expat_alaska
Member
Anyone here have any experience with Replica Arms pistols?
Just bought a Replica Arms (El Paso Texas) Colt 1848 Baby Dragoon with loading lever/rammer, 5 3/4" barrel (nominal 6" ?), Slim Jim grips, squareback brass TG and backstrap, long (late) steel frame, V-notch barrel lug. Bluing and case colors very good. The wood-to-metal fit is very good. Date code [XIX] (1963). It looks like the last pic in Norm Flayderman's book under the Colt 1848 Baby Dragoon, except the load lever is wrong: the screws on mine enter from the right and the rammer pivot slot is "machined" so terribly that I have to push up on the pivot end of the rammer to get it aligned with the chamber. Not good. Might have to entertain buying a Uberti rammer.
The original pistol is also described in P.L. Shumaker's book as a transition pistol between serial numbers 11,600 and 15,500 when Colt wanted to introduce the 1849 Pocket but had beaucoup 1848 parts on the stock shelves.
I have been looking for one for 4+ months (have seen a few that the seller was wanting $375+ and I declined to bid). It looked good on the auction site, but I probably paid too much for it once I got it in hand.
The wedge was beat up and I couldn't remove it without a couple of stout raps with a short wooden 1" x 2". The wedge spring had a nasty large "bump" on the right side (which I lowered) and I judiciously sanded the sides, rear, and front of the wedge of the burrs/peens so it could be removed and replaced by hand (very tight). The arbor is solid and is only about .001" short. The barrel/cylinder gap is .001" or less with the refitted wedge. I will cold blue it tomorrow.
The timing is very poor. Cocking the hammer slowly does not move the cylinder into firing position. If the hammer is cocked quickly, the cylinder lines up correctly. That makes me think the hand is too short and inertia is engaging the bolt into the stop slots. The cylinder has bolt drag lines (the cylinder has rectangular stop slots with no approaches), and has very slight peen marks in the middle of each side of the stop slots which tells me the bolt surface/width is too large and too high.
I disassembled the backstrap and grip to see and lube the internals. The hammer has a roller but the mainspring seems to be very thick. It is harder to cock this pistol than it is to cock my 2014 Pietta Navy steel .36. The trigger pull is less than 3# which I find strange.
I have no pics yet.
I have read that Replica Arms (whether in El Paso or Marietta Ohio) imported from Armi San Marcos until being bought out by Navy Arms in the early 70's. There are no markings on my pistol indicating any manufacturer. The barrel, frame, and trigger guard have matching #288 serial numbers, but no numbers elsewhere on the pistol.
I need some opinions from you learned folks insofar as my observations and as how to proceed. This pistol will not be shot but I want it to work well if possible.
I guess I should send it to Goon but I ran out of money. :banghead:
Thanks in advance,
Jim
Just bought a Replica Arms (El Paso Texas) Colt 1848 Baby Dragoon with loading lever/rammer, 5 3/4" barrel (nominal 6" ?), Slim Jim grips, squareback brass TG and backstrap, long (late) steel frame, V-notch barrel lug. Bluing and case colors very good. The wood-to-metal fit is very good. Date code [XIX] (1963). It looks like the last pic in Norm Flayderman's book under the Colt 1848 Baby Dragoon, except the load lever is wrong: the screws on mine enter from the right and the rammer pivot slot is "machined" so terribly that I have to push up on the pivot end of the rammer to get it aligned with the chamber. Not good. Might have to entertain buying a Uberti rammer.
The original pistol is also described in P.L. Shumaker's book as a transition pistol between serial numbers 11,600 and 15,500 when Colt wanted to introduce the 1849 Pocket but had beaucoup 1848 parts on the stock shelves.
I have been looking for one for 4+ months (have seen a few that the seller was wanting $375+ and I declined to bid). It looked good on the auction site, but I probably paid too much for it once I got it in hand.
The wedge was beat up and I couldn't remove it without a couple of stout raps with a short wooden 1" x 2". The wedge spring had a nasty large "bump" on the right side (which I lowered) and I judiciously sanded the sides, rear, and front of the wedge of the burrs/peens so it could be removed and replaced by hand (very tight). The arbor is solid and is only about .001" short. The barrel/cylinder gap is .001" or less with the refitted wedge. I will cold blue it tomorrow.
The timing is very poor. Cocking the hammer slowly does not move the cylinder into firing position. If the hammer is cocked quickly, the cylinder lines up correctly. That makes me think the hand is too short and inertia is engaging the bolt into the stop slots. The cylinder has bolt drag lines (the cylinder has rectangular stop slots with no approaches), and has very slight peen marks in the middle of each side of the stop slots which tells me the bolt surface/width is too large and too high.
I disassembled the backstrap and grip to see and lube the internals. The hammer has a roller but the mainspring seems to be very thick. It is harder to cock this pistol than it is to cock my 2014 Pietta Navy steel .36. The trigger pull is less than 3# which I find strange.
I have no pics yet.
I have read that Replica Arms (whether in El Paso or Marietta Ohio) imported from Armi San Marcos until being bought out by Navy Arms in the early 70's. There are no markings on my pistol indicating any manufacturer. The barrel, frame, and trigger guard have matching #288 serial numbers, but no numbers elsewhere on the pistol.
I need some opinions from you learned folks insofar as my observations and as how to proceed. This pistol will not be shot but I want it to work well if possible.
I guess I should send it to Goon but I ran out of money. :banghead:
Thanks in advance,
Jim
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