View Single Post
Unread 10-25-2015, 04:57 PM   #39
Member
Eric Estes
PGCA Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 338
Thanks: 1,630
Thanked 219 Times in 113 Posts

Default

That is a very nice gun and a great piece of family history.
You do not need to have it restored to shoot it again. All you need is to make sure it is safe to shoot. The main thing for safety is to be sure the barrel wall thickness is good. A good double gunsmith can check that for you or you could get a Manson gage from Brownells for under $100 to measure it yourself. If you search on this forum you will find lots of threads on measuring barrel wall thickness. It is also a good idea to be sure the gun is on face. If the closed action rattles or you can wiggle the barrels then it has loosened up over the years. It can be expensive to have a qualified smith tighten it up and put it back on face, but many members here have had great success with using a brass shim cut with scissors to shape, then bent and placed over the hinge pin where the barrel hook pivots. I have a .005 brass shim on my 1877 Parker and now it locks up nice and tight.

For cleaning the metal Frontier 45 pads were mentioned. If you want to remove light rust grime and whatever without harming the patina they are the best. They will not damage bluing case colors or damascus finish when used with a gun oil or Hoppes #9. Be sure to get the real deal. They look like steel scrub pads, but are not steel and wont harm the patina. They also work great on cleaning the bores. You can place a bit of one on a bore brush and it does great. For the wood you may want to initially only do something as simple as using a damp cloth to wipe it down to remove surface dirt. Damp not wet. At some point you will want to have a good smith take it apart and clean the insides of the locks and action, inspect the sears, etc., but if the locks appear to be working properly now and the barrels check out I would shoot it without hesitation.

Once you are sure it is safe get on out there with your dad and burn some powder. Down the road if you guys decide you want to spruce it up even more you absolutely can. There are some wonderful craftsman out there like Brad Bachelder that can take it as far as you want all the way to brand new looking, but if time is the essence then maybe there is no rush to go that route? All the best and have fun with it and your dad.
Eric Estes is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Eric Estes For Your Post: