Author Topic: C&B question  (Read 2491 times)

Offline LongWalker

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C&B question
« on: August 19, 2017, 09:16:24 PM »
Years ago, I regularly shot a parted-together "original" 1860 Colt, and a similar 3rd model Dragoon.  They both got swapped off in fits of gun-lust for some now-forgotten piece I thought I couldn't live without. 

Over the next year or two I'd like to replace them with repros, ifI can find ones without the usual problems of reproductions.  The whole "harden the internals, fix the arbor, fix the timing/lock-up, etc" just leaves me cold.  I'm thinking I'll probably be looking at 2nd-gen Colts, but are there other reproductions I should consider?  Ideally, the dragoon would be set up for a shoulder stock (not that I plan to use one, but I really appreciate the barrel-mounted rear sight). 

Thanks!
In my book a pioneer is a man who turned all the grass upside down, strung bob-wire over the dust that was left, poisoned the water, cut down the trees, killed the Indian who owned the land and called it progress.  Charles M. Russell

Offline Pettifogger

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Re: C&B question
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2017, 11:14:19 PM »
2nd Gen Colts are made from Uberti parts and suffer the same tuning needs as current production Ubertis.  There are basically only two choices: Uberti and Pietta.  Ubertis are prettier but Piettas are easier to tune.

Offline Coffinmaker

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Re: C&B question
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2017, 03:14:10 PM »
PLUS ONE to Pettifogger.

I personally think "hardening the internals" is a bit over the shark.  Uberti and 2d Gen Colts will require fixing the Arbor.  May or may not require timing.  Pietta are easier to set up but will also require some work for ultimate reliability.

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Re: C&B question
« Reply #3 on: Today at 08:16:41 PM »

Offline Long Johns Wolf

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Re: C&B question
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2017, 03:56:25 AM »
My 2 €-Cents: regarding he 1860 replacement I'd strive to find a well maintained Belgian Centaure "1960 NEW MODEL ARMY".
They were not produced since 1973 but in good condition they are in the same price bracket as the 2nd gen Colts.
From the factory, however, they came with harder steel, bottomed arbors and rifling groove diameters adjusted to chamber diameters.
Long Johns Wolf
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Offline LongWalker

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Re: C&B question
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2017, 04:14:22 PM »
Thanks for the responses, guys!

Pettifogger, Coffinmaker--sounds like it might be a matter of the individual specimen rather than the maker?  Most of my past experience with repros was with Uberti, but I had five or six Piettas over the years (and a couple ASMs, when they were the only Walkers I could find). 

Soft parts was always my pet peeve. My "original" franken-dragoon went 5,000 rounds without parts failures, but the repro's parts would be worn out before then.  (Of course, a hammer for the dragoon cost as much as I paid for the repros. . . .)

Long Johns Wolf, in the (let's see. . . put-down-six-and-carry-two. . . ) 37 years I've been shooting c&b revolvers (oh man, I'm getting old), I've seen a total of _2_ Centaures.  One was the donor gun for my franken-1860 (some yayhoo blew the cylinder with a charge of white powder, but the bolt and backstrap were intact).  The other was the match pistol of a guy who used to regularly out-shoot me.  It had a lot of features to recommend it, but I know he put some work into tuning it.  Heat-treatment of the internals was spot-on, but he had the cylinder reamed to take a larger ball, and did some barrel work.  I'll definitely keep an eye out for one though--thanks for the reminder!
In my book a pioneer is a man who turned all the grass upside down, strung bob-wire over the dust that was left, poisoned the water, cut down the trees, killed the Indian who owned the land and called it progress.  Charles M. Russell

 

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