I done did it: ASM brass 1860 army “avenging angel”

1KPerDay

1KPerDay

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Since the grip frame size is wrong (navy size) and the brass frame is wrong (for an army) I decided to cut the barrel down to a Porter Rockwell tribute. I can’t cut a straight line with a hacksaw so it took a bit of filing and it’s still not right near the bottom, but I may just leave it since it definitely looks “unprofessional”.

now I need to decide if/how I want to figure out a front sight, and whether I want to try to age the finish. And maybe drill a hole on the bottom rear of the grip for a leather loop so I can hang it around my neck. LOL
 

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I like it!
I did an 1851 brasser like this. When I take BP guns out to shoot it goes with me. I think it will become a favorite for you as well.
D
 
1KPerDay said:
Since the grip frame size is wrong (navy size) and the brass frame is wrong (for an army) I decided to cut the barrel down to a Porter Rockwell tribute. I can’t cut a straight line with a hacksaw so it took a bit of filing and it’s still not right near the bottom, but I may just leave it since it definitely looks “unprofessional”.

now I need to decide if/how I want to figure out a front sight, and whether I want to try to age the finish. And maybe drill a hole on the bottom rear of the grip for a leather loop so I can hang it around my neck. LOL
Click to expand...


You might want to crown the barrel with brownell's tool. It would solve any potential issues from uneven barrel face.

Well, it would be a good thing for any pietta gun as they don't have a crown at all from factory so buying the tool under those circumstences might make sense (if you have more than one gun that needs the crown).

 
An alternative way to crown a barrel without dropping the change on the Brownell's tool is to get a large round head brass screw, chuck it in a drill, spread valve lapping compound on the head, and go to town "drilling" the screw head on the muzzle . I've done this before with great results (I originally re-crowned to fix my screw up, but it wound up shooting better than it did when I first got it). It's a slower method, but it shouldn't take long on the mild steel of that C&B barrel.

OP, given that it's an out of sorts gun not intending to replicate an original, I approve of your project!
 
5whiskey said:
An alternative way to crown a barrel without dropping the change on the Brownell's tool is to get a large round head brass screw, chuck it in a drill, spread valve lapping compound on the head, and go to town "drilling" the screw head on the muzzle . I've done this before with great results (I originally re-crowned to fix my screw up, but it wound up shooting better than it did when I first got it). It's a slower method, but it shouldn't take long on the mild steel of that C&B barrel.

OP, given that it's an out of sorts gun not intending to replicate an original, I approve of your project!
Click to expand...
Thanks! I've seen the brass screw/lapping compound method in a couple videos/posts. I wonder if it would be hard to find a .454+" diameter screw head. Mike Beliveau @duelist1954 just uses a round dremel grinding stone turned by hand in his "Remington bulldog" video. I imagine you just need to break the sharp edge.
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
As long as the barrel end is square you can hand turn a RCBS case chamfer tool to make a recessed crown, main thing is keep the cut even and smooth. This has worked for me on half a dozen pistols as well a Ruger Old Army that has bore pitting and a damaged muzzle. It's now one of my most accurate pistols.
Click to expand...
Yeah the barrel end isn’t square. I’m thinking of trying to find a disc sander
 
Hello 1KPerDay,

When I cut down my 1851, I set it upside down on a parallel bar in the Mill Vise,
with shim stock on the muzzle end to compensate for the taper.
Then just ran an end mill across the muzzle.
For the crown, I just used a countersink and cut just the lands by hand.
I'm not sure if the 1860 has a taper, not very knowledgeable on the 1860.
If it's straight, you could square it up with a belt sander checking for squareness.

AntiqueSledMan.
 
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