Reeder Custom Guns - Colt Avenging Angel...

I've always wanted to build me one. Basically a chopped C&B revolver with a very colorful history. I'm certain others had the same idea about the same time but they were less noted by history.

Little bit of research;
https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2015/09/28/old-west-snub-nose-the-colt-avenger/

Doug, my charmed for life hunting partner, is always having a big fun time bidding on different guns, getting the enjoyment of the excitement of the chase, harmlessly getting outbid. When I try it I'm high bidder with $6 to spare! Well I got it. It was a made custom and came in a modified Puerto Rica commercial cigar box, how could I resist to make a play?! It's a .36 so modded 1861 Navy by Uberti. Quality should be very good.

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I'm looking forward to Mr. Taffin's upcoming article on C&B revolvers for self defense. It should be very interesting. No telling if he mentioned the Mormons and Colt Avenger, Mormon Avenger, etc. I could see where he might not go down that path for published print. For the record I've never met a Mormon that was not a super swell person, never had an issue, we just stay clear of religious specifics. One of my best friends (killed in a military CH-47 accident in GA) his whole family are Mormon and I went to two of their funerals. Interestingly I found some historical conflict with my family in Missouri with the Mormons! I'll have to research this a bit more. Here is a link if you are interested, real wild west frontier stuff I found interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_Rockwell#Boggs_attempted_assassination_accusation

The gun looks good, well done. It only needs a good blue job on the barrel and cylinder. I see it retains the lugs under the barrel that would power the load lever. Too bad they didn't include it in the accessory box. It will give me a quest. Lo and behold my son Roman, who normally turns his nose up at anything not painted black or camo, seems to enjoy the Cap & ball wheelguns. I hope to enjoy re-visiting and collecting them. We have several long ML I was determined to turn into handguns. It will be fun.

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Shot it quite a bit. It had the brass frame and one day after a series of hot duplex loads the barrel went downrange with the bullet. Pulled the center pin out of the frame. I put it back together, drilled and pinned the center pin in the frame but it was always looser after that and I lost interest in it.

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I started with a 1858 Remington .44 copy, had a little brass 5-shot .31 1849 copy. Buckshot did not work well, you need pure lead balls. I had a neat 1848 Second model Dragoon copy and it shot best of all but boy was it heavy. One adventurous HHC I shot a small hog with my Ruger OA and custom 270 gr. bullets powered to 900 fps by 777 propellant. It barely was enough on the tough little hog. I have a copy of the old article showing you with a Javelina you shot with a C&B?! I remember a beautiful brace of Uberti 1861 Navy’s I traded into. I loved handling them but never shot them. I made good money when I sold them to a collector.

It’s more work but a relaxed fun bench time with the old guns. I’m tripping over long guns and I have a quest to convert as many as I dare into fun handguns. Also I admit to a little thrill to not have to give my FFL $20 to basically collect my mail. They come straight to me!

I’ve been really eyeballing that “cap maker” kit they sell. Maybe I could get one to copy and fabricate larger musket caps that are so difficult to find.

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1858 Remington copy ... I put a S&W Patridge front sight on it, squared up the rear notch .. opened the cylinder to accept .460" diameter balls ... put a 3" long tapered throat in the barrel. It shrunk the .460" ball to .445" ... accuracy was greatly improved and power also. My top loads ran over 1100 fps.

The ball took this Javelina behind the right shoulder and exited the left side of its neck. Instant stop.

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With a .45 Super and 185/200 gr. full patch jacketed bullet at 1400 fps. The recovered bullet looked like you flattened it with a hammer! They are tough little critters.

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I’ve read the real ones are so different from the Italian clones, but have never examined one. Very clever your throating! I think the open top Colts are sexy but the Remington was way ahead of its time and closer to what we have today.

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The Remington with its top strap was stronger and more accurate but will tie up from fouling much quicker than the Colt. You can keep the Colt running hours longer than the Remington simply by spitting on the front of the cylinder.

The original Colts and Remingtons had gain-twist rifling and were actually .45 caliber.

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I actually think folks are buying them for self defense. The one I bought was a "built" .36 (.375 ball) but I have faith it was well done. I note the velocity is about 100 fps below what I'd have figured.

Does the factory gun have the "holes" under the barrel where a detached Colt ram-lever could be used to load it?

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It comes with a large brass rod for seating bullets. The Remington version does not come with any help. Everything coming out of Italy is very slow now. Since November I have received 3 of six replicas ordered produced by either Uberti or Pietta. I got a 5-1/2" Richards-Mason, however I'm waiting for the Richards and Open-Top same barrel lengths. Did a little better with Percussion Pistols as I got a 5-1/2" 1860 Army, 1861 Navy and the Remington 3" Ace. Still waiting for the 1851 Navy 5-1/2". I am working up to articles on SD with these type pistols. It is quite easy duplicate .45 ACP Hardball loads in the 5-1/2" Old Army using 220 grain, conical bullets.

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were off from the originals, something like 0.445" on one he had?! Glory be, why not just use .451 tubes?! He told me the originals were "gain twist" too. That is interesting.

I'll have to do some measuring.

I once saw a custom that a fellow modified to use .490 balls that you'd normally use in your patched .50 cal. rifle. That made lots of sense. I'd still like to see a revolver made up for .530-.535" balls, a bigger bore. I think the Italians could make a mint. Gary's Magnumized ROA was so far ahead of it's time. Timing is everything in the gun world. It deserved better attention, I'm still unhappy about that. I even wrote the editor to complain.

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Old Army we built in 475 and 510 caliber was no interest. We ran it for well over a year plus there was a big write up in either GUNS or American Handgunner and we still only got maybe 7 or 8 orders. Plus building the cylinder was an all day project. Extremely intricate. So it just wasn't worth the time and effort. to come out ahead we would have had to charge $3000 or more per gun.
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Colt Avenging Angel...

I did that to a copy 1851 Navy

I’ve read that the brass frames will get loose.

C&B Javelina

Impressive performance. Blake shot one

I’m going to get a 1858 for the collection.

The Colt was a much better Combat weapon...

Looks like fun! I've always liked the looks of those Colts.

PIETTA AVENGING ANGEL

As rare as hen's teeth right now.

I don't believe so but I would have to dig it out look.

I think Jim told me the actual bores

the main reason we dropped the American Classic, a Ruger