Quick Tip: Custom Guns - Pretty vs Performance? Or Both?

Master pistolsmith Bobby Tyler of Tyler Gun Works in Friona, Texas, sits down with Brownells Gun Tech™ Steve Ostrem to map out his views on what makes a great custom firearm. If a gun is good-looking but doesn't shoot well, says Bobby, what's the point? With his custom revolvers, he starts by tuning the action - and that doesn't mean just smoothing up the hammer and the trigger alone. There's a lot going on inside the frame. All the parts involved have to work together like a Swiss watch. It's a matter of "timing". Those parts have to move in a certain order, and just like that Swiss watch, a revolver can be fast, slow or on time. Chambers need to be perfectly aligned with the forcing cone. The bolt has to slide perfectly into the leads in the cylinder, just as the hammer reaches its lockup. And the trigger? Bobby tells us his views on what constitutes a "good" single action trigger. With the action tuned, Bobby and crew move on to an "accuracy package": cylinder gap, barrel crown, forcing cone recess cut to 11 degrees, further refinement of chamber / forcing cone alignment, and uniform sizing of the chamber throats. Anything that makes the gun easier for you to shoot is going to improve YOUR performance in hitting targets accurately, so matching the grip frame to the shooter's hand to make the gun easy to handle is critical. The choice of grip panels is both an aesthetic decision and a practical one: different shooters like different degrees of texturing. The shape of the hammer spur determines how easy it is for the shooter to cock the gun. Size, shape, and configuration of sights has a huge effect on how well a shooter can acquire the target. If the gun shoots like a house afire, shouldn't its looks reflect how well it shoots? Polish out the machining marks, mark it appropriately, and give it a really nice finish. What about engraving? You don't need to cover every square centimeter of a gun with filigree. Partial engraving can give any firearm a very unique look. Even engraving can be practical: it's great for camouflaging nicks and scratches on a "working" gun!