Bill Davis PPC. What did I buy?!?

[JoeHatley]

Check out the attached file. Went to the gun show in Sioux City today and picked this up for $340 out the door. Dealer swore it cost over $1000 to build in the 1970's.

It's a Bill Davis Custom Model PPC gun. Who is Bill Davis? Has a 6" bull barrel 1 1/8" diameter, with an Aristocrat rib. Kinda kool 3 position adjustable front sight (7/25/50 yards). Smoothed and radiused trigger, with an overtravel screw. Very nice trigger job and Pachmayr grips.

Base gun is a Colt Trooper, with the coil spring mainspring. MK III ?!? .38 special or .357 mag, I don't really know. No markings anywhere. Both will chamber. How can I tell?

I'm going to take it to the range tomorrow, with .38 special target loads. Hope it shoots...

So... what did I buy? Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks...

Joe

 

[mikey357]

Bill Davis ran one of the largest 'smithing operations that specialized in building PPC guns...based in Cali, heyday was during the '70's...not in business anymore, IIRC, they built MASTERPIECES of the revolversmith's craft...MANY National Championships have been won w/Davis-built revolvers...
A casualty of the enmasse conversion to the "self-stuffers", Davis' shop was among the best...Over the years, several innovations came out of Davis' shop...the "slide-adjustable" front sight on some of the Aristocrat ribs was his invention, IIRC...Gone, but NOT forgotten...at least, among those who appreciate fine revolvers!!! Nice acquisition, too, BTW...Hope you enjoy it!!!....and, since it'll chamber .38 special AND .357 Magnum, it was probably a .357 to start with...mikey357

 

[Lmccrock]

Yep, Bill Davis operated in Sacramento. I have been told to be careful; since he had left the business, there were others continuing to use his business name, and the work after he left was not up to the standards he set. If it works, if it shoots, then $340 is a steal. I have one of his guns, a .38 target revolver set up for PPC (bull barrel, adjustable sights). Shoots through the same hole at 7 yards with good ammo. But mine is more typical of the ones I see around here: based on a S&W model 10. Davis also worked on 1911-style guns.

Davis is gone, DM Custom moved to Oregon; its harder to find a great 'smith in the Sacramento area.

Lee

 

[Jim Watson]

Huh, I never saw a PPC Colt Mk III, lots S&Ws, some Rugers and Colt I frames, but no Js.

When I was shooting PPC - pre IPSC and IDPA - the Davis guns were considered second only to Ron Power's. You have a nice piece at a very good price.

 

[gumshoe4]

Very nice piece...

What the guys above said is the gospel as far as I'm concerned.

I also live in the Sacramento area. I did not shoot PPC, but that's what Bill Davis was known for.

All except one of my Smith revolvers was worked by Bill Davis gunsmithing. All received DAO conversion and duty tune. BDG knew Smiths inside and out and they always made the gun better than when I bought it.

Bill Davis was the best gunsmith in the northern California area and I was really, really sorry to see him close. Wish we could get another like him in the area.

 

[JoeHatley]

Thanks for the info guys.

Took it to the range this afternoon and ran 250+ rounds of my own target reloads through it. No misfires and all the targets were pretty torn up in the center. Sights were even set right. Ran the targets down to the 25 yard line and clicked the front sight adjustment to 25, and I was already in the black.

Seems like this Bill Davis really understands target shooters. Sorry to hear he has retired from gunsmithing.

That heavy barrel really makes fast strings of fire a lot easier. For slow fire it's too heavy, but I guess that isn't what it was designed for. I'll have to work on my forearms... ;-)

Joe

 

[DAVID JOHNSON]

Joe
Nice pick up on the Bill Davis gun.
I currently have 2 of his. The best I can tell per the "Bill Davis" on the gun it looks like you have the real thing.
Not a bad price I paid 495 and 395.00 for the 2 Smiths I have. One on Model 28 frame and One on Model 10 frame.

PS I you do not like you find please email me.
It would not hurt to have a Colt to go along with the 2 Smiths.
Now If I could only find a Jarvis or a Fred Schmidt PPC.

DJ.

 

[9mmepiphany]

i never knew that bill's shop worked on the colt j-frame either.

my ppc gun was built in a smith m-14 and most others i handled were either on the smith 10 or 13. i also remember seeing the stray ruger security six or python

lmccrock - i heard dale was going to move, has he left already? he's done great action tunes on my sigs and smith j-frames.

there must be someone else left in town

 

[Blue Heeler]

I use the Davis BD/L grips on my guns---they are still available here in Australia.They are hard rubber(not squishy like the Hogue) and they have only one finger slot.
I reckon that the guy who made them knew a bit about shooting.

 

[tator]

python

I was able to grab this one for $400.00 a couple years back.

Since then I've moved back to traditional and added a new 8" blued barrel.

 

[Intel6]

I went to college in the Sacramento area and used to shoot at the indoor range that Bill's shop was connected to. I managed to pick up a very nice Grade V made by Bill and took it up there to talk to him about it. 9mmepiphany, Bill said he normally did his conversions on 10's or 13's because it was a shame to ruin a perfectly good adjustable sighted revo like a mod 14. Mine was built on a mod 14 and he said that the only way he usually converted 14's was if they were brought in by the owner for conversion. Mine is a nice 4 screw mod 14 that Bill worked on and it still shoots great.

 

[9mmepiphany]

intel6 - you're right, they usually built on the cheapest gun available because there was no reason to pay for things they were going to throw away (adj sights, target trigger/hammer, ribbed barrel)

some folks believed the model 10 was more accurate than the m-13 due to the shorter jump in the shorter chambering. they would also build on pieces that were police trade-in/surplus that might be m-14 or m-15

my m-14 was a gift and i retained the barrel, hammer, trigger and rear sight. i have a m-17, so i can always screw the original barrel and sight back on the m-14 for a matched pair

the davis guns are sorta cool because they were more function than form (as opposed to the power customs) . after a few seasons of PPC and "grip customization (cut down rubber grips coated with rubber cement and dipped in sand)" it starts to look like a "beater"...just the thing to show new guys what 12 rounds, in the x-ring, from 25 yards, shooting off hand, should look like.

 

[reddogiii]

wtb Bill Davis "wind master" custom pistol

I have been looking for one of these for two years, anybody have one or know where I can get one?

 

[Standing Wolf]

Went to the gun show in Sioux City today and picked this up for $340 out the door.

That's AKA "theft" in most parts of the country.

 

[Casimer]

PPC revolvers often sell for next to nothing. I've seen nice pieces from Strahan and Davis go for less than $500.

With the decline in the popularity of PPC, there isn't the demand for them.

reddog: Keep an eye on gunbroker, auction arms, and guns america. GA had one listed a little while ago, and I've seen them come-up on the other sites.

 

[Venom1956]

Nice grab good sir! Nice grab!

I am a bit jealous! Beautiful, I love PPC Revolvers. In my case, since its not as popular, they are hard to find or expensive when I do. I would've gladly paid 340 for that.

Enjoy... if you don't want it send it to me. I'll give you a extra 50 bucks for your troubles!

 

[beachbumwest]

Davis PPC guns

I still have one of his last made around 1985 It is a flat slab barrel on a S&W J frame 2". It will still shoot a great shot group at 50 yards. 1 & ¼” from a Ransom rest. Do not use hi velocity rounds in it and chance excess wear on the fine cut of his rifling he was known for. Mine is one of only a very few Slab style barrel's as he began making the 2" oval bbl to reduce wind resistance. I have found no one in the L.A. area who make's any quality modifications as he did. You got a steal on that older gun. In 1985 mine cost me $1,200.00 plus the J frame I sent in. It should have a 3 setting screw on the right of the rear sight for setting the ZERO atthe 5 to 10, 25 & 50 yards. Your photo is of a earlier variation of the PPC revolvers as he went to using 2" bbl's. In the day before the AUTO loaders only a wheel gun was used for PPC. I shot the circuit for 5 years or so.
Beachbumwest

 

[mega twin]

$345.00 would have bought a nice gun of any sort,9 or 10 years ago.

 

[Nasty]

I'm an old PPC shooter...you got the real deal and yes, they *did* cost $1000 back in the day.

I still enjoy ripping them off in front of the young guns at the range and have made a few dollars in casual "my revolver against your auto" contests.

 

[NoSecondBest]

I had Bill Davis build two guns for me back in the early 80's. One was a Ruger Security Six and the other was a S&W Model 27. I had them built for long range hunting and early (very early) Silhouette shooting. Both guns would shoot ten shots of high velocity 357 mag rounds into a one inch group at 50 yards. They were superbly accurate. He put Apex target barrels on them, trigger jobs you wouldn't believe, different lock up, different sights, and under barrel weights. I shot a ton of deer with these guns and a slew of woodchucks. I just sold the Ruger a couple of months ago and the gun shot as well the day I got rid of it as the day I got it. This guy really knew how to build a revolver. Anybody who finds one and buys it won't be sorry. Attached are two pictures of me with the Davis Ruger and a couple of bucks I killed with it (two of many).