Consider professional inspection of every firearm purchased

[Sharps40]

Mods,

Posting on various boards. Posted as a courtesy warning. Feel free to move or delete if disallowed. I am simply inspecting and offering the owner my opinion, owner is engaged with seller.

This one sold as good condition.

Not really.

High pressure firearms, in my opinion shouldn't have screws drilled and tapped clean into the bore. Mostly they stay in place, until they come squirting out and wanging around the range bumpin into folks.

For example, this 44 Magnum.....Home shortened and front sight customized......

After backing out the sight screw about 1 turn, metal, probably bullet fouling trapped in the screw threads that protruded into the bore, fall to the bottom of the barrel and as you can see, sight is poorly/unsafely installed.

Two holes were drilled, looks like very dull bits and likely not jigged properly. Front is a giant hole for the tiny sight ramp alignment pin....back hole was started off center and then respotted and redrilled and finally tapped all the way thru into the bore of the barrel.

And in case you still can't believe it.....a bent q-tip passes thru the rear hole and out the muzzle.

Consider working with the seller for a gunsmith inspection and certification on your end and the right to refund on any purchase.

 

[majorKAP]

Lucky you, for an unexpected prize! Free Magna-porting.

 

[Sharps40]

I'll take magnaporting every day, so will the owner, but the potential for flying parts is not appreciated. Shotguns are about the only thing that should allow for a through hole front sight. Prolly go over this here 44 with a fine tooth comb!

 

[Sharps40]

Looks like this one is on its way to repair and things are working out between seller and buyer. A happy ending I think.

 

[Sharps40]

Seller and owner worked it out. Seller offered cash up to buy back and apology. Owner, I believe accepted apology, kept the gun and is feeling just fine!

So......To the repairs. I spose this will be the only OMBH Vaquero Sheriff Length 44 mag that I know of. Sans a front sight, the repairs up front will be done. Guts look good, except for the heavy filing of the cylinder pawl.....seems an attempt at reversing cylinder direction that didn't come to fruition. The pawl is serviceable but I may scout about for a Ruger Conversion Pawl.

Finall, Right grip panel was split out the inside from over torqueing, glued and bolstered with a sleeve from a gutted pen......other than that, I think we are okay but havn't busted a cap on it yet. Still gotta gauge cylinder gap and headspace before I shoot it.

If its a shooter remains to be seen. But the bore looks good and we have good ammo to test it after the rain lets up. I ain't lookin forward to firing this mug with that factory knuckle breaker of a grip.

Barrel is shortened to about 3.639"inches. Crowned 11 degrees and the circumference rounded over. (Nicely, the Ruger banner was saved, I believe its the same as the owners birthplace and retaining the banner was desired.) The original ERH screw was a size 6 so the barrel was drilled and tapped for a quality 6x48 screw and then ground back for stud and pinch nut arrangement. The original ERH screw was temporarily converted to a 6x48 pinch nut.

A 50th anniversary steel ERH was shortened for use on the new barrel. The Ejector rod and spring was similarly shortened. I need to check function at the range, naturally, cases will be "plucked out" on the shortened system. Additionally, the Cylinder pin was slightly shortened and an additional ring groove added to increase ejection stroke. We'll see if its all enough on range day.

ERH installed.

All in but the sight and range check.

That's it for this thread. Inspect em, not everything can be as easily fixed.

 

[Sharps40]

This fix consumed about 5 hours and will need some more time/parts to finalize. With or without power tooling, or even a barrel change, the repair would have exceeded the purchase price of the gun and the gun was fair priced (if in the condition described!) but not a give away.

 

[OldePhart]

I'm still boggled by the mere fact that somebody would shorten any SA 44 mag to that degree... :shock:

I'm only slightly less boggled that someone would then buy it...

 

[Sharps40]

Well, ya don't know till ya see it and when it comes cross the country and arrives filthy........sometimes ya don't know till its paid for and ya start cleaning it out like this one. Fortunately, no one hurt and the seller and owner have reached an amicable solution.

As for short, yep! It'll be a flame thrower but it'll be cozy in a cross draw for regular carry!

 

[Sharps40]

Course, once ya learn just how fast and accurate a short barreled SAA is and how much easier the steels topple all the way out to 30m ye'll be cutting off all yer barrels! Besides, the 4 5/8 just hangs up on the car seat bottom every time ya get in or out, under 4" is all day comfort!

 

[OldePhart]

LOL - If you say so. I remember the fireballs, blast, and recoil from a buddy's 4" 44 mag at an indoor range a few decades ago. I remember thinking that if I were ever to face the necessity of firing that thing in a confined space like a car I'd just as soon hand over my keys and throw myself on the attacker's mercy... LOL

 

[Sharps40]

In a car? Good golly man, it'd blow out all the glass and turtle back the roof!!!!!!

 

[bcgunworks]

It's defiantly done wrong...

But...lots of guns have holes into the bores....lots of semi auto gas guns...it was safe

Just done wrong

 

[Sharps40]

Not really safe with screw thread protruding into the bore. Typically, the only thing that protrudes into the bore is the tops of the lands. Gas ports, and brakes/vents are fine as they are not an in bore speed bump. Even shotgun smiths know enough to smooth out flush the front sight screws that on those guns are often threaded into the bore.....(and after much use, often pop right back out again).

But, nuff said. Job is done, barrel has one entrance and one exit now and the Seller and Buyer have reached a meeting of the mind.

 

[DGW1949]

Good thread Sharps40, and as usual, you are spot on.

On a different but related note;
I learned early-on to be particulary wary of "slicked up guns" and "trigger jobs" that were done by who knows who. That and "all correct" military rifles that some enterprizing soul has cobbled together with parts taken from various rifles in order to make a buck.
Back when I was in the gun show business, I saw those things a lot.
Dangerous stuff if ya ask me.

DGW

 

[blueroan]

I'm still boggled by the mere fact that somebody would shorten any SA 44 mag to that degree... :shock:

I'm only slightly less boggled that someone would then buy it...

I bought an Original Size VAQUERO 44 magnum that was allegedly (no provenance) done by magna-port. Cut to 3.5 inches, barrel crown, magna-ported, ejector and base pin trimmed back, high quality re-blue. Got it for $350 out the door. I was going to re-barrel it, but found it was interesting with high end 44 specials AFTER I installed a SUPER BLACK HAWK grip frame and hammer plus the Paul Persinger ivories.

Whomever did the custom work put over $500 into the gun over the base price. I wouldn't pay to have the work done, but it is an interesting piece at a low price.

 

[PriseDeFer]

Looks rather mean without the sight, a purpose built close in gut shooter. Something to keep one dealing off the top of the deck.

 

[Sharps40]

Front sight will be installed. Can't verify accuracy without it. Just nothing in the parts box and besides, it may need a custom front sight.