barnbwt
member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2011
- Messages
- 7,340
Hey guys,
Saw a rather unusual specimen at the Cabela's today, I hope one of ya'll has some experience with this .44 Russian top break. It certaintly looks like a cool design; top-break awesome with .44cal business end . Even if it depends on BP pressures, I imagine it's still pretty capable, and very fun to shoot.
The one I saw had a very tight (good) latch and main hinge, and the overall condition of the revolver was pretty good (ya'know, considering). The exterior was a very consistent matte "blue" patina that looks like it formed after the original finish wore off long ago (if there was one). There was no rust or pitting anywhere, just a few dings and tooling marks. Barrel/rifling was in good shape, cylinder's were clean and smooth. Double action and single action worked (though quite stiff). The main problem I saw was that the extractor star contact points were peened (but not worn), as was the hand protrusion. This caused the lockup to be loose (1/32" each direction) on a couple cylinders, and about half that slop on the others. Needless to say, I wouldn't feel safe shooting it in this condition. End shake was suprisingly pretty low. I forgot to check cylinder gap :banghead:
I really like the layout of the gun, and it does look cool, but can it be made shootable? The price Cabela's wants is north of 150$, which I believe to be a bit steep for a non-functioning S&W clone, but I may try to find one elsewhere for less. How difficult is it to keep these old wheelguns running?
TCB
PS, the photo is not the one I saw. The one in the shop has a much more "weathered" blue/black/dark grey finish, and has (I think) original wood checkered grips.
Saw a rather unusual specimen at the Cabela's today, I hope one of ya'll has some experience with this .44 Russian top break. It certaintly looks like a cool design; top-break awesome with .44cal business end . Even if it depends on BP pressures, I imagine it's still pretty capable, and very fun to shoot.
The one I saw had a very tight (good) latch and main hinge, and the overall condition of the revolver was pretty good (ya'know, considering). The exterior was a very consistent matte "blue" patina that looks like it formed after the original finish wore off long ago (if there was one). There was no rust or pitting anywhere, just a few dings and tooling marks. Barrel/rifling was in good shape, cylinder's were clean and smooth. Double action and single action worked (though quite stiff). The main problem I saw was that the extractor star contact points were peened (but not worn), as was the hand protrusion. This caused the lockup to be loose (1/32" each direction) on a couple cylinders, and about half that slop on the others. Needless to say, I wouldn't feel safe shooting it in this condition. End shake was suprisingly pretty low. I forgot to check cylinder gap :banghead:
I really like the layout of the gun, and it does look cool, but can it be made shootable? The price Cabela's wants is north of 150$, which I believe to be a bit steep for a non-functioning S&W clone, but I may try to find one elsewhere for less. How difficult is it to keep these old wheelguns running?
TCB
PS, the photo is not the one I saw. The one in the shop has a much more "weathered" blue/black/dark grey finish, and has (I think) original wood checkered grips.