Older open gun info

[DRichardson]

Just wondering if any one that has been around this stuff longer than I could give me any info on this gun?

I picked it up in a trade and have very little invested in it (relatively speaking), but also don't know much about it either. The gun is built in a Tripp research frame with a nowlin 38 super barrel and EGW internals ( per the previous owner). Any idea on what comp or scope mount this is? Does the work seem to be any particular gunsmith that you could think of? Trigger seems really good and everything seems tight and the slide fit and barrel lock up is great.

I just got done loading some ammo for it. I used HS6 and started at 8.2 working up to 9.2 in .2 increments under 124 grain precision delta JHP at 1.255. Does that sound about right? HS6 seemed to be the best powder that I had on hand for this (sillhouette, HS6, autocomp, Longshot). If all goes well I plan to work up some load with a more optimal 38 super powder.

All my previous open experience is with a Carver XDm open gun in 9major so this is a "little" different.

Thanks for any help.

[eric nielsen]

Scope is Tasco PDP3 which has been dovetailed to fit the Dawson "Awesome" mount; magwell looks like Krebs or EGW, comp looks like something Steve Nastoff made. Grip treatment and racker definitely are not original to the gun which looks to be about a 1993 build.

[DRichardson]

Yeah don't pay attention to the grip, that was done a couple hours ago. Some one did a really crude job of reducing it so I tried my hand at stipping it just to practice.

[dawsonprecision]

Wow that brings back memories, I made that mount 1990-1994, Do not know who built the pistol. I sold quite a few of those mounts.

Dave Dawson

[dawsonprecision]

More like 1991-1994

Dave Dawson

Getting old

[40S&W]

That might be a TRI frame. Tripp Research Inc. (Vergil Tripp). Do you know if the grip had a diamond on it with TRI inside the diamond.

[DRichardson]

It is a Tripp frame. Not sure if the grip was original but it was pretty butchered when I got it. A new sti grip should bolt right on to the Tripp frame right? Also best I can measure the dawson mount seems to have a different mounting pattern, ~.330 instead of the standard .375. Did dawson use a proprietary pattern or was it up to the smith that built it? I'm wanting to go to a sideways mount. I actually like the scope that is on it( I think because it sits much lower than what I'm used to), but I don't want to get too used to it because it seems pretty impossible to get another if something happened to it. Looks like my best option may be a cheely mount and just have him custom drill it. I like the Quinn III but I can't seem to find it undrilled.

Does the load that I worked up sound about right to any one? This is my first venture into .38 super and just wanted a quick sanity check.

Also I figure it wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and respring it since I don't know the history. Any ideas on a starting point? I was thinking a 9 lbs variable would be a good start.

[Guest]

You load sounds about right and working up as you described is a good thing to do.

Out of two guns: MG 124 JHPs w/ HS6 @ 9.0gr 1.235-1.240" gives about 168 pf.

Same load and same guns w/ HS6 @ 9.5gr gives about 178 pf.

One gun is an old worn out 5" barrel with no holes, the other is a 5.4 Scheumann with three ports.

[eric nielsen]

A new STI polymer grip should fit right on, no problem. They work on, earliest to latest frame marking:

McCormick - the original, designed by Tripp & Strayer

Tripp Research Inc - what you have

Strayer-Tripp Int'l - like my Open gun

STI International - like my Limited gun

I would buy whatever undrilled sideways mount you can find. My Caspian open gun had the Awesome scope mount w/6 holes, replaced it with an undrilled Allchin vertical mount which my local gunsmith drilled to the Dawson pattern. Took about 3-4 ounces off the gun weight but a sideways mount uses more metal so your difference might not be that much. For springs, an 18 or 19 lb hammer spring and an 10 or 11 lb slide spring is a good start. Never liked the variable springs.

Edited May 16, 2013 by eric nielsen

[40S&W]

Send frame serial number by email to Vergil Tripp and ask him if he built it. He would have a record of it if he built it. When Tripp & Strayer broke up their partnership, Vergil gave Sandy Strayer a bunch of frames. I do know that Sandy sold several of the complete frames to gunsmiths, but whom in particular I don't know. There is also a possibility it was built by Evolution Gun Works (EGW) in Quakertown , PA. Can you post a pic of the complete gun?

[DRichardson]

Just went to the range and put about 200 rounds through it and was impressed. All ammo ran without issue, even some 9major ammo I had for my XDm. I wasn't expecting it to run the 9major as the magazines don't even have spacers in them. All my previous open experience is with my XDm open and my friends Glock and this is definitely a completely different animal. It is much smoother and less violent than either of the plastic guns.

I still want to run some more ammo through it before any matches (of course), but I guess now its time to start upgrading it, and bringing it up to date.

[CocoBolo]

Old school guns like lots of gas, as they were designed for 175 pf. Typically something with 10 or more grains. If you have some 115gr pills throw about 11 gr of AA#7 behind them, or 10.5gr of AA#7 behind a 124gr @ 1.235.

I like the toob dots, my first open gun a Tanfo Silver Team 40 had the ProPoint, that was the last gun I could take a star out with 5 shots before it could move, with the C-more its more like 6 or 7..

I did make overs on two old guns, one of them cracked the slide recently and I replaced it and the new one has no cuts, so I decided to shoot it a while to see if maybe heavy isn't that bad.

After all the make overs I was styling, looking cool as a Big Dawg, however my scores did not improve, stayed about the same.

Edited May 23, 2013 by CocoBolo

[DRichardson]

Im not really going to do too much to it. just put a c-more and mount, little bigger magwell ( the one on it pretty beat up), and a longer shoe trigger in it to fit my hand better. I rebuilt the mags last night to get 2 more rounds in the 170 and 3 more int the 140s.

I ordered some 3n38, n105, and 7625 last night as well. Any one got a line on where I might pick up some AA7? I going to practice after the match this weekend and plan to take some longshot loads to try them,and see of there any better than the hs6 loads.

[CocoBolo]

Im not really going to do too much to it. just put a c-more and mount, little bigger magwell ( the one on it pretty beat up), and a longer shoe trigger in it to fit my hand better. I rebuilt the mags last night to get 2 more rounds in the 170 and 3 more int the 140s.

I ordered some 3n38, n105, and 7625 last night as well. Any one got a line on where I might pick up some AA7? I going to practice after the match this weekend and plan to take some longshot loads to try them,and see of there any better than the hs6 loads.

AA#7 is the ugly twin to N105 if you like n105 you will like AA#7 cause in comes in 8# kegs and it is way cheaper. N105 is a tick flatter with a little more slap in the palm. The energy has to go somewhere.