When I sent Mike Bellm an old style Contender trigger group to be given a match grade trigger job back in February of '02, I offhandedly remarked about how curious I was regarding the Wyoming Stones that he sells. Well, along with getting back a trigger group with a true match grade pull in the ounces, Mike sent me a complimentary sample stone to try out, and so here is my report on the Bellm Wyoming Stone.

The Wyoming Stone is a naturally occurring stone that is typically linked with scorching water & volcanic activity.   Mike tells me that the stone is a natural mix of jade, feldspar, and quartz plus some alumina silicates, and that since this occurs in nature, the mix will vary somewhat depending upon the given sample.  Some Wyoming stones are nearly pure white, others have grey and brown streaks and hues, some are nearly black.  According to Mike, generally the whiter the stone the smoother it cuts.  Darker stones are a little more aggressive.  Also, as natural stones, they will often have some fracturing.

The stone Mike sent to me is of the whiter, finer variety, and of a size (1/4"x1"x 4") that is cut primarily for doing Contender trigger jobs. I have never seen any stone like it.

What I have found in my testing is that in addition to smoothing up the internal metal parts of a trigger group or action, these Wyoming Stones are EXCEPTIONAL for sharpening knives! Once you form an edge with your chosen method (file, stone, diamond lap etc) the Wyoming Stone puts an unbelievable razor edge on a knife!

I accomplished this razor edge by using a rougher stone or smooth file, and bringing various knives to a "wire edge, removing all the nicks and dings so that the wire edge is continuous the length of the blade (You know you have a wire edge when you can feel the edge curled over on the side opposite where you stoned it last).  After that I would stone it with the Wyoming Stone until I could not detect the wire edge from feeling along either side.  This new edge will actually shave hair.  If it does not, recheck the edge for any trace of the wire edge and stone it a little more.  It WILL easily shave the hair on your arms!

The Wyoming Stone does not seem to wear down quickly. I have done over a dozen knives with the stone Mike sent me, as well as various trigger group and other firearms related parts, and it shows little wear.

Wyoming Stones are Mikes "trade secret" to doing really smooth trigger jobs, and with one of his 1/4"x1"x 4" stones (only $5.00 last time I checked) you can do this yourself.

For best results I followed Mikes instructions and used the Wyoming Stone Dry.  It is easily cleaned with water and a dab of common detergent.

It is best NOT to oil the Wyoming Stone, or ANY sharpening stone for that matter, as oil traps metal filings and keeps them upon the surface, where they impede and dull your work.

The Wyoming Stone can also be cleaned up and trued with a flat carborundum stone or a diamond lap by simply rubbing the two together.

I unreservedly endorse these Wyoming Stones, and recommend them for your use!