Picked up a Buckeye 10mm/38-40

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Teddydogno1

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
220
Been wanting one of these for quite a while and found one locally. Probably paid to much for a local gun at $850, but what the heck.

ruger_buck_10_38.jpg


It came with a box, manual, the two cylinders and an extra set of grips (Ajax polymer "ivory"). I think the installed grips are not the original, though. Should have oiled walnut I think, instead of the polished rosewood (I think that's what these are). Also the red velvet bag for the spare cylinder is not present.

I've seen this question asked before, but have not seen a solid answer. Do the Buckeye guns have a better polish and deeper blue than standard Blackhawks of the same period? To me it seems better...more like my late 3-screw SBH.

Oh...here's the other 38-40s the Ruger is joining...

38wcf_trio_small.jpg


Rob
 

contender

Ruger Guru
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Lake Lure NC USA
While you may think you paid too much,, I'd say you did ok. While the current market is a bit high,, those aren't easily found, and if you are happy,,, then who cares. I have one & wouldn't sell it for that.
 

32magfan

Blackhawk
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Jan 8, 2005
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604
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Burkesville, KY
I don't think you did all that bad. I got mine from a buddy who wanted a companion revolver for his Winchester "92 in 38-40. He had the throats reamed as they were tighter than .400. It shot better then but he tired of reloading the bottleneck cases and someone offered him two sweet S&W revolvers plus boot for the rifle and poof the Buckeye was offered at $650 to me. I got it to match the other one in 32-20 and 32Mag.
I agree on the grips. Should be brown walnut. The Ajax are good. I have those on a few my Dad owned. He liked those a lot.

Thanks,

32Magfan
 

Teddydogno1

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
220
I got this at the same time. Not a Ruger.

navyarms_schofield.jpg


Older Navy Arms Schofield in .45 Colt. Oddly, of all the Ruger single actions I have, I do NOT have one in .45 Colt.

Rob
 

GarrettJ

Bearcat
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Oct 8, 2016
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Location
West MI
woodperson said:
I would have paid that in a heartbeat if I could find one locally.
Agreed.

I watched them for years on Gunbroker listed (and never selling) at $1200 and up. I found one for a year ago for around $800 and jumped on it. I saw one locally for around $850 and was really tempted to grab that one as well. But I passed. I have the newer .40/10mm BH as well, and I don't "need" a third one in that caliber... maybe.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
2,271
Location
Orange County, CA
Love your .38-40s--the three revolvers are three of my all time favorites--Blackhawk, Colt Bisley, and New Service. The last two are real campaigners--the Beesley can't be younger than 1912 and the NS younger than about 1910 since it has the Old Model frame that wasn't made after 1909. Does it have a 1905 patent date on the barrel?

I don't have the Blackhawk in your caliber variation (wish I did!), but do have the other two: a Beesley made in 1910 that I bought in Sonora in 1961 and a New Service Old Model that I got in the Silver Valley in Idaho just after they closed all the mines.
 

Teddydogno1

Single-Sixer
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May 10, 2013
Messages
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The Bisley is from 1906 and the NS is from 1899! The Marlin is from 1895.

I also have an 1899 NS in 44-40 which has a later barrel installed.

Rob
 
Joined
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Messages
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Wow! A second year NS and in pretty good condition!

My Bisley was at one time the very favorite sidearm of the guy my grandfather always referred to as "that rascal Villa"! At least that's what the muchacho who traded it to me said....

My only .44-40 NS was made in 1913 and also has a 1930s vintage replacement barrel--one of my grandad's hands forgot the powder in one of his reloads but shot the round anyway and then shot another one that HAD powder on top of the stuck slug! He gave the badly ringed revolver to my grandfather, who sent it to Colt. "New" barrel shoots just great! I wish he'd kept the repair receipt, tho.
 

Teddydogno1

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
220
Since we're talking New Service, here are the two together:

colt_ns_44_38_left_small.jpg


The 38 WCF on top is SN 1762. The 44 WCF is SN 407.

Rob
 
Joined
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Messages
2,271
Location
Orange County, CA
Agreed. I THINK that the feature that dates it is the little swelled "bolster" where the barrel butts up against the frame. The 1905 patent marking was on the US Model 1909 .45 Colts and the "bolster" started with the US Model 1917 .45 ACPs (military contract for WWI) and sometime later the (obviously after 1928) commercial models started having both bolster and '28 date.

So I think your barrel was made sometime between 1917 and 1928. When it was put on your revolver is still a mystery unless you have factory or other paperwork that tells when the repair was made. New condition replacement barrels of all vintages were still available from parts dealers up into the 1970s, and people were using them to re-barrel older guns, especially those with "odd" calibers like .455 Eley or .38-40WCF, without much if any concern about collectability later. They wanted shooters.

Lots of mysteries with these old guns, partly because they last so long! I've handled hundreds of New Services over the past 70+ years and have found only one that didn't lock up tight in spite of LOTS of abuse and neglect. That was a "studio gun" that had been partly converted to look more like an SAA so "cowboy" actors didn't have to be able to cock the hammer....

A big part of what attracts me to Rugers of all types is that Bill Ruger held his products to the same "over-engineered" standards for durability that the New Service Colts had. Our Rugers should be with us for a LONG time, like these Colt old timers!
 

Teddydogno1

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
220
Thanks for that info on the New Service revolvers.

I did Cowboy Action Shooting about 20-15 years ago...never officially quit, but haven't been out to do it for that long. So I have an Italian '73 rifle and "Colt" SAA. Only in the last couple of weeks did I finally buy two REAL Colt Single Actions...the Bisley .38 WCF and a SAA .32 WCF. And of course I have the 2 NS guns and a PPS in 32-20.

Then then there's the whole Ruger single action family...OM Bearcat, OM BHs in .357 and .41 Mag, OM SBH .44 Mag, NM Single Six, NM BH Flat-top Bisley .44 Spl, NM BH Flat-top .357/9mm, NM BH .41 Mag, Single Seven .327, the Buckeye 38-40/10mm, and an Old Vaquero 44-40. AND I just purchased two more OM guns...a .30 Carbine and an unusual/custom round top .45 Colt!

So, there is absolutely no evidence that I like Colt and Ruger revolvers. And S&W.

Rob
 

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