ASM 1849 Pocket Pistol

[Stantheman86]

My first gun was an Armi San Marco 1860 Army I got when I was like 12 , my Dad ordered it out of a Gander Mt. catalog.

My Dad's a retired history teacher but I remember loading it with blackpowder and newspaper "blanks" in about 1996 and he took it to his school to fire it in the back field area to show his students during the Civil War portion of the lesson plan (yeah, back when that stuff was still allowed).

It was perfectly fine, I must have cocked the hammer a million times and fired a good number of live rounds through it. I didn't know any better, I think the mainspring broke and I gave it to someone when I was 21 or so and bought another one. Probably a $5 fix but what did I know. It was a repro , they were cheap back then .

 

[MSW]

at that price point, it's hard to beat … load it up anbd

Make Good Smoke

 

[sourdough]

My first gun was an Armi San Marco 1860 Army I got when I was like 12, my Dad ordered it out of a Gander Mt. catalog.

When I was a teen in the 60's my Dad ordered/had many catalogs from just about every purveyor imaginable: Gander, Herter's (that was his gun bible!), Numrich, Bishop, Fajen, and so on. He used to chastise me for just looking at the pictures. He was interested in BP C&B replica revolvers but never bought one, so I don't recall many distributors/manufacturers from that time period. And, as the custom seemed to be in the 60's, every gun he brought home had to be "prettied up" (refinished to his satisfaction, collector value not even considered). He had some real "pretty" guns: Win Model 12 16 gauge full choke field model; Marlin Model 39 (made in 1928 I found out much later) without the high-speed bolt: SN prefix "S" not "HS"; Trapdoor Springfield rifle .45-70; and a few others.

My Dad's a retired history teacher but I remember loading it with blackpowder and newspaper "blanks" in about 1996 and he took it to his school to fire it in the back field area to show his students during the Civil War portion of the lesson plan (yeah, back when that stuff was still allowed).

Those were the days: I worked at Roberts' Shooting Park Elkhorn NE 1969-1970 pulling/setting trap/skeet after school and weekends, and would come to school with my Rem 870 12 ga. skeet gun and a case of reloaded shells in the trunk of my '65 GTO, ready to go to work after school let out. A couple of teachers found out and wanted to see what I had, smiled, and it was business as usual. These days I would be in jail and probably seen as someone with terrorist leanings if LE searched my house and saw all of the gun catalogs/magazines, etc.

It was perfectly fine, I must have cocked the hammer a million times and fired a good number of live rounds through it. I didn't know any better, I think the mainspring broke and I gave it to someone when I was 21 or so and bought another one. Probably a $5 fix but what did I know. It was a repro, they were cheap back then.

ASM guns were/are good guns. Some folks think some of the parts are too soft, but I have not found that to be the case. Compared with Colt 2nd/3rd Gen guns, they are still cheap.

And I am way off topic. Sorry...

Regards,

Jim

 

[Eutycus]

From what I have read about ASMs quality wise they are as good as any. The Cap n Balls anyway. It was the conversion model that had the "soft" problems

 

[Stantheman86]

I did some dumb stuff in college with that Armi San Marco 1860 also that would probably get me locked up now a days.....I remember driving to a Gander Mt store and getting Pyrodex pellets (back when they sold the .44 ones for revolvers that the instructions said to slide down the barrel) a box of round balls and caps......

Then I just drove out into extremely rural PA until I stopped seeing buildings and houses and parked on the side of the road, walked up the side of a hill and fired at trees , reloaded, drove down a little bit and repeated this until the gun got gummy and went home I was young and stupid I don't even know where the hell I was at, someone's property , state game lands whatever it's all good .

 

[Columbus]

View attachment 23605

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

Been searching internet for pictures and was surprised to find this original Colt listed on an auction site. It's described as a late model 1848 Baby Dragoon, .31 cal. This is exactly what my replica looks like.



View attachment 23605

 

[Whitworth]

Columbus we have the same revolver. Like you, I can't find a date code anywhere. The markings on mine are the PN proof of the face of the cylinder along with the serial number, "S Marco" appears on the bottom of the barrel, covered by the loading lever. The serial number, 11xx appears on the grip frame, trigger guard, frame and back strap and the aforementioned face of the cylinder. On the bottom of the back strap is Italy and EIG. One of the reasons I bought this one a couple of years ago was because it wasn't all stamped up and defaced with various marks.

 

[Long Johns Wolf]

Regarding Centaure wedges and other parts and I don't wish to steal this thread.
Send me a PM and I get you in touch with a German pard.
He is reworking Uberti wedges to Centaure dimensions.
They work just fine.
Other parts he is making from scratch.
Regarding Centaure frame screws there is a pard in the US who had some 1000 newly made.
Long Johns Wolf

 

[nkbj]

In the 1970's I shot these in a .31.
Worked great.