Uberti 1860 conversion

[bigted]

ok cap ...  ... ya shamed me into it ... i went out and crowned it proper. soon as you called my attention to it i began to examine the little break i put on the crown and agree that it needed a proper crown ... done ... thankyou for the suggestion. devil is in the details ive heard.

  ...  ... 

[bigted]

ok cap ...  ... ya shamed me into it ... i went out and crowned it proper. soon as you called my attention to it i began to examine the little break i put on the crown and agree that it needed a proper crown ... done ... thankyou for the suggestion. devil is in the details ive heard.

  ...  ... 

with any luck ... ill be able to try her out today. i am hoping that it warms up a bit [-27] but may just go out anyway as i am very anxious to see how this little jewel handles the fire power and accuracy.

[Captainkirk]

That looks SOOO much better!

[bigted]

thanks Cap.

i have some 230 grainers loaded ahead of 35 grains Cartridge but ... the overall length is just to the nubbin and i feel that they may be a bit much for this setup ... dont want to shoot it lose now that ive got a good setup going ...  so will use em in my Vaquero and keep with the roundball loads in this conversion.

i have several 6 grain Unique loads ready and several 35 grain Cartridge loads with round balls so will use these to run her thru its paces.

the more i handle this lil hummer ... the better it fits me. dont know what took me so long to begin this project.

think the next project will be to try my hand at building a holster for it. lined and the whole smear.

cant beat a colt for having ... maybe too much ... fun with. there be no end to the joy an old style colt will give.

[Kaboom]

Ted, may I ask what you used to crown the barrel? Looks real good.

[bigted]

pretty complicated on the crowning. lets see if i can attempt to explain my highly evolved procedure; ... 

-chucked up my counter sink.
-took hold of the barrel with my hands.
-touched the spinning countersink to the barrel end being very careful to keep it level and centered.
- took my small light buffing wheel and carefully buffed the slight chatter marks outta the crown.
-use a magnifying glass to ensure that all the rifling are correct and even.
-use cold blue to touch up the bare metal.

i have used this method for several rifles and revolvers and have yet to encounter any rough accuracy from doing it this way. ive been told that i couldnt do this in this manner as i would undoubtedly "ruin" the accuracy but ... nobody told my hands they couldnt so they did the deed and took me along for the ride.

not being a smart ass but i have had some long range folks rub me for my "hick" ways but ... necessity really is the mother of invention and i have developed this procedure by trial n error till i got it rite. first crown job was on my muzzle loading 54 cal Hawkins style GPR kit as it came to me buggered up and i was out nothin to try to fix it ... so being hard headed i dove in to see what i could do.

[Kaboom]

Actually I had a sneekin' suspicion that was the way, but I didn't want to go jumpin' to no cornclusions. You done a good job. The only time I ever tried anything like that, I just used a ball shaped stone in my Dremel. A light tough and it smoothed out the little nick I had.  So, I guess what works, works!   

[Captainkirk]

If you boys ever saw what kind of digs some of the original gunsmiths worked out of, you might be surprised. Like an outhouse with a drill press.
You don't need a fancy factory to make a gun or to make a good gun.

[bigted]

totally agree with that. i have seen some awful nice work come outta an old run down shed that you would never guess at the interior fixins and then they are all hand tools that we all have. 

  on the other hand ... ive seen some pretty sophisticated shops that crap work come outta. these have the mill and a line up of grinders floor mounted as well as the lathe and all the tools that go with each machine. fancy to say the least and nuttin but crud comin out for work. could tell stories but ... wouldnt fix anything and my green eye would be on display for all to plainly see. 

anyway thanks for the words of encouragement ... i really appreciate it.  i am nuttin but an old Yankee using plain old common sense ... i hope ... and im learnin all the time. what a great past time.

[StrawHat]

Harry Pope had a shop that was fairly unkempt.  Apparently he would work out mathematical calculations on the dirty windows.  Papers piled everywhere but the barrels he made were perfect.

I am still amazed that with belt powered machinery the Springfield Armory was able to produce the various trapdoor rifles I like so much.

[bigted]

thats true ... it still boggles the mind ...[mine at least]... that in around 50 or 60 years we went from muzzle loading guns only ... to the semi  and full auto military guns. what a gas huh? [pun intended] and yes the shops that did this were for the most part belt driven machinery with real craftsmen working them and ... till later ... water powered. should have been quiet nough to hear swearing from across the shop tho.