Front sight for my 73 Spanish contract carbine project

[Baltimore Ed]

I've been looking all over for a non dovetailed carbine front sight for my Spanish carbine project with no luck. Anybody know where I can find one I would appreciate the information. Presently I have a replacement Krag sight that I could reshape the base and shorten or I could cut up the barrel band to rob the sight part from but it wouldn't be correct, no removable blade. The forarm is coming together slowly.  Had to use a piece of brass tube to slide the steel mag tube into as the 76 mag tube hole was way too big for the 73 tube. .45 lc is alot smaller than .45-60. Cutting down the 1876 full length carbine unfinished forarm has been a chore. For the longest time I could not figure out how to make the nosecap work. I finally decided to use the screw in endplug of the magazine to attach a piece of brass to it that will fit into the mortise of the 76 nosecap. There was not enough wood to work with after slimming it to fit inside the 73 bbl band. I had started out using the bbl band from my 76 RCMP carbine thinking that I could find another 76 band but no luck so I worked to get the 73 bbl band fitted. I almost had it fitted when I remembered that I had a Krag bbl band. A little bit of reshaping and the Krag band worked and it has a sling swivel. This raises another issue, after I removed the ugly red stain that uberti had put on the buttstock I found a really nice piece of wood. There is way too much figure to waste on this project as I will cut a sling swivel into it eventually and as a military arm it needs a piece of plain walnut to match the forearm. If I can ever figure out how to post photos I will. I've done it in the past from my iPad but now I can't seem to do it. Thanks

[dusty texian]

Baltimore  Ed ,  Thats just my game ! you and I are doing a Winchester build at the same time. I have been following your progress. Thumbs -up Amigo ! On the carbine front sight , why not just cut and file one from keystock. I will send you measurements of a carbine front if you do not  have them. Would be easy to duplicate one. Great work I will continue to follow ! ,,DT

[Baltimore Ed]

Guys, I finally figured ou how to attach to forarm to my carbine. As of now the mag tube floats in the forarm but I might glue it in. I built a block that is jb welded to the bbl which the mag tube/forarm butts up against. My thinking is that the bbl band will hold the forarm against the bbl and the block will keep anything from moving under recoil. The endcap is a tight friction fit on the mag  plug screw assembly but I think that I will tap the 2 holes in the cap. I will tighten the screws against the sides of the block, don't want to drill/tap any holes in the block. But I will also make 2 indentations for the screws to bite into. I'm going to give it another day to cure before I try to shoot it.

[Baltimore Ed]

Guys, I just put 70 rds through my Spanish carbine with no problems. The jb weld joint looks good. I was experimenting with .45 lc-.45 Schofield and very short .450 webley (just one loaded first) loads trying to find out just how many rds of what would fit in the shortened mag. Of course only 9 of my lc would fit so I was playing with what combination of different length rds would = 10. Long story short. Turns out that I can get 10 Schofield rds with 200 gr bullets in my tube with an extra 3/4 inch of room and they WILL FUNCTION. The lifter on my uberti has a deep radiused cut on the front that pushes the next round back into the magazine, even though the case protrudes onto the lifter, as it raises the load thats in the lifter. My 160 gr S&W are too short and locked it up but the 200 gr S&W worked fine. I was very surprised when I discovered this. Is this normal for a uberti 73? I thought that the rd in the lifter is what held the next rd in the mag until the lifter was elevated enough to hold it in. I've always heard that the 73 was very case length sensitive but my rifle seems to digest loads from 1.385 to 1.6. This simplifies my build as I dont need to mess with .45 cowboy special loads and another modified lifter. The carbine was bought as new/used  in very good condition but with a shiny muzzle which I took to mean that maybe there had been some kind of damage and someone had refaced it. Anybody got any ideas on my .45 LC-.45 Schofield carbine?

[Baltimore Ed]

Updates-- the jb weld failed I'm afraid, so I had to try my hand at soldering. Picked up a nice propane torch and some 430 degree solder and flux and did a bunch of reading. I played around with an old.22 bbl and finally got a good solder joint. I also built a spring loaded vice to hold my work together. My first attempt that I did yesterday failed so I cleaned up my parts and tried again. Things are cooling down so tomorrow I will try shooting it.

[Niederlander]

You could use the 1873 Trapdoor Carbine sight base that S & S Firearms sells.

[Baltimore Ed]

Thanks Niederlander, I took a look at the s and s sight but it sure looks rough. I'll try to make one first and see how mine turns out. I just put 25 rds through my carbine to check my 200 gr Schofield loads, solder still holding, shot a 2 inch group, 4 inches high, I'm  using the carbine bbl band front sight until I can get one made and of course the carbine rear sight that came on the gun. I've still got some forend shaping to do, too proud where it butts the receiver and some kind of military finish. I don't know if I'm going to leave the carbine rear sight on it or do a more military sight like the 1873 trapdoor rear sight. I've seen photos of these carbines with both styles. I am also thinking about doing a faux cleaning rod. There's just not enough room to do a real one.

[Baltimore Ed]

Finally able to post.

[dusty texian]

Looking Good Ed !

[Baltimore Ed]

Thanks Dusty, this is the tool that I put together to hold my forarm stud on the bbl when I soldered it and will use it on the front sight after I get the forarm done.

[Baltimore Ed]

My poor '73 Spanish Contract musket build has been sitting in my safe for too long unfortunately but I've been inspired by a new show on the Discovery channel called Master Of Arms. It's a not so great ripoff of Forged in Fire which is actually a very good show. The 3 judges, who are not really qualified imo, give the 2 finalists some pretty tough builds, a flintlock Kentucky/Pennsylvania rifle with a bayonet [why]  and a flintlock grenade launcher for two, a pretty neat naval gun. They had to build the flintlock lock [sans flint] from a can of undrilled, untapped, unhardened parts and didn't know if their frizzen was right until the judging when a flint was installed. A lot of wood work and metal work over so many hours. Some of the build is from raw stock and some from premade parts. Anyway, my cas/wasa club shoots in 2 weeks so my plan is to finish my build and shoot the match with it. I couldn't find the darn buttstock screws so I've robbed them from my other '73 but I ordered some replacements today. Been working on the buttstock this afternoon, it was in the rough and way too proud on the tangs and steel carbine buttplate so I've been filing and sanding. Thinking that I'll leave it wood a little proud as a 'for export' 1873 musket wouldn't necessarily be as well fitted as a domestic rifle would have been. Give those two shows a look.  Photos soon.

[Baltimore Ed]

It?s only been a year from my last post on this build. Where did it go?  In that year I?ve done a bunch of other builds including those 2 1903 Springfield rifles while my poor unfinished 73 sat in the safe. Bought several antique guns that I had to create ammo for as non was even available. Had a knee replaced and bought a 2002 Tj that I?m redoing. Anyway, after watching Crossfire Trail I got inspired to build a rig like Rafe Covington wore, an open top, schofield, horn handle knife and my 1873 wanna be 1876 carbine. And of course some nice duds. I?ve been wanting a schofield for a long time anyway. I ordered one of those 58.00 Crossfire buttstock shell carriers from Cimarron and it was so sorry that I sent it back. I can build one myself that would look more correct and not be that cheasy. Don?t know if their other leather goods are that poorly done but that one was. Pictures when I?ve got some work to show.

Filed, sanded and stained wood yesterday. It grew whiskers when it dried so today I?ll dewhisker it and stain some more. I left it proud as I don?t want to reblue the steel. And probably on a for export military gun the wood would have not been as nicely fitted to the steel as a commercial rifle. Cleaned up the screws too and reblued them.

[Coffinmaker]

  Hi Ed   

Just being a nuisance.  Do those two Cassette Tape Decks still work      A weak and sordid mind wants to know   

[Baltimore Ed]

Let me check to see if they are still in my shop.

[Baltimore Ed]

I don?t think that I?ve posted my coiled bearing mainspring that I built for it. Took a lot of tinkering with different springs and eventually wound up with one inside another. The 2 bearings ride in the bow of the hammer. I used a sling swivel to mount it on the lower tang. I didn?t like the mainspring that was on the gun so I thought outside the box and came up with this. Works good.

Enough with the stain, I?m about out anyway, started the truoil. I?ll wool off the excess tomorrow and do another coat. Somewhere in my stuff is the bbl band spring that I modified to fit this but darned if I can put my hands on it.

[Baltimore Ed]

Waiting for my finish to dry. It stained up nicely. There?s a 3/4 inch hole in the buttstock so I think that I?m going to add a little weight back there to counter the long forearm and brass liner. 

[Baltimore Ed]

Here?s some photos. I haven?t decided on the buttstock swivel as Sellecks and the NWMP carbines didn?t use them and some 1873 Spanish contract guns had them and some didn?t. Looking to get a plain bbl band to try. Also need a correct sight, fake screws for my nosecap and another bbl band spring.

[Coffinmaker]

  Hey Biltmore   

You could always keep the front sight you have.  Just call it a Bayonet Mount   

Sometimes I just can't help myself 

[Baltimore Ed]

I could use a rod bayonet but Teddy wouldn?t like it. I just hung the sight on it to shoot it some but I might trim the sight down and have it silver soldered. The bbl is obviously too long but my plan is to trim it back to where I can cut off the unsightly notch for the magazine band screw on the bottom of the bbl. Though shortened the mag will hold ten 200 gr schofield rounds just fine.

[Baltimore Ed]

Started working on my buttstock cartridge carrier today, going by tandy leather tomorrow and pick up some materials. Just laying it out now. I haven?t decided if I want to make it for .45-60 or .45 schofield ammo. Thinking 5 rds will be sufficient. What do y?all think?


Went to the Tandy store in Raleigh yesterday and bought enough leather to do my carrier and piteado belt project. Picked up some tools too. Afterwards I went to the fairgrounds gunshow. Nobody had 1903 Springfield parts. Bought some reloading supplies and talked to some old cowboys I used to shoot with. The show was very crowded so I?m wondering if the demoncrats win in VA has folks worried. Or it was a cold cloudy day so why not go to a show. Saw a lot of old colts and smiths, a decent 4 in OP and a 4 in pre model 10 but didn?t buy any shootin irons. Trying to be more selective this year and maybe pare down a bit.