Just curious, but what would be involved in making a Pietta repro butt look more like a G&G angled butt? The repros all have the flat butt like a colt 1851 but the originals had a butt that angled up a bit rather than running parallel to the barrel.
kBob
Funny you should mention that! That would be one very nice historical nod to the original guns.
I have a Pietta G&G (CN/2015), the first year of manufacture with the newer style gripframe profile. I have thought about that on occasion and believe I have come up with two possible ways to accomplish this.
The first way would not involve buying any additional parts. Disassemble the gripframe assembly (backstrap, trigger guard, and wood) and determine what angle you want. Make a complete hacksaw cut where the rear of the backstrap joins the bottom of the backstrap. Remove whatever amount of brass needed from the end of the rear and fit the bottom to the rear, filing as needed, braze the two pieces together, and then file the joint smooth. Modify the bottom of the trigger guard angle where it meets the bottom of the backstrap. You will most likely have to enlarge the screw hole in the bottom of the backstrap slightly to accommodate the change of angle. Next, the wood will have to be re-contoured/refinished to fit where the changes were made.
The second way would involve buying a Pietta 1860 Army trigger guard and 1860 Army wood. The 1860 Army trigger guard is longer than the 1851 Navy, but both use the same mainspring. The difference between the the two is where the mainspring attachment screw is located. As above, disassemble the gripframe assembly and determine what angle you want. Heat the area of the backstrap where the rear and bottom are with a torch and bend down the bottom of the backstrap to what angle you want. Determine how much of the trigger guard bottom needs to be removed and get the appropriate angle. By that time there will be nothing left of the screw hole on the bottom of the trigger guard, so drill and tap the trigger guard for the backstrap attachment screw. Recontour/refinish the 1860 wood where changes were made.
I am just putting this out as possible scenarios, and I have not done it.
An original G&G.
IMO, that modification is going to take a lot of time, work, and expense. Here's the kicker: the Pietta G&G backstrap has a shoulder stock aperture which the historical G&G never had. In 2016 I found (VTI) a brass Pietta 1851 backstrap with no aperture and installed it on my G&G. I guess they are out there but that is the only one I have ever seen.
Good luck with your endeavors!
Regards,
Jim
