The Ptarmigun
The Ptarmigun
For over twenty years one of my most enjoyable fall pastimes was taking to Alaska’s mountains in search of trophy Dall rams, and grizzly, brown, or black bears.
My method was to take a rugged pack frame, strap a rifle onto one side, and fill it with necessary gear, including food for up to three weeks. This was no ultra-lightweight outfit. I actually added weight as years went by as I determined things necessary for safety in all weather and terrain conditions. I ended up with a pack weighing over 90#s leaving the road. This sounds very heavy, but since I often found myself twenty miles or more away from my pickup truck, I needed every item. I didn’t go fast, but I could go long distances and return safely. The last three week trip I was on I covered over 120 miles.
On a solo hunt I couldn’t afford the extra weight of a .22 caliber handgun, which would have been useful to take ptarmigan, spruce grouse, snowshoe hares, or maybe even a marmot to augment my backpacking diet. Opportunities came often enough I began thinking of a super lightweight pistol or revolver to take along.
Harrington & Richardson made a lightweight .22LR revolver called the ‘Trapper’, but they had been long out of production and difficult to find at a reasonable price. Another idea was to take a single shot Colt derringer and customize it with a longer barrel. The Colt had the same problems as the H&R. Off to my library for some research.
It didn’t take me long to encounter the North American Arms mini revolvers. Of perfect size and weight, they were so tiny as to be almost impossible to shoot accurately at small game distances. Hmmm. What if I added a much longer barrel, then built a new set of large grips similar to the H&R Trapper?
After purchasing a NAA mini revolver in .22LR, I removed its short original barrel. Using a 6” piece of stainless Ruger 10-22 barrel I had laying around, I threaded and contoured it to fit properly.
I was concerned if I made the grips completely from walnut, they might split out if I dropped my now larger, heavier mini revolver. The pair of grips I eventually made are of figured black walnut laminated onto linen Micarta. Making them was quite time consuming, to say the least. They appear huge compared to the revolver itself, but actually aren’t. They give good control for steady and accurate aim. Of course, there had to be some engraving added! I named it the ‘Ptarmigun’.
I sighted it in using .22 Short ammunition. The little revolver and 10-15 rounds of .22S weigh almost nothing. It has successfully bagged grouse, ptarmigan, and hare while I was on hunts for larger game. It’s a useful, unique, and interesting handgun.
