I ACQUIRED THIS 5 INCH MODEL OF 1989 SEVERAL YEARS AGO. FROM THE FACTORY IT CAME WITH BLACK SYNTHETIC GRIPS. BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THE GUN WAS IT SHOT WAY TO HIGH AND THE FS IS NOT PINNED SO GETTING A HIGHER FS ON THERE COULD BE EXPENSIVE. ANOTHER PROBLEM WAS I NEVER SHOT IT WORTH A DARN "ON PAPER" FROM A REST. I SENT THIS GUN'S CYLINDER PLUS 2 OTHER S&W 45 COLT CYLINDERS TO FERMIN "2 DOGS" GARZA AND, AT HIS RECOMMENDATION, HE REAMED THE THROATS TO .453 ON ALL 3 CYLINDERS, AND COMMENTED THAT THE THROATS WERE STILL ROUGH IN SOME. NOT SURE IF THINGS GOT BETTER BECAUSE THE GUN KEPT SHOOTING HIGH WITH MY "OLD WEST" LOADS USING TRAIL BOSS AND 250gr OTBC RNFP BULLETS.

RECENTLY I DECIDED TO WORK WITH IT AGAIN. I WAS SURE THE "TOO HIGH" ANSWER WOULD BE TO GET A SHORTER S&W RS BLADE, SO I MEASURED THE BLADE AND IT WAS .126 IN HEIGHT, THE SHORTEST HEIGHT S&W HAS, SO I DID SOME CALCULATIONS WITH A FORMULA AND FIGURED I COULD LOWER POI AROUND 2.5 INCHES BY SHAVING THE RS BLADE HEIGHT DOWN TO .106, BUT DOING SO WOULD NOT LEAVE MUCH RS NOTCH DEPTH. WTF, I HAD A BUDDY GO AHEAD AND MACHINE IT DOWN TO .106.

MEANWHILE, I HAD REDISCOVERED UNIQUE FOR USE IN THE 45 COLT AND HAD COME UP WITH AN EXCELLENT LOAD OF 9.0grs OF UNIQUE, FED 150 PRIMERS, STARLINE NICKEL CASES, AND THE OTBC 255gr SWC, WHICH SHOOTS VERY WELL WITH MY 4 INCH 625 MOUNTAIN GUN AND A 6.5 INCH 625 POWER PORT REVOLVER. THIS LOAD CHRONO'ed 982fps IN THE MOUNTAIN GUN. AGAIN, "ON PAPER", OFF A REST, AND DEALING WITH A SUPER SHALLOW RS BLADE NOTCH, GROUPS WERE NOTHING TO BRAG ON BUT I COULD GET THEM CENTERED SO THAT "TOO HIGH" WAS NO LONGER A PROBLEM.

DON'T NOW ABOUT YOU GUYS, BUT WITH OPEN SIGHTS, NOT ALL SIGHTS ARE EQUAL WHEN TRYING TO SHOOT FOR GROUPS. SO I SHOT THE 1989 OFF A REST, AND STANDING OFF HAND, AT A 4 INCH SPINNER AT 25 YARDS AND A 6 INCH SWINGER AT 40 YARDS, BINGO!, SO NOW I GOT THE MODEL 1989 SORTED OUT, SIGHTED IN, AND WILL BE CARRYING UP AT THE HIGHPOINT LATER THIS WEEK.