Another J.H. Dance Project

[Smokey Dave]

I wanted another Dance to go with the one I had previously built. That way I'd have a brace to shoot if I so desired. This gun was the perfect candidate for the project because it is a parts gun. I got the barrel and cylinder from a friend of mine. And found a really good deal on another gun that was missing it's barrel and cylinder. So I bought all these parts and just put them together. It's been sitting in the safe for months gathering dust, so I decided to use it to turn into a Dance. I want my Navy sized Dance pistols to be in the correct .36 caliber. So about the only way to get one, is like this.

Here's how the project is going so far.

First things first. Gotta remove the recoil shields. We've been down this road before. I used my 4" grinder to remove the bulk, and files to bring it down to where it needs to be.





That took the better part of the afternoon to accomplish. I then Perma Blued it just to see where I was, and how it's going to look. I like it so far.






Just a little more refinement and then I'll polish it up good and blue it nicely. Since the Dance revolvers don't have case hardened frames, it's not a problem to duplicate the original.

Next I had to figure out what to do with those extra frame screws for the shoulder stock. This frame was previously for a 61 Navy, and it had the extra stock screws and recoil shield cutouts. The cutouts weren't a problem, they disappeared with the recoil shield. The screws were going to take a bit of finagling. Here's what I've done so far.

I worked on the frame screws for quite a while. I think I'm almost there. I ended up interrupting the threads, screwing them in as tight as I dared, and then removing the heads. After that, I peened them down a bit, then worked them with the file and then a couple grits of emory cloth. Still a ways to go, but it's working. Also, removing whatever coating is on the frame, is a bear. You think you have all the faux color case hardening off, but you don't. The metal will not accept bluing, as you can see in the pictures. More sanding will be required.






I put some blue on, just to see where I'm at.






I also removed the engraved scene from the cylinder, and put a little blue on it too. Here's how it looks all together right now.






So a way to go yet, but on the right track. Still have a few details to work out, like shortening the barrel and changing the front sight to a blade and removing the billboards. But if you want a Dance in the correct caliber, this is about the only way to get one now.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That's looking good. Good job on those shoulder stock screws. It looks like the right side is pretty much invisible and by the time you get the CCH off the other side, you won't see that one either. Nice work, there. When you shorten the barrel, it'll be really an outstanding piece.

[Rube Burrows]

What was the barrel length on a real Dance Bro revolver?
I have seen the .44 Dance Bro guns with a 7.875" and 8" barrels

It seems like those who are trying to make a Dance revolver go for shorter barrels though usually.

[Smokey Dave]

Rube, I believe the standard barrel length of the original guns, is the same as a Colt Navy at around 7 1/2". But Dance did make a few guns with shorter barrels.

I have a photo of a factory Dance .36 that has a 6" barrel. So I shortened the barrel on the gun I made to match.








Marshal Will liked the 6" version so much, that he followed suit on his "Dance Wannabe #2"

[Rube Burrows]

All of this Dance talk has me wanting to make myself one so I have been studying them some and looking at all of the Dance threads here.

I don't have any shorter barreled percussion style revolvers so they are appealing to me also.

That photo you just shared of the factory short barreled Dance is the first actual Dance I have seen with the shorter barrel.

[Smokey Dave]

That would be awesome if you make one Rube! It's not that hard, once you get past the fact that you're grinding up a perfectly good gun!

A friend of mine has a book that is the complete history of the J.H. Dance revolvers. It has a lot of interesting facts in it. That's where that picture came from.

[Rube Burrows]

That would be awesome if you make one Rube! It's not that hard, once you get past the fact that you're grinding up a perfectly good gun!

A friend of mine has a book that is the complete history of the J.H. Dance revolvers. It has a lot of interesting facts in it. That's where that picture came from.

Yeah, I am hopefully working up the courage to grind on one of mine. I have done light gunsmithing work before on my guns but never a complete change like this would be. If I do it I will be sure to take lots of pics for the forum.

[Smokey Dave]

That is most excellent Rube.

If you wanted to go the somewhat easier route, you could get a barrel for a G&G. Then all you'd really have to do is modify the frame. A lot less work doing it that way.

[Rube Burrows]

That is most excellent Rube.

If you wanted to go the somewhat easier route, you could get a barrel for a G&G. Then all you'd really have to do is modify the frame. A lot less work doing it that way.

G&G?

[Cap'n Redneck]

Griswold & Gunnison.   It has the octagonal-to-round barrel, similar to most Dance's.

[Smokey Dave]

Cap N Redneck is right. The Griswold & Gunnison has the same barrel.

[Long Johns Wolf]

One comment here if you plan to mate the barrel/cylinder assembly of a Griswold & Gunnison replica with the frame/grip assemply of a Colt 1851 Navy replica for the making of a Dance.
Ideally both assemblies are from the same maker AND also of a comparable period of production.
Otherwise you might end up with a situation where the arbor is either too thick (easy fix) or too small (new arbor needed) to fit the cylinder.
Long Johns Wolf

[Rube Burrows]

Griswold & Gunnison.   It has the octagonal-to-round barrel, similar to most Dance's.

Oh yeah. I have seen those. I just wasn't putting it together.