ASM 1849 Pocket Pistol

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I had a ASM Walker years ago. It was great. Worked smoothly, no problems at all. But I know they can be hit or miss.
 
Have a chance to buy one of these; said to be unfired, bbl is marked Replica Arms, Inc. Marietta, Ohio, Made in Italy. Comes with a flask, two cavity brass mold and an inline capper. Pictures seem to back up the unfired claim. Looks new. It's $125 and an 80 mile drive. Are these ASM guns in good shape worth buying?
Get it!
Get it!
Get it!

All of my ASM have worked and looked great, never a fail. Don't pass this up.
 
Correction.
ASM did put their marks on kits, just not the "Date Code".

Sorry for the confusion.

AntiqueSledMan.
 
I must have missed it, what is the date code on this one?
That is one of the questions. The only markings on this gun other than serial number is a stamp on the bbl flat that says "Replica Arms, Inc Marietta, Ohio Made in Italy. As I said, I've taken it completely apart, went over every piece with a magnifying glass.....nothing there.
 
If the gun was made in Italy, it will have two proof marks and a date code stamped on it.
This photo taken from the "Third Edition Blue Book of Modern Black Powder Values" shows what they look like and explains what they are.

PROOFMARKS.jpg


Follow this link to see what the letters in the date code represent.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/modern-replica-dating-by-proof-marks.49482/
 
If the gun was made in Italy, it will have two proof marks and a date code stamped on it.
This photo taken from the "Third Edition Blue Book of Modern Black Powder Values" shows what they look like and explains what they are.

View attachment 21625

Follow this link to see what the letters in the date code represent.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/modern-replica-dating-by-proof-marks.49482/
I'm not a nubie Zonie, I've been buying and shooting these things since the middle 70s. I know what it should be marked but it isn't. Other than serial numbers on the frame, the backstrap, the trigger guard and penciled on the inside of the grips this picture shows the only markings on the gun.

20191221_143642 (2).jpg
 
I have this in a doc. file, might help.

"The logo, RA in circle over a gun sight is the Replica Arms Logo. When Navy Arms bought out Replica Arms they did not simply eliminate Replica Arms from existence, but changed it to Navy Arms over a period of time. This was to establish Replica Arms and Navy Arms as one and the same. Replica Arms was the chief competitor of Navy Arms at this time.

The first marking change was “REPLICA ARMS RIDGEFIELD NJ” on the barrel. After a short period this was changed to “NAVY ARMS RIDGEFIELD NJ” on the barrel but retaining the Replica Arms Logo somewhere on the gun, the frame, under the loading lever, etc. Replica Arms first used Armi San Marco as its manufacturer, and new info also indicates that Palmetto was also very active in the early 1960’s as well. Navy Arms used Uberti in the beginning for the 1851 Navy, Leech & Rigdon, Remington New Model Army, and the Griswold & Gunnison. Replica Arms was the first company to sell the 1847 Walker, the Dragoons, the Baby Dragoons, and the Pocket Models. These were made by Armi San Marco and possibly by Palmetto.

The 1860 Army revolvers were only produced and manufactured by Centaure of Belgium, at this time, and imported by Mars Equipment Co. and distributed by Centennial. (visit http://www.1960nma.org ). It was not until the later part of the 1960’s that Navy Arms added the 1860 Army made by Pietta to their offerings. It was not until the early 1970’s that Navy Arms offered the large frame revolvers after Uberti started producing the parts for these revolvers to Colt. It was as this time that Uberti decided to enter the market with a complete live of replica percussion revolvers. Exact time that each of these events took place is impossible to know because there are no surviving records found at this time.

The SA Logo found on the Navy Arms boxes before the merging of Navy Arms and Replica Arms is the old Service Armament originally started by Val Forgett in the late 1950’s-early 1960’s."

AntiqueSledMan.
 
Columbus,

I did an 1858 Pocket Kit years ago, imported by CVA, manufactured by A.S.M.
I had to dig it out of the safe to verify, so here is what I have.
CVA logo on right hand side of frame (brass).
"A.S.M. Black Powder Only Made in Italy" on right side of barrel.
No Serial Number.
No Proof Marks.
No Date Code.
No Caliber Markings.
Nothing on Cylinder.

Your guess is as good as anything as to what you really have there, but I'm thinking it's probably not an Armi San Marco.

I say shoot it & enjoy, AntiqueSledMan.
 
If it had been defarbed the barrel wouldn't carry the marks Replica Arms, Inc. Marietta, Ohio, Made in Italy. Some very early imports came without any markings, I have seen one and I know that it had not been defarbed or altered. The MARCO on my ASM 49 pocket is faint and the very tops of the letters don't show at all. My Wells Fargo only shows ARCO and it is difficult to see the A, you have to catch the light just right. The lettering gets deeper from left to right. I wouldn't be surprised to find the brand name had been polished out in the final finishing.

Based on the unusual shape of the rammer (where the screw of the lever passes through) which is identical to my ASM 49 and something I have never seen on any other manufacturer's 49 I'm sure it is an ASM.

My wife has a CVA pocket Remington by ASM marked exactly like the one in an earlier post. These were made by ASM before Pietta began manufacturing them and the ASMs disappeared from the market at the time the Piettas appeared.
 
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I have an 1861 full flute iron back strap and triggerguard as pictures on the avatar20200110_095910.jpg 20200110_113915.jpg . I emailed Uberti in 2005 to see if they had any info on mine. It is a Replica Arms Serial # N7278. They said it was made June 19, 1970, but they didn't know how many were made for Replica Arms. This one has the Uberti stamp. All the rest of the stamps are tastefully done, not having that huge "for black powder only" stamp. Mine is a true to original .36 in that it takes a .380 ball. Don't know why everybody now doesn't do.it correctly. It's annoying. They worked on the measurements being correct then screw up the caliber. I had 2 other Replica Arms at the same time, an 1861 round cylinder and 1849. They were all marked the same way. Wore out the round cylinder one in college. The campus had their own sewage ponds and I sank a lot of lead into those things trying to hit turtles and snakes. East Texas had a lot of them near the Sabine River. The ones that really gave me the willies were the white water moccasins.
 
I have shot mine many times no problems here
 

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Antiquesledman, I have a .44 1960 Army produced in 1963 by Centaure and imported by Centennial. It needs a wedge and barrel lug. Uberti and Pietta are both too small. Do you know who might make replacements large enough to fit?
 
Does anyone know the dimensions of the wedge for the 1860 Cantaure?
Jim is in need of a replacement wedge.

AntiqueSledMan.
 
The Centaure wedge dimensions seem to have varied over time. I think the barrel lug dimensions did as well. I need both due to a couple of 6-round chainfires that blew the barrel off the revolver about fifty years ago. My Centaure is a 1st Variation, 2nd Subvariation.
 
Sorry to be late to the party. I think it is an ASM:

The rammer pivot area extends quite a bit from the load lever.
The trigger guard shoulders slope down gradually instead of abruptly.
The cylinder stop slots have no approaches.
The forcing cone is short and not tapered.
The bottom front of the barrel lug is angular and not fully rounded.

I have a Replica Arms El Paso Texas 1848 5-shot 6" barrel, date code XIX/1963, no ASM logo/marking, but confirmed (a few years ago) to be a first year of manufacture ASM by Dr. James L. Davis (RPRCA). The squareback TG and the short forcing cone are 1848 type, as is the V-notch load aperture (1849 Pockets had a larger U-notch) in the lower barrel lug.





$125 for that revolver and accoutrements wasn't a good deal... you stole it, sir!

Regards,

Jim
 
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