Finally fixed my Abilene. I bought it knowing it was a project gun. Somebody had passed it onto a gunshop in pretty sad shape, but the shop owner paid full price ~ evidently thinking it was OK to shoot. Then he sold it to me at a gun show.
First round down the barrel and the basepin backed out. Fired it a couple of more times and realized the cylinder stop was horrible. Then I just put it away for along time and didn't bother with it....
Someone had installed the basepin latch backwards. The basepin itself was bent, the cylinder stop bolt was dragging hard on the cylinder. I straightened the basepin on my drill press. Although things were improved the cylinder stop was still dragging. So apart it came. The spring was best described as a reshaped Colt. Someone had tried to fit it, and it was cracked at the screw from serious overtightening...So not only was it broken, it was the wrong tension on the stop, it couldn't drop out fully...
Numerich to the rescue. They had an original. One week later and she is all recovered....
Fun project, first single action that I have rescued. Normally work on S&W DA's...So this was new to me. The Abilene was a figure it out as you go gun, but I found a exploded diagram on the Internet that helped me alot....
TAH DAH, all fixed, and I was patting myself all over the back
Well folks,
That lasted for 18 rounds. At round 19 there was no bang...so I half cocked the hammer and opened the loading gate and saw the faintest of hammer strikes..
Hmmm, pull the hammer to full cock and the transfer bar was falling down the hammer. Evidently it sheard off at the turn of the anvil....This really stinks...Now I have to find the part, then strip the gun down and fit the new hammer anvil. And of course this is flying by the seat of your pants. Ruger Superblackhawks are similiar guns, yet there are quite a few small differences between one and an Abilene...and the Abilene has been out of production for a quarter of a century or more....
Sigh....
Giz
First round down the barrel and the basepin backed out. Fired it a couple of more times and realized the cylinder stop was horrible. Then I just put it away for along time and didn't bother with it....
Someone had installed the basepin latch backwards. The basepin itself was bent, the cylinder stop bolt was dragging hard on the cylinder. I straightened the basepin on my drill press. Although things were improved the cylinder stop was still dragging. So apart it came. The spring was best described as a reshaped Colt. Someone had tried to fit it, and it was cracked at the screw from serious overtightening...So not only was it broken, it was the wrong tension on the stop, it couldn't drop out fully...
Numerich to the rescue. They had an original. One week later and she is all recovered....
Fun project, first single action that I have rescued. Normally work on S&W DA's...So this was new to me. The Abilene was a figure it out as you go gun, but I found a exploded diagram on the Internet that helped me alot....
TAH DAH, all fixed, and I was patting myself all over the back
Well folks,
That lasted for 18 rounds. At round 19 there was no bang...so I half cocked the hammer and opened the loading gate and saw the faintest of hammer strikes..
Hmmm, pull the hammer to full cock and the transfer bar was falling down the hammer. Evidently it sheard off at the turn of the anvil....This really stinks...Now I have to find the part, then strip the gun down and fit the new hammer anvil. And of course this is flying by the seat of your pants. Ruger Superblackhawks are similiar guns, yet there are quite a few small differences between one and an Abilene...and the Abilene has been out of production for a quarter of a century or more....
Sigh....
Giz