Installing the largest 1860 Army grip on a Vaquero

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
The 1860 Army Grip is the largest and closest to the trigger. Many sizes. The smallest are on the old Pietta/CVA percussion guns from the 80s and 90s.

The late model uberti's and piettas, are closer to full size, with the pieta being bigger/closer to original than the uberti.

But, as you'll see, all can fit the ruger single actions and in this case, i'll use the largest pietta steel backstrap for the most original size and the somewhat shorter uberti steel trigger guard because the pietta steel trigger guard is not readily available.

As usual, the Italian back straps, steel or brass are usually an effort free install on the ruger frame, here a vaquero 45. This one, a rough cast full size steel pietta 1860 Army with rifle stock cut is a bolt up with the original ruger screws, smooth off the sides and ready for final polish and blue.

As for the uberti steel 1860 army trigger guard, nearly the right thickness to match the pietta, rear holes took some light tweaking and as always, the front hole has to be relocated or the hole in the frame filled and redrilled, and the trigger slot widened for the ruger trigger. That, plus the 1860 uberti army grip is shorter than the pietta but similar in distance from trigger and the bottom screw will line up dead center with the pietta backstrap hole once a filler block of steel or brass is soldered into place.

To the photos.


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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Too hot to mow or otherwise be outside, so to the shop to get the hard work done. A brass plug sweated in place to fill a divot in the uberti trigger guard, then drilled at the right angles for the cylinder bolt plunger and spring. The trigger slot was opened by hand from narrow colt to wide ruger, then all the metal behind the trigger was plowed out by hand to make way for the trigger return spring and its cross pin. Some cleaning up to do but you get the idea.....plenty of work to go from flat spring to coil. As for the grip, a set of 50 anniversary Blackhawk grip panels over the 1860 army grip frame for reference.
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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Continuing the trigger guard, readying it for coil spring conversion. remove the lower flat spring foot and thin the tang to .275" or so. plow out a well centered groove for the main spring as it travels down and forward on compression.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
All steel now.....no alloy left. Ruger parts for direct bolt on. Crescent rod and steel tube, under $30 total.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Extended the trigger guard .168" to meet up with the bottom of the back strap, soldered the extension in place and started the shaping. Reinstalled it all, and its a good fit. Some hand filing and shaping to do yet but first I need to go back and convert the grip from flat spring to coil spring.DSCN5067.JPGDSCN5069.JPGDSCN5071.JPGDSCN5072.JPG
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Try foot for the spring is installed. Full function and clearance between the spring and trigger guard tang is slightly greater than the thickness of a thick cleaning patch. On to modifying the one piece grip from flat spring to coil spring.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Great progress, all together but the transfer bar and hand and it all works, coil spring conversion completed, one piece grip keyholed for coil spring conversion and found a nice place to hook the new model trigger spring feet on....I used the bear cat locking bolt plunger and spring because though the same diameter, they are shorter and work much better with the converted flat spring uberti trigger guard. Rough, gritty and clunky right now but I'm all in but for the finesse work.

The photos show the keyhole in the grip making room for the coil main spring and its foot. The legs of the trigger spring pulled up and over the center of the one piece grip assembly in order to tension the trigger. The rough but assembled grip and grip frame with the hammer at the ready and the locking bolt fully functional/locking the cylinder in preparation for firing.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
First test. 6 yards. 45 Colt. Starline, CCI LP, 6.3g Bullseye, 260g LEE REAL sized .454.

6 shots.

1 hole.

Good enough.​






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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
I had the target sideways for shooting, right side up in photo. So. At 6 yds it's actually well centered but a bit low with the light test load.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Getting back to it, prepping the grip for three solid points of contact to keep the wood from ever moving. (at the frame, at the bottom of the backstrap and some bedding along the inside curve of the backstrap). And once installed, starting to blend metal to wood.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
With the grip bedded and backstrap approaching 95% its time to finish the trigger guard. Rather than fill the offset front screw hole (offset slightly forward of the matching threaded hole in the bottom of the frame) I decided to use it. That way there is no solder line to show through the bluing of this steel trigger guard. I usually do the opposite on a brass trigger guard as the solder line, if the plug is fitted tight, is very hard to see on brass.

So, fill the hole in the ruger frame with its original 6x40 screw, lock tite and stake the end after filing flush in the cylinder window.

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Make the screw head, on the underside, crescent, to additionally lock against rotation when the new 6x48 front screw is installed.

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Drill, tap (6x48) the new front screw hole and install the trigger guard. Done.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Functionally, 100% with a consistent trigger measuring about 3 lbs prior to finalizing the location of the legs of the trigger spring. Grip fit and shape is about 90% and the feel is wonderful. Love it for a medium and larger hand, filling without being too big. Plenty of room to wrap around the little finger and the Bisley hammer is low and wide and easy to find.

Probably time to move on to cleaning up the action and shim the space between the locking bolt and trigger.

Not a bad mix coming together well. Bearcat locking bolt plunger and spring (cause its shorter) Ruger frame, Pietta backstrap and Walnut grip With Uberti steel trigger guard.

The barrel, cylinder and grip will be rust blued. For the frame, I'm not sure. It still needs a lot of work to remove the pitting and I like the dull grey that comes with age.....perhaps after polish a simple grey vinegar tarnish to go with the satin black components.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks. Buttloads of work but it clears the mind. 287 actual working days till full retirement.....not counting the 57 days of leave! Then my mind will be clear for the rest of my life.......now to get clear of that Jimmy before I can't walk and find a nice 35-39 dodge or Plymouth truck project or a solid 47 - 54 chevy truck that needs a 283 with dual Weber 38/38 carbs on a triple carb manifold.......and an automatic trans cause my leg is lazy.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Far enough along its time to finish the wood and set it aside. Final metal adjustments and then blueing.

For now, a couple coats of urethane sprayed on and rubbed in by hand. several more coats like this and then knocked back with 0000 steel wool and buffed with fff compound.....sealed, satin and still feels like wood. just nice straight grain walnut with a neat knot that runs through the bottom front under all the factory brown stain that sanded off.....

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Heading towards the finish. Finalized the main spring foot. Finished up filing the trigger guard and back strap to the frame. Started the removal of pitting and blending the mating surfaces to a perfect fit by filing and initial sanding at 100g.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Initial polish is 180g fresh. Removing the bulk of the pitting from the frame and barrel, without loosing the lettering. What pitting is left will disappear into the satin finish. Final polish will likely be 180 worn to soften it up some and will be done with the trigger guard and back strap installed. Then its time to get it just pretty darn rusty and boil the bulk of the rust right back off. Cylinder and smalls will be done similarly after the bulk of the action is completed.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Hurricane, good time to rust stuff. Interestingly, i was able for the first time (first try too) to recreate an aged case hardening pattern on the frame. I think it looks grand. Can't wait to see it in sunshine. Should be quite durable as its rust blue. I basically didn't clean the frame much at all after polishing with worn 180, slopped on the sauce heavy, rusted it once then ignored the frame as i rusted the barrel 5 more times. Barrel grey-black and even, frame nicely patterned.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Still some work to get bluing done, cylinder, screws, etc. But, had to put it together just to see how it looks. Even better in some good daylight I think. The factory case colors on the loading gate are a nice match for the rust blued case colors on the frame.

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