Working the 1862 Pocket 380

[Sharps40]

While the collar on the arbor does control end shake, it's tiny and easily lost. So I took it off for a more robust endshake spacer that won't get lost and is easily replaced if it ever wears out.

Scrap steel shaped and drilled and countersunk to fit on barrel, between arbor hole and the heal pins.

Here shown rough shaped, yet to be straightened, thinned and polished.

 

[Sharps40]

A hole is centered in the barrel and tapped 6-48. After thinning for .001" endshake, it's mounted.

 

[Sharps40]

Installed. Test function good. Shoots good. Now to disassemble and clean it up with straight lines, rounded edges, equal length arms, blue and reinstall with a dollop of blue loctite.

 

[Sharps40]

Well, if I ever wondered about the chamber specifications, I no longer need to. Seems pretty well perfect. So much so, I had to clean them well after firing a bit of Winchester White box to chamber (without heavy drag on the breech face) the new Fiocchi Defense Dynamics 90g JHP. Don't know if the Fiocchi are a bit longer in the case but they do have a more aggressive crimp and perhaps that was the issue. But a cleaning of the 5 chambers and the wheel rolls smoothly. Can't wait to try them out on the steel.

 

[Sharps40]

Three passes with the rust brown/blue on the 1877 Lightning grip strap produced a rich and fine grained plumb brown. A really nice old look. So.....I think the 1858 Remington detailed elsewhere might just get a similar but full treatment.

 

[geezer]

Man, I’d LOVE to have a go at those grips…light fractal burn, then oil finish! Love your work brother! Love it.

 

[Sharps40]

Flame color initially. Insufficient grain to really pop and the dark colors on the frame got lost with the darker grip. So, went amber instead