CAS rules concerning Snub Nose Revolvers?

[Waterloo St. Clair]

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Are there any restrictions on barrel length in CAS?  I just finished chopping an 1858 to a snub nose and want to use it.  I've never seen anyone else using one so I was curious if there were any rules against it?

[Marshal Will Wingam]

How did you get the loading lever to stay up? I like that better than the spring clip ones that are available commercially.

[hellgate]

I don't believe there are any restrictions on barrel length. There used to be a minimum velocity and virtually all knockdown targets for the pistols when i first started this game. A short barrel might not generate enough oomph to tip over or drop a faller which would slide down a vertical stand when hit solidly. So it was never a concern to SASS since a real snubby might not put the target down so the problem was yours, not theirs. I've seen "sheriff's" models used occasionally for years and abandoned when they would not do KDs. Not a problem anymore with the ringing targets. Go for it.

[Waterloo St. Clair]

I looked into the spring clip your talking about as well and almost bought one.  I just didn't like the look of it.  I didn't think that it retained enough of the "Remington" look for me.  That "fin" is one of the distinctions that separate Remington's from the Colts and I wanted my snub nose to be easily identified as a Remmie.  The loading lever on my snub nose is no longer functional.  At least not to load the revolver anyway.  I removed the rammer, made a spring and modified the remains of the loading lever to accomodate it.  What you see is essentially a fancy cylinder pin retainer.  I've enclosed pictures of the spring and lever removed from the revolver as well as one showing how the clip works.  I've been pleasantly surprised by how well it works.  The revolver is also well balanced and, although heavier, twirls as easily as my 1860 army snub nose.  Other modifications were a rounded thumb grip on the hammer, rounded front cylinder edge, rounded trigger (less painful to twirl), rounded grip frame, lightened spring and a slicked up action. 

 

[Waterloo St. Clair]

Oh, and thanks for the info Hellgate.  It was much appreciated.

Just thought I'd introduce some of the family.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

 

Thanks, pard. Much appreciated. I really like your idea, there. I guess I have to do one.

[willyboy]

Genius!

[I Ben Robbed]

The only place I know of they state a barrel length requirement is for pocket pistol category, that they be less than 4 inches.  Ive always taken this to mean that a main match pistol had to have a barrel longer than 4 inches, but it's not stated anywhere as such.  The only specific SASS rule that this revolver breaks is on sight mods.  Its front sight doesnt conform to the original shape.

That is ingenious though.  I've been working on a cut down one myself and was also debating the clip issue.  I hate the way they look.  For all the ways I thought of using the lever as a cylinder pin retainer, I never thought of putting a spring in the plunger hole.  Absolutely brilliant.

[Waterloo St. Clair]

If your considering this option you'll need to modify the rear of the loading lever a little.  I had to cut back the metal at the screw hole to allow the spring to fit around the screw.  A Dremel is the perfect tool for this.  Once you start it should be obvious where the removals need to be.  This may seem like a no brainer but make sure you leave the pin intact that holds the plunger.  I've already had someone ask what holds the bottom of the spring (apparently they cut away the pin as well as the plunger).  The coolest part is that all these modifications are virtually invisible because of the design of the loading lever.  The hardest part of the whole thing was making the spring.  I think I made at least five before I figured out what worked best.  Have fun.   

[Halfway Creek Charlie]

How does recoil affect the positioning of the rammer? doe is fall away at all?

 I know when I cut my 8" Pietta '58 down to 4 3/4" bbl. the recoil was much greater and exerted a lot, and i mean a lot, of pressure on the rammer keeper. So much so that it broke the first rammer I made. Now it seems fine as I redesigned the keeper end of the rammer. (actually made it exactly like the original keeper and latch arrangement.

[Qball]

This is my version of the cylinderpin lock made of brass and a small coil spring.
For the loading i use a home made loading station similar to the ones sold at different stores.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Another good solution, Qball. I like the use of the coil spring.

[Waterloo St. Clair]

The loading lever has been significantly reduced in weight and when combined with the spring is more centered/balanced in relationship to the loading lever screw.  You no longer have the situation of the securing/pivot screw supporting one end and the other end being unsupported save for the loading lever catch.  That arrangement exerts much more downward pressure on the barrel end of the lever during recoil than the more balanced arrangement of my clip/lever.  The increased recoil of the shortened barrel (even using maximum loads) produces no noticeable movement of the loading lever/cylinder pin clip.  You can have a shorter clip than shown with no problem.  Increase the clip length, however, and you will very quickly destroy the balance and need to find a way to add a lever latch. 

A note regarding my use of the term "maximum loads".  The shorter the barrel the more of your powder charge gets expelled unburnt.  After a certain point increasing the powder charge produces little or no increase in power and simply becomes micro shrapnel.  I'm still trying to find the proper load so I'm not spewing (wasting) powder. I'm even considering using lead shot as filler as I reduce the powder charge.  Kinda of a shotgun effect.  Anyone ever tried this?