Conversion For home Defense

[edggy]

(Jim Watson) I'am curious. why do you feel the originals are better then the
Repro. Revolvers ( Don't get me wrong I would Love to have a original. But not to fire) and why do you refer the Repro. as novelties or oddballs. I thought all things improve as time went on. Please share some information and some of your own experience's on the above leading up to your comments. Thank You

 

[sjohns]

C&B revolver owners are I believe 1/3 kitchen table gunsmith and 2/3 gunslingers.

I like my toys.
If I could get the rest of the world to agree that they are toys, then I could carry anywhere I felt like it.
Parafornia NEEDS people carrying their toys...

 

[Old Fuff]

edggy:

I'm not Jim, and I don't pretend to be...

But anyway, back in the 1940's and 50's before the reproduction cap & ball revolvers came along all we had to shoot were the original 19th century guns...

And shoot them we did.

In those days one could buy an original 1849 Pocket model, or 1851 Navy and 1860 Army, as well as a "New Model" Remington for about what a top of the line replica costs to day. Those that were in good mechanical shape and had clean, sharp bores and chambers - but little finish - made good and affordable shooters. In my experience, the bore/chamber dimensions were held better (some if not many reproductions have chambers that are smaller then the bore) and more attention was paid to timing the lockwork. On Colt's for example the hammer would come all of the way back to the backstrap before the trigger engaged the full-cock notch, and that's important because it positions the rear sight on the hammer nose lower so the revolver didn't shoot so high above the point of aim.

In fairness to the current makers, they had to go through a learning curve and each year the best lines seem to improve. The quality gap - if there is one - is getting smaller, and the steel they use is better that that of the middle 1800's. Can't say that about the grade of walnut they use for stocks though...

I don't see the replicas as "novelties or oddballs" but rather a wonderful addition to one's shooting experience. I would warn those that are now converting these cap & ball guns to modern metalic cartridge that the guns themselves are proofed for black, not nitro (smokeless) powder, and are intended to be used with black powder only. Yes, in either cap & ball or cartridge versions they can be used as a personal defense weapon, but they are far from my first choice for this purpose.

 

[sundance44s]

sundance44s

OldFluff.... What ya have to think about is the main reason a lot of us here would chose our cap and ballers and conversion guns for home defence .. speaking for myself ..i have the 38`s 9mm`s 22mags all in my gun safe quietly sleeping ...But my Remington 44`s get a work out at least once a week and have been for the past 4 years .. i just got bord with the modern guns and the powder that goes pop instead of BOOM !!! and i`ve never shot a modern pistol auto loader or wheel gun that would shoot as well as my Remmies .. the main reason i got bord with them .. couldn`t hit a nats azz with `em .. with my Remmies i can i can hit a pop top at 25 yards more than once... and i was probally born under that star that makes a single action pistol fit me like a pair of old boots ... yep i like old trucks , old guns , old women , old wiskey , old dogs..and good old horses .. had i been born under a different star .. i might shoot a Block , and drive a mini van ..

 

[Jim Watson]

Edggy,

Fuff covered my ground pretty well.
My CAS Pocket Pistol is a S&W Model 2 Second issue made in the 1880s. It was the Chief's Special of its day and is well made by any standard, including the stuff coming out of the same factory now. Never mind the Eyetalian imports.

Sundance,

It is well enough for you and the other enthusiasts to talk about well set up repros for self defense, but to quote the original post "But I want something different." That is not my idea of the way to go. The only way I would depend on my SAA, Model 2, or L.D. conversion is if I were attacked on my way to or from a CAS match. And then I'd probably get out the antique scattergun or Winchester.

 

[edggy]

(Thank You) Jim Watson & Old Fuff For the info on this topic) I'll keep it in
mind. Jim Watson my quote was just a reference to my Revolver and nothing more. Which soon will have a drop in cylinder. (Jim Watson) Your preference's are obvious and very clear. (Old Fuff) I just bought a couple of boxes of Black Hill Cowboy Ammo in*smokeless powder. I know you can also buy cowboy loads with BP. Do I need to be concern. All this loads should be under 850FPS.

 

[edggy]

UPS just brought my cylinder) and fits and works perfect. This weekend I'll
take the revolver to my Dad's Farm and try it out.

 

[Old Fuff]

Sundance44s:

Everyone has a right to make their own choices, and that includes you.

But we have a lot of folks who follow this forum that don't have your experience, and therefor both the pro's and con's of any issue should be fully laid out. As a rule I don't think cap & ball revolvers (or conversions of same) are the best way for most people to go for personal defense.

But for every rule there are always exceptions...

Edggy:

Cowboy loads should be fine. That what these conversions are expected to be used with. Also I suspect your revolver has a .454" bore, and the bullets are most likely sized to .452", which will probably reduce the pressure slightly. I would avoid loads with jacketed bullets, or labeled "Plus P."

As I understand it you are converting a replica Colt Dragoon to .45 Colt. If so, remember that the only thing holding the gun together is a key (wedge) through a slot in the front of the basepin. So keep an eye on that slot to be sure cracks don't develop in the corners. Not likely, but possible.

 

[edggy]

Thank You)

 

[The Sicilian]

I tried my third Generation Colt 1860 today properly (New hammer and trigger is now installed). It felt really good in my hands and shot the holy black very nicely, but man does it shoot high! The fit and finish is excellent, definitely better craftmenship than either Ubeti or Pietta (they use Uberti parts but are not built by Uberti, they were made by the same guy who did the second generation Colts back in the seventies, I think his name was Frank Imperato or something similar). It shoot very strong and felt way different then my 1858, very nice all around, except for the high POI. I'll have to do something about that. I already filed the notch a bit, opened it up some, but that isn't gonna cure the thing from shooting so high. I guess I'll have to send it to Jule so he can dovetail and install a new front sight. May as well let him go to town on it. I also noticed that there isn't much clearence on getting a ball into the chamber. You have to drop the ball in almost underneath the frame, that is really the only other weakness I could find in the whole design. Other than those two things it is very nice.

I guess altering it will affect the value of the revolver but I didn't buy it ot make money on it at a later date. I bought it to turn it into an awesome shooter. By the way, I dished out the leftside of my 1858's trigger guard so my trigger finger wasn't being rubbed raw everytime I pulled the trigger ( because of the serious edge on the brass guard). Now it fits like a glove! I wonder why I've never seen this done on other guns? It seems like it would make a lot of sense to do and it makes shooting the gun for long periods much more enjoyable. Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one to think of such a simple modification that makes such a big difference in comfort...Am I?

The Sicilian.