should I have bought this?

[1988rrc]

While at the local gun store this morning I saw a Navy Arms 'Yellow Boy' SRC in .44-40. Very good condition over all except it had 3 screw heads buggered up (tang screw, barrel band screw, dont remember the other place) and a small ding in the wood butt stock. The serial number was located on the right hand side of the receiver in plain view, didnt like that. Sale price was $550.00. I don't have a 1866, was this a good deal or not?

[pwl44m]

Don't know how prices r there but that would have been reasonable here. If Ur happy that is all that matters. Whilegoing through some boxes putting things away I ran across a few boxes of 44-40 ammo. Plus I'm finding things I forgot I had. Christmas in August so to speak.

[Ysabel Kid]

I would have jumped on that in .45 Colt. Don't need another caliber to feed right now.

Well, normally I would have jumped. Seems like just about everything is breaking around here simultaneously. Driving me nuts and costing me a bundle!

[Griff]

1866s, with their brass frame are know to be subject to frame stretching. Unless the seller allows you to do a headspace test on it... I'd pass it up. $550 is a great price, and might just reflect it's external damage, which is pretty easy to fix... (replacement screws are available from VTI); or, it could be just to entice a quick sale because of a more severe problem, such as a headspace issue.

Navy Arms, like others imported their 1866s from Uberti. Fine rifles, if kept to SAAMI pressures, but you just never know what idjit tried to make his .44WCF into a .44Mag!

[vancelw]

I passed one up at a gun show a month or so ago that was offered to me at $500. The guy seemed too eager to unload it and made me nervous.

After reading Griff's post, I feel better about not buying it.

[olyinaz]

They seem to come and go in my local shop for about that price.

Oly

[1988rrc]

i heard that on the earlier guns, the screws are not interchangable (or available) with the new ones; how do i tell the age of the gun by looking at it?

[jnyork]

I am always leery of guns with buggered screws. What was Bubba trying to do when he buggered the screws? What else did he bugger after he got the screws out? Did Bubba try a "trigger job"? If he buggered screws, how else did Bubba mistreat the gun? Did Bubba have a Dremel tool?

My rule of thumb, if an item (gun, pickup, chainsaw, whatever) looks good and appears to be well taken care of, it is probably OK. If Bubba had it, well................

[Griff]

Look for a box with either two letters, or a roman number. Here's the list of years and the Italian code corresponding to it.



The link above might give you a better view if the pic is too small to read; right click on the link, and then selection "open in new window"... then max the window, should be readable.

[6pt-sika]

I'm pretty much anti Italian repro guns . So I woulda passed it and most likely never picked it up to look .

[Griff]

i heard that on the earlier guns, the screws are not interchangable (or available) with the new ones; how do i tell the age of the gun by looking at it?

Call VTI, ask them when you figure out what year yours is. They were able to find me screws from an Jager from 1985.