The sixgun affectionately known as The Taco Gun
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MKII
Single-Sixer
My ol buddy Fermin Garza made the aforementioned 4" .44 Redhawk a most gracious gift to me shortly after my son passed away. He felt inclined to do so and I'm forever humbled by his graciousness and brotherly love for me. Fermin is as many of you know a big hearted and kind bear of a man. Fermin is my friend, but more importantly he is my brother and I'll not be afraid to admit I love the man with all my heart and would do anything for him. He is first class and he'll always be "Family."
Shortly after getting it, I had an opportunity to take a deer with it. Not a trophy deer mind you, but a decent 6pt. Central Alabama whitetail. The shot was about 60 yards, but I judged it to be a tad further as it was getting late in the evening. It was cold and had been drizzling rain all day. This buck was the only deer my son Cole, who was about 9 IIRC, had seen all evening. Cole wanted me to take the deer with the .44 Mr. Fermin had given me, so I elected to do so. You must understand that I've taken many critters over the years with a handgun, but don't consider myself a purist in that aspect as I still enjoy rifle hunting.
With a rather stiff handload under a 240 gr. Remington JSP I thumbed back the hammer, placed the front sight accordingly and let one go toward what I surely thought would be paydirt! At the shot, the buck threw his head up and looked around as if to say..."Where in the heck did all that noise come from"...yes...I knew I had shot right over his back! I quickly thumbed the hammer back again, but in an act of futility as the buck bolted quickly into the woods to yet be hunted another day.
My son Cole stared at me for several seconds before speaking these words..."What happened he asked?" I said "Daddy missed buddy." His reply was classic..."How did that happen?" "You never miss dad!" "Something must be wrong with that gun Mr. Fermin gave you!" Gotta love kids! The look on his face was priceless and I'd have given anything to have had it on video!
The holster as you can tell has been well used in just the short time I've owned it. The double snap actually works well as it can carry both a RH and a S&W N-frame, but it only carries the TACO GUN. Mike says he insists on replacing the strap at some point. I may or may not let him as I'm quite fond of it the way it is. Both the sixgun and the cool shuck were both gifts. I'll cherish them always! I've since had Alan Harton tune the "TACO GUN"...remove the barrel warning...custom front sight...Bowen rear sight...BP cylinder chamfer...slight trigger radius and polished...action work. The factory wood stocks were a gift as well from John Taffin as Fermin told him the rubber grips had to go. They are signed inside both panels which makes it very cool as well. It is a special sixgun for sure...I need to kill a good/any deer with it so Fermin will stop harrassing/making fun of me!
Many thanks amigo, you're one of a kind bro!
Chuck
Shortly after getting it, I had an opportunity to take a deer with it. Not a trophy deer mind you, but a decent 6pt. Central Alabama whitetail. The shot was about 60 yards, but I judged it to be a tad further as it was getting late in the evening. It was cold and had been drizzling rain all day. This buck was the only deer my son Cole, who was about 9 IIRC, had seen all evening. Cole wanted me to take the deer with the .44 Mr. Fermin had given me, so I elected to do so. You must understand that I've taken many critters over the years with a handgun, but don't consider myself a purist in that aspect as I still enjoy rifle hunting.
With a rather stiff handload under a 240 gr. Remington JSP I thumbed back the hammer, placed the front sight accordingly and let one go toward what I surely thought would be paydirt! At the shot, the buck threw his head up and looked around as if to say..."Where in the heck did all that noise come from"...yes...I knew I had shot right over his back! I quickly thumbed the hammer back again, but in an act of futility as the buck bolted quickly into the woods to yet be hunted another day.
My son Cole stared at me for several seconds before speaking these words..."What happened he asked?" I said "Daddy missed buddy." His reply was classic..."How did that happen?" "You never miss dad!" "Something must be wrong with that gun Mr. Fermin gave you!" Gotta love kids! The look on his face was priceless and I'd have given anything to have had it on video!
The holster as you can tell has been well used in just the short time I've owned it. The double snap actually works well as it can carry both a RH and a S&W N-frame, but it only carries the TACO GUN. Mike says he insists on replacing the strap at some point. I may or may not let him as I'm quite fond of it the way it is. Both the sixgun and the cool shuck were both gifts. I'll cherish them always! I've since had Alan Harton tune the "TACO GUN"...remove the barrel warning...custom front sight...Bowen rear sight...BP cylinder chamfer...slight trigger radius and polished...action work. The factory wood stocks were a gift as well from John Taffin as Fermin told him the rubber grips had to go. They are signed inside both panels which makes it very cool as well. It is a special sixgun for sure...I need to kill a good/any deer with it so Fermin will stop harrassing/making fun of me!
Many thanks amigo, you're one of a kind bro!
Chuck
Jeff Hoover
Blackhawk
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2009
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Man, does he have you guys fooled..... :lol: No, Fermin is one of the best ! You wonder how a heart his size fits in that body....I think it stretched his torso so much, his neck was sucked in, giving him the "man with no neck" moniker . He may have no neck, but you sure can't say he doesn't have "no heart" ! I'm proud to be able to call all of you my friend !
contender
Ruger Guru
Another wonderful story to reflect upon. Thanks for sharing so much! Now, plan on taking a deer with the "Taco Gun!"
2 dogs
Buckeye
How does one respond to something like this? If you're someone who doesnt know a man you hold dear enough to have made him a gift of a sixgun how could you understand?
This Redhawk story goes way back. I've known Chuck for some years now. We have a bit of a Bug vs Windshield relationship most people dont get. He had made a NON STOP from south Louisiana drive (Why I refer to the Smith's as Road Warriors) to the Upper Penninsula to see our mutual brother Al Anderson. When he came back all he could say was how much he liked Al's 4" Redhawk and how badly he wanted one. Seriously, this went on for weeks and weeks. I felt like I was lost in Never Ending Echo Canyon. I coulda bought myself one and wore it out it went on so long.
Well, Chuck and I also share the same job description. With a job like ours you just never know when youre gonna get handed a $hit sandwich and just have to take a big bite. It came to pass, that ole Chuck almost had to eat the whole thing one day. He was pretty low. I had the bright idea I was gonna send him a brand new 4" Ruger 44 Redhawk. I figured I could kill 2 birds with one stone. A) Cheer him up and more importantly B) SHUT him up!
Fortunately for me, Chuck's Dad Charlie loved me like one of his own and picked up and presented Chuck with the 44 for me. I wish I'da been there to see his face!!!
Coming later, the evolution of the Barranti GP holster.....
This Redhawk story goes way back. I've known Chuck for some years now. We have a bit of a Bug vs Windshield relationship most people dont get. He had made a NON STOP from south Louisiana drive (Why I refer to the Smith's as Road Warriors) to the Upper Penninsula to see our mutual brother Al Anderson. When he came back all he could say was how much he liked Al's 4" Redhawk and how badly he wanted one. Seriously, this went on for weeks and weeks. I felt like I was lost in Never Ending Echo Canyon. I coulda bought myself one and wore it out it went on so long.
Well, Chuck and I also share the same job description. With a job like ours you just never know when youre gonna get handed a $hit sandwich and just have to take a big bite. It came to pass, that ole Chuck almost had to eat the whole thing one day. He was pretty low. I had the bright idea I was gonna send him a brand new 4" Ruger 44 Redhawk. I figured I could kill 2 birds with one stone. A) Cheer him up and more importantly B) SHUT him up!
Fortunately for me, Chuck's Dad Charlie loved me like one of his own and picked up and presented Chuck with the 44 for me. I wish I'da been there to see his face!!!
Coming later, the evolution of the Barranti GP holster.....
callshot
Blackhawk
Fermin was in with others to give me the FAN CLUB SPECIAL. I have talked to him on the phone, but never met him yet. I call him my friend also. Something about a friend that makes the gun have more character. Steve
2 dogs
Buckeye
That reminds me. We'll call Chuck Tequila Shot.
Raw, Virile, Manly stuff that Tequila.....
Raw, Virile, Manly stuff that Tequila.....
MKII
Single-Sixer
Let's not get carried away there ol' pard! People are liable to start thinking we hold hands, take long walks, and spoon!!!
MKII said:Let's not get carried away there ol' pard! People are liable to start thinking we hold hands, take long walks, and spoon!!!
I was beginning to wonder....... :wink:
True friends are a gift. Thanks for sharing the story.
2 dogs
Buckeye
I've got the brother to the Taco Gun. It is minute of Saltine Cracker at 50 yards or better. Shown here is my standard load, which is basically all the H110 I can get under that big Lyman bullet. The velocity shown on the Caseguard is from my Ruger Hunter 7.5" gun, not the 4" 44.
Chuck and I had kind of a duel working one day. Him shooting his Ruger 4" 44 and my shooting my Smith 629. We were working on chopping a branch off a dead tree some 125 yards out IIRC. He chided me some, saying my chosen load for my 629 was too hot for the Smith platform. Trying his Ruger 44 4" convinced me to get my own.
I am VERY impressed with this sixgun. Its pretty close to the ideal all around 44 magnum. I have shot some BIG 44's out of this bad boy, 340's with I aint saying how much H110, and it handles them alot better than I do! Mine is also tuned by Harton, custom front, action job etc. I got rid of the rubber grips and got some like Chucks, only this set didnt come from JT.
Chuck and I had kind of a duel working one day. Him shooting his Ruger 4" 44 and my shooting my Smith 629. We were working on chopping a branch off a dead tree some 125 yards out IIRC. He chided me some, saying my chosen load for my 629 was too hot for the Smith platform. Trying his Ruger 44 4" convinced me to get my own.
I am VERY impressed with this sixgun. Its pretty close to the ideal all around 44 magnum. I have shot some BIG 44's out of this bad boy, 340's with I aint saying how much H110, and it handles them alot better than I do! Mine is also tuned by Harton, custom front, action job etc. I got rid of the rubber grips and got some like Chucks, only this set didnt come from JT.
2 dogs
Buckeye
I promised to tell the saga of the Barranti GP model holster.
Some years ago, Chuck was looking at my Barranti kit and I could tell he was very impressed and interested, but upon discovering the price list he was fairly well offended and put out as was his Dad. Now, if youre gonna run in my circle of pals, it would be best if you just left your ego in the truck. If not, your feelings could be devastated well beyond repair by the goings on. MikeB, to his credit, has fared well among this crew, rough as we may be. Chuck offered that Mikes leather may as well be made from Giraffe Pu$$y as high priced as his holsters were! Mike just smiled. Typical of Chuck, we had to hear about it regularly for another year before we all got together again.
To celebrate the occasion, I decided to commission my good friend Mike B, to build a holster for Chuck, right under his nose, while Chuck watched in fact, without Chucks knowledge that the holster was really for him. There were quite a few people in on this little caper including Chucks Dad, my friend Charlie who I must say was thouroughly entertained by it all.
You don't have a Barranti holster? Well, let me tell you Mike doesnt build you a holster. He CREATES one for you. He takes that hide in his hands and turns it this way and that as though he is searching for just the right place to layout the rig. He has this blade looking thing that might have been used for amputation during the Civil War that he wields with precision that makes Hannibal Lector look like a piker. He doesnt cut the leather, he enters it. He curves it. He cleaves it. Out comes the cleanest looking pattern you have ever seen. He performs this dance on a marble slab with deft hands and focus that is nearly hypnotic.
Meanwhile, Chuck is fretting and fussing, looking over Mikes shoulder all the time. The rest of us are just trying not to crack up. Never play poker with Mike Barranti either. The boy has a face of STONE!!!!
Barranti works with incredible efficiency, no detail left unaddressed, no motion wasted. I like a holster to anchor on my belt loop so I had asked Mike to cut a slot in the shank. Chuck happened to be standing over Mike when Mike reached for that big ole knife looking thing he has. Chuck asked Mike what he was fixing to do??? Mike replied he was going to cut a belt slot!
The following exchange was priceless. There were about 12 guys present all about to bust a GUT!
Chuck: "Garza, you dont know a damn thing about a holster! That slot in the shank will weaken the integrity of the holster!!!"
Me: "You really think so?"
Chuck: "I wouldnt have a holster like that!"
Me to Mike: "Maybe we outta leave that slot out Mike...."
Chuck: "Look Garza, I aint a tryin' to tell you how you want YOUR holster!"
Me: "I never said you were! I just changed my mind!"
Chuck: "You can have your holster anyway you want!"
Me: "No, Now you couldnt PAY me to have that slot in the shank"
The typewritten word doesnt quite capture the moment. Chuck is quite the tall drink of water in a equally big hat and waves his arms around like a mad conductor when he is excited.
We tortured him for a total of about 5 hours with this deal before we presented him with the finished pattern. But, before we did, we added one little detail..... My brother Henry is quite the wildlife artist. He drew a Giraffe and Mike transferred it PERFECTLY to the rear of the holster complete with an arrow that reflected the part of the Giraffe anatomy in question! So sorry, GP does NOT stand for General Purpose!
Here are some pics:
Photo credit belongs to our friend Charlie Smith!
Some years ago, Chuck was looking at my Barranti kit and I could tell he was very impressed and interested, but upon discovering the price list he was fairly well offended and put out as was his Dad. Now, if youre gonna run in my circle of pals, it would be best if you just left your ego in the truck. If not, your feelings could be devastated well beyond repair by the goings on. MikeB, to his credit, has fared well among this crew, rough as we may be. Chuck offered that Mikes leather may as well be made from Giraffe Pu$$y as high priced as his holsters were! Mike just smiled. Typical of Chuck, we had to hear about it regularly for another year before we all got together again.
To celebrate the occasion, I decided to commission my good friend Mike B, to build a holster for Chuck, right under his nose, while Chuck watched in fact, without Chucks knowledge that the holster was really for him. There were quite a few people in on this little caper including Chucks Dad, my friend Charlie who I must say was thouroughly entertained by it all.
You don't have a Barranti holster? Well, let me tell you Mike doesnt build you a holster. He CREATES one for you. He takes that hide in his hands and turns it this way and that as though he is searching for just the right place to layout the rig. He has this blade looking thing that might have been used for amputation during the Civil War that he wields with precision that makes Hannibal Lector look like a piker. He doesnt cut the leather, he enters it. He curves it. He cleaves it. Out comes the cleanest looking pattern you have ever seen. He performs this dance on a marble slab with deft hands and focus that is nearly hypnotic.
Meanwhile, Chuck is fretting and fussing, looking over Mikes shoulder all the time. The rest of us are just trying not to crack up. Never play poker with Mike Barranti either. The boy has a face of STONE!!!!
Barranti works with incredible efficiency, no detail left unaddressed, no motion wasted. I like a holster to anchor on my belt loop so I had asked Mike to cut a slot in the shank. Chuck happened to be standing over Mike when Mike reached for that big ole knife looking thing he has. Chuck asked Mike what he was fixing to do??? Mike replied he was going to cut a belt slot!
The following exchange was priceless. There were about 12 guys present all about to bust a GUT!
Chuck: "Garza, you dont know a damn thing about a holster! That slot in the shank will weaken the integrity of the holster!!!"
Me: "You really think so?"
Chuck: "I wouldnt have a holster like that!"
Me to Mike: "Maybe we outta leave that slot out Mike...."
Chuck: "Look Garza, I aint a tryin' to tell you how you want YOUR holster!"
Me: "I never said you were! I just changed my mind!"
Chuck: "You can have your holster anyway you want!"
Me: "No, Now you couldnt PAY me to have that slot in the shank"
The typewritten word doesnt quite capture the moment. Chuck is quite the tall drink of water in a equally big hat and waves his arms around like a mad conductor when he is excited.
We tortured him for a total of about 5 hours with this deal before we presented him with the finished pattern. But, before we did, we added one little detail..... My brother Henry is quite the wildlife artist. He drew a Giraffe and Mike transferred it PERFECTLY to the rear of the holster complete with an arrow that reflected the part of the Giraffe anatomy in question! So sorry, GP does NOT stand for General Purpose!
Here are some pics:
Photo credit belongs to our friend Charlie Smith!
callshot
Blackhawk
Darn, that looks almost like the one that I have and the one callshot Jr. Has. They were both made by the same five gallon cowboy with the ten gallon hat. They are both in my avitar. Thanks Mike. Nice guns need nice shuck. Steve
Zeus
Blackhawk
I known Fermin by phone for years and finally had the honor of meeting him and his big brother Henry in person last summer. When he walked in the room, he reached out and gave me a big ol Fermin hug. I can tell you guys, if you make him mad, stay just shy of his arm reach. If he grabs you and bear hugs you, you are done. He even laughed when we all showed up later wearing our matching Fermin shirts I have to say, I enjoyed sitting around listening to Henry tell stories about Fermin as a kid brother. It was priceless. Those two brothers are some of the finest men that you will ever meet and I'm honored that they allow me to call them friends. and no, Chuck and Fermin don't spoon, Jeff is always in the way
Those who know me well know that I have a very small inner group of friends these days and you all know them as almost all frequent this forum. The friends I've made over the years because initially we all shared a love for sixguns have become closer than buddies that I grew up with the first 28 years of life. I feel for the wildlife in the region that we finally get all of us together in one place for a group hunt. It will never be the same. heck Chuck may wear out the taco gun on that hunt if we really try. I'll let everyone else shoot first, people nerves just can't take a full auto sixgun and then still shoot straight when it's their turn.
I love the story of the GP holster!
I have to say, I enjoyed sitting around listening to Henry tell stories about Fermin as a kid brother. It was priceless. Those two brothers are some of the finest men that you will ever meet and I'm honored that they allow me to call them friends. and no, Chuck and Fermin don't spoon, Jeff is always in the way Those who know me well know that I have a very small inner group of friends these days and you all know them as almost all frequent this forum. The friends I've made over the years because initially we all shared a love for sixguns have become closer than buddies that I grew up with the first 28 years of life. I feel for the wildlife in the region that we finally get all of us together in one place for a group hunt. It will never be the same.
heck Chuck may wear out the taco gun on that hunt if we really try. I'll let everyone else shoot first, people nerves just can't take a full auto sixgun and then still shoot straight when it's their turn. I love the story of the GP holster!
contender
Ruger Guru
I too enjoyed "the rest of the story" about the GP holster. When friends conspire to do something special, it truly becomes a one-of-a-kind gift.
I understand what Zeus means. I've made some really great friends here too. And for the record, he ain't a kidding when he mentions a sixgun going full auto,,,!
I understand what Zeus means. I've made some really great friends here too. And for the record, he ain't a kidding when he mentions a sixgun going full auto,,,!
sixshot
Buckeye
Great stories & I remember a whole lot of laughing about the holster, Chuck was speechless & thats a rare thing, Fermin had tears in his eyes & thats a rare thing! Barranti just stood there & grinned as the 2 of them made wise cracks back & forth. These 2 guys could go on stage & make a living. Its non stop, either Fermins got his hooks in Chuck or Chuck is nailing Fermin, great stuff.
No woman should be allowed to sit in on these conversations though, it can get pretty western, and at times both of them need adult supervision! It would take someone the size and strength of Hoover (Tank) to keep them straight, not sure thats possible.
I really hope that before I get to old we can all share a sixgun hunt together & for sure include Henry, Ken O'Neill & Callshot.
Dick
No woman should be allowed to sit in on these conversations though, it can get pretty western, and at times both of them need adult supervision! It would take someone the size and strength of Hoover (Tank) to keep them straight, not sure thats possible.
I really hope that before I get to old we can all share a sixgun hunt together & for sure include Henry, Ken O'Neill & Callshot.
Dick
2 dogs
Buckeye
Just Kin and Clan celebrating the Cowboy Way!
MKII
Single-Sixer
I've mellowed a lot Dick....my wife said I had too!
