- Joined
- Jul 26, 2011
- Messages
- 4,139
I finally broke down and got a Colt Root pistol at the Baltimore gun Show. I've wanted one for endless years. It was a decision between a Root and a pocket knife pistol,which I also want to make. At least I got to handle a pocket knife pistol,and gained info about how they work,like: The trigger on 2 I tried did not pop down when the gun was cocked. Everything was manual. And,dangerously enough,there was no safety notch on the hammer: a good way to have it go off in your pocket. I'd improve that! Not sure if they are all made like that. There must have been a dozen at that show. I even saw a bizarre looking pocket knife REVOLVER!!
The knife/gun I was looking at even contained a TINY original bullet mold about 1 1/2" long,made of German silver. Talk about burning your fingers pouring lead into the tiny,thin cavity!! The mold was like a Cracker Jack toy!!!
The Root won out. The 2 items were the same price,and the Root seemed the better deal for the money.
This gun has probably not been fired,and is in excellent mechanical shape,though most of the blue has worn off. I guess about 20-30% remains. It is 3xxx serial. I haven't done any research on the serial # yet. It has an octagonal barrel.
So,it's not the prettiest Root I ever saw,but in great condition. I wanted to use it for a study piece to possibly start making a Root rifle from,if I ever get the energy for such a project. An enlarged pistol will be close enough to make a reasonable rifle. Curiously enough,I did not see a single Root rifle at the show,though I saw a Patterson revolving rifle.
The engineering on these Root designs leaves much to be desired,but they are a beautiful design aesthetically. They are delicate,too,and you have to be careful with them.
The biggest problem I can see is the small indexing disc about the size of a penny(or less). Having the indexing disc so small is a severe disadvantage to using the much larger bolt holes on the outside diameter of the cylinder,as is usual. I love the side mounted hammer. When I look into the little open slot under the hammer,I can see the internal parts are still bright and shiny after all these many years since the gun was made. I like the closed top frame,and wonder why Colt did not keep using it instead of the open top style which is weaker.
This gun is patent dated 1855,and yet the less advanced small index disc is used,when better means of accurately aligning the cylinders to the barrel were known. Nevertheless,I think it looks very cool,with the little knurled knob on it.
I'm not up to taking pictures yet,but will try to soon. But,as I said,it's no great shakes to look at with the worn finish. A decently good one finish wise would START at $2000.00,if you found a buyer who needed to make a sale. Even then,the finish would not be 100%. But,this unused pistol has everything I need for study. I didn't want to blow more money than I did on this one,and got a good price on it. The cylinder scene is faint,but still there,and no corrosion at all from ever being shot.
Some years ago I bought a Palmetto built Root pistol from Dixie gun works. It was the worst piece of trash I have EVER seen. Not real close to the original,and everything sluffed off. I sent it back. Those idiots have gone out of business. I understand they USED to make decent repros,but the ones who inherited the factory just ran it into the ground till there was nothing left. They also made a very expensive Root rifle. I read on some forum that there were many problems with them. Dixie dropped the pistol and the rifle too.Pistol was dropped just after I sent it back. I don't know why they couldn't make a decent rifle for $2500.00.
The knife/gun I was looking at even contained a TINY original bullet mold about 1 1/2" long,made of German silver. Talk about burning your fingers pouring lead into the tiny,thin cavity!! The mold was like a Cracker Jack toy!!!
The Root won out. The 2 items were the same price,and the Root seemed the better deal for the money.
This gun has probably not been fired,and is in excellent mechanical shape,though most of the blue has worn off. I guess about 20-30% remains. It is 3xxx serial. I haven't done any research on the serial # yet. It has an octagonal barrel.
So,it's not the prettiest Root I ever saw,but in great condition. I wanted to use it for a study piece to possibly start making a Root rifle from,if I ever get the energy for such a project. An enlarged pistol will be close enough to make a reasonable rifle. Curiously enough,I did not see a single Root rifle at the show,though I saw a Patterson revolving rifle.
The engineering on these Root designs leaves much to be desired,but they are a beautiful design aesthetically. They are delicate,too,and you have to be careful with them.
The biggest problem I can see is the small indexing disc about the size of a penny(or less). Having the indexing disc so small is a severe disadvantage to using the much larger bolt holes on the outside diameter of the cylinder,as is usual. I love the side mounted hammer. When I look into the little open slot under the hammer,I can see the internal parts are still bright and shiny after all these many years since the gun was made. I like the closed top frame,and wonder why Colt did not keep using it instead of the open top style which is weaker.
This gun is patent dated 1855,and yet the less advanced small index disc is used,when better means of accurately aligning the cylinders to the barrel were known. Nevertheless,I think it looks very cool,with the little knurled knob on it.
I'm not up to taking pictures yet,but will try to soon. But,as I said,it's no great shakes to look at with the worn finish. A decently good one finish wise would START at $2000.00,if you found a buyer who needed to make a sale. Even then,the finish would not be 100%. But,this unused pistol has everything I need for study. I didn't want to blow more money than I did on this one,and got a good price on it. The cylinder scene is faint,but still there,and no corrosion at all from ever being shot.
Some years ago I bought a Palmetto built Root pistol from Dixie gun works. It was the worst piece of trash I have EVER seen. Not real close to the original,and everything sluffed off. I sent it back. Those idiots have gone out of business. I understand they USED to make decent repros,but the ones who inherited the factory just ran it into the ground till there was nothing left. They also made a very expensive Root rifle. I read on some forum that there were many problems with them. Dixie dropped the pistol and the rifle too.Pistol was dropped just after I sent it back. I don't know why they couldn't make a decent rifle for $2500.00.
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