(ASM) Colt's Third Model Dragoon

[2ndovc]

This should be fun..


(crummy cell phone photo)


Picked up this Armi San Marco Dragoon on the cheap. Hasn't had much use.
I need to get a better photo with it next to my '51 Navy.

Can't wait to go shootin'

jb

[J Miller]

My first thought as I looked at your picture:
"By God girl, that's a Colt's Dragoon! You're no bigger than a corn nubbin, what are you doin with all that pistol?" - Rooster Cogburn, True Grit.

I've only fired a 44 caliber Colt replica and I don't even remember which model, it was so long ago. That brute looks like a load of fun.

Joe

[Pitchy]

Cool, had a Colt Dragoon and a Replica Walker, fun to shoot.

[Old Ranger]

Nice piece! Have a 2nd Mod Dragoon made by ASM that I got new in 1969. It is my most favorite BP revolver of all past and present. When I want to shoot something, and do it with style, I get my Dragoon. You're gonna love it I'm sure. They have a feel all their own that cannot be described, but once you shoot it, you wll have that "feel" in your hands too! And that silly grin is just a side effect that will wear off in about....ah, in fact my grin hasn't worn off since '69! Oh well, enjoy the addiction, I do!

Again, nice piece and I'm tickled to death that you got it!!
Now go load up and shoot that baby!!

Wade

[piller]

Nice looking pistol. I have never fired a black powder pistol, and that is something actually on my bucket list. There are kits sold in some of the stores near here which are the 36 caliber and the price is not too bad. The dragoon was a pretty powerful gun for the time, so the remark by Rooster Cogburn was probably pretty realistic. I know that the Walker was more powerful, but think about seeing a small teenage girl weighing about a hundred pounds pulling a Model 19 out of her purse.

[model55]

Years ago I was in a gun shop when a young Eurasian lady came in to pick a gun she had ordered-that being a S&W 44 magnum.Had to keep my jaw off the floor.I doubt she was a 100 pounds.Always wonder if it was for her or some lucky young man.

[2ndovc]

Nice piece! Have a 2nd Mod Dragoon made by ASM that I got new in 1969. It is my most favorite BP revolver of all past and present. When I want to shoot something, and do it with style, I get my Dragoon. You're gonna love it I'm sure. They have a feel all their own that cannot be described, but once you shoot it, you wll have that "feel" in your hands too! And that silly grin is just a side effect that will wear off in about....ah, in fact my grin hasn't worn off since '69! Oh well, enjoy the addiction, I do!

Again, nice piece and I'm tickled to death that you got it!!
Now go load up and shoot that baby!!

Wade

What size(dia) round ball are you shooting with yours? I've seen .454s and .457s. Haven't found any factory load info yet.

jb

[Buck Elliott]

I'm not sure how the ASM sizes run, but for all Uberti .44 caliber cap & ball revolvers, I chose to go with .457" round balls, and they worked perfectly..

I liked about 45 + grains of Ffg, and a good daub of Bore Butter to seal it all off.

As others have said, there are few things as satisfying as the solid thump of firing a heavy Dragoon Colt..

[Chas.]

My Uberti Walker, although it's never been fired, calls for .454 balls. Not a lot of difference. Shaviing off .003 with the loading ram shouldn't be a problem.

[2ndovc]

I'm not sure how the ASM sizes run, but for all Uberti .44 caliber cap & ball revolvers, I chose to go with .457" round balls, and they worked perfectly..

I liked about 45 + grains of Ffg, and a good daub of Bore Butter to seal it all off.

As others have said, there are few things as satisfying as the solid thump of firing a heavy Dragoon Colt..

Thanks Mr. Elliott.

Just so happens that I have several pounds of FFG and a .457 RCBS mold.
I'll have it get some bore butter. My Dad used to like Crisco but after two or three cyl. The pistols would be so hot it would just melt.

I did take a Slightly better photo but my internet is out and was only able to get online
with my iPad. Not photo friendly. I'll try again tomorrow.

jb S

[Griff]

.457 should work well... As you probably know with your Navy, if you shave of a ring of lead, it's the "right" size... My ASM .36 Navy uses .375 and shaves a solid ring, many guys say they have to use .380 in their Ubertis. Anywhere between 36 & 44 grains of 3F would be fine. 2F won't quite give you the snap that 3F will, and would produce a tad stickier fouling. That looks to be a safe queen... you need to correct that... quickly! (I am talking real BP here, I don't play with subs very much).

Over the years I've tended to drift into using WonderWads™ under my RBs. It's just so, so much easier. I use the pre-lubed kind if I load it up and shoot, and the un-lubed ones with "bore butter" over the ball when carried... except in summer... then I use a card on top of the powder and a lubed wad, then the ball. Keeps the lube from migrating to the powder. On those 100+ºF days of summer, it's sorta embarrassing to have this messy concoction dripping from the bottoms of your holsters... ("Oh, what went off in there mister?") But, hey... it keeps the bottoms of the holster nice and supple!!!

I can usualy shot thru 6 stages in a ½ day with nary an issue of binding or anything else... I usually initially charge the cylinders on a "off-the-gun" stand at home, then again about every 3rd stage, re-lubing the arbor at that time with same lube I use to coat my wads. Thompson Center "Bore Butter". Humidity plays an important part in how "sticky" your fouling gets... using just enough lube to keep it soft and not enough is sometimes a difficult balancing act. The damper the day, the more the fouling tends to stick to EVERYTHING... A .44 will probably need a mite more lube than my little .36s... especially as it gets hotter. As you know, it can get a mite humid up there in the OH valley!

[2ndovc]

Thanks Griff!

Getting all kinds of good info tonight!

Had to ditch my old stock of real BP. Was given to me by my Dad but the cans were rusting
the powder turning into clumps of odd colors.

I'll be on the hunt for some real BP too try the wonderWads too.


jb

[Old Ranger]

2ndovc,

The ASM's are sometimes looked upon as a weapon of poorer quality by some folks, as to the other brands. I have found this not to be the case, and many are very well built and have great fittting and finish. That said, I can speak for my own ( I have three ) and the Dragoon I shoot does well with .454" RB's. I have used .451", but the 'shaving' of the lead is not too pronounced, thus I use the .454". I've been shooting BP revolvers since 1964 and find them to be great weapons. My dragoon does real well with a good dose of fffG or Pyrodex P in the 40 gr. by vol. range. It does not do well with conical bullets of any size and accuracy is poor and shots are often off the paper at even close range. They will shoot high with conicals. I doubt that .457" will perform any better than .454". I would suggest that you mike the chambers of your cylinder and find the inside diameter of them and then go 2 or 3 thousands over that to insure a good seal without running into extreme ball deformation from a too large ball. Mine measured out to .450" on average, and thus, the .454" is perfect for this weapon.

The Dragoon can be a really formidable weapon. I have killed 4 hogs from 125# up to 300# with a full load and round ball loads at close range. The soft lead ball really opens up and makes a large wound channel in them. One required a second shot to go down. That one I hit a bit aft of the vitals and was corrected with a better hit to the 'boiler room' as they say.

Ok, I'm outta here for now. Any questions that you have for me, shucks, shoot me a PM and we'll talk Dragoons all day if ya want to! That way we won't bore the long gunners too much

Have fun and be safe,
Wade

[yooper2]

I have an original Rogers and Spencer that I shoot occasionally and an older Navy Arms '58 Remington that gets shot a lot. My dad has a 2nd model Dragoon and it more fun than anybody should be allowed to have. I liked the wonder wads but have since gone to Circle Fly Wads. Their website is a bit awkward but they are pleasant to deal with and produce a good product for a good price. They come in different thicknesses but I get the 1/2" ones and split them down to a 1/4" then lube them. Have fun with that Dragoon!

Eric

[AJMD429]

Years ago I was in a gun shop when a young Eurasian lady came in to pick a gun she had ordered-that being a S&W 44 magnum.Had to keep my jaw off the floor.I doubt she was a 100 pounds.Always wonder if it was for her or some lucky young man.

I was at a NRA benefit dinner, where the main premise is buying 'tickets' to take chances on various gun-related items (including 'guns'), to fund local 4-H and other firearms-related youth education programs - I try to spend an equivalent amount of money each year on "education" or "political issues" vs. that what I spend on firearms and related stuff for ME, so I typically buy lots of raffle tickets and don't really care if I win anything. . .

. . . but. . .

. . . One year I WON a .380 semiauto (and my favorite handguns are my Super Blackhawk, Para 1911, and Redhawk .45 Colt). A tiny chick at the next table got up all giggles-and-wiggles, when she WON a .44 Mag S&W Model 29 or some such thing. I offered later to 'trade', before we filled out the obligatory paperwork and 4473's, but no, she wanted HER .44 Magnum... I hope she enjoyed it...! I already had mine, and even though the diminutive .380 wasn't my cup-of-tea, it was for a good cause. I'll still always wonder what she thought about that .44 Magnum hand-cannon...

[Ysabel Kid]

Very cool! I love the dragoon models!!!

[Rafe Covington]

I have a Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon, alot of fun to shoot. Mine is accurate also, I use a 457 RB in mine also. Have fun with yours.

Rafe