American Handgunner May/June 1978

IWhere our readers and writers tell usof a custom gunsmith you should know.SHERMAN'S CUSTOM GUNSwALT SHERMAN'S skills at pistolsmithingbecame evident to us atthe Florida Police Combat League Match,August 20, 1977. Using a Python convertedby himself, Walt tied for the secondstage with Jim O'Neill of Clearwater,who used a Smith Model 14 customizedby-you guessed it-Walt Sherman. Waltwon the third stage and then proceeded tolose the aggregate by 2 X's!Walt's specialty is building customcombat revolvers. He began pistolsmithingin the Marine Corps as an armorer,and is currently armorer for the FloridaHighway Patrol. He has also been to Coltand Smith & Wesson factory schools.A typical Sherman custom pistol beginswith a Smith & Wesson Model 10 or aColt Python. He adds a Douglas barrel tothe customer's desired length, Bo-Mar rib,adds a trigger stop and smoothes the trigger,does a complete action job, and re-By JOHN OSGOODblues the entire gun. For the Smith thiswill cost $165, the Colt $180. Either instainless version will add $20. Waltdoesn't mill the barrel on his guns as he,and most other shooters, like the extraweight. If you want the barrel milled,though, add another $15.What does this buy? X-ring accuracyguaranteed, plus one year of functioning."I'll even stretch that one year a bit," saidWalt, as we looked over the Python hehad used in the match. The action was incrediblysmooth and had a pull of about4'12 pounds. His backlog is currently runningsix weeks. A tribute to his skills as asmith and shooter is the fact he is the1977 Florida State Combat Pistol Champion,and rated second in the Governor'sTwenty.Sherman's Custom Guns, Dept. J.O.,9621 Rose Road, Tallahassee,Florida 32301.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAY/JUNE 1978