Antique Firearms Assembly/Disassembly: The comprehensive guide to pistols, rifles & shotguns

530 Pages·2005·39.37 MB·English

by  David Chicoine

Tips from the Master Gunsmith
ANTIQUE
You Won’t Find Anywhere Else!
or the collector, for the hobbyist, for the
amateur gunsmith, Antique Firearms
FAsembly/Disasembly is an invaluable FIREARMS
reference tool. Written in plain English and
profusely illustrated, Antique Firearms
Assembly/Disassembly provides detailed ASSEMBLY/DISASSEMBLY
procedures for taking down and
reassembling a tremendous variety of
original and replica handguns, rif es,
and shotguns. Whether you’re simply
cleaning a Colt 1836 Paterson
replica revolver or replacing
the entire bolt assembly on
a Marlin 1895 lever action,
Antique Firearms Assembly/
Disassembly will help you
avoid common mistakes,
expensive pitfalls,
and unnecessary
headaches. It’s a
must-have addition
to any gun owner’s
library!
• Covers 65 models of antique and vintage handguns, rif es, and shotguns:
Colt, S&W, Merwin-Hulbert, Remington, Winchester, Ruger, and many more
• Contains exploded views and 1000+ detailed, step-by-step photographs to
guide you through the entire process
• Includes a complete directory of gunsmithing resources to help you f nd
tools and parts
ISBN: 0-87349-767-8 29.99 U.S.
($41.99 CAN)
52999
¥
'UN$IGEST"OOKS THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO PISTOLS, RIFLES & SHOTGUNS
!NIMPRINTOF&70UBLICATIONS

0 46081 00767 5

9 780873 497671
David R. Chicoine
ADMATFulCVR.indd 1 8/26/05 2:06:32 PM
ASSEMBLY/
Chicoine
ANTIQUE
FIREARMS DISASSEMBLY
UPC
ANTIQUE
FIREARMS
ASSEMBLY / DISASSEMBLY
DAVID R. CHICOINE
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©2005 David R. Chicoine
Published by
¥
'UN$IGEST"OOKS
!NIMPRINTOF&70UBLICATIONS

Our toll-free number to place an order or obtain
a free catalog is [phone].
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically
transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.
Caution: Technical data presented here, particularly technical data on fi rearms adjustment and altera-
tion, inevitably refl ects individual experience with particular equipment and components under specifi c
circumstances the reader cannot duplicate exactly. Such data and gunsmithing techniques therefore
should be used for guidance only and with caution. F+W Publications, Inc., accepts no responsibility for
results obtained using these data and techniques.
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2005931346
ISBN: 0-87349-767-8
Designed by Paul Birling
Edited by Dan Shideler
Printed in United States of America
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Dedication and Acknowledgments
would like to dedicate this book to John M. Tyler, a dear friend and teacher, for his untiring,
self ess sharing of wisdom and compassion.
I
That this book was written at all, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my wife Kathy
and also to my family who, during the time this was being written, got to see much less of me than
they are used to. Thank you for your patience, your generosity, your support, your help on so many
levels, and for just being who you are: my dear family.
There were also many individuals and businesses, both in and out of the f rearms industry, who
were generous enough to offer help with the writing of this book. Without the efforts of these people
and companies, it would not have been possible to complete a work of this scope in such a short period
of time. I would like to offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to all of you for what you have done to
insure that this project would be a success:
Gloria Ardesi at Davide Pedersoli & C. in Italy. Duff Armf eld. Frank Brownell at Brownells Inc.
David T. Chicoine. Reid Coff eld. Boyd Davis at EMF Co.. Cristie Gates at Stoeger Industries. Gary
Germaine at U.S. Firearms Co. Frank Gregg. Mike Harvey at Cimarron Firearms. Lisa Keller at VTI
Replica Gun Parts. Keith Lawrence at American Gunsmith. Giacomo Merlino at A. Uberti srl in Italy.
Diana Morin at Marlin Firearms Co. Amy Navitsky at Colt Firearms. Walt Penner. Allesandro Pietta in
Italy. Margaret Sheldon at Sturm, Ruger & Co. Jim Supica at Old Town Station. Ed Wade. John Watts.
Suzanne Webb at A. Uberti Srl. in Italy. Will at EMF Company. Larry Weeks at Brownells Inc. and the
late Butch Winter at Dixie Gun Works.
Thank you all!
About The Author
avid R. Chicoine is a gunsmith and
author who has spent most of his
adult life working with and around
D
older f rearms. For the last 30 years,
he has specialized in the repair, restoration and
conservation of antique f rearms, especially
Smith & Wesson, Colt, and Winchester.
Chicoine’s expertise with 19th century f rearms is
so widely known and well thought of that since
1976 f rearms companies including S&W, U.S.
Repeating Arms and Remington regularly refer
customers with antique and obsolete arms to him
for repair or restoration.
Other printed works by David R. Chicoine include Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West (Krause
Publications, 2001 & 2004), Smith & Wesson Sixguns of the Old West (Mowbray, 2004) and Guns of the
New West (K-P Books, 2005). David is the editor/publisher of Bullet ‘N Press as well as a contributing
editor to the American Rif eman “Dope Bag.” He has published many articles in American Gunsmith,
Dixie Gun Works “Black Powder Annual,” Winchester Collector, Smith & Wesson Collectors Journal,
Man at Arms, and others.
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Table Of Contents
DEDICATION & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................III
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ......................................................................................................................III
INTRODUCTION BY REID COFFIELD ............................................................................................VI
FOREWORD .....................................................................................................................................VII
SECTION I: DISASSEMBLY
Tips, Tools & Techniques ..............................................................................................................9
SECTION II: HANDGUNS
Colt Paterson and Replicas .........................................................................................................23
Colt Walker .44 and Replicas .....................................................................................................30
Colt 1848-1862 Percussion Revolvers and Replicas ...................................................................35
Colt Richards-Mason Conversion and Replicas .........................................................................43
Colt Open-Top and Replicas .......................................................................................................50
Colt 1873 Single Action Army and Replicas ...............................................................................56
Colt Frontier Scout .22 Revolver .................................................................................................64
Colt Cowboy Single Action Revolver ..........................................................................................70
Colt 1878 Double Action Army Double Action Revolver ...........................................................76
Colt Early Twentieth Century Double Action Revolvers (Police Positive, Army Special/Off cial
Police and New Service) .............................................................................................................85
Colt Thuer Derringer ...................................................................................................................92
LeMat and Replicas ....................................................................................................................97
Merwin-Hulbert Single Action Revolvers .........................................................................................104
Remington 1858 Percussion Revolver and Replicas .................................................................112
Remington 1871 Rolling Block Pistol .......................................................................................118
Remington 1875 and Replicas ..................................................................................................124
Remington Double Derringer ....................................................................................................131
Robbins & Lawrence Pepperbox ...............................................................................................137
Ruger New Model Vaquero Revolver ........................................................................................143
Ruger Old Army Revolvers ........................................................................................................151
Ruger Old Model Revolver ........................................................................................................158
Sharps 4-barrel Derringer .........................................................................................................166
Smith & Wesson Tip-Up Revolvers ..........................................................................................171
S&W .32 Single Action (Centerf re) Model 1-1/2 Revolver .......................................................177
S&W .32 Double Action Revolvers (All Models) ......................................................................184
S&W .32 Safety Hammerless Revolvers (All Models) ..............................................................187
S&W .38 Single Action, First Model Revolver (Baby Russian) .................................................195
S&W .38 Single Action Revolvers (2nd & 3rd Models) ............................................................203
S&W .38 Double Action Revolvers (All Models) ......................................................................207
S&W .38 Safety Hammerless Revolvers (All Models) ..............................................................216
S&W .38 Perfected Model Revolvers ........................................................................................229
S&W .44 American 1st and 2nd Model Revolver (Including 1st & 2nd Model Russian) ........236
S&W .44 Russian, 3rd Model Revolver (New Model Russian) ................................................249
S&W .44 Single Action New Model No. 3 Revolver .................................................................258
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Table Of Contents
SECTION II: HANDGUNS continued
S&W .44 Double Action Model No. 3 Revolver .......................................................................266
S&W .45 Schof eld Revolver (1st and 2nd Models) .................................................................274
S&W-Uberti replica .45 Schof eld Revolver ..............................................................................281
S&W-Uberti replica .44 New Model Russian Revolver ............................................................288
S&W .32 Hand Ejector First Model Revolver (Model 1896) ....................................................298
S&W .32 HE Model 1903 2nd Change through .32 HE 3rd Model and .22/32 HE Revolvers ...306
S&W .38 & 32/20 Hand Ejector 1st Model (Model 1899 [M&P]) Revolver .............................313
S&W .38 & 32/20 HE 1902 & 1902-1st Change (M&P) Revolver ............................................322
S&W .38 & 32/20 HE 1905 through 1905-4th Change (M&P) Revolver ..................................325
S&W .44 & .45 Hand Ejector 1st Model (Triplelock) Revolver ................................................334
S&W .44 & .45 Hand Ejector 2nd & 3rd Model (1917, 357 Magnum, 38/44) Revolver ..........342
SECTION III: RIFLES
Colt (USFA) Lightning Rif es Medium Frame ...........................................................................352
Marlin 1891 .22 ........................................................................................................................362
Marlin 1894 ..............................................................................................................................368
Marlin 336 (Includes .444 and 1895) .......................................................................................374
Remington Rolling Block ..........................................................................................................383
Remington-Keene Bolt Action ...................................................................................................389
Savage 1899 ..............................................................................................................................397
Sharps 1874 ..............................................................................................................................403
Springf eld Trapdoor ..................................................................................................................411
Henry and Replicas ..................................................................................................................418
Winchester 1866 and Replicas .................................................................................................427
Winchester 1873, 1876 and Replicas .......................................................................................437
Winchester 1885 Single Shot and Replicas ..............................................................................444
Winchester 1886 .......................................................................................................................451
Winchester 1892 and Replicas .................................................................................................459
Winchester 1894 .......................................................................................................................470
SECTION IV: SHOTGUNS
Colt Model 1883 Hammerless Double .....................................................................................478
Parker 10-Gauge Hammer Double ...........................................................................................486
L.C. Smith Hammerless ............................................................................................................493
Stevens Hammerless Single Barrel ...........................................................................................501
Winchester Model 1897 Pump Action .....................................................................................508
APPENDIX: Sources
Arms Collector Organizations ...................................................................................................518
Sources for Historical Research ................................................................................................518
Firearms Makers .......................................................................................................................519
Suggested Reading ....................................................................................................................519
Gun Parts and Gunsmith Supply Sources ................................................................................520
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Antique Firearms Assembly - Disassembly
Introduction
ell over 25 years ago a gentleman came into my gunsmith shop in western North
Carolina. He had an early 32-20 Smith and Wesson revolver. His son had been shooting
W it using old ammunition. One of the rounds did not f re properly and the bullet lodged
in the barrel. His son continued to f re the revolver and ended up stacking at least three
more bullets behind the f rst stuck bullet. This ruined the barrel with both a crack and a sizeable bulge.
He asked me to replace the barrel but he wanted one that matched the original which had a special
target front sight.
I was unsure if I could f nd such a barrel for this 50-year-old revolver but I promised I would do my
best. Fortunately, I had seen a small ad for a fellow up in Maine who sold antique Smith and Wesson
parts. The company was Liberty Antique Gun Works and the fellow was Dave Chicoine. I sent away for
the catalog and upon receipt I saw that he had what I needed. Just to be sure, I called him and had a
most pleasant and enjoyable conversation. This resulted in two things. First, I got the barrel I needed.
Secondly, I began an enduring friendship with a wonderful guy.
Dave is one of those rare individuals who possess exceptional talent, skill and knowledge. At the
same time he is one of the friendliest, most open and sharing men I have ever known. Unlike some
“experts,” Dave does not hoard knowledge or have any secrets. He has always been willing to share
his experience and knowledge with anyone interested in f rearms. It makes no difference to Dave
whether the person is a major f gure in the f rearms trade, a hobbyist, or some small town gunsmith
from the hills of North Carolina – he always responds in a helpful, courteous manner. He is a true
gentleman in every sense of the word.
This book is a ref ection of Dave. It provides great information not available anywhere else. While
there are several assembly/disassembly manuals currently in print, none offers information on many
of the wonderful old guns that Dave so obviously loves. The information he provides is presented
in a clear, concise, easily understood manner, with a logical, systematic approach. In addition to
takedown and assembly instructions, Dave shares lots of nuggets of information that only a true
expert would know.
This is one of those “must have” books that any amateur or professional gunsmith or anyone
who just wants to care for his f rearms will want to add to his library. It’s an exceptional book from
an exceptional guy.
Reid Coff eld
Gunsmithing Editor
Shooting Times
Shotgun News
Contributing Editor, The American Rif eman
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Section I: FRONTMATTER
Foreword
ooking back over the years, I guess I have worked in the gun trades for most of my adult life
and I think it has been a true blessing to have had a job that I love. Early on, as a young
inexperienced gunsmith, I became painfully aware that any gunsmith, armorer, serious
L
tinkerer or even the general sportsman just can’t get enough good information about how
old guns are put together.
I still remember my initial taste of this, trying to disassemble my f rst Browning A-5 semi-automatic
shotgun so I could give the gun a detailed cleaning. Without any written instructions in hand I began,
honestly fearful of the outcome. This “little” job took me almost nine hours to f nish. Now, it did turn
out successfully, but if success were measured by time spent, then I certainly did not make a prof t on
this one! The only saving grace for me and what got me through the job at all was ol’ John Browning’s
perfectly sensible, easy-to-grasp design. Also, I can remember phoning the late Bob Brownell for help
with that one. Bob was a dear old gunsmith friend, the same Bob B. who founded the gunsmithing supply
company called Brownell’s in rural Iowa. Bob didn’t have a large “technical staff” manning the phones
back then; in fact, he was “it”! Nevertheless, he always offered the best information he could, for free
and regardless of how much time it took from his busy schedule, a wonderful service that his company
still provides to the trade today.
On the other end of the spectrum, if all f rearms were as simple as the Remington Rolling Block
or the Sharps 4-barrel pepperbox (about 20 parts in all), then most of us could probably get by just
f ne without any instructions. Alas, such is not the case and if you have even a little experience trying
to disassemble various kinds of f rearms, you already understand that. Indeed, there are so many
different f rearms designs, with more being designed almost daily, that if you somehow could combine
all the factory owner’s-manuals . . . well, the sentence doesn’t need to be f nished – the key word here
is “if.” When disassembling a f rearm you haven’t had any experience with before, sometimes the hard
part is f nding the exact set of instructions, preferably with an exploded drawing, that explains just how
that odd and rare old gun laying on your bench can be safely taken apart. Having good instructional
material is a boon to the average sportsman, but it is vital if you are a working professional.
Thus, when this work was begun, it was with the thought of presenting a good, easy to read manual
to aid those who had the need to disassemble antique f rearms, taking care to include some of the more
unusual older weapons, ones that are not normally covered. It was also our intention to present the
material in such a way that the reader would more quickly become familiar with the subject than with
earlier presentations.
As the book progressed, it became apparent to me that if we were going to meet the practical needs
of today’s collector, cowboy action shooter and re-enactor, then we had better include several of the
popular modern-made replicas along with the genuine antique weapons. In that light, we have taken
the liberty of writing instructions that in many cases will be found suitable for use with both the
replica and an original. Today it is a fact that some replica weapons are being used in greater numbers
than originals are; it is for that reason more than any other that in some cases we thought it more
appropriate to use internal photos of replica weapons within the instructions.
By taking the approach of combining exploded f rearms drawings and photographs, along with newly
written text instructions and a brief historical sketch tracing the highlights and history of the weaponry
included in this book, it is the author’s hope the reader will come away with a deeper understanding
of each f rearm’s mechanism. I only wish we had more space, so we could have included a hundred
more of these great old guns!
David R. Chicoine
North Carolina, January 2005
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Antique Firearms Assembly - Disassembly
SECTION I
DISASSEMBLY
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Section I: DISASSEMBLY
Disassembling Old Guns:
TIPS, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
n the new millennium, f rearms are homogenous blend of vulnerable organic
commonly made from space-age beauty and function. Of compelling
I polymers, sophisticated aluminum, forms, they were generally held
f berglass resin, high-tech stainless together by screws and pins, combined
steel and even titanium. The key words are low- sometimes with ingeniously machined
maintenance, no-rust, non-organic and low-glare. joint-work. More often than not, older
Flat ugly is considered to be okay, as long as pure weapons also required the use of special
functionality is the goal. Machine work, where tools, a good set of instructions and
there is any, is performed largely by computer- quite a bit of time to disassemble.
controlled, automated machines and many While covering so many
complicated parts are now precision different kinds of older
investment castings that weapons, this book is
require very little, if any, by no means a factory
f nal machining in order service manual; rather, it
to function. Often these is a guide to help lead you through
modern marvels have rough looking surfaces, the different nuances of disassembling
f nished off with matte, low-glare coatings that the individual types covered. We can
are as modern as the parent materials. In many offer some basic advice that pertains
instances, modern weapons can be completely to the normal methods used to hold most
disassembled in short order, using few or sometimes older f rearms together; screws and drivers; pins and
even no tools. punches. We will also touch on wood-to-metal f t and
It was not so very long ago that weapons were the kind of care the disassembly technician (you)
built very differently from how they are today. In days should give to these areas.
past, f rearms were manufactured in a labor-intensive Need I say that a comfortable, safe place to work is
environment, using mostly f nely machined carbon essential? For most, a workshop with a wooden work
steel. This was brought to a brilliant luster by hand bench would be best, but for the casual tinkerer that
and beautifully f nished in various types of blue or place might be a kitchen table with good light, the
nickel plating. The former was an oxide of the steel latter being a necessary ingredient for this work, no
surface itself, while the latter was a thin coating on matter who you are. Just be sure the location is in an
top of the steel surface. Older guns were stocked, for area that is secured from the curious hands of small
the most part, with closely f tted, often decorated, children or from an indignant walk-through by the
hand-f nished hardwoods, with a decided preference family feline (the “actual” owner of your home, a fact
given to walnut. Older f rearms were (usually) a that cat owners already know).
This special tool is called a mainspring vise. If you work on old shotguns or muzzle-loaders, this is a handy tool for safely
compressing the huge V-shaped mainsprings found in many of these weapons. Tool courtesy of Dixie Gun Works.
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