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Tuolumne Lawman · December 18, 2021, 10:47:45 AM

A couple years ago, before the Pandemic, I did a Kirst Avenging Angel 1860. My best friend and long time SASS shooting pard talked me out of it, to go with his similar 3" 1860 with an R&D cylinder. I really missed it. With that said, I picked up another 1860 3" birds head from Taylors, and an 1860 Kirst Konverter and went to town.

This is a fantasy pistol, based on reality. In my mind, my two 1860s and the 1858 are period 5 shot, Long Cylinder Conversions in .46 Rimfire. They go perfectly with my HRA 1860 Henry .44-40 and Rossi Coach gun for a 1868/69 persona. The Winchester loading of the .46 rimfire was 27 grains of powder and a 230 grain bullet. It was basically a rimfire version of the later 1875 Schofield. The .46 RF was a fairly common caliber for private conversions as it was readily available for the factory converted Remington NMAs.

Started with this:

Went to this:

My current main match pair, the Saber River and the Avenging Angel:

All of my main match pistols are Kirsts: 1858 Pale Rider, 1851 .38 Colt, Avenging Angel, and Saber River,

Coffinmaker · December 19, 2021, 09:18:14 AM

WOWZERS Law Man

Beyond the fact I really like it, I do need to point out . . . That ain't a "Birdshead" grip assembly on your Avenging Angel. That be a "Thunderer" grip assembly as it twer.

SNUBBIES are really FUN GUNS you betcha!!

Play Safe Out There

Tuolumne Lawman · December 19, 2021, 10:02:24 AM

Yep, I know that, but Pietta catalogs it as Bird's head. Initially they said Thunderer, but ran amuck of Uberti and Cimarron as they have "Thunderer" trade marked!

I do have to say, the little devil is a, slick, Bad A$$ little revolver, and is so natural pointing it is hard to miss a typical SASS steel plate. I use My Saber River and this as main match pistols, saving my Kirst NMA for back up.

Niederlander · December 19, 2021, 12:22:12 PM

How close to point of aim does the 1860 shoot? What load do you use in it?

Tuolumne Lawman · December 19, 2021, 05:59:50 PM

It hits about 3" high at 10 yards. I load a 200 grain bullet and 5.5 grains of Trail Boss.

Coffinmaker · December 20, 2021, 08:38:32 AM

Well

If it ain't Peanuts and Popcorn. I was completely unaware Cimarron had "Trade Mark'd" the "Thunderer" moniker.

Especially since it was originally a Colt thing (I think).

Matters not. The SNUBBIES from Pietta with those Grips and their short barrel suppository shooters are a barrel of fun to shoot fer sure

Play Safe Out There

Tuolumne Lawman · December 24, 2021, 08:43:37 PM

Better photo of my main match pair: IN the fantasy of my persona, they are both private conversions to 5 shot .46 rimfire (used in factory Remington NMA conversions), a prevalent cartridge for conversions in 1866/1867, 5 years before the Colt Richards. .45 Schofield is a close visual and ballistic twin to the .46 Rimfire.

Loading gate detail on Saber River.

Tuolumne Lawman · January 14, 2022, 11:39:26 AM

Taking the Kirst saber River and Avenging Angel to the local match tomorrow. They will go well with my HRA 1860 Henry and newly acquired Rossi Coach gun. Pics of the 1860's "in the wild' to come.

Coffinmaker · January 14, 2022, 04:11:37 PM

All righty dighty TL

Looking forward to your "Match Report." As a fellow shooter of 1860 conversions and 1860 SNUBBIE conversions, and 1851 Conversions, I look forward to your report with relish.

Also the report on that Brandy Knew-Two-Ewe coach gun you betcha.

Play Safe Out There

Pappy Hayes · January 14, 2022, 05:17:58 PM

Where did you get the Sabre River? I have wanted one of these. I have a pair of 1860 Type II conversions? What is the caliber?

Tuolumne Lawman · January 14, 2022, 05:28:44 PM

I made it. It is a Pietta 1860 .44 percussion I got from EMF. I added the faux ivory grips from Ebay, and got a Kirst .45 Colt Konverter and ejector rod. It is Kirst's fully hand engraved Saber River cylinder and ejector set. Beautiful hand engraving. As with all my Kirst Konversions, I cut the loading channels myself with a Dremel and 1/2" grinding drums.

Hi-rez photo, click on it for close up.

Tuolumne Lawman · January 14, 2022, 05:57:27 PM

My Saber River is the subject of an upcoming Cowboy Chronicle article. Its in line behind a couple others. Saber River was set in 1866/67 Arizona, too early for a Richards conversion (1871/72). It was not too early, though, for a private long cylinder conversion that frontier gun smiths were doing right after the civil war. .44 Henry was the most common cartridge, but they were inaccurate as hell with a .440" bullet bouncing down a .454" bore of a percussion. The .46 rimfire like the Remington NMAs used, with a .456" bullet, was more accurate and used in some private long cylinder conversions.

Tuolumne Lawman · January 15, 2022, 05:17:02 PM

Used both of the Kirst 1860s (.45 Schofield 230 grain over 5.5 of Trail Boss) at the local match. Shot clean, including hitting 2 liter bottles on the 25 yard berm with the 3" Avenging Angel, Duelist! Dang, that little bugger hits where you point it!

Coffinmaker · January 15, 2022, 07:46:07 PM

Ok TL

But the Shotgun. The Shotgun TL. Did you not shoot your Knew-Two-Ewe Almost Knew Rossi Coach Gun?? Were you suppose no make a report on it?? Where is the Coach Gun Report.

People are Hazardous to Yer Health.

Tuolumne Lawman · January 15, 2022, 08:10:50 PM

Check the shotgun section. Shot clean up it hit including the birds tossed by the knock downs.

Coffinmaker · January 16, 2022, 09:03:12 AM

Ah Ha !!

Snuck that one in behind me didja. Ya know it anti fair to put the Shotgun report inna Shotgun section??? Entirely too obvious. Plus it twern't there when I went through. Nanny Nanny Poo Poo.

Happy it worked well for ya. Love it when a plan comes together (stolen famous TV line).

People Are Hazardous to Yer Health

Tuolumne Lawman · February 16, 2022, 02:40:00 PM

Just got the cylinder for the 3" Avenging Angel back from the engraver. I had it engraved to match the Saber River's engraving. WOW! What a pair!

Marshal Will Wingam · February 16, 2022, 03:13:41 PM

That does make a mighty fine pair. Congrats. The engraving does the snubbie proud. Have you considered ivory grips for it, too?

Tuolumne Lawman · March 07, 2022, 11:30:59 AM

Didn't maker the last local match due to a "family" issue...SO I am headed to one about 1.5 hrs away to Ione, CA to California Rangers match on Saturday. Usually 6 stages. Since no joy on the hollow base bullets for my .38 Kirst pair, I'll take my 1860s, the Rossi Coach Gun, and my 1894 Century Limited in .44-40.

Tuolumne Lawman · April 16, 2022, 10:03:51 PM

Took the two 1860 Kirst 45s to a local match today. Shot clean. Did come home and trim the wedge on the Avenging Angel a tad, as some cases were dragging a bit on the recoil shield. Did not affect function, but was a tad annoying, though. I was shooting clean on 4"x6" knock downs at 7 yards with the 3" Avenging Angel, which surprised people quite a bit!