Which pistol kit to buy...

[Cool]

Im wondering if anyone knows about these pistol kits, and which would be a better buy? Does the derringer require any tweaking besides finishing it? Or is the classic arms New Orleans pistol kit better, and is it easy to put togeter? Any feedback would be apreciated. Here is the link to the derringer kit http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_162_194&products_id=3440

And here is the link to the other http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=868

 

[DrLaw]

Check the reviews that you find on the pages at Dixie. That will tell you what you want to know and why you should save your money.

The Doc is out now. :v

 

[phoenix511]

Bought one some years ago .. Spanish barrel & coil spring lock, stock some kind of Beechwood.

Finished up OK, needed to bend the hammer to fit the nipple. Lock used a unbridled tumbler with a weak mainspring, which I corrected with another. Great fun to shoot. Don't expect it to work right without some fussing around. Don't know where else you could find a small back-action lock.

 

[necchi]

I did one of the classic arms kits. Some gent showed up a a vous' with 4 of'm from his long past brother and sold them for sticker cost,29.99>49.99. I got the pepper box.

The assembly wasn't all that easy,,it required the use of several drift pins to get the lock mech together, and they don't provide the pins or directions for the use of them,,if I had four hands it would have been OK. The fit and wood needed plenty of work too, least impressive is the trigger to hammer pull is too short! I have to thumb the hammer back and release to make the thing go bang! it's little more than a novelty suited for a shadow box and hanging on the wall.

Here's a link on this forum about some gents having fun with the Philly Derringer,, of the two you listed this would be my pick.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/238069/all/1/

 

[Zonie]

Course it is just my opinion but ANYTHING made by Classic Arms should be considered for decoration only.

I'm not saying they are unsafe to shoot but they rank right down at the bottom as far as quality and value are concerned.

If someone is considering buying one of the Classic Arms guns or a Spanish made Derringer or other gun the Spanish gun wins hands down in my book.

Yes, the Beechwood stocks leave a bit to be desired but they can be stained very dark with an alcohol based stain and they actually look pretty good when that is done.

More importantly, the Spanish guns actually work. Not as well as the Italian ones but nevertheless they work (which is more than I can say for the Classic Arms Pepperbox.)

 

[Billnpatti]

In my honest opinion, neither of these guns are worth a tinker's dam. When it comes to shooting, they are noise makers at best. If I were you and wanted a muzzleloading pistol, I'd take a look at the semi-completed pistol being offered for sale for $75 on this forum in the "for sale ads". It still needs a bit of work to finish it but when finished, should make a decent shooting iron.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

My two cents on the Classic Arms stuff is that they should be recycled into bumpers or fenders for Yugos bound for the car crusher and then used as filler for those artificial reefs of the coast of Cuba or someplace.

I had the distinct displeasure of owning a couple of their products. The company was absolutely lousy to deal with. The products were not worth a single penny. People who had been friends, gave me their Classic Arms pistols out of frustration with the product. Not only did I stupidly waste money on those things, people were giving me theirs too. In the early days of Classic Arms, you had to pay first and get on a waiting list for their product. The glowing ads made the pistols irresistible. I waited for about a year and a half for one of their pistol kits. They had my money, and would send me a letter once in a while saying the demand was overwhelming and they were trying to fill the orders as quickly as possible. The money was gone and almost forgotten when I finally received the kit. The time and money involved for that product produced nothing but extreme dissappointment.

I will say this, I do have their "coffin handled Bowie knife". How hard is it to mess up a knife kit?

Save your money. :shake:

 

[Zoar]

Hahahaa, yes I love how no one will give you a straight, honest answer... Hahhahaa

(Of course I jest, the answers were very honest).

And I must add when I first started out I bought some of these guns you mentioned in your first post and will chime in with the rest of the chorus--- Pieces of Poop. The hammers/springs/contact with percussion cap are POOR at best.

If you do not want to spend $180 - $280 bucks on a pistol kit from Track Of The Wolf or Rifle Shoppe I would agree---just save your money and buy a used pistol here or from someone else.

(Note--I do have a couple of these cheapo, entry level little kit guns.)