1851 Conversion Problem

[Tallship]

One of my friends has this 38 Special conversion gun that he wanted me to take a look at. Here's the problem: the barrel wont come off the arbor. It goes to the end of the wedge slot and stops dead. Also, it won't twist on the arbor. Has anyone ever seen a gun like this before? It has absolutely no markings on it, not IT proof marks, nor Colt marks. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[duelist1954]

It might be an old American Frontier Firearms (AFF) conversion.

Here's how I've gotten conversion barrels off with the same problem.

1. Put a piece of leather between the clinder and the barrel assembly below the arbor.
2. Open the loading gate and take a piece of hardwood and put it against the rear of the cylinder.
3. Whack the wood sharply with a plastic mallet. A couple of whacks and you'll have it off and you can polish up the arbor where it was binding.

 

[duelist1954]

By the way, AFF was the first commercial conversion company in the mid-1990s. They had Armi San Marcos make the parts, but they were assembled and finished here in the USA...probably why there are no proof marks.

 

[Tallship]

Thanks, Duelist, that did the trick.

 

[CraigC]

How do the AFF's compare to newer Uberti-made conversions? Are they more like the problematic ASM's? I'm mainly interested because they're the only ones that ever offered a Richards Type I conversion and I believe I've seen them on `61 Navies as well.

Might be better to just get a new Uberti `61 and have a gated conversion with ejector installed along with a relined barrel.

 

[duelist1954]

Dave Anderson, who owned AFF, really screened the ASM parts so he could build quality guns. Ultimately the cost of rejected parts is what drove him out of business.

I have one of the earliest Cimarron ASM made Richards '60 Army conversions. Mine was actually one of the prototypes, and it is a real shooter, But I think current Uberti conversions are higher quality.

 

[CraigC]

Thanks Mike!

 

[Skinny 1950]

I wonder if the wedge is being driven into the end of the slot and peening it out making removal of the barrel difficult???