Snubbie 60 build..... "Sinister" model

[Hoof Hearted]

This is what happens when it gets cold and yer pistols have too much time to play in the dark safe!



I used a Pietta 1860 and did some modifications to the barrel and the rammer lug.
Of course the "Army" grip had to go and the '51 Pietta grip had to be reshaped a bunch.



My "secret" Old time finish, reshaping of the hammer and fine checkering.



Sorry Walt for the "other guy" conversion cylinder.....It seemed right in this pistol.

[Major 2]

I have got to get or build one of these.

[Paladin UK]

Nah!!!!!!!!!!! Dont Like it!!!!!!!!!!!







  I LURVE IT
Paladin (whats gettin out his hacksaw ) UK

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[Hoof Hearted]

OK

Question for all of you:

Should I put a front sight on it?
I have been agonizing over this and have done a bunch of research..........seems many didn't get one put on after their "chopping". I'm thinking about half an early (1870's) dime. I actually have already purchased the dime and have installed them before, I just can't make up my mind..............aarrgghh!

By the way it shoots fine at 10 paces

HH

[Short Knife Johnson]

Not too shabby of a job.

I have seen pictures of such pistols being turned into hoglegs, but probably not so neatly.  Come to think of it, there was not much use for a front sight.

[Major 2]

I'd vote not, it has a clean sinister look..it's a belly gun not really a target pistol

However, here is a photo of one with a sight...hmmmm 

 yeah! I'm still with not 

[Hoof Hearted]

Major2

Although the "half a dime" front sight looks waaay better than that one.....I'm of the same opinion as you!
Notice that the pistol in your pic has the same length barrel as mine but my reshaping of the "rammer lug" area gives the pistol a completely different look?

I like the term"sinister".....might have to call it that

[Long Johns Wolf]

How do you like this FROCS Special with the 4" barrel and original front sight. Made from a Centaure following the lines of their Pocket Army from the 1960s.
The 3rd gen Colt Trapper is for comparison.
Long Johns Wolf

[Hoof Hearted]

Long John

That's pretty neat!
Interesting way to shorten the rammer lug area.........

What does FROC stand for?

HH

[Long Johns Wolf]

HH: FROCS Friends of the Centaure Society = www.1960nma.org. Check Models & Variations page, 5th or Pocket Army Model.
"How to" instructions for a FROCS Special with the mandatory and optional modifications are available per PM.
Long Johns Wolf

[Major 2]

Wolf sent me his fine and detailed schematic on the Centaur.... 

I plan to kind of retain the flowing shape of the 60 more in line with yours Hoof.

I've considered a donor barrel for my 2nd gen. But I think I want to do complete donor gun .

[Jamie]

Wow!  That has got to be the slickest "chop job" I've ever seen!  I had a hard time using the term "chop job" because it degrades the finesse so obviously lavished on this project.  So many aspects are subtle, but add to the whole in such a way that comparing it to a normal 1860 that has had it's barrel cut back is completely inadequate.  By that I mean that relative to adding a front sight, I don't think that looking at a normal cut down '60 with a front sight doesn't give a real picture of what this would look like at all.  The shorter grip frame of the '51 and the new hammer spur streamline the gun to a remarkable extent, I'm not sure which does the most, but together - gorgeous!  I would suggest - as if you haven't thought of this already I'm sure - that you cut a dime, and masking-tape it to the barrel for a good look-see.  You could even darken the barrel part of the tape with black marker, and silver tone the tape on the dime, which would allow you to handle the gun a bit, check out the angles, etc. in a way that would give you a more realistic idea of how it would really end up looking. It wouldn't hold for shooting, I'm sure, but as I said, it would give a good idea about how it would really look.  If this sounds a little wacky, you've got to realize that I believe that the 1860 Colt is the most beautiful handgun built - the lines just flow.  And like customizing an already gorgeous muscle car, it's the subtleties that really make it come together.  Just a thought..
Jamie

[Hoof Hearted]

Ok Jamie...........

Now I'm just blushing!

This was one of those projects where I took a pistol on trade from somewhere that had been "hack sawed" into a snubby.
Then using my experience from previous projects decided to clean up the barrel and put it back on the wall. Over time I thought I could improve on it so I started working on the rammer lug area. Well that turned into what I used to tell people when I was specializing in 1911 work, "don't worry about the barrel, it's the grip that prints" (meaning long grips are hard to conceal). So I fitted a left over Navy grip frame, and of course, The Pietta frame has that odd "straightness" in the backbone and that "trumpet" at the bottom so I had to do my magic there (I've done at least 30 of them now). Next issue is the hammer. Now I am of the impression that Cap & Ball hammers are straight up like that to increase your leverage over the necessary stiff mainspring. Well that is no longer needed 'cause it's got a cartridge cylinder, so I started messing with the hammer. Recontouring is necessary because when you bend them (and where you bend them) they are too thick and always "pinch out" to the side. Actually I think I bent and "recontoured" this one three times before I was satisfied! The rest was just my popular "aged" look antiqueing................

I am a step or two ahead of you with the dime front sight. The best way to get a sense of what they look like is to carve one out for a left over piece of barrel (makes good practice too).
I keep a few old 1880's dimes for this kind of work and just don't think one is necessary for this pistol. Shooting it at normal engagement distances it keeps all five shots "minute of man" and nicely centered without a sight! I do think they look proper on a barrel in the 4 to 5 inch length (like on an 1877 Colt DA).

Thanks for the kudos!
HH

Wow!  That has got to be the slickest "chop job" I've ever seen!  I had a hard time using the term "chop job" because it degrades the finesse so obviously lavished on this project.  So many aspects are subtle, but add to the whole in such a way that comparing it to a normal 1860 that has had it's barrel cut back is completely inadequate.  By that I mean that relative to adding a front sight, I don't think that looking at a normal cut down '60 with a front sight doesn't give a real picture of what this would look like at all.  The shorter grip frame of the '51 and the new hammer spur streamline the gun to a remarkable extent, I'm not sure which does the most, but together - gorgeous!  I would suggest - as if you haven't thought of this already I'm sure - that you cut a dime, and masking-tape it to the barrel for a good look-see.  You could even darken the barrel part of the tape with black marker, and silver tone the tape on the dime, which would allow you to handle the gun a bit, check out the angles, etc. in a way that would give you a more realistic idea of how it would really end up looking. It wouldn't hold for shooting, I'm sure, but as I said, it would give a good idea about how it would really look.  If this sounds a little wacky, you've got to realize that I believe that the 1860 Colt is the most beautiful handgun built - the lines just flow.  And like customizing an already gorgeous muscle car, it's the subtleties that really make it come together.  Just a thought..
Jamie

[Jamie]

With what I see in my imagination, I've got to agree with you.  Anything that interrupts the sleekness would be offensive.  Again, it's all about subtleties but then again, that's what custom work is all about anyway when you come down to it.  Again, WOW!  Thanks for sharing! 
Jamie

[brpc]

Major 2

Does the ejection rod(?) shown in the photo attach to the pistol in some manner?

[Major 2]

No sir...  it's a ball seater, the gun is still a C&B

[Paladin UK]

Fer LJW....

That 3rd gen Colt Trapper .... 



That barrel looks way high and out of alignment!!
Is it just the angle the piccie is taken at?

Paladin (Whats kinda nosey curious ) UK

[Sgt.Jake]

  Paladin    I think from looking at the picture,the  cylinder flute is lined up with the barrel causing that look. I could be wrong,after enlarging the picture Im sure that is the case.           Adios  Sgt.Jake

[Long Johns Wolf]

Paladin & Sgt. Jake: for the pic the hammer of the Police was resting on the safety pin not on the cup of the nipple. Hence the "strange" look.
When I took the pic my objectives were to document
# the diffence in size of the 2 snubbies
# the different contour of front area of barrel lug
Long Johns Wolf

[Paladin UK]

Fer LJW.........

Yep!! I can see that now, I put my Uberti `62 Police mid chamber `n` looks jest the same!!




Paladin (What lurvs his 1862  ) UK