety isn't engaged, the gun can't and won't fire. The third safety is a firing pin safety, so that if the gun is dropped, the firing pin can't hit the primer to fire the cartridge or bullet.

The Beavertail safety was originally a more modest size, but over the years companies have offered a more exaggerated version, because of what some people with big hands call "hammer bite", which is when firing the weapon, having the hammer or slide knock the web of skin between the thumb and index finger. I have fairly large hands, but I've found that, with a proper grip, hasn't been much of a problem.

I own the Remington R1 1911 Centennial  Edition, which is, essentially an exact copy of Remington's WWI pistol with some fact engraving, the word Centennial and also the engraving saying 1911 - 2011 on the slide. It also has some very high quality maple grips with an R logo badge inset in the grip. It is an absolutely beautiful, commemorative handgun. 

Below are close up pictures of the original Beavertail and the larger version.

                                                          Original Beavertail SAFETY

                                                                  Larger Beavertail safety offered on some models.

                                                   

THUMB SAFETY

With all of these safeties, the pistol can be carried cocked and at the ready for a soldier or person for fast protection or defense. All of this is very important to a soldier or anyone in a high stress situation where seconds count.

The 1911 is also a very accurate firearm, in 1911 and even still today. The accuracy come from a stable, bushing supported barrel that is a standard five inches long, a descent weight that helps with aiming and taming the recoil of a .45 caliber cartridge and a trigger that even out of the box is crisp. All of these reasons are why today, 103 years later, some military, police and some of the best competitive shooters in the world, still count on the 1911. 

During WWI, Colt couldn't keep up with the military demand, so they sub contracted Remington and other companies to make more pistols. Although the standards for the 1911 were to be met, some of the companies turned out better product than others. Remington being one of them. Remington was and is the oldest firearms company in America, probably the world, so they know how to build very high quality firearms. Besides the fact, that they were also making rifles for American Military, they were also making the ammo for the 1911, rifles and shotguns for America and our allies. Now that is a highly respected company.

                        Remington 

A picture of the original Remington 1911 prototype from WWI. Now housed at the Remington Museum.

Now with that important history given, I'll begin the review on my Remington R1 1911 Centennial Edition.

First and foremost, this is the finest, most accurate, beautiful handgun I've ever owned or shot. I don't say that lightly, I feel that I own or have shot some of the best handguns ever made. I own Smith & Wesson, SIG Sauer, Uberti Colt and have not had a problem with any of them, however this not to say anything bad about them. It is just to say that Remington makes great guns, whether it be an 870 Wingmaster or a 700 Sporting Rifle, Remington guns are made to such high exacting standards that they are hard to beat. Also, Remington has price ranges to suit most any ones budget.

Remington is America's oldest gun maker, since 1816, so they have had plenty of practice and it shows on my 1911. I took my Remington 1911 R1 Centennial to shoot and gave myself one clip to get used to the gun and on the second clip I took serious aim, hitting 3 bullseyes and with the 7 shot clip, I kept a 1 1/2 inch group that is unheard of by me. I'm a pretty good shot, but not that good normally. I was amazed. I believe the accuracy of the pistol made the difference.

Target of second clip

Close up

The pistol shoots so smoothly that the follow up shots are easy with a good shot picture. The recoil or kick is soft for a .45 caliber pistol. It feels comfortable in my hands thanks to the checkered maple grips.

Like said earlier, this is my first1911, but I now understand why some people favor this pistol so much and most pistol companies make a 1911 pistol in some version. We all have our favorite  guns and manufacturers. I have been a long time Remington fan, so I feel with the combination on Remington's quality and the 1911's design, I have the best pistol money can buy.

The Remington 1911 R1 Centennial gets a 5 star rating, the highest possible.

Cost - 5 stars - With the least expensive R1 version staring out at roughly $500, and going up from there, just depending on how many bells and whistles you want, Remington has made an R1 for almost every one's budget. Even the least expensive R1 come with a stainless steel match grade, that's a fancy phrase for completion ready or very accurate, barrel. Solid Maple checkered grips, great sights, an awesome trigger, 2 magazines, a bushing wrench, high quality bluing, a Platinum Service Plan with a 7 day turnaround time and a custom case. With all of that and Remington quality, the 1911 R1 can't be beat by any gun company.

Ammo - 5 stars - There is almost a countless variety of .45 ACP ammo available by an almost countless amount of manufacturers. You can get everything from range, self defense, military and hunting types of ammo, but that's just a sampling of what is out there. The price ranges come from very inexpensive to very expensive. All of these options make the 1911 an even more versatile pistol.

Some inexpensive range ammo, also pretty good for self defense.

Great self defense ammo

Shootability - 5 stars - The shootability of this pistol is excellent. The sights line up very easily, the balance is impeccable, the trigger is crisp with very little travel before or after engagement, it is so light feeling it's almost a hair trigger, but not so easy as to be a dangerous. Remington doesn't call it a competition trigger, but it really is. The barrel truly is a stainless steel, 5 inch, bushing balanced competition barrel. the barrel bushing on the R1 is truly useful and really does need the provided bushing wrench to remove the bushing. The spring is strong, thick and well made.

The accuracy is the best I've ever shot, out of my 2nd 7 round clip I shot 3 bullseyes and all 7 shots in a 1 1/2 inch group. The recoil is mild and allows easy re aiming. The clip easily removable and easy to replace, which is great in an emergency.

Weight and Size - 5 stars - The weight being 38.5 ounces or 2 pounds 6 1/2 ounces makes for a beefy, solid, all metal pistol that is not very heavy at all. At 8.5 inches long by 5.5 inches in height, the R1 is easy to carry open or concealed. After all, people have been doing just that with the 1911 for over 100 years.

Additional Accessories - 5 Stars - The holster options, for open, concealed or service carry are almost endless. Their are so many parts made that easily interchange that I couldn't even begin to mention them all here. A 1911 can be outfitted to be a competition accuracy handgun, a hunting, self defense or tactical handgun. The options are pretty much up to what you can imagine.