[Fingers McGee]

Billy, I stand corrected on the Ansley & Rigdon Augusta revolvers - there were around 800 of them made, not the 200 I stated earlier (I got the book out). The Griswold & Gunnisons were made in Griswoldville, GA - just east of Macon. The Ansley & Rigdons were made in Augusta GA. The most unique feature of the Ansley & Rigdons were the 12 bolt notches in the cylinders that made carrying one of them safer than any other Colt or Colt clones that had safety pins on the backs of the cylinders and notches in the hammer face.

You're right, these springs do break. I broke about 4 of them in a pair of Navy Arms Frontiersman '51 Navies before I figured out why. The channel that the spring rides over in each of the pistols was rough as a cobb. About 30 minutes with a round file, emery paper, and a stone, with copios amounts of oil turned those wear points into a smooth polished surface. When the bearing surface in the frame that the hand spring rides over is polished, most lubricants, short of grease, are sufficient. I smoothed the frames on all of my '51s & '61s and havent broken a hand spring since. I've got about 800 rounds on each of my 2nd Gen '61 Navies and they just keep on firing.

I guess I wasn't clear enough about the 2nd Gens. I collect NIB examples of the different models that were made in the 70s and 80s. I do not shoot the NIB ones in my collection. I do, however, shoot a pair of 2nd Gen '51 Navies and '61 Navies. These I purchased at less than NIB prices cause they had been shot or turned.