Wiley Clapp: 3 Old Products Still in the Game

I've been doing the gun writing business for a while now, but I have been shooting and using guns a lot longer. I enjoy reminding the newer shooters that there are products that have been around and working well for a very long time. Let's take a look at just three of them. 

Tyler “T” Grip Adapter. Grip adapters have been around for years and I believe that Mr. Tyler's was one of the first. A grip adapter is a block of hard material that is made to match the curved of a revolver frame—behind the trigger guard down to near the toe of the grip. Somewhat crescent-shaped, they fill that gap and improve the shooter;s grip on the gun. Tyler's differed from the rest in that they were made of aluminum and included a finger groove. These little devices used to be in common use on many police revolvers, particularly the short-barreled snubbies that were carried concealed. One of these little gems can be a great problem-solver on a women's J frame. t-grips.com  

Big .45 Gun Cleaner. Old-time gunsmith George Mathews introduced me to this stuff many years ago. I had come to his shop with a problem with a Highway Patrolman (S&W Model 28, not a guy in a tan uniform with blue tie). I had just bought the gun at a good price at a local match and it was filthy. The bore was badly leaded and needed to be scrubbed out. George fixed the problem, then tossed me a packet of this stuff. I took it home and had the barrel and chambers clean in about five minutes. It is a metal scrubbing pad that looks like steel wool, but is much softer. It will not harm blued surfaces, but will get the lead or copper fouling out pronto. big45metalcleaner.com 

The FDL Wondersight. This used to be featured in the little one-inch ads in the back of American Rifleman. Essentially a means of quickly putting adjustable sights on a fixed sight revolver, the Wondersight was a clever idea. Although there were provisions for other guns, the unit was most often installed on 5-screw Smith and Wessons. You removed the screw from the top of the revolver's side plate and replaced it with a new and longer one. This located an “L” shaped bracket that held the elevation and windage screws and the sight itself. It was a precisely made unit that came off just as easily as it went on—just in case you changed your mind. hollowpointmold.com