Reeder Custom Guns - Lipsey's new Lightweight Single Seven makes me think,,,

About a Lightweight Trail Gun. I comes with an aluminum gripframe, but a steel ERH. I don't understand this, but easily changed out.

Gets me to thinking about how light a Trail Gun in 10mm could be built? The 10mm makes sense to me since it would likely weigh the least due to bore and chamber size. Ditto if you prefer the 40 S&W,

I'm not sure if channeling the small frame a good idea, but scalloping the frame and loading gate certainly would fit. I'm sure even the factory 327 Fed could be lightened by this and skeletonizing the hammer, etc.

About out of Trail Gun Calibers, so maybe a Lightweight Version in the future.

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an issue. I have built several AR lowers for 7.62x39 and found I must use a GI style hammer with the longer firing pin to have enough energy to be reliable. I think Federal primers are the"softest" cups, haven't experimented enough to know for sure. I don't like anything too picky of the little things that can jump up when you don't need it to. Murphy's law...

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The 7.62x39 needs a good chamber for the long taper and shallow shoulder. Probably adds to that problem.

Hammer springs are an easy fix in revolvers. Gary has successfully built the 45 Backpacker for a long time. I feel he could easily build an ultra light Trail Gun that worked just fine.

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Why not buy some weights, work out, build up, and carry a heavier gun more easily?

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fully loaded. If I can't carry that much weight, I need to hire a bodyguard to go everywhere with me. Or just stay home with the women.

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Well how does it change the felt recoil?? I'm always looking for a heavier frame to help tame the recoil.

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My place stretches 1/2 mile and I'm out and about several miles of walking a day. Easy to post, but I think it'd change the tone quite a bit.

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Didn't mean to upset anyone. I know the fun of whacking away on a gun, trying to lighten it. I did some of that myself with varying degrees of success years ago. And ended up going back to standard guns.

I carry every day, all day long ... have for many years. Carried a Colt SAA .45 or a Ruger single action 357 most days. The years on horseback I carried a Freedom Arms 454 or a Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt. These days its the Star PD or a standard old 1911 ... tho I will admit that somedays it is a S&W Model 340 357

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Gripframes too, I think they are 4-5 oz. different. Still you can add those up and save about 1/2 lb. which is a lot when you heft them side by side.

It would be interesting to go wild and drill them like old 1950's hot rod parts to lighten and see what a wild man could do. Drill back straps, trigger guards, ejector rod housings, hammers. I mean if you got the parts just laying around. It would require lots of thinking before you drill so not to adversely effect things or ruin the effort. FWIW.

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But, sure that varies from model to model. Agree the ERH is 2 ounces less. I cut a Ruger 44 Special Flattop from 42 to 34 ounces by changing those two parts. Cut one more ounce by going to laminated wood grips. They actually weigh less than the plastic cheese graters.

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Aluminum weighs 0.5 oz

Steel weighs 1.5 oz

Seems right, aluminum weighing about 1/3 of steel by volume.

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. . . at 3.2 oz

Given the steel/aluminum weight differential, that "should" make a steel version at "about" 9.6 oz . . . I don't have one to weigh and weighing the "Dragoon" steely wouldn't be a fair comparison.

So . . . steel bits would weigh about 11.1 oz while aluminum bits would weigh about 3.7 oz . . . 7.4 oz difference.

As mentioned, this would surely be noticeable in the hand.

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. . . a conventional XR3RED size grip frame is the same whether it's an OM or a NM, at least to within some fraction of an ounce. Obviously, steel variants are three times heavier than aluminum ones, more or less. ERHs are the same . . . steel ones are three times as heavy as aluminum ones.

Given possible tiny variations in individual pieces, yeah, we're talking nearly a half-pound difference in overall gun weight between the two materials. I kinda doubt I could detect tiny individual differences. but overall I can certainly detect a half-pound difference.

Angels on the head of a pin??

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My all steel, 7-1/2" Bisley 8-shot in .255 Banshee, which I love, weighs almost 60 oz. unloaded. Why? The cylinder and barrel are almost solid bar stock with teeny .25 cal. holes drilled. The same gun in .510 GNR is obviously much lighter!

You might not think if that selecting a base gun. The smaller the caliber the heavier the package. Want light weight? Get a big bore shorty!

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. . .I put a steel "Dragoon" grip frame and a steel ERH on a 4-5/8" OM .45 Blackhawk, and it weighs 43oz.

A similar 4-5/8" gun in .41 Mag with the standard aluminum grip frame and ERH weighs 38oz. The smaller "holes" do kill some of the aluminum weight advantage.

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We have lightened the hammer, the top of the trigger, scalloped the frame and got it down lighter than most semi autos. And we could have channeled it and got another half oz off that. So why carry a 22 Single Six when you can carry a 45 instead and the 45 be lighter.
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That picture is, I believe, of the prototype 45 Backpacker. I got that one from you several years ago and it is my "go to" PPP. I have killed numerous deer and hogs with it. It is nearly always loaded with a 250 gr or so SWC plainbase lead bullet at 800 to 900 feet per second. This load shoots through most things. Since I self limit my shots to 50 yards or less, trajectory is not a problem. It is hard for me to imagine a better revolver or caliber for what I need. This is one of the best revolvers Gary ever came up with (and that is saying a lot).

Lipsey's new Lightweight Single Seven makes me think,,,

Skeleton hammer = less inertia, I wonder if that would be

I doubt that would be an issue in a revolver...

After reading all the posts above

thanks Jim, my thoughts exactly. My Star PD weighs 31 ozs

Yep.

Lightweights

You're invited to come over and follow me around one day...

Just poking fun Huey.

I've weighed them, I think about 2 oz. difference

I think the Grip Frames I measured was 6 oz difference...

I just weighed ERHs . . .

Just weighed OM XR3RED grip frame . . .

All in that makes the 1/2 lb., 25% lighter?

Scotty, as far as I know . . .

Sixty ounces! Soe things you may not consider in a Custom

Just for fun . . .

I was weighing BH items but are they different?

our 45 Backpacker in 45 long Colt weighs in at 28 ozs

,45 Backpacker

Yep, stone, that is your gun, the prototype of that series.

Damn right Gary...another bucket lister for me