Shoulder-stocks for Colt cap & ball reproduction revolvers??? (reposted from Classified section)

[Blu Nos Dav]

There seems to be a whole lot of Colt reproduction cap & ball revolvers that are/were "made" to accept a shoulder-stock, and yet there are very few (if any?) actual shoulder stocks available.  I own a third generation (signature series) Colt 1861 Navy that has the frame-cuts and extra large frame screws for mounting a shoulder stock.  But to my knowledge, neither Colt nor Uberti (which made the parts for Colt to finish & assemble) have ever made shoulder stocks to go with these type guns.  The only shoulder stocks that I have ever found are made by Pietta, and they don't fit my Colt Navy. I actually bought a Pietta stock and found this out the hard way.

 

So, why did Colt make so many of these shoulder stock "capable" guns:  both 2nd & 3rd generation 1860 Armies and 3rd gen. 1861 Navies, without any shoulder stocks to go with them?  And why does Uberti continue to do so for themselves, Cimarron and Taylors???

 

Is/was there a secret batch of Uberti/Colt shoulder stocks produced once upon a time?

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

A few years ago Daudson (Pakistani company that made shotguns for Cimarron) made some skeleton shoulder stocks to fit the Ubertis for Cimarron, but they are all gone.  I don't know if they have more on order or not.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I suspect that stocks are not all that common because of how easy it is to convert these things to cartridge guns, which having a stock for would be forbidden.
 

[Blu Nos Dav]

Interesting take on this topic, Uriah!  But, it's the owner's responsibility to maintaining legality.  Otherwise hacksaws would be scarce, lest someone cut their rifle or shotgun barrels too short  And if someone wanted to build themselves an "illegal weapon", there are a lot easier paths, than starting with a single-action cap & ball revolver from the mid-19th century!

[John Kloehr]

1 hour ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

I suspect that stocks are not all that common because of how easy it is to convert these things to cartridge guns, which having a stock for would be forbidden.
 

If converted for modern ammunition...

 

Not actually forbidden, but creates an SBR which requires $200 plus a bunch of paperwork and almost a year for approval.

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Now there is an interesting tidbit.

According to the ATF agent I asked, if I were to find a shoulder stock for my Smith and Wesson New Model  3 in 44-40 that was made well before l898 and has all the factory holes to affix it, it would not an SBR make.   I suppose that converting a modern made Dragoon to cartridges with a shoulder stock would be bad, but a "real" Dragoon so converted with the stock would likely be not a problem.

[Cat Brules]

When Colt first made these add-on shoulder stocks for their revolvers (“back in the day”), for some Colt revolvers having appropriate factory grip hardware to accept the add-on-stocks, thewe stocks weren’t very popular at that time, either.....just like now.  
 

These add-on-shoulder-pistol stocks really aren’t very useful at all, and after you buy one, you’ll lose interest in it almost immediately.  It’s really just an interesting gadget-o that will lay around collecting dust after you realize that it is useless.  Of course, it’s your call.

 

CatBrules

[Blu Nos Dav]

I agree with you, Cat!

 

Which makes me wonder why the folks over at Uberti built so many before and continue to build more now?  They made/make both style frames:  regular and cut & drilled for shoulder-stocks.  But, without selling shoulder-stocks as accessories, it doesn't make any sense?  Here's a quote from the Pietta shoulder-stock web-page:

 

THESE PARTS ARE FOR PIETTA MANUFACTURED REVOLVERS. IF YOUR REVOLVER DOES NOT SAY PIETTA, MOST LIKELY THESE WILL NOT WORK FOR YOUR REVOLVER. THEY MAY FIT WITH SOME ALTERATION OR FITMENT, BUT IF THEY ARE ALTERED IN ANY WAY, THEY ARE NOT RETURNABLE/NON-REFUNDABLE. PARTS THAT HAVE BEEN ALTERED WILL NOT RECEIVE A REFUND. 

 

I have since paid a gunsmith to replace those extra large mounting screws with flush-fitting plugs.  Those useless screwheads were so large that they rubbed against my trigger fingers while firing and were more worthless than teats on a boar!

 

I'd like to find a 2nd or 3rd Generation Colt 1860 Army with a standard/uncut frame, but, every single one of them seems to have been produced as a shoulder-stock model 

 

[Snakebite]

Humm, I wonder if Biden's new Executive order about Stabilizing Braces include these?

[El CupAJoe]

 

I was stealing this picture off the internet and was interrupted, in my haste to get away, I dropped it in this topic... yikes, gotta run!

[El CupAJoe]

 

Doubling back to confound the scent!  can I borrow your mackerel?  

[El CupAJoe]

 

I think I lost them, going to sit down a spell and sip something to calm the jitters.

[El CupAJoe]

I actually think a shoulder stock on a dragoon or walker makes a lot of sense as you weren't supposed to carry those on your belt, but dismount and fight on foot.  I believe they were often issued in pairs with an extra cylider each gun and a stock.  if firing from horseback, the stock would allow for a second contact point that wasn't the hand holding your reins, not sure how practical that would be, but it's something.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

the reason is Hysterical - er - Historical . . . yup . . Historical.  The 1860 Army was a "Martial" weapon initially.  Produced for the military.  The 1860 was requested to be able to fit a shoulder stock so Colt did that.  It was only much later, the "Civilian" version, without the Shoulder Stock mounting screws were seen.  The Sample Example, Uberti and "others" had for the initial reproductions was of course, a martial 1860.  So now, so many years later, we're screwed. 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Well, uberti makes both Civilian and military cut for stock models.  I guess the question is why do the importers order so many more of the cut for stock models.  I'm sure civil war reenactors would want the military model but how many new guns are those people buying any more?

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

I'm not so sure the Importers actually order the Martial 1860s.  I would bet they order just "1860s" and the manufacturers ship what they have.  Since the original sample samples were martial 1860, the manufacturers simply assume we ALL want the "Military" guns.  Perhaps those that don't want to be screwed are in the minority??  Hummmmmmmmmm.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

3 hours ago, El CupAJoe said:

 

I think I lost them, going to sit down a spell and sip something to calm the jitters.

Must be an automatic/select fire gun as it appears to have a cap for gas. Or would that have been kerosene?  

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

20 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

I'm not so sure the Importers actually order the Martial 1860s.  I would bet they order just "1860s" and the manufacturers ship what they have.  Since the original sample samples were martial 1860, the manufacturers simply assume we ALL want the "Military" guns.  Perhaps those that don't want to be screwed are in the minority??  Hummmmmmmmmm.

No, they order specific part numbers.  There is 1860 cut/for/stock, 1860 Civilian, 1860 fluted, and for the most part each of those in standard finish, antiqued, charcoal blue.  Similar with the '61's.  I have seen the numbers for Cimarron, and they order more of the military guns.