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smith recommendations (tune and upgrade cap and ball)


Kerr

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hoping to find some recommendations on smiths.  Have two italian colt replicas--an asm walker and a pitta navy.  Pretty sentimental about these two as they were handed down to me recently from a true buddy who has passed.  I don't want to compete with them or anything but I would like to get them tuned and upgraded to be really reliable shooters so I can bring them out from time to time in honor of my buddy.

 

Hoping to find a smith I can mail the pistols off two, get some magic done and have them shipped back.  

 

Any recommendations?

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+1 to Goody. Mike specializes in C&B and does excellent work.  Don’t be in a rush though, he’s a one man shop and depending on his workload it may take some time, but well worth the wait.  I use 2 Pietta ‘58 NMA’s that he worked on and can run a whole season with only cleaning the cylinder and barrel.  

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I have several guns that have been tuned up by Mike Bracket. I am always very impressed with the transformation that he is able to do on the Cap and Ball guns. As stated due to being a one man shop things can be delayed but certain quality of work is often worth the wait and that is true for the work done by Mike. Long Hunters shop also offers work on Uberti guns. With Long Hunter he supplies the gun or the gun must be unfired. 

 

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Like others, I highly recommend Mike Brackett of Goons Gunworks.  His turn around times leave a lot to be desired, but his work on cap guns is second to none.  If you want he can also coil and torsion spring the entire action (save for the mainspring) on both your guns to make them last for thousands and thousands of rounds.

 

 

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1 minute ago, July Smith said:

Like others, I highly recommend Mike Brackett of Goons Gunworks.  His turn around times leave a lot to be desired, but his work on cap guns is second to none.  If you want he can also coil and torsion spring the entire action (save for the mainspring) on both your guns to make them last for thousands and thousands of rounds.

 

 

He is actually replacing the mainspring on my 51s with coils.  I don't know how he does it, but that's what he said he was going to do.

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4 minutes ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

He is actually replacing the mainspring on my 51s with coils.  I don't know how he does it, but that's what he said he was going to do.

If anybody can do it, it would be Mike.  Personally though I'd take a flat mainspring over a coil mainspring any day.

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2 hours ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

He is actually replacing the mainspring on my 51s with coils.  I don't know how he does it, but that's what he said he was going to do.

 

CBB - not sure about the 51’s but this is what the trigger spring and bolt spring look like on my Pietta NMA’s

6CC3E73B-1D98-475C-88F7-C0F09D781375.thumb.jpeg.8a9d131a130ad6e4c654132be7893d1b.jpeg

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3 hours ago, Captain Bill Burt said:

Are they working well for you?

 

GREAT!  I typically shoot 5 stage local matches and they never give me a problem.  Depending on the weather I may have to spray a little Ballistol on the cylinder ½ way through.  The picture was the first time I opened it up to clean the inside, and to be honest it really didn’t need it, I was just being overly cautious.  I shot last month’s DD twins and they didn’t have a hitch, next month will be Ides.  Love the Frontiersman shooting.

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On 2/24/2021 at 6:14 PM, Kerr said:

hoping to find some recommendations on smiths.  Have two italian colt replicas--an asm walker and a pitta navy.  Pretty sentimental about these two as they were handed down to me recently from a true buddy who has passed.  I don't want to compete with them or anything but I would like to get them tuned and upgraded to be really reliable shooters so I can bring them out from time to time in honor of my buddy.

 

Hoping to find a smith I can mail the pistols off two, get some magic done and have them shipped back.  

 

Any recommendations?

 

On 2/24/2021 at 6:20 PM, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

 

Turn around time for work on 1851 Colt is +2.5 years, or more.  I'm still trying to find out the definition of "more".

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18 minutes ago, Palouse said:

 

 

Turn around time for work on 1851 Colt is +2.5 years, or more.  I'm still trying to find out the definition of "more".

WOW! In light of that I'd also consider here 

 

http://cartridgeconversion.com/Home_Page.php

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Our SASS pard Larsen E Pettifogger wrote the book on tuning both Pietta and Uberti open tops yourself.  You can search them out or I’m sure someone can post them here if you are interested.
 

 

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1 hour ago, Palouse said:

 

 

Turn around time for work on 1851 Colt is +2.5 years, or more.  I'm still trying to find out the definition of "more".

 

Um... Wasn't this the job that you were assured would take just two to three months??   :huh:

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Holy cow ! !! 

Thanks so much for the recommendations!! 

 For 7 years I've been working on the "perfect" set up for reliability, longevity, ease of use, and as close to maintainance free as I can.  I'm done!! Lol!! I don't think there's room for improvement at this point.

 

To get where I am, it took a LOT of time figuring out the best way to coil spring the differing platforms - open tops, Remingtons and Ruger Old Armys (Remington's by far the hardest!)  When you install a bolt block in every revolver, it changes spring placement in some revolvers (definitely Rugers). Mechanically, close tolerances are the norm,  hardening of the screws and then coloring them was a must (soft screws suck!!) 

 I also set up conversions  and have a gated conversion in the works for the ROA.

 

As some on here have stated, turnaround isn't necessarily the greatest but a lot of that depends on age and condition of the revolver. I'm not a parts changer. I make all my springs in house. Do all the heat treating, drilling, taping, filing, sanding, polishing, fitting, timing, shipping and receiving. Needless to say I'm busy!!

 

 I've taken on very little work since the summer so I can get the shop empty. Ideally, I'd like to work on this week what came in last week .  .  .  we'll see!!  So until then, I probably won't take any in the near future. At some point in the near future I will be offering tuned revolvers for sale (hey!! No waiting !!)

 

Many times these posts turn into pile-ons (which I just saw while pecking this out) so thank you to the kind words from you all.   It used to bother me but not anymore (I've had enough gout for everyone!! ) I'm only interested in making incredible, lifetime revolvers out of these revolvers and no, turnaround times are not 2.5 yrs.(may be for some, depending on what got sent).  Airing disputes on public forums says more about the poster  .  .  .  I'm too busy working to answer the phone all day, send a text. 

 

 Thanks again,

Mike

 

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Well, Mike... many have said that good work is worth a wait.

 

But isn't telling someone 2 - 3 months then taking 2 1/2  to 3 years just a bit "over the top?"  Especially after requiring "up-front payment?"  :huh:

 

After a bunch of "It'll be shipped by the end of the week!" promises over that time period??  :mellow:

 

So Jeeze, man... finish Palouse's unfired 2nd Generation Colt Navy (NOT an Italian reproduction) and send it back to him.  That is NOT a low-quality, out-of-spec piece of junk requiring any "extra" work.    

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Just so everyone knows, Mike and I have an Agreement.  He can work on other Cowboy's guns, but he will always make mine faster !

So check your firing pins.....you've been warned !!!

 

Sarcasm added for humor - because we know "it's the shooter not the gun" !!!!!  except in cap-n-ball -  LOL

 

We all know Mike does his best to manage and prioritize the calendar, but Francesco Borromini and Leonardo da Vinci didn't work well on deadlines either.

He has worked on a dozen Ruger Old Army's for me, and while it may take awhile, every one of these ROAs is a Lamborghini-in-your-hand.

I will add, that he delivered when promised. He didn't leave me hanging, and if he gave a date, he lived-up to the date.

 

Last note, if you are a young gunsmith, or interested in the field, I suggest that he needs a few apprentices.  Georgia is open for business, so go pitch a tent in his yard and learn from The Master !  Maybe his wife won't mind the company, if you don't track mud into the workshop.

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