Glad to hear about the "Red" working so well from someone that has tested it over time. Taking a shortcut to success by learnin from experienced craftsman is a gift. Not all experienced craftsman will share their "secrets" with the less experienced. Salute!
Hey Pettifogger, you ever hear of the Kit Ravenshar little cheapie books about some of the simple aspects of gunsmithin? Dixie Gun Works sell them. People here should become aware of them. Well not just people here but people in the "Kitchen Table Gunsmith" Guild.
![Grin ;D](https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/Smileys/cowboys/grin.gif)
You ever thunk about doing some of those kinds of little cheapie books to get the ranks of the Home Brew Gunsmiths growing in the Cap&baller Open Top catagory? There's not a whole lot published pertaining specifically to Cap&ballers and Colt Open Tops and Cowboy Guns specifically. Just imagine how many people have looked at their revered cap&baller with a loose arbor and pondered on the dark and bleak unknown abyss on "fixin" sumpthin like that.
I was there at one time and know the despair. My first Open Tops were the cheapest guns on the planet. They broke every time I shot them. Literally. First Colt 1851 cost me $50. First Colt Army 44 cost me $60. Came across them in "The Shotgun News" paper. It used to be chock full of cap&ballers fer sale.
Anywhoooo.....way back then the internet was a ways off and I had to learn from trial and error. Made a lot of mistakes.
I remember one day I was gonna show off for my brother how well I fixed my Colt Army 44. I raised er up and took a shot at a can. When I was left with the frame of the gun and some smoke in my hand and the cylinder and barrel on the ground my brother laughed till he practically wet his pants. I thought it was funny too.
![Cheesy :D](https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/Smileys/cowboys/cheesy.gif)
I picked up the parts and threw the whole danged thing out over the hill and into the woods. I later bought a "Uberti" and never looked back.
My brother being the shewd one...picked up the gun parts from out in the woods and went to the sheet metal shop and had the old man weld the gun together and traded it off at a gun show towards an antique double shotgun. I ended up working on that for him.
I was lucky to have made friends with an old timer Gunsmith in the next county. He gave me a few tips and got me goin down the right road. Good Hombre....didn't mind sharing some of what he knew.
I went on to learn more about the barrel-arbor-frame wedge mechanism than anyone in these parts. (of course that ain't sayin a whole lot) There's a lot more to the old Colts than meets the eye at first glance.
![Shocked :o](https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/Smileys/cowboys/shocked.gif)
Anywhooo....that was a long ways back down the road. Many hound dogs ago. Today the road is a little less rocky. Most of my cap&ballers been "gone over" with tricks I have learned over the years. I'm still learnin. I like doin it. Makes things easier.
I don't know ifin I can get myself to use a set screw instead of a lock pin in the back of an old Colts arbor though. I've pondered that before after I read it in the Book about Gunsmithin Guns of the Old West. I did figger that if the hole fer the set screw had a bottom to it as naturally it would.....and there was enough "bite" fer a set screw to hold onto...like the hole was big enough to get the arbor threads out of the way and the set screw into the meat of the arbor then the set screw would draw the arbor back into the frame and help hold it there once it was bottomed out and cinched up.
I've fixed up a few old Colts fer Hombres that had something agin to that in the back of the arbors. Only thing was the "mechanics" that did the jobs didn't do it too well. There were wood screws and pins and peens and a whole aray of damage done with the ends of the arbors wallowed out like a piece of jagged volcanic rock. It's amazing what damage can be done by multible monkies with drills and old scews and a hammer. Ifdin those peopleknew about "Red"loctite and set screws my job fixin the old guns up would have been easier. One of those was an old Dragoon from Replica Arms. I did it up and restored it and it was "pretty" when done. Rust blued....maple wood grips to replace the old ones someone "checkered" with a screw driver and tight as a drum and a real good shooter. I'm rambling again. Better shut this puter off.