1860 Army Blackhawk

[Sharps40]

Try foot worked fine and will serve as a template for the working foot. Over to the junk box and pull out an old Makata router wrench......router burned up but the wrench is still good steel and the right thickness to allow me to bend and fit up a sturdy working foot for the mainspring.

The head cut off and the screw hole drilled on center.

Its good thick metal so heat and bend to follow the Try Foot as a template.

After the bend a double hole is drilled and then worked with jewlers files to make a slot for the mainspring strut.

First trial fit of the roughed in working foot....all seems well but it needs some thinning and shaping.

After some shaping and thinning of the foot and the brass mounting point, the mainspring is closer to the lower loop and with it all assembled, I'd say this part of the job is 90% and time to see about fitting in a trigger return spring.

 

[Sharps40]

So far so good. The interweb nayslayers be dayumed. With luck and a bit of skill I'll be marchin forward with some kinda mounting spot for the trigger return spring in the next few days. Though it might be good to check the fit of the fat bottomed bisley hammer first.

 

[41mag]

Sharps- how do you read anything with the dial missing on that dial caliper? I've wondered that since I saw it about 3-4 months ago in the other thread....

 

[Sharps40]

I get it close, mark it twice, split the difference and nibbletrim to fit.

Thems my calibers fer markin cut lines or stop lines on metal and wood. I don' measure much wif em anymore as they been dropped a bunch.

 

[Sharps40]

For the evening, I sat down and finished shaping the top strap a bit. Just breaking over the long edges back to front. I also refined the nose a bit so it looks a bit more like a ring around the barrel with the top strap growing out of the ring. I got a bit more work to do with the jewelers files then put the rounded nose on the buffer and smooth it up. Its one spot where a buffer with a cutting abrasive is friendly.....compound shapes like a bull nose in a tight spot.

 

[Sharps40]

Compared to the original hammer, the Bisley hammer is like a lead sled, wide, fat and low. Most will grind the Bisley hammer to the shape of the Blackhawk hammer in an effort not to have to refinish a anodized aluminum grip frame. Nice, and it allows switching between tall and low hammers but.....I'll fit the brass grip frame to the bisley hammers fatter bottom.

While the Bisley hammer is lots bigger in the butt, its not much metal to remove from the grip. Some rough outlines to start with.

Finishing up, from the underside, not only a slot opened for the hammer, a groove inlet for the hammer strut.

The initial fit is not bad. The 1860 Army Colt backstrap being just a whisker lower than the aluminum ruger and a touch of the tail of the hammer is uncovered. But its not a bad look and at this point, pretty much gotta live with it.

Good range of motion on the Bisley hammer with the new mainspring mounting so I believe the Bisley hammer install is now 90%. We'll get a lot of 90%'s. It'll be all the lil 10% to close the project that will cost all the effort and time.

 

[41mag]

Ah but ya can't beat the swoosh of a Bis hammer ! Liking this thread more everyday.

 

[Sharps40]

Using the scissors drill jig to find the center.....a chore on a tapered piece of trigger guard....I spot and drill successively larger holes to make a spring seat for the trigger return spring. Final hole is just at .3" diameter and about .2" deep.

Then, using the same jig a series of overlaping #29 holes are drilled about .1" deep to plow out the initial trough for the trigger return spring. From here its several hours of tedious filing to open the trough and widen the trigger slot (The New Model Blackhawk trigger is a fat girl compared to the Colt trigger.)

 

[Sharps40]

This 90% took mosta the day. A mill or lathe with cross slide woulda been wonderful. But its handwork. A lot of it, makin room for the trigger return spring and widening the colt trigger slot for the giant fat ruger trigger.....think I'll thin that dude down a bit, where it rides below the brass....its huge! I think next one I'll investigate a home made jig to drill a single hole and install the old model style pin and spring trigger return. But, this'll work. A bit of effort is still needed inside to pretty up the spring way and then I'll drill and install the trigger return spring cross pin. But for now, everything goes back and forth without a bind.

Stays back, no binding.

Fired position.

The package coming together. Time for clean up and supper and a break. Its been a long day of fit and try. Will finish the trigger spring up (both ends) a couple nights this week I think.

 

[7pt62THOR]

You're killin' me bro! Ain't sure which 'un I'd rather have myself: this beauty or that Sheriff's Lightnin' Blackhawk you did awhile back! Your dad is gonna be mighty happy!