June 16, 2012, 10:00 PM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 14, 2009
Location: Sunny Southern Idaho
Posts: 1,909
|
Brass Frame
(New and improved and posted in the right forum this time!)
I was over at Cabela's today after finally running out of CCI #10 caps and poked my head in the Elmer Keith museum. Somehow I hadn't noticed this revolver before - I guess I forgot to look up. It's a brass-framed .45-70 that Century Arms made for him. Hold on tight! Here are a few others that were in the same area: A Colt's Dragoon Baby Dragoon Colt's Navy Colt's Richards conversion Love those grips on the last two. Sorry for the picture quality - all I had was my cell phone.
__________________
Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae |
June 17, 2012, 02:02 AM | #2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 12, 2011
Posts: 156
|
Thanks for the pics! The Cabela's near my home has a little museum too but I haven't really looked around it, will have to check it out more in depth next time.
|
June 18, 2012, 12:47 PM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 11, 2012
Location: mid michigan
Posts: 196
|
thanks for the photos! I love that 1860 Richard's conversion. My Cabellas in Dundee has a neat gun library, but nothing like Elmer's stuff.
|
June 19, 2012, 08:41 PM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: NC
Posts: 186
|
Yep!!! Think you for the pics Hardcase. Those are some cool pistols. We don't have any stores like that here. So you brought it to us. I like them all, but that dragoon is my pick. The Colt 51 don't seem to have much of a front sight on it dose it?
|
June 20, 2012, 09:30 AM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 25, 2009
Posts: 643
|
If you are ever around the Bass Pro home store in Springfield, Missouri, take a look in their "fine guns" room.
My first time in there they had a double barrel 450 rifle made for Queen Elizabeth's uncle(He never took possession). Beautiful wood and a loading kit all enclosed in a luggage style carrying case. I don't remember the exact numbers but they were asking some over $400,000. The walls are lined with extra fine guns. Good for a drool trip. |
June 20, 2012, 10:03 AM | #6 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 14, 2009
Location: Sunny Southern Idaho
Posts: 1,909
|
Quote:
__________________
Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae |
|
June 20, 2012, 02:29 PM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 16,189
|
Standard 51 Navy brass cone.
|
June 21, 2012, 12:32 PM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 11, 2012
Location: mid michigan
Posts: 196
|
Dumb question. Why did Century Arms make their rifle chambered revolvers with bronze frames? Does it have anything to do with elasticity, meaning so the frame can stretch and return to normal? I noticed Elmer Kieth's century and it brought the question back up to me. I don't believe they were brass, but some kinda bronze designed for extreme pressures. Why not use steel? maybe because steel breaks and bronze stretch's?
|
June 21, 2012, 02:06 PM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 14, 2009
Location: Sunny Southern Idaho
Posts: 1,909
|
As it turns out, the revolver is indeed bronze, not brass, which makes a lot more sense.
I don't know why bronze over steel. Each gun was made to order, so perhaps it was a machining thing. Or it just could have been made to look different. There's anecdotal evidence from Google searches that the frames stood up pretty well to commercial .45-70 loads, so I guess that strength wasn't an issue. By the way, although it's hard to tell from that picture, it's a very large handgun.
__________________
Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae |
June 21, 2012, 02:45 PM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 11, 2012
Location: mid michigan
Posts: 196
|
Yes sir, I've seen them at stores and gun shows. A lot of used ones. Appears people bought them and then couldn't handle either the recoil or the payments they took out on personal loans 'n' such.
|
June 21, 2012, 03:34 PM | #11 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 20, 2011
Location: NC
Posts: 186
|
Never understood what anyone wanted with a 45-70 handgun. I mean how maney rounds would a person think they could fire out of such a gun? I know today we have ways to controle recoil but such a shell in a short bbl handgun don't make no since to me.
|
June 23, 2012, 12:42 PM | #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 11, 2012
Location: mid michigan
Posts: 196
|
Yes, I had the same question when I first heard of Century Arms. And most of the rounds were old-timey, like 45-70, .50-70, and rounds similar. I just wonder if they were [are are] trying to carve out a niche in the market.
|
June 24, 2012, 11:04 AM | #13 |
Staff
Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 21,838
|
It would make sense to have a shoulder stock on a 45-70 revolver - as well as having it magna ported. That gun will pound a person to pieces but remembering Elmer Keith's articles, he was a glutton for recoil. He must have developed problems like Mel Tappan did. Mel was man enough to admit the follies of his youthful magnum diet.
__________________
Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. Molon Labe! |
June 24, 2012, 09:11 PM | #14 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 15, 2005
Location: Central Connecticut
Posts: 3,166
|
Quote:
|
|
June 25, 2012, 04:44 PM | #15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 11, 2012
Location: mid michigan
Posts: 196
|
makes sense, now I can file that question away as answered. Thanks.
|
June 27, 2012, 07:27 AM | #16 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 28, 2008
Posts: 134
|
That Century Arms 45/70 ,if I remember correctly, is some sort of steel alloy.
|
June 27, 2012, 11:11 AM | #17 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 14, 2009
Location: Sunny Southern Idaho
Posts: 1,909
|
The one in the picture is a bronze/manganese frame with a steel barrel and cylinder.
It really piqued my curiosity, so I did a little research. At one point, the waiting list for the Model 100 was on the order of 10 years - they were made by hand, to order, by one gunsmith at Century. 35 years ago, the price was in the neighborhood of $600. They only made 500 or so.
__________________
Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae |
June 27, 2012, 12:15 PM | #18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 7, 2012
Location: Auburn, AL.
Posts: 2,332
|
I'd sure love to watch somebody else shoot one!
|
November 5, 2013, 03:27 AM | #19 |
Junior Member
Join Date: January 15, 2013
Posts: 1
|
Century model 100 45 70
Hello to all : I just returned from a 3 day GUN SHOW in Spokane Washington and was able to trade for a CENTURY Model 100 45 70. YES it is a big one and I have been trying to trade for this revolver for over 3 years and it MINE now. Well to day my son and I took the Century out for a rang run and it was a BLAST. I shot Hornady 300gr jacked and Buffalo arms 405gr lead, both were babies. I even shot the Century one handed 6 times. A 5 pound revolver took up 80% of the recoil. I have several S&W 500s and I reload 700gr lead rounds in it and you have to wipe the snot off your face after you are done. So if your looking for a BIG, HUGE revolver the CENTURY si worth looking at and mine is not for sale. I'm going after a Whitetail and a Bear next year.
|
November 6, 2013, 02:24 PM | #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 25, 2009
Posts: 643
|
Bass Pro in Springfield, MO now has the NRA collection of fine and historic guns. My son and I budgeted 2 hours to go thru it and were sadly disappointed. By hurrying we got to see maybe half.
Some great guns including the Lewis and Clark air rifle. |
November 6, 2013, 04:39 PM | #21 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 25, 2012
Location: Eaton Rapids, MI
Posts: 445
|
Very Cool!!!
Birch
__________________
Black Powder: Not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win... |
November 7, 2013, 02:07 PM | #22 |
Junior Member
Join Date: September 1, 2012
Posts: 13
|
Awesome guns. Love seeing these old guns, thanks for posting.
|
|
|