1858 Rem. Gunfighter 4 3/4 In.BBL

Old Dragoon · December 31, 2005, 12:34 AM

I been busy today.
I didn't like my rammer latch dovetail at the 6 in. length. It was OK I suppose, but I didn't like it. So I cut the BBL back to 4 3/4 In. I will drill the bbl for the rammer latch and cut a slot in the bbl top for the front sight. Front sight will be an old silver dime or a similar shaped piece of silver. Shown below is a couple pictures of the mockup. Dime and rammer latch are taped on and the rammer is taped up.
Everything else is the way it'll be. Boy does this gun have balance. Hope to finish it this next week.

tinker2 · December 31, 2005, 01:13 AM

Old Dragoon

I like the looks of that a lot. Keep us posted, it’s neat.

Low Key · January 1, 2006, 07:15 AM

That's going to be a really cool looking gun Dragoon!

Remington kid · January 1, 2006, 08:11 AM

Old Dragoon, I see you did the dime thing with the front sight! That really looks great. When I did mine with 1858 people went crazy over it.
That gun sure looks good to me.

mec · January 1, 2006, 08:36 AM

A few years ago, the American Pistol Smiths guild used a nickle for the front sight on their "Bisquero"-APC gun of the year. It was a Bisley grip frame on a Ruger Vaquero before ruger came out basically with the same thing.

That short Remington really looks like a WEAPON

Sarge · January 1, 2006, 09:20 AM

I did essentially the same thing with a Griswold & Gunnison replica when I was about 15; turned out looking something like this-

sans the bluing; I remounted the original bead on mine. It actually didn't shoot too bad, either.

Cool idea, Dragoon. I'll be interested to see it in it's finished state.

Oldelm · January 1, 2006, 10:40 AM

Nice work, Old Dragoon! That would probably carry just right in a Doc Holiday style shoulder holster. Will you solder the dime front site on flush with top of barrel, or mill a slot to set it in? I'll bet the 1858 dime like Remington Kid's would be real cool.

Old Dragoon · January 1, 2006, 11:58 AM

RK,
The dime was just taped to the side flat. I didn't buy a period dime cause the guy was a jerk. But I suppose if someone was going to cut up an original Rem. I'd be a jerk about that. He was agast that I was going to cut it up. So I did the next best thing. I made a front sight out of some brass I have here (solid brass snaps on lead ropes make great platforms for several types of front sights, and other things). I used a 19/64 drill bit to start the sight hole and a 1/4 inch flat end round cutter bit to flatten and square the hole. This was used to inlet both the sight and the rammer latch. then I silver soldered them in. The sight I filed flus with the bbl top flat. There is an Uh-OH but I worked around it and will joint the cylinder pin in the near future. With the bbl cut to 4/3/4" the cylinder pind will not go in after the rammer latch is soldered on....DUH. I popped the latch off slid the cylinder pin in, and resoldered the latch on. Will cut the pin to remove it later. I will then put a joint like the rammer has in the cylinder pin.
The front sight is a little too tall right now and maybe a little wide(nickel width). but that will be worked down at the range(height). I still need to finish the rammer and refinish the work., but she's almost done.

MPP1423 · January 1, 2006, 12:25 PM

Real Nice Dragoon!thats A Sharp Peice.are You Going To Put A Kirst Conversion In It?

Old Dragoon · January 1, 2006, 12:33 PM

Yep. Eventually I will, but now I need two more 44 Rem Conversion cylinders and I'm pretty well tapped out so will add a cylinder at a time until I can get both done. I'll shoot BP cylinders in one or the other and one gun with the conversion in the next match. I'll just shoot the pistol targets and don't shoot for time or score untill I get my Shotgun and rifle. My conversion cylinder works flawlessly in all three pistols, so I can interchange two of the three easily. the 2002 is fully converted so it takes more time to switch out, but could be done between stages. I have 3 BP cylinders that also switch out flawlessly between all three pistols. I can/could shoot all three on the same day.

MPP1423 · January 1, 2006, 12:48 PM

Dragoon,
Lol,you Have Some Cash Tied Up In Conversions Dont You!i Havent Been Able To Get One Yet Cause Of Xmas And I Wanted A .31 Which Has Turned Into A Disaster!both Of My .31's From Dixie Have Broken After Less Than 20 Shots Fired!!the 1849 Was 1st So I Sent It Back And Got The Brass Framed 1863 Rem Pocket .31.looks Great And Groups Well But After 16 Shots The Tip Of The Hand Broke.what Luck.the 49 I Can Understand Cause It Was A Pallomento How Ever You Spell That,lol,but The Rem Was A Pietta And I Have Had Great Luck From Them.i Hope Its Just A Flaw With The Hand.i Have 2 More Hands Coming From Vti And Im Going To Have Dixie Send Me One As Well.i Love The 63 Rem If I Can Just Get It Fixed!!

Old Dragoon · January 1, 2006, 04:03 PM

By the time I get done I'll have a chunck of change in conversion cylinders...You see R & D's for sale used, but not the Kirst's, especially in 44 Rem. I'll take my time and acquire a few more BP cylinders also. Who Knows I may go the Frontiersman route and shoot noting but BP. I love shooting these guns with the BP cylinders as much as the conversion cylinder.

You'll be able to fix it. Just make sure you make them the same(maybe more beefier on the tip) then if one breaks you have a precise backup ready(or Two).
Maybe more beef on the top of the hand tip?? I don't know that I can tell you what to do . but look at all three and make them the same.. It's a shame it broke that quickly. But you'll get it rolling. the tip doesn't have to be, nor should it be, a knife edge.

MPP1423 · January 1, 2006, 04:20 PM

I Was Hoping It Was Just A Flaw And I Can Get It Back Goin Again.it Does Shoot About 8-9 In High At 12-15 Yards So I'll Have To Replace The Sight As Well But The Grouping Is Awesome Even Though Its High It Is Tight!i Love The Brass And Blue Look And This 63 Is Much Smaller Than The 49.i Like It ,i Just Have To Get'er Goin Again.lol

Old Dragoon · January 6, 2006, 04:49 PM

I just have to refinish the front of the BBL and the rammer latch and she's ready to shoot. Now I need to find the right holster for it.

johnrtse · January 6, 2006, 05:36 PM

Looks terrific OD!

John

MPP1423 · January 7, 2006, 01:48 AM

yep,looks great dragoon!!

Smokin_Gun · January 7, 2006, 01:58 AM

Old Dragoon is that the one you wanna trade me for the Paterson? LoL!
Don't worry I shipped it to the East Coast today to a good friend. He's sending me an 1858 Rem Uberti....
Gonna bring that 45yr old Belgium 186o Colt and the Old 1858 rem..along with the Colt Signature 1848 Dragoon and R&D Conversion. Can't wait to see the 3 your bringin specially this one.
See ya in the AM I gotta try to get some sleep...

Smokin_Gun · January 7, 2006, 01:59 AM

Yankee John that must be you...Right? How did I know? HeHe!

johnrtse · January 7, 2006, 02:01 AM

You got it SG!

Old Dragoon · January 7, 2006, 02:08 AM

Yes and NO. Yes we are going to shoot this one and no I'm not trading it off.
Glad you got another Remmy coming. I want to shoot the uberti Remmy when you get it. On another board there was a discussion that they are lighter than the pietta's and have smaller grips. With my small hands I might like the feel better, but I like my Pietta's a lot.
I'm bringing my three and powder and lead and Mike's Lube and a couple boxes of 44 Rem in BP and Unique for my conversion.
Color us SMOKED!

Old Dragoon · January 19, 2006, 11:47 AM

I purchased 3 holsters from a gentleman in Fla.last night. During our emails he informed me that the Gunfighter I have was his and consigned to the guy I bought it from. The gentleman does armorer jobs for the movies and come to find out my Gunfighter , in it's original state, was used by a reenactor in the Black Cavalry in the movie "Noth & South III, Heaven and Hell".
Had I known that before I removed the blue I probably would not have antiqued the gun at all, indentations and all. Oh Well it is a small, amall world.
So now the Gunfighter has some history behind it.
The holsters were used in movies also. The pair I bought were in the movie
"Geronimo, an American Legend". The Navy Frog Holster I bought was used in the movie "Ironclads" and the Gunfighter will look great in it. Now I gotta rent thoise movies just to see the holsters in use. LOL

December 31, 2005, 12:34 AM	#1
Old Dragoon Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Location: The Republic of Californi Posts: 581	1858 Rem. Gunfighter 4 3/4 In.BBL I been busy today. I didn't like my rammer latch dovetail at the 6 in. length. It was OK I suppose, but I didn't like it. So I cut the BBL back to 4 3/4 In. I will drill the bbl for the rammer latch and cut a slot in the bbl top for the front sight. Front sight will be an old silver dime or a similar shaped piece of silver. Shown below is a couple pictures of the mockup. Dime and rammer latch are taped on and the rammer is taped up. Everything else is the way it'll be. Boy does this gun have balance. Hope to finish it this next week.

January 1, 2006, 07:15 AM	#3
Low Key Senior Member Join Date: September 4, 2005 Location: In the woods of TN Posts: 298	That's going to be a really cool looking gun Dragoon! __________________

January 1, 2006, 09:20 AM	#6
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	I did essentially the same thing with a Griswold & Gunnison replica when I was about 15; turned out looking something like this- sans the bluing; I remounted the original bead on mine. It actually didn't shoot too bad, either. Cool idea, Dragoon. I'll be interested to see it in it's finished state. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

January 1, 2006, 11:58 AM	#8
Old Dragoon Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Location: The Republic of Californi Posts: 581	Almost done...... RK, The dime was just taped to the side flat. I didn't buy a period dime cause the guy was a jerk. But I suppose if someone was going to cut up an original Rem. I'd be a jerk about that. He was agast that I was going to cut it up. So I did the next best thing. I made a front sight out of some brass I have here (solid brass snaps on lead ropes make great platforms for several types of front sights, and other things). I used a 19/64 drill bit to start the sight hole and a 1/4 inch flat end round cutter bit to flatten and square the hole. This was used to inlet both the sight and the rammer latch. then I silver soldered them in. The sight I filed flus with the bbl top flat. There is an Uh-OH but I worked around it and will joint the cylinder pin in the near future. With the bbl cut to 4/3/4" the cylinder pind will not go in after the rammer latch is soldered on....DUH. I popped the latch off slid the cylinder pin in, and resoldered the latch on. Will cut the pin to remove it later. I will then put a joint like the rammer has in the cylinder pin. The front sight is a little too tall right now and maybe a little wide(nickel width). but that will be worked down at the range(height). I still need to finish the rammer and refinish the work., but she's almost done.

January 6, 2006, 05:36 PM	#15
johnrtse Member Join Date: September 27, 2005 Location: New Ulm, Minnesota USA Posts: 24	Looks terrific OD! John __________________ John

December 31, 2005, 01:13 AM	#2
tinker2 Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2005 Location: Dakotas Posts: 144	Old Dragoon I like the looks of that a lot. Keep us posted, it’s neat.

January 1, 2006, 08:11 AM	#4
Remington kid Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2005 Location: South Central West Virginia Posts: 611	Old Dragoon, I see you did the dime thing with the front sight! That really looks great. When I did mine with 1858 people went crazy over it. That gun sure looks good to me.

January 1, 2006, 08:36 AM	#5
mec Junior member Join Date: December 6, 2001 Posts: 1,536	A few years ago, the American Pistol Smiths guild used a nickle for the front sight on their "Bisquero"-APC gun of the year. It was a Bisley grip frame on a Ruger Vaquero before ruger came out basically with the same thing. That short Remington really looks like a WEAPON

January 1, 2006, 10:40 AM	#7
Oldelm Member Join Date: December 14, 2005 Posts: 62	Nice work, Old Dragoon! That would probably carry just right in a Doc Holiday style shoulder holster. Will you solder the dime front site on flush with top of barrel, or mill a slot to set it in? I'll bet the 1858 dime like Remington Kid's would be real cool.

January 1, 2006, 12:25 PM	#9
MPP1423 Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2005 Location: GOODLETTSVILLE,TN Posts: 298	Real Nice Dragoon!thats A Sharp Peice.are You Going To Put A Kirst Conversion In It?

January 1, 2006, 12:33 PM	#10
Old Dragoon Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Location: The Republic of Californi Posts: 581	Yep. Eventually I will, but now I need two more 44 Rem Conversion cylinders and I'm pretty well tapped out so will add a cylinder at a time until I can get both done. I'll shoot BP cylinders in one or the other and one gun with the conversion in the next match. I'll just shoot the pistol targets and don't shoot for time or score untill I get my Shotgun and rifle. My conversion cylinder works flawlessly in all three pistols, so I can interchange two of the three easily. the 2002 is fully converted so it takes more time to switch out, but could be done between stages. I have 3 BP cylinders that also switch out flawlessly between all three pistols. I can/could shoot all three on the same day.

January 1, 2006, 12:48 PM	#11
MPP1423 Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2005 Location: GOODLETTSVILLE,TN Posts: 298	Dragoon, Lol,you Have Some Cash Tied Up In Conversions Dont You!i Havent Been Able To Get One Yet Cause Of Xmas And I Wanted A .31 Which Has Turned Into A Disaster!both Of My .31's From Dixie Have Broken After Less Than 20 Shots Fired!!the 1849 Was 1st So I Sent It Back And Got The Brass Framed 1863 Rem Pocket .31.looks Great And Groups Well But After 16 Shots The Tip Of The Hand Broke.what Luck.the 49 I Can Understand Cause It Was A Pallomento How Ever You Spell That,lol,but The Rem Was A Pietta And I Have Had Great Luck From Them.i Hope Its Just A Flaw With The Hand.i Have 2 More Hands Coming From Vti And Im Going To Have Dixie Send Me One As Well.i Love The 63 Rem If I Can Just Get It Fixed!!

January 1, 2006, 04:03 PM	#12
Old Dragoon Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Location: The Republic of Californi Posts: 581	By the time I get done I'll have a chunck of change in conversion cylinders...You see R & D's for sale used, but not the Kirst's, especially in 44 Rem. I'll take my time and acquire a few more BP cylinders also. Who Knows I may go the Frontiersman route and shoot noting but BP. I love shooting these guns with the BP cylinders as much as the conversion cylinder. You'll be able to fix it. Just make sure you make them the same(maybe more beefier on the tip) then if one breaks you have a precise backup ready(or Two). Maybe more beef on the top of the hand tip?? I don't know that I can tell you what to do . but look at all three and make them the same.. It's a shame it broke that quickly. But you'll get it rolling. the tip doesn't have to be, nor should it be, a knife edge.

January 1, 2006, 04:20 PM	#13
MPP1423 Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2005 Location: GOODLETTSVILLE,TN Posts: 298	I Was Hoping It Was Just A Flaw And I Can Get It Back Goin Again.it Does Shoot About 8-9 In High At 12-15 Yards So I'll Have To Replace The Sight As Well But The Grouping Is Awesome Even Though Its High It Is Tight!i Love The Brass And Blue Look And This 63 Is Much Smaller Than The 49.i Like It ,i Just Have To Get'er Goin Again.lol

January 6, 2006, 04:49 PM	#14
Old Dragoon Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Location: The Republic of Californi Posts: 581	I just have to refinish the front of the BBL and the rammer latch and she's ready to shoot. Now I need to find the right holster for it.

January 7, 2006, 01:48 AM	#16
MPP1423 Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2005 Location: GOODLETTSVILLE,TN Posts: 298	yep,looks great dragoon!!

January 7, 2006, 01:58 AM	#17
Smokin_Gun Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2005 Location: Mojave Desert, CA Posts: 1,195	Old Dragoon is that the one you wanna trade me for the Paterson? LoL! Don't worry I shipped it to the East Coast today to a good friend. He's sending me an 1858 Rem Uberti.... Gonna bring that 45yr old Belgium 186o Colt and the Old 1858 rem..along with the Colt Signature 1848 Dragoon and R&D Conversion. Can't wait to see the 3 your bringin specially this one. See ya in the AM I gotta try to get some sleep... __________________ "I Smoke Black Powder" "Favor an 1858 Remington" SGT. Smokin' Gun, Mosby's Rangers 43rd Virginia Cavalry C.S.A. SASS# 19634, ... Admin:http://blackpowdersmoke.com/oldcoots/index.php

January 7, 2006, 01:59 AM	#18
Smokin_Gun Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2005 Location: Mojave Desert, CA Posts: 1,195	Yankee John that must be you...Right? How did I know? HeHe! __________________ "I Smoke Black Powder" "Favor an 1858 Remington" SGT. Smokin' Gun, Mosby's Rangers 43rd Virginia Cavalry C.S.A. SASS# 19634, ... Admin:http://blackpowdersmoke.com/oldcoots/index.php

January 7, 2006, 02:01 AM	#19
johnrtse Member Join Date: September 27, 2005 Location: New Ulm, Minnesota USA Posts: 24	You got it SG! __________________ John

January 7, 2006, 02:08 AM	#20
Old Dragoon Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Location: The Republic of Californi Posts: 581	Yes and NO. Yes we are going to shoot this one and no I'm not trading it off. Glad you got another Remmy coming. I want to shoot the uberti Remmy when you get it. On another board there was a discussion that they are lighter than the pietta's and have smaller grips. With my small hands I might like the feel better, but I like my Pietta's a lot. I'm bringing my three and powder and lead and Mike's Lube and a couple boxes of 44 Rem in BP and Unique for my conversion. Color us SMOKED!

January 19, 2006, 11:47 AM	#21
Old Dragoon Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Location: The Republic of Californi Posts: 581	The "Gunfighter" has movie history... I purchased 3 holsters from a gentleman in Fla.last night. During our emails he informed me that the Gunfighter I have was his and consigned to the guy I bought it from. The gentleman does armorer jobs for the movies and come to find out my Gunfighter , in it's original state, was used by a reenactor in the Black Cavalry in the movie "Noth & South III, Heaven and Hell". Had I known that before I removed the blue I probably would not have antiqued the gun at all, indentations and all. Oh Well it is a small, amall world. So now the Gunfighter has some history behind it. The holsters were used in movies also. The pair I bought were in the movie "Geronimo, an American Legend". The Navy Frog Holster I bought was used in the movie "Ironclads" and the Gunfighter will look great in it. Now I gotta rent thoise movies just to see the holsters in use. LOL