Author Topic: Advice on this used open-top deal  (Read 612 times)

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Offline threepdr

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Advice on this used open-top deal
« on: January 12, 2005, 06:49:23 AM »
A local shop had a Traditions brand open top revolver in .38 sp.  It is built on a 1851 Navy frame.  It is in used, but essentially new condition for $339.  I don't know what these retail for so don't know if this is the right price.  

Anyone have any advice on this one?  They also have one in .44 Colt.

Thanks
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Offline 44 Man

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Advice on this used open-top deal
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2005, 04:50:34 AM »
Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me.  Regular single action clones seem to be selling near that for like new condition and I believe that the open tops are more expensive new.  I think that would be a really fun gun!  Of course I'd rather have the .44 caliber.  44 Man
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Offline Will52100

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Advice on this used open-top deal
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2005, 06:18:39 AM »
Is it a conversion or a replica of a conversion?  I know the gun is a replica, but what I'm saying is it converted from an actual cap and ball gun or was it built from the factory as a conversion?

If it's an actual conversion it'll be chambered for 38 long colt, which is shorter than 38 special and requires a hollow base bullet unless the bore has been linned.

eigther way that seems a fair price, just keep in mind if you don't reload and it's 38 long colt you'll have to use eigther 38 special hollow base wadcutter bullets or special order 38 long colt hollow base ammo.
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Offline Cheyenne

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Advice on this used open-top deal
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2005, 10:03:44 PM »
:(   If it is an ASM made conversion, remember the adage, 'Buyer Bware".  When I worked for Cimarron, we imported a lot of the ASM made conversions, which were also imported at one time by Navy Arms, Traditions, and EMF.....all of the importers had major problems with these guns!  When I left Cimarron, they still had 135 of them that had never left the shop because they were not reliable and just down right clunkers!  The cylinders were made larger in diameter, but the cylinder pin and bore height remained the same as a regular percussion gun.....what this translates to is that the bottom of the frame had to be relieved to accomodate the larger cylinder.....this left the area of the bolt/stop cut out paper thin....and I do mean THIN...I have taken and flaked chunks out of the bottom of the frames with nothing stronger than a Bic pen!  Not all mind you, but enough to lead me to pass on any ASM conversion, regardless of who imported it.

At Cimarron, what we did was make a shim out of a junk bolt to sit inside the frame to support the gun's bolt. This was because when you cocked it, especially if you cocked it fast, the inertia of the cylinder would make the bolt slam into the side of it's cut out in the frame and wallow or sometimes break it away....then the bolt has all kinds of room to move sideways and the gun is a cronic 'skipper'!

You can tell pretty easy by the conversion ring itself....it has the rear sight on the top of the ring like a Richards 1860 Army did.

Another cronic problem with earlier ones was the ejector housing...the stud was soldered to the tube and was prone to break....this was the '51 ejector...later ones by NA had much larger tubes and may have corrected that problem.

339.00 isn't a bad price for a good used gun, but it would be a terribly high price for a 'kit' gun that may or may not hold up.

The one good thing I can say, is when they do shoot, they always were extremely accurate!
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