This was Bill Grover's personal Texas Longhorn Arms Border Special in .44 Magnum. Serial number B-44. It was a regular working gun for him and he often carried it on his hip around his shop and on hunts. It is a very rare, early production TLA. I was told by a friend and former co-worker of Grover's that he used the gun to take the alligator pictured when Texas first reopened their alligator season, which would put the gun being made no later than 1984 (when Texas had its first gator season). However, another co-worker, who wasn't affiliated with Grover, told me he remembered Grover making the grips for it, which possibly puts the gun made a little later in the 1980s. With that said, John Taffin reviewed the gun in the March/April 1988 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER (page 53) and the gun is pictured in his article, already sporting some of the wear you see on it now. Given the typical lead time of over a year from evaluation to publication for an article, the gun would have had to have been made before 1987. The gun is the earliest one I have identified with TLA's second type of lockwork, which wasn't developed until 1986, so I think a 1986 manufacture date is more likely than 1984. But, we still have the picture of Grover holding the gun with a gator, so he took it on a gator hunt at some point in the 80s. Hopefully that isn't useless information and you find knowing it (and the bit of mystery) as appealing as I do. 
I bought the gun from Grover's family a number of years ago. I have shot it and it is quite accurate. Grover's aforementioned former co-worker (who told me about the alligator hunt) and I spent a morning shooting it at long range at the pasture in Grover's hometown in Kentucky where Grover and his friend and uncle would shoot on Saturdays. It proved quite accurate at long range, too. We had a lot of fun shooting rocks off a hillside at various ranges over one hundred yards. Then we spent a while taking turns throwing hedge apples in a creek on the edge of the pasture and shooting them as they came by. The creek had a high bluff on the off bank, so there was no worry of ricochets hurting anything. A fond memory!
Being a working gun, it has scattered areas of honest wear and a couple spots of very light freckling. It has several small scratches and nicks on the front of the frame under the base pin screw. Still, it retains a very high percentage of the original blue. Excellent bore and chambers. Very tight lock-up and solid timing. After I bought it, I had Alan Harton heat treat the internals and give the gun a once-over. The grips are pecan from a log in Grover's woodpile (reference the second co-worker who remembered Grover making the grips). TLA made relatively few guns before 1990, so not only is this rare being Grover's personal gun, it is a rare example of his earlier work, when he had fewer (sometimes none) employees and much less machinery. This gun would have had a lot more of Grover's personal hand-work put into it than his more common guns from the 1990s, when he expanded his shop.
This is a very rare gun and rare opportunity to have a historical revolver that you can shoot and enjoy without hurting its value (within reason). The only reason I am looking to sell this is to cover a major business expense. As such, I am primarily looking for cash. I will consider trades that will be worth the extra time and hassle of selling the trade goods. I will include with the gun a letter on my letterhead detailing the history of the gun and that it was an important part of my book research collection. Price is $5500 shipped from my FFL dealer to yours.
And for those who are wondering, I am still working on the book and still plan on finishing it. Life has had a way of keeping it from being done by now.
Thank you for looking.
Grover and his gator
Grover's former co-worker shooting rocks at long range with B-44
Another hedge-apple bites the dust with B-44
I bought the gun from Grover's family a number of years ago. I have shot it and it is quite accurate. Grover's aforementioned former co-worker (who told me about the alligator hunt) and I spent a morning shooting it at long range at the pasture in Grover's hometown in Kentucky where Grover and his friend and uncle would shoot on Saturdays. It proved quite accurate at long range, too. We had a lot of fun shooting rocks off a hillside at various ranges over one hundred yards. Then we spent a while taking turns throwing hedge apples in a creek on the edge of the pasture and shooting them as they came by. The creek had a high bluff on the off bank, so there was no worry of ricochets hurting anything. A fond memory!
Being a working gun, it has scattered areas of honest wear and a couple spots of very light freckling. It has several small scratches and nicks on the front of the frame under the base pin screw. Still, it retains a very high percentage of the original blue. Excellent bore and chambers. Very tight lock-up and solid timing. After I bought it, I had Alan Harton heat treat the internals and give the gun a once-over. The grips are pecan from a log in Grover's woodpile (reference the second co-worker who remembered Grover making the grips). TLA made relatively few guns before 1990, so not only is this rare being Grover's personal gun, it is a rare example of his earlier work, when he had fewer (sometimes none) employees and much less machinery. This gun would have had a lot more of Grover's personal hand-work put into it than his more common guns from the 1990s, when he expanded his shop.
This is a very rare gun and rare opportunity to have a historical revolver that you can shoot and enjoy without hurting its value (within reason). The only reason I am looking to sell this is to cover a major business expense. As such, I am primarily looking for cash. I will consider trades that will be worth the extra time and hassle of selling the trade goods. I will include with the gun a letter on my letterhead detailing the history of the gun and that it was an important part of my book research collection. Price is $5500 shipped from my FFL dealer to yours.
And for those who are wondering, I am still working on the book and still plan on finishing it. Life has had a way of keeping it from being done by now.
Thank you for looking.
Grover and his gator
Grover's former co-worker shooting rocks at long range with B-44
Another hedge-apple bites the dust with B-44
