Harpers Ferry?

[Lancer]

Hey all,

I have a couple of questions. I have an opportunity to pick up a pair of .58 Cal Harper's Ferry Pistols for under $500 :shocked2: . They are from Pedersoli but they are a couple of years old. I have inspected them and they appear to be pretty clean on the outside . I did not have a bore light with me but will bring it the next time to check out the barrels. The stocks are not dark like the newer ones but rather golden. My questions are:

Has anyone had any experience with these types and if so, were they good or bad?

Also, I would like to get the stocks a darker color. Is this possible without a lot of sanding ?

And finally, I noticed that when fired, the frizzen does not open up all the way . There appears to be a small nub on the backside that contacts the mainspring and prevents it from opening up further. Is this ok or can I remove "some" of the nub to get it to open up a bit more? They seem nice and the price is excellent but I want to make sure.

Any help on this would be appreciated. :bow:

Thanks,

Lancer

 

[Wes/Tex]

First, be sure it's not an overly strong frizzen spring that's not allowing the frizzen to open up further. You do need the frizzen to open if you expect the gun to work well. This is a common problem with commercial guns.

As for the guns themselves, the pistols have most of the overall problems the rifles do. The basic design is a "basher" type allows the flint to impact the face of the frizzen straight on rather than a sweeping motion. Secondly, Pedersoli had some problems with heat treating lock parts in the past. Even light attempts of polishing could go right through the very thin hardened surface. Without seeing the guns it's impossible to say if they were made during the problem period or not. The real problem with copies of "basher" style locks is that when parts are cast from original parts, the new parts is slightly under-sized due to shrinking in the casting process. If the design is questionable to start, the copies are even more difficult to get to work correctly.

Having said that, I've seen several Harpers Ferry pistols that have shot with minimal problems. That's why it's hard to make a better answer to your question. If the guns are cheap enough it's possible a little tinkering may make them shooters. Good luck.

 

[wulf]

I have two of them..I got them cheap because
they didn't work. I sawed the uppermember of the
throat and bent {with heat} the top of the cock
a bit forward and silver soldered the saw cut
shut..That gave a better angle of attack and
they sparked very well after..I also re drilled
and tapped new holes for the frizzen spring to
move it forward to a more correct position, and
that made the frizzen open better. All metal
parts had to be re fit and the trigger plate put
out flat with the bottom of the stock as it
should be..no 1/4" inside the stock crap like so
many are made...Do what you want to darken the
wood. Probably a light sanding and re-stain and
oil..This is only my opinion based on no facts
what so ever....Wulf

 

[torn moc]

I had one once....pedersoli....it sparked very good and shot every time....but dont expect any accuracy past 10 ft...
I needless to say dont have it anymore.

 

[Lancer]

Well,

I did it and picked the two pistols up :grin: . I would like to post pictures but I'm still trying to figure it out .

Anyway, I would like to re-finish the stocks to something darker and was wondering what the best way would be. Would a stripper like those found at Lowes work or would I be ruining it. Also, how in the %@#$ do you get the butt cap off? :cursing: I have unscrewed it but it seems to be on there pretty tight. Could I strip the wood with the butt cap on? Sorry for the stupid questions :redface: but I know if I want the right answers I can find them here.

Thanks all,

Lancer

 

[Zonie]

Most of the paint removers at the store will work for removing the existing finish and most of them won't harm metal.
Before you buy one of them, read the fine print on the back of the can/bottle.

As for removing the brass butts, I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you absolutely have to.
You will notice that the two strips that come up the side of the grip taper inward a little.
That means you would have to bend them out a bit to get the cap off and one of the bigger PITA's is trying to install them.
They are very difficult to bend in tightly after they are removed and if you don't they will look horrible.

If you strip the finish, I would recommend that you use a NON oil stain like Birchwood Casey Walnut. Most gun stores have it or they can get it.

zonie

 

[Jdzara]

Zonie,
Why do you recommend a Non-oil base stain?
Are the Oil based stains harder to use?
Thanks,
Jerry

 

[Zonie]

AZC96: It was a "gut reaction" on my part.
I will admit that with Walnut it might not be a big deal because usually Walnut is dark enough so that it doesn't require any stain at all.
One or two coats will usually be more than are needed. If the wood has a lot of heartwood or other very light graining it might need more coats and if it does, my comment holds true.

My aversion to oil based stains is based primarily on Maple and other light colored woods.
These light woods often require more than two coats of stain to get the color the gun builder is after and oil based stains don't do much if anything to darken the wood after 2 coats have been applied.

The reason the oil based stains don't do much after 2 coats is that usually the wood becomes oil saturated and it can't absorb more oil/stain than that.

Water or alcohol based stains on the other hand can be repeatedly applied and each application will darken the wood more.
The ability to apply many coats of stain allows one to thin the stain a bit with water and apply as many coats as is needed to 'sneak up' on the color one wants. It also allows the builder to mix stains by applying a coat or two of Walnut, a coat of Mahogany and perhaps one or three of Maple to get a nice reddish brown tint.

As I mentioned, when dealing with Walnut this multicoating may not be as important but I will still prefer the water or alcohol based stains to oil any day, even with Walnut.
zonie