OFFICIAL Open Top (1871/72) Thread (post pictures here)

[Hoof Hearted]

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I have thought about doing this for a while.
Over on "The High Road" there are OFFICIAL threads for the different models so I am going to do the same thing here.
Many of us like to show off our pistols and this will give us a place to do so w/o "hijacking" our pards threads

Rules are simple with "no axe grinding" taking precedence, followed by "stick to the topic" (no other models posted, please), then if you want to stray off topic, please search for like posts and/or start one of your own.........

Thanks, HH

[Hoof Hearted]

Here are my THREE ASM's



The one in the center is rollmarked as "Address American Frontier U.S.A."



These were assembled by Dave Anderson with parts he contracted with ASM to manf.



You can see that they had blued steel grip frames and the ASM's had silver plated brass grip frames.
There is also real Color Case on the AFF 72 and much nicer blue!
(ASM grip below)



I want to correct my post above as I only have one AFF 72 Open Top and I have two ASM's
(I got confused in my foggy old memory )


HH

[RickB]

Really nice Hoof. Great guns. Thanks for posting the pics and info.

[Major 2]

I'll need to get one ( well, I should say another one )

I allowed my 45 Schofield OT to go...when I traded

[Long Johns Wolf]

My Hege Uberti 1871-72 from 2003, .44 Colt cal. Unfortunately, she is beefed up!
Thanks to Hoof Hearted I understand now that the ASM and Dave Anderson OTs are closer to the originals in the dimensional dept.
But how about the gas ring? Do the ASM and DA OTs have an integrated or separate gas ring?
Long Johns Wolf

[Long Johns Wolf]

Another view of this Uberti OT!
Long Johns Wolf

[santee]

Nice ones being posted! Hoof, the lighter wood grips...what wood are they? One looks a little like mesquite.

[Hoof Hearted]

My Hege Uberti 1871-72 from 2003, .44 Colt cal. Unfortunately, she is beefed up!
Thanks to Hoof Hearted I understand now that the ASM and Dave Anderson OTs are closer to the originals in the dimensional dept.
But how about the gas ring? Do the ASM and DA OTs have an integrated or separate gas ring?
Long Johns Wolf

All three are built like this:



In the next two pics I have placed the gas ring on the cylinder and then the barrel so you can see how it works:

[Hoof Hearted]

Nice ones being posted! Hoof, the lighter wood grips...what wood are they? One looks a little like mesquite.

Boy do I know about Mesquite (thorns that is)!
I really have no idea as it is the stock wood. The pics make all those grips a bit lighter than they really are......

[Long Johns Wolf]

Thanks HH.
Can you let me have the diameters of the ASM and DH OT cylinders, please?
Long Johns Wolf

[Six Gun Saint]

I've been interested in Open Tops for a while, but was turned off when I heard they some times have issue with the forcing cone cracking on a .45LC.

Any truth behind this claim, and any solution to the problem?  (Reason I'm asking is, the rifle I'm going to be getting is .45LC, and it's just a far sight easier to have one ammo type-no, it's not by CHOICE, it's what my mate has that he's selling and I can afford)

[Flint]

My Opentiops, Uberti.  Barrels and cylinders for 44, 45 and 38.

[Hoof Hearted]

Now that's a set!

You need a fitted wooden case for all that

[Justician]

Here are my opentops. My two match revolvers and my spare (which has a square triggerguard and Man with No Name barrel added).

[buckskin billy]

Here are my opentops. My two match revolvers and my spare (which has a square triggerguard and Man with No Name barrel added).

hmm as i rub my chin. a open top with a man with no name barrel. my open tops might be in for a face lift. that man with no name barrel available from vti?

[Justician]

Chris at Cimarron found two barrels on the shelves. With the loading lever and other parts, I could only afford one at that time. Don't know if they still have the one or if they have gotten others in.

I'ts fun to shoot but it shoots really high. I will probably add a new sight to bring it down.

Justician

[Slamfire]

Alright!!! please explain to me, ( one more time) the differance between 71's & 72's, and it looks like the cylenders
& barrles can be changed out pretty easly(?). From what i'v been reading a 38 spl.s,have less problems, and i think they are better than a 9mm( just my opion). I think the 71-72 are cool as my 75's sure like the looks of them.

[santee]

I've posted before. Screwed up this grip from too much sanding. Now I have replacement walnut grip from VTI that is stained and linseed oiled.

[Justician]

I've posted before. Screwed up this grip from too much sanding. Now I have replacement walnut grip from VTI that is stained and linseed oiled.

Santee, I've done that a couple of times myself. It looks good.

Alright!!! please explain to me, ( one more time) the differance between 71's & 72's, and it looks like the cylenders
& barrles can be changed out pretty easly(?). From what i'v been reading a 38 spl.s,have less problems, and i think they are better than a 9mm( just my opion). I think the 71-72 are cool as my 75's sure like the looks of them.

hootmix, the 71/72 opentop is similar to the Richards and Richards-Mason. It has a wedge to attach the barrel, although it is held in solely by a screw and doesn't have a wedge spring. The other differences are that it has a gas ring to help prevent fouling and it has a full length cylinder with no need for a conversion ring (since it was designed to shoot cartridges).

The orignials were chambered in .44 Henry rimfire.  I suspect that it would have sold much better if it had also been chambered in .44 Colt and .44 Russian. Fortunately, the modern repos are available in .38 Special, the new .44 Colt, .44 Special and .45 Colt. So yes, you can easliy expand your repertoire by adding cylinders and barrels in the above calibers. Some recommend that you may want to get wedges for each barrel. I've yet to have to do so. They offer great versitility without having to twist barrels out of a frame.

For me the only competition is an 1860 with a Richards conversion (of which Santa is bringing me two).

Justician

[Six Gun Saint]

Right, so...  I'll assume that since no one touched the question about the forcing cones, either A) it's false, or 2) it's not worth bringing up.

The THIRD option is the fella what told me that don't know anything anyway.  Oh well!

[Slamfire]

A big thank you to ya justician. I 'v sure been drool'n over all these on the forum, i'v told the wife she really need's a 71-72 in .38 spl. less noise & recoil( ya'll beliv'in this,,,,,right) than my 75 44/40.





      Hootnix

[Justician]

Right, so...  I'll assume that since no one touched the question about the forcing cones, either A) it's false, or 2) it's not worth bringing up.

The THIRD option is the fella what told me that don't know anything anyway.  Oh well!

The people I shoot with either have opentops in .38 or .44, so forcing cone cracking has not been an issue. I have read several discussions here as to why the .45 might have problems. Basically it seems like chambering for the .45 removes too much metal. That said, I know forum discussions that there are several who shoot the opentop in .45.

A big thank you to ya justician. I 'v sure been drool'n over all these on the forum, i'v told the wife she really need's a 71-72 in .38 spl. less noise & recoil( ya'll beliv'in this,,,,,right) than my 75 44/40.

      Hootnix

Your most welcome. My wife thinks my .38 opentops are too heavy. She shoots Cimarron Lightnings instead.

Justician

[Six Gun Saint]

The people I shoot with either have opentops in .38 or .44, so forcing cone cracking has not been an issue. I have read several discussions here as to why the .45 might have problems. Basically it seems like chambering for the .45 removes too much metal. That said, I know forum discussions that there are several who shoot the opentop in .45.


Your most welcome. My wife thinks my .38 opentops are too heavy. She shoots Cimarron Lightnings instead.

Justician

My good sir, you rock.  Thank you!  Conformation was what I was looking for, and it's what I've found...  Kindly sucks a bit, surely, since I will be using .45LC-just probably won't go with Open Tops...  Maybe later, as a backup set, in a different caliber-because they are LOVELY!

[Hoof Hearted]

I would think (and I'm pretty sure this has been discussed before) that if you were to visually inspect the forcing cone area of a prospective Uberti 45 OT barrel. You could see if the forcing cone was reamed too deeply, causing it to become thin in the area prone to cracking. I would venture to say that this has, occaisionally been the culprit in these "cracking" reports.

HH

[buckskin billy]

here are my two .44 colt  71-72 open tops and my nearly completed jesse james holsters i've been working on for about 6 months.



the gun on the bottom saved my life from a thug about a year ago.