Month: May 2024

So Cal Royal Enfield

By Joe Berk

Sue and I visited the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda (one of our favorite So Cal destinations) to hear Fox News’ Jesse Watters speak a couple of days ago.  I’ll post a blog about that in a few days.  On the way home, we stopped at a motorcycle dealership in Brea, California.  Normally, I avoid motorcycle dealerships for a lot of reasons (as outlined in 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM), but I used to have my 1200 Daytona serviced at So Cal Motorcycles and I thought I’d stop in for a visit.  So Cal Motorcycles is a multi-brand dealership selling Ducati, Triumph, Royal Enfield, and Suzuki.  I stopped with the intention of looking at the Enfields, but I also spent some time in the Triumph showroom.  This blog focuses on the Enfields; I’ll post another one on the Triumphs in the near future.

As you probably know, I ride a Royal Enfield 650cc Interceptor.  Joe Gresh and I tested two Enfields in Baja a few years ago.  You can see those bikes at the Paralelo 28 military post in the photo above (we were about 500 miles south of the border when I took that shot).  Our conclusion was that the 650cc Interceptor was a marvelous machine (I liked it so much I bought one), but the 500cc Bullet needed muey attention before it would meet our low bar for approval.  That was a few years ago, though, and that’s why we visited So Cal Motorcycles.

As soon as we parked, I noticed several Enfields parked outside.  I had not seen their new singles up close and personal yet.   The model line has become a bit confusing for me.  It used to just the Bullet (their single), then they added the Interceptor (the 650cc twin), and my 15-kilobyte mind could handle that.  Now they have several different versions of the 650 twin and a whole bunch of singles in 350cc, 411cc, and maybe other displacements.  I won’t try to explain the entire model line here, mostly because I don’t feel like expending calories trying to wrap my mind around it all.  I just wanted to see the bikes and take a few photos.  I did that, and I have to tell you:  Royal Enfields are still great looking motorcycles.   Check out the 350cc Meteor singles below:

The Meteor 350 is the bike you see at the top of this blog and the two you see immediately above.   The price on Enfields has always been attractive; on the Meteor it is even more so.  So Cal Enfield had a 2023 leftover Meteor and the price on it was especially attractive.

Next up were the Himalayan models, Enfield’s ADV bikes.

The Himalayan has a 411cc single cylinder engine.  The colors are attractive.  I didn’t see any with luggage, but I know panniers and top case are available.  I saw a guy riding one of these one time when I was returning from northern California on Interstate 5.  I was cruising along at 77mph; I think the Himalayan was running about 70mph.   Enfield’s spec sheets puts the horsepower at 25.  I guess that’s enough.   My RX3 had 24.8 horsepower, and it took me all over the western US, Mexico, Colombia, and China.

As an aside, a bunch of folks (including Royal Enfield) are offering trips through India (and the Himalayan Mountains) on Royal Enfield motorcycles.  I’m tempted.  I’ve always wanted to visit that part of the world, and the thought of doing it on a motorcycle is appealing.  The photo ops would be amazing, and I’d get another book out of it, I think.  Ah, maybe someday.  Maybe I should write a letter to Enfield and ask them to sponsor me.

Enfield’s Classic line looked good, too.  At just under $800, the freight and setup fees are ridiculous and larcenous (they were lower than what I’ve seen other dealers charging, though).  Motorcycle dealers’ posted freight and setup charges are often nothing more than a suggested negotiating starting point, but it’s still annoying to see this kind of imaginative exaggeration.  I wrote about this common dealer misrepresentation in 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM.

So Cal Enfield had what apparently is a 650 twin anniversary model.  It was a used bike with an asking price of $15,999.  Hope springs eternal, I suppose.

Like most motorcycle companies, Royal Enfield has a clothing line.  I saw a sweatshirt I thought I might want until I looked at the price.  It was $88.  I put it back on the rack.   I don’t think I would ever pay $88 for a sweatshirt.

I enjoyed viewing the Enfield line at So Cal Motorcycles.  My negative comments about freight and setup (and $88 sweatshirts) notwithstanding, I believe So Cal Motorcycles is a reputable dealer.   When I rode Triumphs, I sometimes had So Cal service my bikes, and they always did a good job.  Unlike my experience at other dealers, I never had to bring my bikes back because they botched the job.  If I was in the market for another Enfield, this would be the place I would go.

Interestingly, Sue and I were the only people in So Cal’s Enfield room.  The Ducati room was similarly empty (other than lots of outrageously expensive red motorcycles).  Maybe we just hit a lull when we were there.  The Triumph showroom, on the other hand, was hopping.  I’ll talk more about that in a near-term future blog.  Stay tuned.

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Memorial Day

By Mike Huber

Not being in the United States for Memorial Day and seeing our flag lining every Main Street throughout our country is one of those times I miss being home.  Having served as a soldier in the United States Army I have endless respect for those that lost their lives in defense of this great nation.  I now am learning how to respect it even more so from a global level.

This year on April 25th my travels afforded me the opportunity to celebrate a Memorial Day for two of our allies, New Zealand and Australia.  While on a guided tour through Frazer Island, a remote sand island off the northeastern coast of Australia, our tour was delayed an hour at the ship wreck of the TSS Meheno HMNZ Hospital Ship 1. The Meheno was a critical resource in WW I in retrieving the wounded from Anzac Cove in Gallipoli for both New Zealand and Australia.  When I asked why the tour was delayed the guide explained, “Today is Anzac Day,” and went into the meaning of this holiday.

Anzac Day is a combination of Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day for both Australia and New Zealand.  Well, once I learned this I left the tour group and made my way into the heart of the ceremony before it began.  I knew I was with my people here at this ceremony.  I am not quite sure how I knew, but I just knew.  It didn’t take me long to be welcomed by the Australian Army Veterans partaking in the ceremony. They eagerly invited me to stand with them front and center to pay respects to their fallen and veterans.  As many people know I only own two shirts, an 82nd Airborne Division shirt and a Boston University shirt.  This day I was lucky enough to have worn the 82nd shirt and it didn’t go unnoticed by the Australian Army veterans.  As the ceremony concluded, one of the veterans pulled me aside, thanked me and handed me an Anzac Day pin. I don’t travel with much, but that pin is now part of my sensitive items list.

I was beyond humbled to be standing there, shoulder to shoulder with our allies as they laid wreaths, gave speeches, and played both the Australian and New Zealand national anthems.  On more than one occasion I teared up, and for good reason.  These servicemen and women easily could have been backing any of our 6’s as Americans.  The ceremony resonated deeply within me in realizing that Memorial Day is much more far reaching than just our shores in the United States.

In the following month, I went further with what I took away from that Anzac Day Ceremony by taking the time to visit the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.  This museum was as moving as any of ours would be in the United States.  They have etched in the walls the names of each of their fallen from every campaign they participated in.  This includes The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for Australia and an eternal flame.

I will forever remember my Anzac Day experience and although this day is for our American fallen, it is important to know that these ceremonies go on for all our allies across the world.  Please remember the reason for this holiday over the weekend and take the time to pay respects to our heroes of this great Country. God bless America, and God bless our Allies.

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A New Chinese Super Tourer

I’ll bet you thought you were looking at a Gold Wing when you opened this blog.

Wow, the world is full of surprises.  On my first foray into the Chinese motorcycle industry (a trip to Zongshen’s giant manufacturing campus in Chongqing), I was blown away by the size and sophistication of that company.  Since then, I’ve been to China many times (including a visit to the Canton Fair, China’s significant motorcycle industry trade show).  I thought I’d seen it all, and then I found this email from good buddy Fan in my inbox:

Hi Joe:

How are you, friend?

I’d like to share a news to you, of course it’s still about motorcycles/

A motorcycle exhibition was held in Beijing from May 17th to 20th.

Most of the products were still unremarkable to me, but one motorcycle sparked interest. This is a cruiser developed by Great Wall Motors, a Chinese automobile company. Its appearance may remind you of the Honda Gold Wing. At first, I thought this was another simple imitation of another motorcycle, but when I understood its structure and parameters, I found that it was not that simple.  This cruiser is named SOUO and is equipped with a 2000cc engine with 8 cylinders, while the Honda Gold Wing is 1600cc with 6 cylinders only.

The price of this motorcycle has not yet been announced, but it is said that it will start accepting reservations in August. I guess the retail price should be 250,000 yuan, about 35,000 US dollars.

For your reference.

Best regards!

Fan

Whoa!  2000cc!  Eight cylinders!  An 8-speed dual clutch transmission!  Talk about overkill!

I wonder what it weighs.

I tried to find what SOUO translates to in English, but it doesn’t translate to anything.  What I found online is that SOUO is an acronym (you know, an abbreviation that forms a word).  SOUO means “Search Own, Unlimited Outlook.”

This is a huge step in the Chinese motorcycle world.  How Great Wall Motors markets the bike will be interesting to watch.  I would think one of their principal markets has to be the United States (where else could it be?), but I have to wonder how many they think they are going to sell.  Assuming the motorcycle could meet U.S. Department of Transportation and EPA emissions requirements (it most likely would, as the bikes I assisted in guiding through U.S. certification requirements all did), and assuming someone steps up to pay the roughly $50K associated with going through the certification process, how many people are willing to drop $35K on a new Chinese motorcycle?  That’s more than what a new Gold Wing, a new BMW, or a new Harley costs.  It’s a steep sales hill and it will require a significant marketing effort.  I think the issues are the small size of the target market, the target market’s willingness to go with a new and unproven Chinese product (instead of a Gold Wing, a BMW, or a Harley), the price, and questions about Chinese motorcycle reliability and parts availability.

No one has asked for my advice on this, but that’s never slowed me down before.  Here’s what I’d do:

    • Lower the price dramatically to bring new folks to the table.  The RX3’s initial price was a scant $2895 and none of the other manufacturers could touch that price.  CSC didn’t make money on those bikes, but we more than made up for that with future sales, accessory sales, and building a loyal customer base.
    • Do something similar to what we did at CSC to convince people the RX3 was a superbly reliable motorcycle.  CSC sponsored a series of adventure tours to demonstrate the RX3’s reliability.  Zongshen sponsored the 5000-mile Western America Adventure ride, and CSC sponsored a series of Baja rides.  These events served us well.  With the SOUO motorcycle, I’d think they might consider working a deal with the Southern California Motorcycle Club and the Iron Butt Association and run several of their bikes in their events, to include a Four Corners Ride (a ride that hits all four geographic corners of the U.S.), the Three Flags Ride (a rally from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada), and an Iron Butt ride (a run that covers 11,000 miles in 11 days).    On top of that, I’d offer a 10-year warranty, kind of like Hyundai did with its cars.
    • Bring in a huge spare parts inventory and brag about it.  Folks will naturally worry about spares.  Bring in enough to build complete bikes and let everyone know it.  It’s what CSC did and it blew away any concerns about parts availability.
    • Build a U.S. manufacturing facility.  Boy, this could get complicated fast.  But Great Wall Motors needs to address the U.S. disdain for Chinese products and the ongoing U.S./China trade war.  Doing so is above my pay grade, but I would think making this bike in America would get around a lot of issues.
    • Go balls out on a product placement campaign.  The U.S. motorcycle market  for big touring machines is primarily old guys, and we are dying off.  One way to attract new blood is to get the bike featured in movies and streaming TV shows.  You know, like BMW and Triumph have done in the Bond and Mission Impossible franchises.  (“Balls out” is not an obscene anatomical reference to moving at great speed; the phrase actually comes from the old mechanical centrifugal governors used on steam and internal combustion engines.)

This motorcycle is an interesting development.  I don’t think we’ll see SOUO motorcycles here in the U.S. any time soon, but I’d sure like to.  In the meantime, here are a few more photos.

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A Tale of Two 1911s

If I had a dime for every article and Internet post comparing the 9mm to the .45 ACP cartridge (and the guns that shoot them) I could probably pay cash for a new Ferrari.  That said, I make no apologies for this being another one.  In this case (and for this article), one of the variables I have sort of eliminated is the gun.  Both are Springfield Target model 1911 autos in stainless steel.  They’re the two pistols you see in the photo above.

Here’s a macro photo of the 9mm cartridge (designed in 1901; also known as the 9×19 and the 9mm Luger) and the .45 ACP cartridge (designed in 1904).  Both of the rounds shown below are my reloads, which I prefer over factory ammo for many reasons.  We’ve written a lot about reloading both cartridges, and you can find those articles here.

I like these kinds of photos. The photo shows the 9mm cartridge (arguably the most popular handgun cartridge in the world) and the .45 ACP.

For this comparison, I used the Springfield Armory magazines that came with of the two 1911s.  Here’s what the ammo looks like in the magazines.

Loaded .45 ACP and 9mm magazines. The .45 mag holds 7 rounds; the 9mm mag holds 9 rounds. I’ve read that the average number of shots fired in an armed confrontation (not counting military actions) is less than two.

The Springfield target guns have nice features, including click adjustable rear sights, dovetailed and pinned front sights, ambidextrous safeties, target triggers, skeletonized hammers, and more.  I didn’t like the two-piece guide rods that came with both guns (you need a tool to unscrew the two-piece guide rods for takedown).  Another two-piece guide rod issue is that they constantly unscrew.  I immediately replaced those in both guns with one-piece guide rods.

A few of the features included on these Springfield 1911 target models are skeletonized hammers (a useless feature, in my opinion), a click adjustable rear sight (a very useful feature), an extended grip safety (another useless feature), and an ambidextrous thumb safety (yet another useless feature). I prefer wraparound Pachmayr-style rubber grips, but the Springfield Armory exotic wood checkered grips look cool.
The Springfield Target model front sights are dovetailed and pinned to the slide. The one on my 9mm still came loose when the retaining pin backed out. The .45 front sight has stayed put. You can see the one-piece guide rod below the barrel; it’s a feature I added to both 1911s.

What has been a disappointment on the .45 Springfield was that the stainless steel was not properly passivated (it came this way from the factory).  The gun exhibited minor corrosion in a few spots after a while, which is unacceptable for a stainless steel firearm.  It’s the only stainless steel gun I’ve ever owned that did this.  The corrosion comes right off with a bronze bristle brush and the steel beneath it then looks pristine, but you shouldn’t have to do this with a stainless steel firearm, much less one purchased new.

My 9mm 1911 had a problem with its front sight.  The pin securing it in place backed out under recoil.  I contacted Springfield about that and they sent an oversized pin.  It similarly backed out.  I applied Loctite to the pin and very lightly peened the edges at the top of its hole in the front sight, and that seems to have fixed the problem.

Neither of the above issues should have been present.  I’ve purchased three new Springfield Armory firearms over the years and every one of them has had an issue.   My Springfield M1A rifle had two issues:  The magazines were extremely tight going into the receiver, and the ejected .308 cartridge cases were striking and damaging the stock.  I sent the rifle back to Springfield.  Springfield fixed the magazine fit issue (that fix worked) and they attempted to address the cartridges impacting the stock (that fix did not work).  The cartridge cases still hit the stock after being ejected (even after Springfield did a ham-fisted job removing wood in the impact area), so I put electrician’s tape on the stock where the spent cases impact before I take it to the range.  The rifle is quite accurate, but damn, you shouldn’t have to deal with issues like this on a new gun.  I believe these things speak to a generally sad state of affairs in Springfield’s quality assurance and process control.  But I’m going off track a bit.  Let’s get back to the topic of this article, and that’s the two 1911 Springfields.

Corrosion on the Springfield Armory .45 ACP 1911. I believe the stainless steel was improperly passivated.  I removed the tarnish/oxidation with a bronze brush and it has stayed off.
My .45 reloads. I’ve been shooting this same recipe for more than 50 years. It works, so why mess with it?  .45 ACP brass can be reloaded many, many times (and this brass has been).

In my most recent outing with both 1911s, the .45 was significantly more accurate.  I believe that to generally be the case when comparing the .45 ACP and 9mm Luger cartridges, and this range day was no exception.  The 9mm load I used was a 124-grain Xtreme plated roundnose bullet over 5.5 grains of Accurate No. 5 propellant.  The .45 ACP load was a 230-grain Missouri cast roundnose bullet over 5.6 grains of Unique propellant (an accuracy load that always works for me).  I shot the targets shown below on the 50-foot West End Gun Club handgun range using a two-hand hold supported by a rest beneath my hands.

The 9mm 1911 grouped just over 2 inches, which is typical for this load. This same handgun has done much better with other loads, which is outlined in earlier blogs on 9mm cast bullet loads and 9mm jacketed bullets loads.

The 9mm grouped okay, but not great.  I’ve shot other loads in this handgun that were much more accurate, but I didn’t have any of those loads in the ammo locker the day I went to the range.  If you would like to know about this, you can read about my 9mm ammo development efforts with the 9mm 1911 (and other handguns) using cast bullets and jacketed bullets.

Groups with the Springfield Armory .45 ACP 1911. Point of aim was at 6:00 on each target. Shooter fatigue is what opened up the last group.

The .45 1911 grouped very well.  It’s a funny thing:  The 9mm 1911 has way less recoil than the .45 and the trigger on my 9mm 1911 has been tuned to perfection by good buddy TJ (you can read about that here), but I shoot better with a .45 (and I always have).  The .45 1911 barks like a Rottweiler and it kicks like a mule, but the thing is just flat accurate.

So there you have it:  Another take on the rehashed ad infinitum 9mm versus .45 ACP argument.  If you have an opinion, please weigh in with a comment or two below.

If you would like to read a bit more about how to shoot a handgun well, that story is here.

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SIG Alert

By Joe Berk

No, I’m not talking about the SIG Alerts we get here in California when there’s a traffic jam on our freeways.  This is about a sale at SARCO, a preferred military surplus outlet, on SIG police department trade-ins.  When police departments upgrade to different weapons, they sometimes sell their older handguns.  That’s what’s happening here.  What makes this sale special, in my opinion, is that the trade-in guns are 9mm SIG P226 sidearms.  You follow the blog, and you know that I consider the SIG P226 to be the world’s finest handgun.  With a SARCO price on the P226 at just over $700, I think it’s a great deal.

My SIG P226. I consider it to be the world’s finest handgun.

I’ve never seen SIG P226 police trade-in guns for sale.  It’s a hell of an opportunity to pick up a great handgun at a bargain price.   I once owned a Smith and Wesson Model 659 police trade-in and it confirmed what I thought about police sidearms.  They are carried a lot and shot very little.  That means there might be some cosmetic shortfalls (holster wear, etc.), but the guns’ internals are probably in superb shape.

A Smith and Wesson Model 659 police trade in that was a lot of fun. Like most police sidearms, it was carried a lot and shot little.

I’ve purchased military surplus equipment through SARCO before (in my case it was a replacement gas cylinder for my M1 Garand, which fixed my rifle’s cycling issue).  SARCO is a reputable outfit.

SARCO’s SIG P320 police trade-in pistols.

SARCO is also selling SIG P320 police trade-ins.  I don’t have any experience with that model, so I can’t tell you anything about it (other than that it’s SIG, so it’s probably good).  The SARCO price on the SIG P320 police trade-in is only $425; that’s a superb deal.

What might be fun is to pick up either handgun from SARCO and send it to good buddy TJ (at TJ’s Custom Gunworks) for a full cosmetics and action job.  That would be fun.  If you have ever entertained any thoughts about picking up a SIG or a custom pistol, this might worth looking into.

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Adventure Toward Ayers Rock

By Mike Huber

At the time of this writing I am sitting in my hotel room, which happens to be in an underground cave in the tiny opal mining town of Coober Pedy.  Normally this would sound crazy, but 50% of the residents in this town live underground so it’s perfectly normal to be living as someone on the desert planet of Tatoonie would live.  It is deep in the Australian Outback hundreds of miles from nothing. How I even ended up in this town is something I am still piecing together, but alas, here I am typing this up as an aboriginal drum beats from the distant hills and echoes into my cave dwelling.

I apologize for being on a brief writing hiatus. My travel schedule has been beyond nonstop (even for me). I have only had two days off since leaving New Zealand in early April.  In doing so there were multiple countries I toyed with visiting.  Australia was one that kept being recommended, but I didn’t really feel the calling for it. So was hesitant when I booked a one-way ticket to Sydney and was expecting a short stay to just check the box. Well, life had other plans for me as I am currently six weeks into this giant country with no end in sight.

When I say no end in sight, I literally mean no end in sight.  Having motorcycled much of the Southwestern United States over the past six years I think I have a pretty solid grasp on distances and expansiveness with large pockets of isolation and nothingness.  I knew what large areas were and how to negotiate them, even on two wheels.  I couldn’t have been more ignorant of what expansiveness really is.

Expansiveness is driving 100+ miles and not seeing another car and only a random oncoming truck towing three or four trailers that when it passes you throws your tiny rental off the road due to the wind gust.  Expansiveness is slowing down to some type of an unknown road hazard in front of you only to realize it’s an emu that decides to attack your car so you must quickly swerve and speed up.  Expansiveness is clicking search on both AM and FM radio stations only to have it indefinitely spin without a station to be found for hours.  Expansiveness is Australia.

Australia is my home for the time being and I am trying everything possible to do more than just scratch the surface of this foreign and incredibly large part of the world. With every type of climate you can imagine and wildlife that is other worldly, cute, dangerous, and some a combination of the three.  This article series will take you through my journey of Australia as I make my way towards Ayers Rock (Uluru) in the great Australian Outback.

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The Doobies

Good buddy Bob Orabona, a fellow rider and shooter, sent in this story about his encounter with one of the Doobie Brothers.  I think you’ll enjoy it.

By Bob Orabona

My best Doobie Brothers story ever goes like this.  It was around December of 1979. Here in Los Angeles we had a motorcycle toy run that was huge. About 10,000 to 13,000 motorcycles would go from Griffith Park to Pasadena. What a roar!!

Well, that year the organizers decided that in addition to the toy run they would put on a “Veterans Christmas Run” that would be a much smaller affair but the same general idea. You show up at a location on your bike with gifts for the Vets who are in the West LA Veterans Hospital and do a run.

My riding bud at that time was Russ Bromley and we made plans to attend. The morning of I showed up at his pad and he and his girl Sue and I rode off to the Harley dealer in Marina Del Rey. That was the starting point.

After a while we got the ride up and about 300 bikes left the dealership headed to the West LA Vets Hospital. When we got there they had a stage set up in the parking lot and a collection point for all the gifts. The run was very well supported by sponsors and Harley Davidson was there with their traveling museum and several other groups with various types of displays. Hugh Heffner sent over about 8 “Bunnies” to help colllect and distribute the gifts. A band was playing and it was a great scene with a really positive vibe.

After the band stopped playing there was an emcee telling us how much stuff was collected, etc., etc., and then he introduced an official from Harley. The Harley guy told the crowd that Harley wanted to do something really special at this run, so they were going to introduce their newest model for the first time anywhere. It was called the “Sturgis” and it was notable for being the first belt drive Harley.

At the appropriate moment, and after sufficent build up, about 10 of the new bikes came riding into the lot and were put on display. The crowd surged forward and oooed and aahhed over them. I didn’t go with them because I don’t like crowds and I  was probably very hung over which was my natural state of being on Sunday mornings in those days (that’s a whole other story best left for another time).

I waited for the crowd to disperse and finally went over and was examining the bikes. I latched on to a factory rep who was the only one still hanging with the bikes and started to ask him a bunch of questions. How long does the belt last? How do you change it? What if it breaks on the road?

Well, this guy was right with it and knew just about all the answers to all my questions. I had noticed while looking at the bike he was sitting on that above the tank emblem someone had painted on “The Doobie Bros.” When I ran out of tech questions I just happened to casually ask him “Hey, how come it says “The Doobie Bros” on your tank?”

Thats when the “factory rep” looked at me and said “Uh, I’m Patrick Simmons and I play guitar for them.” Duh!!!!!! I thought he looked kinda familiar.

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The Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation

Wow, talk about exclusivity:  It just doesn’t get any better than this.  That rocking chair you see in the photo above?  It’s from the Sam Maloof shop and the lead time is about 6 years.  Order it today, and 72 months from now, you would be able to rock out in it.  I’ll tell you more a little further down in this blog, but first, we have to start with the Sam Maloof story.

Dubbed “The Hemingway of Hardwood” by People magazine, Sam Maloof (1916-2009) was an artist in the world of furniture making.  Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan sat on rocking chairs crafted by Maloof, and his work is on display in the Smithsonian, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (to name but a few).  His home and workshop are now a museum, too, and the best news is that it is a very short motorcycle ride from my home.  Although I’ve been in California for close to 50 years, I only recently visited the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts.  It was impressive.  Don’t do what I did and wait 50 years to go see it.  Go now.  It’s a 5 1/2 acre slice of heaven, and if you enjoy viewing true artistry in wood, you’ll love it.  I sure did.

Our tour of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation included the Maloof home, the gallery, several landscaped acres sprinkled with contemporary outdoor art, and a peek into the shop (which still produces museum quality wood furniture).  It’s easy to get to.  From the 10 or 210 freeways in southern California, exit either Vineyard (off the 10) or Carnelian (off the 210) and go north (Vineyard becomes Carnelian as you head north).  Just follow the road until you can’t go any further and look right.  You’ll have arrived.

We toured the original Maloof home and the craftsmanship built into the place is impressive.  I was able to grab several photos, and my Nikon and it’s 16-35mm wide angle zoom did what it is supposed to do.

A woodworker’s paradise. Artistly in wood is everywhere in the Maloof home. Check out the spiral staircase.
The Maloof home contains tables and chairs exhibiting a blend of artistry and functionality. Maloof used an oil finish on his furniture. I’ve used the same on rifle stocks. It brings out the wood’s natural beauty and can be easily repaired if scratched.
A Maloof rocking chair. Maloof preferred to work in walnut.
A bedroom in the Maloof home. If you order a Maloof chair or other furniture, there’s a six year lead time. The only exceptions are baby rockers, which you see in the center of this photo. If you need a baby rocker, your kid won’t fit six years later, so the shop stops all other projects and focuses on completing your baby rocker.
A Maloof table and chairs. Notice that the side chairs are joined together. We saw one that sat three at a dinner table. That doesn’t seem practical to me, but hey, no one is waiting six years for anything I make.
One of many beautiful rooms in the Maloof home.

The Maloof estate consists of several building and gardens mentioned above.  The Maloof shop continues to build custom furniture in the Sam Maloof style.

A glimpse into the wood shop.

We next visited the gallery, which is where I saw the rocking chair that is at the top of this blog.   I like to think I appreciate fancy wood, and that chair had my attention.  I asked a docent if it was English walnut, but I was way off.  It’s a wood called Ziricote, and it comes from Belize.  I’d never seen anything like it.  As mentioned earlier, Sam Maloof preferred to work in walnut, and I understand that.   Highly figured walnut is, well, art before anything is done to it.  But that Ziricote.  Wow!

This is a chair that belongs in a well stocked custom gun room. It would fit in well.

As it turns out, when I asked about the wood I was speaking with a very pleasant woman name Joanne, and that rocking chair was hers.  Joanne’s husband Mike worked with Sam Maloof and he is continuing the tradition, along with his son.  Mike made that chair for Joanne as a birthday gift.  That, my friends, is one fine gift.

The figure almost looks fake, but it’s real.
Lumber that is exceptional from any angle.
I can’t remember what I bought Sue for her 60th birthday.
After seeing the home and the gallery, Sue and I walked through the gardens.  The grounds were impressive and the outside art was, too.
A real flower in the Maloof gardens.
An egg as tall as me. It would be a hoot to have an Easter egg hunt in the Maloof gardens.
This piece is presented as an alternative take on Mr. Rushmore.
Made of natural materials, this piece looks like a skeleton from the movie, “Alien.”
Everywhere you go in California these days, someone has their hand out.
Sue grabbed a photo of me as I was photographing the Maloof grounds artwork.

The next morning, I found myself thinking about that Ziricote rocking chair.  Man, I would love to have one of those.  So I called the shop and asked about it.  Yep, there’s that 6-year lead time issue I mentioned above, but that wasn’t the obstacle for me.  To duplicate the Ziricote rocker, it would take a cool $28,000.  I could cheap out and get one in finely figured walnut; that would drop the price to $22,500.  It’s tempting, and as you know, I am a sucker for fine walnut.  Maybe if you guys clicked on more of those popup ads…

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A Four-Screw Navy Arms Repro Colt 1860 Army: Part 2

By Joe Cota

When I got home yesterday from a routine 10-year colonoscopy exam (the prep was the worst part), I took a short nap, later in the evening the little lady went outside for something and brought in a package that had been sitting unguarded on my front doorstep probably since mid-morning.  To make matters worse, it had been shipped it in a clearly marked ASUS Workbook computer box, complete with carry handle!

I opened the package today and the gun far exceeded my expectations! Man, this piece is so very cool. The Navy Arms box is complete with some minor scuffing. All the paperwork is present as near as I can tell.

Here are two pages from the catalog.  You can click on the two images below to see larger versions that make reading the print easier.

There is also a color catalog. My gun is letter C in the catalog photo which proclaims it to be “one of the finest muzzle loading pistols in the Navy Arm line.”  After handling the gun, I believe them. Oddly, nothing in the package I’ve seen in my brief review indicates that this gun was manufactured by Uberti, but the Uberti crest stamped inconspicuously on the frame tells me that it was.

The AB stamp on the gun translates to a 1976 date of manufacture. Totally unexpected by me, the frame, hammer, and loading lever are all beautifully case color hardened steel. Oh, man the photos don’t do any justice to the vibrant colors! The barrel is a highly polished deep blue having a mirror-like finish. The brass trigger guard is a little dull, but not tarnished at all after spending the past 48 years in its oiled plastic bag time capulsule. Oh, and that super fine ocean battle scene either engraved or rolled onto the cylinder is simply immaculate! The walnut stocks deep grain really showcases this piece.

Well, I have to catch up on my office work today, so I am just put everything back in the Navy Arms box for now. Maybe I’ll have some time over the coming weekend to clean it up and put on a fresh coat of oil. Until then I imagine there will be a considerable amount of daydreaming about this piece going on upstairs.

For now, enjoy these updated photos. The gun still hasn’t been cleaned. I Can’t wait to shoot it. Yeah, I know, I know. There may be a few folks who say the gun has survived 48 years without being fired and should stay that way. Well, it probably had been proof fired in Italy at the factory, but there is no evidence of it except for the factory proof markings. My thinking is that this isn’t an original Colt 1860 Army and I paid only a couple beans for it including shipping, so why not wake it up from its long hibernation and have a blast?

We forwarded Joe’s photos and request for info to my good buddy Paul, who is our resident blackpowder firearms guru.  Here’s what Paul had to say:

Those two extra screws are for a shoulder stock. You remove those screws and put the shoulder stock on then secure the stock with those screws. That gun is desirable because of that feature. If he had the shoulder stock it would be worth three or more times what the gun alone is worth. That gun looks like new – I wish I owned it! Not too many people purchased a shoulder stock for those guns that’s why you don’t see them often and when you do they cost BIG MONEY.

There were a few different styles being sold back in the ’60s & ’70s. I looked on YouTube for some questions that I had and found that some of the shoulder stocks did not need to remove those screws. The stock only used those screws to pivot the stock attachment area on, then the claw would grip a notch in the bottom of the grip frame. Some guns would be cut under the recoil shield on both sides of the shield for the front of the shoulder stock to hook under so they did not need those screws. Have a look on YouTube to get a better picture of what I am referring to. By the way it looks like a great gun!

Good inputs, Paul, and thanks very much for the explanation!

More Tales of the Gun!

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A Four-Screw Navy Arms Repro Colt 1860 Army: Part 1

By Joe Cota

What is it supposed to be a copy of?

My “new” in the box never fired Colt 1860 Army clone was imported by Navy Arms some 45 or so years ago. It hasn’t arrived yet but should be in the mail any day now.

After purchasing it, I was looking more carefully at the photos and I am a bit perplexed. It definitely had four screws. The barrel is stamped “Model 1860 Army Cal 44.”  This one appears to be by Uberti.

I had never heard of a four screw Colt 1860 Army before, but I had seen online photos of what I believe was described as a four screw Colt 1861 Navy.

These are the only photos I have for now and they are not really all that clear. The guy says it’s still covered in packing grease and he’s only had it out of the plastic bag twice in the 40-some years since he bought it, including last week to take these photos. It looks like it might have some sort of cylinder engraving, but wouldn’t that be a Navy and not the Army model?

Does anyone know what we have here? Did Navy Arms import a lot of these four screw early Army versions, or more of the standard three screw guns? Was this gun made by Gregoreli & Uberti, Uberti, or is it something else?

Were these guns good shooters? I’m not expecting too much out of it as I know it won’t be anywhere near as nice as my Uberti 1858 New Army (which is shown above), but heck, it was almost free. I never pass up the opportunity to buy interesting and unique guns at bargain prices.

Stay tuned for Part 2 when I finally see what it is I bought.

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