Lookin' good bro!
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1860 Army Blackhawk
- Thread starter Sharps40
- Start date
Parts arrived. Good and bad...but the bad are useable and their flaws lend opportunity for a custom touch.
Steel Story ejector rod tube bolts right up....fits nice, ejector and spring function without bind. However, I ordered the 3/16 size for my 3/16 screw. The screw hole is bored over 1/4 straight thru...i.e. no shoulder on the bottom for the screw to hold the housing to the barrel...the screw drops thru. But its pretty.
Ruger alloy housings are not bored straight thru...the hole next to the barrel is smaller so the ejector rod screw head pinches the ejector housing in place. Not so, this Story part. The Big Round Birdshead ejector looks nice....wonder how it'll look as a Ring Ejector....still a bit peeved about the housing but its customizable.
I think rather than fight and spend to ship and receive and wait for another part to come in that may have the same straight thru bolt hole....I'll just fill the end with a nice steel rod or better, brass rod....step bore the rod my ownself and reinstall the ruger bolt and done. If I use brass I'll get a nice brass bullseye out front in the center of the black ejector rod housing. Nifty. More work but better than the hassle with parts. Hmmm....I wonder if I can simply bush that with a nice brass or copper sleeve and then step bore it....then it would have a brass ring like the steel ejector rod button....
Stainless steel Bisley hammer looks nice. Probably needs polished and some engine turning on the sides.
The ramp front sight base. Gib lock and screw are options. I can solder, screw or screw and gib lock into place. I may screw and gib lock using a dovetail. Its plenty strong and allows for changing front sights from ramp with no windage to dovetail blade with windage. However, it may not look as neat as a whisker of dovetail will likely show on each side of the ramp. Still thinkin it over, but cutting a dovetail is simpler with a hand jig and file for a home smith than jigging up Top Dead Center and drilling and tapping a hole or silver soldering the ramp in place.
Getting an ider of how the ramp will look out at the end of the barrel. Needs a bit of fitting to match the barrel contour perfect before the install. Might do that tonight.
Meantime, I found a nice section of steel in the junk box to make up the foot for the mainspring....after I make up the wood test block as the template to follow.
Steel Story ejector rod tube bolts right up....fits nice, ejector and spring function without bind. However, I ordered the 3/16 size for my 3/16 screw. The screw hole is bored over 1/4 straight thru...i.e. no shoulder on the bottom for the screw to hold the housing to the barrel...the screw drops thru. But its pretty.
Ruger alloy housings are not bored straight thru...the hole next to the barrel is smaller so the ejector rod screw head pinches the ejector housing in place. Not so, this Story part. The Big Round Birdshead ejector looks nice....wonder how it'll look as a Ring Ejector....still a bit peeved about the housing but its customizable.
I think rather than fight and spend to ship and receive and wait for another part to come in that may have the same straight thru bolt hole....I'll just fill the end with a nice steel rod or better, brass rod....step bore the rod my ownself and reinstall the ruger bolt and done. If I use brass I'll get a nice brass bullseye out front in the center of the black ejector rod housing. Nifty. More work but better than the hassle with parts. Hmmm....I wonder if I can simply bush that with a nice brass or copper sleeve and then step bore it....then it would have a brass ring like the steel ejector rod button....
Stainless steel Bisley hammer looks nice. Probably needs polished and some engine turning on the sides.
The ramp front sight base. Gib lock and screw are options. I can solder, screw or screw and gib lock into place. I may screw and gib lock using a dovetail. Its plenty strong and allows for changing front sights from ramp with no windage to dovetail blade with windage. However, it may not look as neat as a whisker of dovetail will likely show on each side of the ramp. Still thinkin it over, but cutting a dovetail is simpler with a hand jig and file for a home smith than jigging up Top Dead Center and drilling and tapping a hole or silver soldering the ramp in place.
Getting an ider of how the ramp will look out at the end of the barrel. Needs a bit of fitting to match the barrel contour perfect before the install. Might do that tonight.
Meantime, I found a nice section of steel in the junk box to make up the foot for the mainspring....after I make up the wood test block as the template to follow.
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Dovetailing the front sight is as you've seen before. Ususally the dovetails are .1" or less deep and the Blackhawk .357 barrel is plenty thick for a dovetail.
Jig in place and squared with the frame, hacksaw, file and otherwise remove the metal layed out by the jig. Remember, the jig makes a dovetail a bit too small for a .375 sight base....that's intended. You file in a slight lead on the sight base and finish up the dovetail with a safe sided file that allows for a tight push fit 1/3 of the way and drift or sight pusher to fully seat the sight. Some folks piss and moan that the jig doesn't cut the right size dovetail....they gotta learn to use it. Cut small, fit tight, right the first try.
If you were careful with the leveling and the layout and filing, you wind up with a nice clean dovetail that is going to give you a straight up and down sight blade out front.
Clean up the sight undercuts with a safe sided file until the gib lock is a slightly snug tap in fit....center up the gib lock in the dovetail. A good dovetail has razor sharp edges. As evidenced by the blood and the smooth but snug fit of the giblock, this is a good dovetail. I'll break those sharp edges later before bluing.
Test fit the ramp in the giblock and its wiggly, the screw is about a thread and a half too long. To get a nice square cut on a short screw that won't need any chamfering to enter the gib lock again, simply clamp gently in a wiring plyers and knock off the unwanted thread with a single cut bastage file.
Jig in place and squared with the frame, hacksaw, file and otherwise remove the metal layed out by the jig. Remember, the jig makes a dovetail a bit too small for a .375 sight base....that's intended. You file in a slight lead on the sight base and finish up the dovetail with a safe sided file that allows for a tight push fit 1/3 of the way and drift or sight pusher to fully seat the sight. Some folks piss and moan that the jig doesn't cut the right size dovetail....they gotta learn to use it. Cut small, fit tight, right the first try.
If you were careful with the leveling and the layout and filing, you wind up with a nice clean dovetail that is going to give you a straight up and down sight blade out front.
Clean up the sight undercuts with a safe sided file until the gib lock is a slightly snug tap in fit....center up the gib lock in the dovetail. A good dovetail has razor sharp edges. As evidenced by the blood and the smooth but snug fit of the giblock, this is a good dovetail. I'll break those sharp edges later before bluing.
Test fit the ramp in the giblock and its wiggly, the screw is about a thread and a half too long. To get a nice square cut on a short screw that won't need any chamfering to enter the gib lock again, simply clamp gently in a wiring plyers and knock off the unwanted thread with a single cut bastage file.
Roughed in assembly. This ramp and sight gives me .552" height, it was about .530" on the factory. Should be fine as the rear sight provides 47 clicks of elevation bottom to top.
As you can see, the Big Birdshead Ejector button required shortening the ejector rod one full segment....still plenty there for grabbing onto and even with the new ejector button, I can still dismount the Cylinder and Cylinder rod without removing the entire ejector assembly.
Operational view.
Rough front view. I didn't push the sight all the way over. It'll get broken down and reassembled a few times before its done. Also, don't use smasherwackers to install sights, especially on ramps. Use sight pushers. Smasherwackers will break screws and even shear off soldered on ramps. I've seen lotsa folks pee and moan cause they bonked their marlin front ramp off and its secured with two screws! Hammers is for nails and primers. Pushers is best for any sight that allows the use of one. Right tool, no broken parts.
From above.
As you can see, the Big Birdshead Ejector button required shortening the ejector rod one full segment....still plenty there for grabbing onto and even with the new ejector button, I can still dismount the Cylinder and Cylinder rod without removing the entire ejector assembly.
Operational view.
Rough front view. I didn't push the sight all the way over. It'll get broken down and reassembled a few times before its done. Also, don't use smasherwackers to install sights, especially on ramps. Use sight pushers. Smasherwackers will break screws and even shear off soldered on ramps. I've seen lotsa folks pee and moan cause they bonked their marlin front ramp off and its secured with two screws! Hammers is for nails and primers. Pushers is best for any sight that allows the use of one. Right tool, no broken parts.
From above.
That's pretty darn awesome!
and TIME...soemthing in short supply with a newborn, full time job, and full time school. Really impressive work though
Make it a year long project. Time is the easy resource....its always out in front of you waitin for you to decide to use it for whatever, 10 minutes once per week and it comes together before ya know it. Busy folks got time for cigars and beer and makin babies!!!!....theys always time if you choose to have it.
Touche sir
awesome work!
