new orleans ace

[east texas]

a friend of the old womans, after finding out i shoot black powder, dug a old ace kit out of the attic. she said it was her husbands and was sitting there over 20 yrs and could i fix it? now although it looks like something i would not be interested in actually shooting, i would like to get in operating condition for her {deceased husbands gun} the problem is a part is missing i cant find anywhere to get parts. it seems the company who made these has changed hands several times.if i can get it to working,IS THIS PISTOL SAFE TO SHOOT? does any one here have one, or can give me any background on this pistol so i can pass its information or history on to her ? does anyone have a source that might carry parts ? ive tried dixie and other places no one can seem to pin down a place for parts. any help would be appreaciated thanx mike

 

[Norinco]

I think those came from Classic Arms. They may still have parts.

I would think it's safe to shoot.

 

[east texas]

thanx man it came still in the original box so i knew it was c.a. but that company is out of buiss, consumed by another co, and i cant find out who do you know of anyone else still selling these?

 

[rafterob]

Dixie Gun Works still sells the kits, but they may not have spare parts. Call and find out. The Classic Arms kits have a reputation for being POS.
They can be made to shoot and are safe to shoot when they function correctly.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I think Deer Creek sells those kits. Dixie used to, I don't know if they still do.

I have had several of those kits, one was too many. They were a HUGE disappointment. They wouldn't even make a good bumper on a Yugo. :shake:

 

[Norinco]

Not so much a piece of crap, just very rough and requiring a lot of work. My machinist friend built one and he made it work great. He did more work than the average person is capable of doing however.

I'd suggest fabricating your own spare parts from scratch.

 

[napolean]

What part is it?
Jon D

 

[east texas]

its called the hammer spring retainer

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

Is that part depicted in this picture?
kit picture

 

[east texas]

yes its the larger piece closest to the nipple the lrg. spring above it goes over it it kinda looks like a little t ive called dixie and they said they didnt sell the parts and the lady i spoke to said classic was out of buisness and she didnt know where to get parts

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

Oh, zat all? get a cut nail and a file then.... :wink:

You wanted practice as a gunsmith right?
In one evening you could probably match the machining quality of the rest of the kit. :hatsoff:

 

[east texas]

no never said i wanted practice as a gunsmith :rotf: said a old widder woman wanted me to see if i could finish this kit her deceased husband started! do you think the metal in todays cheap nails would be sufficent? i would think the original was hardened?

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

I bet it doesn't need to be real hard. If is does what I suppose, it is just a guidepost to keep the spring from shooting off sideways; imagine trying to squeeze a spring from a ballpoint pen end to end and how they like to buckle and jump out. I think the spring just needs to slide up and down on it. The T end probably pushes on that notch on the hammer, right? I can't really see the assembly from here. Besides, this just has to go "click" for the ol' gal huh? unless you think she will be needin' to bust a cap on some no-goodnik that's prowling around.

 

[Don]

Deer Creek may still have parts.(765)525-6181

They're a small mom and pop organization but really nice. I have two Ace pistols, one was a kit and one was already assembled. They can be a PITA to put together and they do take some tinkering to get shooting but once ya do they are fun and safe to shoot. I had to turn the nipple down some to get the caps to pop. They are definitly a close quarters piece as accuracy is poor beyond a few yards. I load mine with 20 grains of Pyrodex P and a tightly patched .433 ball. It is deadly at close range. I have carried it on walks occasionally just in case someones dog latches a hold of my arm. I sure if I pressed the muzzle to his head and pulled the trigger it would be a goner. I say its worth playing with that old kit for no other reason than to learn how those old guns worked.

Don

 

[east texas]

nah this old gal will never shoot it

 

[Greg Hardy]

I have a couple of Snake Eyes by the same folks and I have had one Ace. It was a hoot to shoot, but as stated, accuracy is ahhhhh, hopeful at best.

 

[napolean]

Wouldn't take long to make one. the trickiest part looks to be fitting the head to the hammer.
been a long time since I've had mine apart.
Mine required a lot of work to get it to fire.
Hammer needed bent a little as it didn't line up w/ the nipple. Hammer spring was weak. Barrel was rough and threaded way too deep. But what the heck, I think it was like $29.95 when I bought the kit.
Jon D

 

[east texas]

thanx so much don ! i called deer creek and they are the people now making the ace they will sell me any part i need! i will go over the thing again this weekend and order what i need mon as they are closed on fridays. they seem to be some really nice folks! thanx again, mike

 

[kelleyjk]

I have one .44 caliber about a 4-5" screw off barrel its a hard hitting little smoothbore at close range barely hit the target board at 25yds though

Nice thing is it fits in your boot comfortably

 

[Zonie]

Well folks, as far as accuracy goes the original pocket or boot pistols these are supposed to represent only needed to be accurate across a card table.

For a man sized target set at a 6 foot distance they might be accurate enough. :rotf: