USFA Rodeo. Want to get it refinished

[bannockburn]

yugorpk

I think for the money Ford's is probably the best deal around plus it's a pretty fast turnaround too.

 

[yugorpk]

I kicked this around a bit. I'm comfortable stripping the bluing off myself and hand polishing the gun. That is the most labor intensive bit. I'm also comfortable taking the barrel out of the frame. I'm also comfortable building a CCH box and working with a kiln borrowed from my sister in law to case color/harden ( Its 4140 so "case harden" doesnt really apply ). I'm fine with all that and bluing and assembly and all that. Simple yet labor intensive stuff. Might cost me a few hundred buying some specialty stuff I'd use again anyway. Plus working int he shop keeps me out of the bars.

But I need a set of grips too. I am not fine with cutting ivory myself. So I gave Nutmeg sports a call this morning and i'm sending them the gun for a polish , Nickel plate and a set of Ivories...

And with that I'll call the part of my bonus I didnt give my wife gone.

 

[CraigC]

If you don't mind my asking, how much did they quote for the polish and plating?

 

[yugorpk]

I don't know yet. They want to have the gun in hand first to evaluate it. It not an unfired gun and has some marks Nothing I don't think with polish out with a light hand. Slight bolt stop marks and very slight drag line. Probably in the $600 range is my guess. If its too much I'll just have them do the grips and send it to Fords.

 

[horsemen61]

I bet it will look good when done

 

[Pilot]

I have a USFA Rodeo I bought about ten years ago for $450. It is a 4 5/8 barrel, .45 Colt. Great shooter. I had Longhunter tune it, and it is very smooth. USFA really screwed the pooch. I should have bought ten of them. Their SAA was a thing of beauty. Wish I had bought that too.

 

[bannockburn]

yugorpk

Welll whatever route you take with the refinishing, posting photos here on THR once you get it back are definitely required!

 

[yugorpk]

I will. Still kicking around doing the refinish myself. Bone charcoal CCH doesnt seem to be the most difficult process in the world. You just need a kiln which I have access to and a bucket of bone charcoal from Brownells. The bluing part is simple enough. If I go that route it would cost me about $400 total for tooling and supplies I don't have already . Thats about what Turnbull quoted me for CCH'ing the receiver and gate . I'm more concerned with getting the grips done right now as the looming ivory ban is coming. Im already having to do a little dance because the state I live it will not allow the grips to be "imported".

 

[yugorpk]

OK. Gun arrived at Nutmeg on Friday. They'll be polishing and Nickel plating it and adding a set of one piece ivories. $900 total.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Sounds fair, don't forget the before and after pics.

 

[Float Pilot]

I too did not know USFA went out of the SAA business. For years I have thought about re-finishing my Rodeo ( bought it for $425 around 1999 or 2000. ) It actually looks better now after being rubbed and oiled a few hundred times. My grip panels are fossilized bone.

Also have another USFA pre-war model. Both of mine were perfectly tuned and shot great right out of the box. Something that could not be said of my New Colts.

Well I can't get the Rodeo photo to show up tonight.... What the heck is going on with my computer......

 

[bannockburn]

yugorpk

Sounds like the perfect makings for a great looking BBQ gun!

 

[Float Pilot]

I understand that there are certain individuals in the COWS shooting game who will not allow the matte finished USFA Rodeos to compete due to the finish alone. The fact that they are a exact copy of the old Colts of that time period does not seem to count.

I suspect that a temporary coating of thinned spar varnish or clear fingernail polish might make the gun look glossy enough to simulate a new blue job. Plus it could later be removed with lacquer thinner or acetone.

I made grip panels out of some fossilized bone. I do not have them quite finished yet. I shot thme this weekend and they are so slippery that it is very hard to control the recoil. I do not know if I can engrave anything into this material . It is like working with stone.

 

[Wildfire]

USFA

It is not a Rodeo but, One of the last ones built by USFA.
.45 Colt with a .45 ACP cylinder.
I looked at the Colt but went with this USFA instead.
They did very nice work.

 

[DPris]

The Rodeos are not "exact" copies of any Colt "of that time period".
Denis

 

[yugorpk]

Personally I think Turnbull goes a little over the top on the case coloring.

I'm just not much of a dark revolver guy. Just about all of my revolvers except one Colt are stainless , nickel or on their way to being nickel.

 

[bannockburn]

Float Pilot

I wonder if you used something like Flitz on a matte finished Rodeo if it wouldn't "polish" it up and make it look more like a blued finish. I did it to a rifle I had that was refinished in something that resembled flat wrought iron black and the Flitz actually polished the finish, making it look more like a blued finish without removing any of the bluing.

Wildfire

That's some beautiful color case hardening there on your USFA single action!

 

[Dain Bramage]

The Rodeos are not "exact" copies of any Colt "of that time period".

I'm sure he meant "fairly decent copies given the changes in manufacturing, ammunition, metallurgy, labor costs, and tolerance for exposure to chemicals".

 

[yugorpk]

Ive got Colts and Ive got a mid production all US parts USFA. If the Colts could be as well built as the USFA I'd be a happy camper. Nothing wrong with the Colts I have its just the USFA is better timed and tighter fit. I'd say the perceived quality meter puts the USFA on top, the Colts close second and Italian jobs way down there. I used to have a great western and that thing was a club compared to even the Italians. The Italian guns would be more tunable and might even rival the others if it werent for those goofy safety contraptions they try to shoehorn in there.

The Rugers I didnt include because they are a different animal entirely but every single Ruger I have drops the bolt too early. WAY too early.

 

[DPris]

Dain,
You left out specs.
Denis

 

[Float Pilot]

BANNOCKBURN:

Oddly enough I tried shop-buffing the matte finish on my Rodeo yesterday. It did not work so swell because the metal itself is a bead-blast finish. So I just kept on buffing with various grades of compound until it was too late to turn back.
Now I have the cylinder buffed up to a half-way descent shine. The wife says I am burning up time on what should be a winter project.

( I SHOULD BE WORKING ON MY FLOATPLANE FOR THE SUMMER SEASON INSTEAD)

Anyway, I will blue the cylinder to see how it comes out and then follow up with the frame and barrel if it looks OK. I will use the torch and boiling water method with Mark Lee Blue

 

[Dain Bramage]

You left out specs.

Didn't the Navy find, when investigating accidental discharges with the 1908 pistol, that Colt "specs" were basically how the tooling jigs were set up?

 

[DPris]

Rodeo has a larger diameter cylinder, other parts are not to Colt specs.
Not all parts are easily interchangeable.

It's just not an exact copy of a vintage (or current) Colt.
Denis

 

[Float Pilot]

Since we are now jumping off the tracks:
Most US made USFA's had a .020" larger diameter cylinder (than all the Colts) with the exception of the Cavalry Model which is true to the original Colt cylinder dimensions. The Cavalry Model cylinders ( Old Armory Original from around 2008-2009) were sold by USFA as Colt replacement cylinders.

Here is my third generation Colt next to one of my USFA Pre-Wars. ( Black Powder style frame and cylinder rod release. ) The this 3rd Gen Colt ( shorter barrel ) is one of the earlier Colts 3rd gens without the internal cylinder bushing. It ( the 3rd Gen Colt ) does not have much in common with my older 2nd gen Colts.

 

[DPris]

A USFA Cavalry Model cylinder that can fit a Colt does not make the Rodeo an exact Colt copy.
Mine ain't.

Moving on.
Denis