Hey guys!
As some of you might know, I bought an original 1849 dated M1842 Aston .54 caliber smoothbore martial pistol a couple of months ago. It was in solid shape, but the lockwork needed some work. It would slip off at full cock and with a trigger pull in the ounces, was unsafe to fire. Also, it has a crack in the stock that could have gotten worse if the gun was fired.
So, I decided to ship it off to Lodgewood Mfg. out of Wisconsin. This company specializes in original and reproduction U.S. Civil War firearms. They sell them, as well as repair and service them. The gunsmith there now is named David and he is an incredibly knowledgeable and nice guy. Before sending the gun to them, I called them up and David explained to me what most likely was the issue and that he could easily fix it.
A little over a month later, I get a call from David and he explains to me the work he did to fix the pistol. I asked him several questions mostly dealing with longevity of the repairs, and he assured me that the pistol would make a great shooter and would be able to see plenty of extended service. He redid the lockwork and set the trigger to about 5 lbs and repaired two cracks in the wood. One of the cracks, on the side plate, was repaired and blended in so nicely it looks totally original. The other was hidden underneath the metal. The price for these repairs and return shipping were extremely reasonable. I was very pleased with the price and workmanship. Here are some pictures of the repaired gun:
All in all, I am 100% pleased with Lodgewood Mfg. and especially with David, their gunsmith. If you've got an original or repro Civil War weapon that is in disrepair, don't hesitate to contact them to get your gun back out into the field and shooting where it belongs.
With these repairs, all that I'll have to have done now is have the barrel lined. Right now, the bore is very rough with quite a bit of pitting. I plan to have renowned muzzleloading barrel maker Robert Hoyt reline this pistol to .540" caliber.
Once that's done, I will finally have an almost 170 year old original U.S. military "horse" pistol returned to active duty service! What an awesome thing. I'd bet Henry Aston would be glad to here one of his pistols is getting put back into good use! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on the progress of this project. Hopefully I will have the gun out and making smoke just in time for summer.
Take care all!
Earl
As some of you might know, I bought an original 1849 dated M1842 Aston .54 caliber smoothbore martial pistol a couple of months ago. It was in solid shape, but the lockwork needed some work. It would slip off at full cock and with a trigger pull in the ounces, was unsafe to fire. Also, it has a crack in the stock that could have gotten worse if the gun was fired.
So, I decided to ship it off to Lodgewood Mfg. out of Wisconsin. This company specializes in original and reproduction U.S. Civil War firearms. They sell them, as well as repair and service them. The gunsmith there now is named David and he is an incredibly knowledgeable and nice guy. Before sending the gun to them, I called them up and David explained to me what most likely was the issue and that he could easily fix it.
A little over a month later, I get a call from David and he explains to me the work he did to fix the pistol. I asked him several questions mostly dealing with longevity of the repairs, and he assured me that the pistol would make a great shooter and would be able to see plenty of extended service. He redid the lockwork and set the trigger to about 5 lbs and repaired two cracks in the wood. One of the cracks, on the side plate, was repaired and blended in so nicely it looks totally original. The other was hidden underneath the metal. The price for these repairs and return shipping were extremely reasonable. I was very pleased with the price and workmanship. Here are some pictures of the repaired gun:
All in all, I am 100% pleased with Lodgewood Mfg. and especially with David, their gunsmith. If you've got an original or repro Civil War weapon that is in disrepair, don't hesitate to contact them to get your gun back out into the field and shooting where it belongs.
With these repairs, all that I'll have to have done now is have the barrel lined. Right now, the bore is very rough with quite a bit of pitting. I plan to have renowned muzzleloading barrel maker Robert Hoyt reline this pistol to .540" caliber.
Once that's done, I will finally have an almost 170 year old original U.S. military "horse" pistol returned to active duty service! What an awesome thing. I'd bet Henry Aston would be glad to here one of his pistols is getting put back into good use! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on the progress of this project. Hopefully I will have the gun out and making smoke just in time for summer.
Take care all!
Earl
