Euroarms Rogers and Spencer Q's

[Are. M.]

I have the opportunity to purchase a RnS revolver, but I have a couple of questions before I do. It's in pretty good condition, though the nipples are stuck good and the loading lever/cylinder rod thingy (looking for a better term here) is a little sticky. Those are both easy fixes.

What else should I be looking at before I purchase? I have Kroil for the cylinder, and a little filing on the backside of the cylinder rod/under side of barrel will help that. Barrels look good, and aside from the froze up nipples, the cylinder is clean, smooth, and the inside of the nipple is shiny.

The cam screw for the cylinder release is kind of buggered up, but the cam itself is in primo condition.

It comes with an installed progressive barrel, a regular barrel, extra grip frame, and an extra front sight.

Again, looking for a little insight as to what I need to be lookong at/for.

Thanks,
RM

 

[FishDFly]

If something breaks internally, where are you going to get parts?

That would be my major concern.

I have been looking for a R&S, but when folks asked me that, I kind of slowed my looking way down.

 

[bang]

Like above. Parts. There are a few but it's those not available that will have to be hand made.
If it twer me I'd get a newer 1858.

 

[FishDFly]

Was going to say that, but I hated to rain on his parade.

 

[Are. M.]

Yep. Y'all echo pretty much all the other posts on here about the RnS. I'm scouring the web for a mainspring for that reason. The guy I'm getting it from is a N-SSA-er and says there are several folks at Winchester who have parts.

 

[hawkeye2]

There's no one near Winchester who has any parts. Euroarms is long gone and the Winchester Sutler who had a few parts has been closed for years now.

S&S lists R&S parts however the owner passed away just a few weeks ago and they are not accepting orders at this time.

https://www.ssfirearms.com/products.asp?cat=147

 

[Stantheman86]

Oh No the S&S guy passed away?

I was just about to order some stuff from them.

I'd look around GunBroker for a repro and keep that original as a collectible. Most of them were sold through Bannermans in the 1900s in new condition since few were actually issued. A lot were converted to cartridge.

An older guy I knew years ago said he used to buy Rogers & Spencers, 1860 Armies etc at flea markets in the 1950s for like 2 bucks and shoot them until something broke and they'd basically just throw them away. Back then they were just old guns that were cheap.

 

[Are. M.]

Okay, then. To those with the RnS: which parts are most likely to fail? I know mainsprings can be finicky from time to time but I also know folks who have never had one pop.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Okay, then. To those with the RnS: which parts are most likely to fail? I know mainsprings can be finicky from time to time but I also know folks who have never had one pop.

The trigger/bolt spring & the loading lever spring are available at DGW, right now. Other than the main spring the only other part that could possibly cause an issue is the pawl (or hand, as some call it) that has a fairly delicate flat spring attached (press fit) to it. Other than the screws, there are only 6 internal parts. The bolt, the trigger, & the hammer are solid steel & unlikely to break. The main spring & trigger/bolt spring aren't under all that much stress & failures there are very uncommon. The pawl spring is the part I think would be the hardest to replace & am constantly looking for a spare, "just in case". The R&S is a robust, simple design & I am unaware of any part failures it has a reputation for. If I wanted one I wouldn't let "parts fear" hold me back. It's the best C&B revolver ever built.

 

[hrt4me]

I have 4 R&S revolvers (here are two); you can still order a few replacement parts from overseas

 

[Are. M.]

Those target models look sharp, hrt4me.

 

[hrt4me]

Those target models look sharp, hrt4me.

thank you, I'm trying to decide which to keep, lol

 

[Are. M.]

The black gripped one looks the coolest. Does it shoot the best?

 

[TreeMan]

The black gripped one looks the coolest. Does it shoot the best?

I think that one would be a Ruger old army so I’d guess that yes it does.

 

[Are. M.]

Haha. If that's the case. Shows you how much I know.

 

[Stantheman86]

I have 2 original 1861 Springfields I plan to shoot , parts failing doesn't concern me . Just shoot the R&S and cross that bridge when you come to it

Unless you put 1000s of rounds through it I doubt anything is going to break, assuming it's in good order right now.

People worry about wearing guns out that spend 99% of their lives laid up in a safe. I bought my Uberti 51 Navy with plans to "shoot the *crap* out of it" and I think I've put 500 rounds through it in 10 years.

 

[hanshi]

A friend has one that he never shoots, just keeps it displayed under glass. I owned and shot one for years and found it to be astonishingly accurate. It was a bit too much gun so I eventually sold it.

 

[Are. M.]

When you say it was "a bit too much gun," what are you referring to? Weight or recoil? Or just plain-ol too much gun?

Like the difference between an unmentionable .45 cal made in 1911 versus a sub-compact polymer frame unmentionable in .354 cal made in 2017.

 

[B P Arn]

I have had mine for nearly 10 years. I shoot it when the mood strikes. Nothing has broken yet, but I have little concern about parts; life is too short for that.

Shoot 'em while you can!

 

[toot]

I thought that S&S was run by the wife? I have talked to her many times when ordering parts.