Birds head replicas

Galloway · December 21, 2005, 01:22:31 AM

Does anyone know if the 3.5 inch birdshead 1873's were really around in the old west or are they just something the companies are making like the SA lightning and thunderer? Thanks

Virginia Gentleman · December 21, 2005, 12:19:30 PM

These are "what if" guns that were first dreamed up by Mike Harvey at Cimarron who convinced Uberti to start making them.

Arcey · December 21, 2005, 12:58:55 PM

CAS is very much a make-believe activity. Shot my 3 1/2" birdshead, .357 Magnum, in four of five stages Saturday. Didn't catch any grief from anyone for not bein' authentic.

In fact, what I got were chuckles at the loadin' and unloadin' tables when I referred to it and the 7 1/2" I used at that shoot as my 'Matched Pair'.

..

Blondetta · January 03, 2006, 09:10:35 AM

I think they just like to laugh, when your around. Or maybe- they are laughing, with you. Hard to tell with the Fambly, they laugh at all of us, sooner or later.

Arcey · January 03, 2006, 10:20:44 AM

Blondetta darlin',

If I can't have a laugh or two and try to coax the same out of a couple others, I ain't interested in doin' it. That's why the stubby l'il birdshead, the Buntlines 'n been known to walk around in a hat with an arrow thru it. Next to biggest reason I shoot Holy Black.

Fun and surprise are the reasons I carry smoke bombs in my guncart. I can light one of those things, toss it 'n when the smoke starts billowin', I can look sooooooo innocent.

Don't use everything all the time. Keep 'em off balance........

tarheel mac · January 07, 2006, 04:57:43 AM

As far as I can find out the 3 1/2 inch barreled bird's head SA models were not made originally. there are several folks here that can confirm this or shoot it down, which ever...That don't keep me from wanting one though..I think it would it be a nice little carry/concealed gun for a fella that like the SA...

Galloway · January 09, 2006, 09:53:13 PM

Yep I'm that fella. Carying SA's give 3 advantages: reliability-accuracy-power but you trade off with: rate of fire-reloading-and size.

Marshal Will Wingam · January 09, 2006, 11:55:30 PM

I think the closest that Colt ever got to the bird's head grip was in their early DA's. Here are a couple pictures. The first is an 1877 DA and the second is an 1878 DA. I did read somewhere that Colt sold at least one of the SAA's with this type of grip on it. If one, there may have been a few others.

Cole younger. · April 01, 2006, 01:57:05 PM

Hello... sorry I mean HOWDY.

I think the 3,5" birdshead 1873 is a new "fiction" gun,I have never seen one of this type of revolver in a picture or book.
But I really like this shortbarreld boots-guns and when you fired a 40grains 45 slug from this type of gun its christmas every time.

I think I must say this,Why bother if this type of guns was manufactory in the old west or not,when the most popular guns in CAS is RUGER.....

The best gun I have shoot was my granfather´s 2 old 1860 5,5" colt army cal.44 with home made birdsheads grip......

have a nice shooting time.

ColonelFlashman · April 03, 2006, 11:37:09 PM

NEVER EXISTED in a Single Action configuration from the Colt Factory & they have no reference of Any kind to them what so ever.

McGavin · April 17, 2006, 05:43:23 PM

My second CAS firearm was a 3.5" Cimarron Thunderer in .45 LC/.45 ACP which was eventually joined by a .45 version with a 5.5" bbl.. Both have checkered grips. I love the guns, both as shooters and as lookers. While Col. Flasman is correct and no gun like this emerged from the Colt factory, I am sure that a competent gunsmith could have changed the grip frame to one similar to that of the 1877 Colt DA if they were asked to.

I like the look of he Colt 1878 DA Frontier, but the guns are notoriously finivky and, besides, DA guns aren't SASS legal. I looked at the USFA Omn-Potent, which has a profile and grip frame much like the '78 Colt, but at first they weren't SASS legal and even now, they are still quite a lot of money.

In a game where Rugers -- a 1950s retake on the classic SAA - reign, a little playing with history isn't unwarranted.

If you like 'em, shoot 'em.

ColonelFlashman · April 17, 2006, 05:52:38 PM

Ahhhh, but if that were the case, an Original Colt's Model "P" that's been Altered to B.H. Grips should have Long Ago raised its Ugly Head by Now, don'tcha think?

Abilene · April 17, 2006, 07:00:39 PM

Well, guess what, folks? Colt may have not made a birdshead SAA "back in the day", but they certainly have made one (and I do mean ONE

) more recently. See http://www.coltsmanufacturing.com/cmci/UniqueSAA.asp

Mike Harvey told me that when he saw that gun on display at Colt's booth at Shot Show a few years ago, he tried to buy it from them but they wouldn't sell.

McGavin · April 18, 2006, 02:00:15 AM

Sir Harry,

I agree that if one had been done it would probably have surfaced by now. Had I lived in the period, rest assured Ii would have found a metalsmith to create the grips for me. That one-of-a-kind SAA on the Colt Custom site is a beaut, if a little elegant for my tastes. I wonder what Colt would charge for a less ornate version? Probably about five times the retail cost of my Cimarrons.

My feeling is that for the purposes of our game, anything that would have been possible in the day, so long as it doesn't violate any of the other rules or the Spirit of the Game should be acceptable. I'm glad the WB saw fit to allow the Thunderer and Lightning and to finally allow the Omni-Potent. Diversity and style points count a lot in my book. That's why I like things like the convrsions and the Birds Head.

willyboy · April 29, 2006, 07:41:18 PM

Well,there's the definative answer,but since I can't afford the original,and it wouldn't be SASS or CAS legal,I'll just shoot the SAA Birdshead,and ''pretend''.Besides I even shoot my 1917 S&W single action.Oh,it works fine as a DA,but I just prefer to shoot single action.

Arcey · May 02, 2006, 11:05:22 AM

Just finished goin' over my 3 1/2". Gonna use it this Saturday. Lookin' forward to it. Ain't shot it since December. Been playin' with my 7 1/2s. The l'il one makes more noise 'n throws out more fire. I'm ready to make more nosie 'n fire. Maybe I need two of these things.........................

McGavin · May 02, 2006, 06:56:39 PM

Two is a good number, Arcey. I've been known to carry my short one in a Threepersons' rig with the .45 ACP cylinder and my Department's duty rounds. The gun is actually on my card, courtesy of another Single Action shooter who was rangemaster and armorer. The only problem qualifying is the reload and he sort of lets that slide. If I had two of the little ones, I could do the "New York Reload" which involves a second piece.

(I don't really recommend SA firearms as modern-day defensive weapons for a variety of reasons -- the reload is really slow, as noted; any single-action firearm lends itself to a challenge that the shooting was "accidental" because of the "touchy hair trigger" and so forth -- but I've gone heeled in 19th Century attire once or twice in places where I liked having a sidearm.)