The MIGHTY PEN CO .45-110 Sharps "Quigley" Pen Review

[mhphoto]

Hello there, folks! Today I'll be reviewing a brand new pen from The MIGHTY PEN Co., helmed by HMFIC (Doug, to those in the know), maker and purveyor of fine writing instruments, several of which I've review here before (.30-06/.308 Cross-style twist pen and .300 WM/WSM Parker-style twist pen). Well, I now have the honor of review this new pen, first announced by the MPC in the January Giveaway thread.

FYI, in the above shots the copper model looks as if it has a dent in the cartridge. It does not. Behind the camera is a gazebo thats reflection is being contorted, and the effect is accentuated by the angle of the polarizer I use for all my shots.

The new pen features a .45-110 Sharps ("Quigley") cartridge as the body. It comes in It's features a rear twist mechanism, which operates both ways, with the middle position keeping the refill in its locked and upright position. Move the rear section tot he left or right to extend the writing tip. The pen can be broken down into four pieces: the body/rear section, the tip section, the refill spring, and the refill itself. Speaking of refills, let's talk ink.

The fit and finish on these pens is, as always with the MPC's products, excellent. All pieces fit together perfectly and without gaps or wiggles, and the exteriors are well finished. The clips are strong, curved, and the perfect length.

The clips are strong, curved, and the perfect length. The .45-110 "Quigley" cartridge is fairly long, and is rimmed, though the rim doesn't affect holding the pen at all. If anything it makes it a bit more handsome. The tip and rear sections are well finished. The black version is deep and defect free, and the copper version is shiny saturated. Both versions of the pen weigh 1.7 ounces (47 grams). The total length of the pens is 4.84 inches (123 mm), and the barrel is just shy of a half an inch in diameter. The clip is 40 mm long.

 

[mhphoto]

Supplied with the pen is a Parker ballpoint refill. The line it lays down is comparable to how a Fisher Space Pen line looks, though it does require a bit more pressure to do so. You can easily switch out the ballpoint refill for a compatible rollerball or gel one. Gel pens are unique in their chemistry and use a mixture of the more common ballpoint and rollerball features. Ballpoints use a viscous, oil-based ink where the color is made up of dyes dissolved in the ink. Rollerballs, as many of you might know, write much smoother than ballpoints. In many ways rollerballs are simply fountain pens in ballpoint form. In contrast to ballpoints, rollerballs use a thin, water-based ink, but still get its color from dye. Rollerballs require much less force to get the ink onto the paper at the cost of drying time. Gel pens are a subsidiary, if you will, of rollerballs. The ink is gelled instead of liquid, and suspended pigments are used instead of dissolved dyes. The use of pigments is why you see so many vibrant colors in gel pens that can't be produced with rollerball or ballpoint inks. But gel pens aren't without their faults. They're slow to dry once on paper, just like rollerballs. And they can be, well, globby once in a while.

The refill is changed by unscrewing the tip section. Inside you'll find the familiar Parker ballpoint refill.

Comfort-wise, this pen is incredibly comfortable. It sits naturally in my grip and is perfectly balanced-not top or bottom heavy. The twist action of the tail is smooth, and notches into place going both ways. One handed operation is easy, as is the action of clipping the pen into a pocket. You'd be surprised how many pens have sturdy, well-made clips but are damn near impossible to clip into a pocket on the first time (talkin' 'bout you, Embassy Pen&#8230.

Also to note is that there is nothing else like this pen on the market, speaking to the use of .45-110 case. I scoured the vast series of internet tubes and couldn't find any other pens using this round as a parent case.

Here's how the .45-110 pen stacks up against some other pens in the MIGHTY PEN lineup:

And here are the pens compared to some others on the market. Left to right: the two .45-110 Sharps, the two .30-06/.308s, Cross Century, Sheaffer Intensity, Pilot G2, the Embassy Pens, and the .300 WM.

Overall this is a fantastic pen. I've run into no problem, quirks, or otherwise annoying things while using it. It functions perfectly, feels good in the hand, slides easily into pockets, and uses a common refill. As I mentioned in a previous review, the only thing I really want to see with these is the MIGHTY PEN Co. logo either etched, engraved, lasered, or stamped onto the pen, but I've been told this is coming at some point. For anyone who's into older cartridges, especially Sharps rifles, this would be a great addition to their collection. For the rest of it, it would make a great pen.

And as a bonus, here is my lovely wife wearing some MPC Earrings in the flavor of .38 S&W.

 

[HiredHand]

That looks sweet!

 

[flatwins]

45/110. Nice! Back in the day there was 50/110 and maybe even a 50/120. That'd make a nice, fat pen. Nice work and nice photos!

As a fan of the .38 S&W cartridge, I can appreciate those earrings.

 

[shelshy]

Man, Now I have even more pens on my list to get from Doug! Those are pretty slick!

 

[ez bake]

Very nice looking pen! One more to put "on the list" of things Doug makes that I have to own.

 

[mhphoto]

Here's something I forgot to post with the review. A collection of some different pen refills: