Colt to Uberti Grip Mod

[Sharps40]

70 year old Colt New Old Stock rock maple birdseye grip is for the narrower colt grip frame. Uberti and Pietta are a bit wider. So, split the colt grip in half for an epoxy install, one piece, no screw.





There is excess wood on the exterior, use some stain to show when its all gone and the final shape is as you want it.



Apply a coat of stain and a coat of urethane to freeze the whiskers for final shaping.



Final fit the grip panels to the Uberti Frame.



Apply RIG Universal Release agent to the Frame.



Apply epoxy to the inner grip panel stubs.

 

[Sharps40]

Clamp and hang the gun butt down. This allows some of the excess epoxy to flow against the back strap, creating a perfectly bedded grip.



RIG universal release agent always releases.



Hard to see because the epoxy is clear but the ooze out is to the rear and full length along the back strap. Inside the grip is now perfectly beded against future movement.



Stain again and apply a coat of urethane. Hang to dry, apply a second coat of urethane, when dry, buff back to the level of the wood with 0000 steel wool and polish satin with Brownells fff compound.



Factory stained birch grip compared to modified Colt grip.



Now this 44 Special is dressed as she always wanted to be.

 

[Sharps40]

Took the 44 Special apart for a detail cleaning after the grip work. Found the safety, thought it didn't have one but it does. A floating firing pin. Actuated by a lever on the trigger and a plunger buried in the hammer. When the hammer falls, the plunger in the hammer contacts the extra lever on the trigger and the plunger is then shoved upward in the hammer body. The wedge shaped top of the plunger forces the firing pin out to full extension. So, the 44 Special is a 6 shooter after all.

However, the Outlaw Legend is much more traditional colt. No hammer mounted safety, just two cuts in the cylinder pin to allow for blocking the hammer by further insertion of the pin. It'll have to be a five shooter. The pietta does have a nifty hardened firing pin insert in the frame and also has the thinned main spring and coil spring and plunger for the ratchet/hand.

Looking forward to much use with both.

I opened the newly acquired and engraved Taylors pietta Outlaw Legacy just to clean and check the innards as the Floral Carved grips should be arriving soon. Like the Cimarron 44 Special, it to is absolutely free of machining marks and very well fitted. I'd say both are as fine inside and out as I've ever seen.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Beautiful work

 

[Sharps40]

First can of ammo arrived in 3 days, thats some serious wow! Thanks SGammo!

After it gets warmed up a bit, I'll get this gun on some paper and post up targets. At least a compilation target for 25 each of 44 Russian and 44 Special off hand. My guess, based on putting some of each on steel at 10 yards, it'll be one ragged hole in each caliber, if the wobbly gun rest behind the trigger does his job.

I went out to the steel, 10m and went around the wheel with the 44 Russian, Fiocchi 247g LRN, 820-850 fps. The two fisted ballistics test and recoil measuring device says this load has noticeably more shiz than the 200g Precision One 44 Special load and more shiz than the factory 230g ball ammo fired in the Rock Island Officers.

In fact, this load actually has some snap in its recoil. I like it. It ain't no sissy load for limp wristed balloon popping games!

I believe I'm gonna have to find an accurate way to hollow point some of these untill the Underwear heavy 44 Special factory loads or at least any 44 Special factory load with greater ballistics becomes available.

These are going to be fun to shoot! Funny that the little russian is loaded snottier than most of the 44 Specials....

 

[Sharps40]

I think drilling hollowpoints, like I do with the 4570 jig is workable. The 44s are loose in the jig but I can do another hole tighter. A few 44s done up for shooting test.

So, I think the initial results are good. Both loads are more accurate than I am out there shivering in the cold and damp.

Both loads hollow pointed in my 4570 hollow point jig, as stated, a touch wiggly in the .458 bore but the kreg bit with a touch of grease cuts a clean hole. A better jig will produce a better centered hollow point and I need to work out a second jig to bevel the mouth rather wide after drilling.

POI was center of the target. 44 Russian (247g RN Fiocchi) hollow points hitting right in the bullseye when I do my part, flyers are certainly me. 44 Special (200g Precision One) hollow points hitting rather low at the 8 yards chosen range, but still more accurate than I can hold.

Guess its time to make up a well fitting jig and spin out a small batch of hollow nose 44 Russians!

 

[ulflyer]

Fantastic wood work. Love those grips and the finish. Thanks for the "show and tell" pics....nice to see the progress as it went along.