Fresh out of the box assessments. Not counting an assessment of 15 to 20 day 3 day priority mail, right now USPS sucks big green donkeys. But, to their credit, both arrived undamaged and we can only hope the same for the 44 Special, now 1 day overdue and still has not crossed the border of the first state! Somebody musta changed the definition of priority.
Anyway, to the meat and taters.
1. Rock Island Officers 45 ACP. Couldn't find a Colt for less than 1.7 Trillion dollars so......
a. Love the blueing, machining inside and out is nice, actually better/smoother than many a Colt I've looked into. Like the bushingless barrel and polished frame mounted feed ramp, it blends to a perfectly shaped and polished lower barrel lip. I'll plunk test and shoot later. Trigger pull is smooth, crisp, grit free and feels light, i'll measure it later as they spared no expense to dunk it in oil and package it in a plastic bag full of oil for the trip across the waters. She needs cleaned out! Like the application of a full length guide rod. Slide is not loose, up/down or side/side. No Series 80 Fire Control Parts. Nice bump out on the palm safety.
b. Hate the Recycled MAK-90 wood grips. No worries, elk antler will be here this week. Front sight is a bit narrow/hard to pick up. Also, oddly enough, hate the full length guide rod assembly, its a mess which impedes tool free take down for cleaning. I may have to fix that. But, shooting first.
2. Taylors/Pietta Outlaw Legacy 357 Magnum.
a. Love the bluing. Like the engraving. Lock up is perfectly timed. No excess endshake or wobble on the pin. 4 clicks, and no safety built into the hammer, hammer mounted firing pin, frame mounted hardened firing pin liner, soft springs. This will likely be my Sunday Go To Meeting and Formal Dress Up partner.
b. Hate the plastic grip. 1950s Colt Birdseye maple is on the way and I am also looking at a floral carved MagnaTusk. Will see. Also, suspect the forcing cone is carved for jacketed. We'll have to shoot it a bit to see. Trigger needs checked, feels just a bit like it has a burr, perhaps a session on the range first to smooth things up.