The Blues Brothers! Gus worked over and blued by Ken Kelly of Mag-Na-Port.
Give me your rusted, your broken, most worn-out hunk of junk. Looks don’t matter — the uglier and more beat up, the better. The right person can shock life back into these misfits better than a defibrillator. After being jump started and rehabilitated, they’ll regain form and function once again.
I’ve witnessed miracles during these transformations, going from eyesore to eye candy, as once ignored shooters become a favored member of the herd again.
Close-up of Combat Mini double ball detent locking system and Fermin Garza dovetail front sight and ejector rod modification on the “Mongoose.”
The Saviors
Who are these saviors for lost souls? Why the gifted gunsmiths practicing their trade with the skills of plastic and heart surgeon. These folks routinely re-build, re-blue, and resuscitate petrified pieces while recreating classic sixguns without breaking a sweat.
Ken Kelly is one such soul, casting the Mag-Na-Port magic on cosmetically and functionally challenged guns over the years. Here’s a few of the favorites Ken applied the mythic Mag-Na-Port bluing they’re famous for, along with other skilled applications. He surely breathed life back into my tired, worn shooters.
Ejector rod modification on Skeeterito by Ken Kelly. Look at that bluing!
The “Paco” Gun
One of the first guns I ever had Ken customize saw life as a 4″ S&W model 29-2. I had it converted to Mag-Na-Ports Combat Mini (CM). The CM consists of cutting and Mag-Na-Porting the barrel to 3″ while round-butting the grip frame for easier and more comfortable concealability.
It’s finished in a high-luster, deep blue, which would give Old Colt’s a run for their money. The serrated trigger is polished smooth, and two ball-detents are added to the crane assembly assuring tighter lock-up.
Knowing his way around a S&W double-action, Ken applies his knowledge and skill as he works the action over. His work is some of the smoothest I ever feel, yet the hammer drops with authority, even detonating hard CCI primers. The single action pull is even better, if that’s at all possible!
Tank’s 4 5/8ths single six Vaquero after Ken Kelly cut it down to “Mongoose” size. Garza front sight before filing.
Skeeterito
The second gun Ken customized for me was a tired 6.5″ Ruger 3-screw Flattop in need of some serious sprucing up. Years ago, Ol “Doc” Barranti gifted this gun to me during the Christmas Holidays. Its patinaed pipe is ported the Mag-Na-Port way after being chopped to 4″, along with the ejector rod and ERH housing.
The front sight receives a See-More orange insert, milled into the original front sight blade for faster target acquisition and contrast the whole works gets the “high-luster” hot salt bath, leaving a bluing that’s deep, dark and downright beautiful. The aluminum grip frame and ERH are blacked.
A few years later I have Bobby Tyler of TGW fit ram horn stocks to the grip frame, providing the final touch complimenting this tidy package.
Family portrait of the Blues Brothers.
The Mongoose
In the wilds of Africa, the mongoose is a petite, complex critter. Honey badger mean, and having the tenacity of the Tasmanian Devil, their reflexes are faster than lightening. The mongoose eats deadly Cobra’s for lunch. Yet, they’re cute and cuddly, despite their aggressive personalities. It’s also the perfect moniker for a petite gun having the same traits.
The “Mongoose” tucked away in a Barranti Leather shuck makes a compact kit.
Mongoose Modification
I just happened to bring along a Ruger Bird’s Head .32 H&R Single-Six Vaquero on another visit to Mag-Na-Port. This gun was also gifted from a friend. I want to turn it into a compact, fire-breathing dragon capable of seduction.
It suffered from undersized cylinder throats measuring .311 inches and shot more than 2 inches left at 25 yards. I rectify this by opening the cylinder throats to .314 inches using the split-rod, emery cloth, hand drill method. This tightened groups right up, and the barrel stopped leading.
I could have turned the barrel to regulate the sights, but Fermin Garza just released a nifty dovetail front sight at the time. Windage adjustable, it provides the Vaquero with functional classic custom looks.
Here’s the “before” picture as they appeared being dropped off at Mag-Na-Port.
Metal Magic
Ken cuts the already short 4.625 inch barrel to 3.5 inches, just before the fixed blade sight. He mills a dovetail for the Garza front sight. The blade is purposely high so I can later file it, making point of impact coincide with point of aim at 25 yards.
Ken removes the factory warning from the barrel and polishes the whole works, so the bluing will have the deep, dark desirous look sixgunners love. The trigger and hammer are given the trademarked Mag-Na-Port high-polish jeweling, providing just enough “bling” to tastefully accent it.
Afterall, this is Motor City, home of chrome bumpers, high polish paint jobs and huge, shiny grills catching everyone’s attention as they gleam in the sun, and Mag-Na-Port follows suite.
Ken also trims the ejector rod housing and base-pin knob so full case extraction is possible when working the ejector rod. He mills a small fingernail notch making base pin removal easier. Lastly, he tunes and times the action, finishing the works with a creep free trigger job, breaking right at 2.5 pounds. The gun is drop dead gorgeous and deadly!
Blue Meaning
My three blued amigos from Mag-Na-Port are special to me, indeed! Gifted from friends, worked over by another friend, makes them so. Every time I reach for, or shoot one, memories can’t help but flood my mind thinking of them. That’s part of the magic of a good gun.