Abilene - .45 Colt

[vonfatman]

My first A.I.G. Abilene. A 6" barrel. It is my eyes or is this gun gone purple!
Also, it looks like the gun may have been re-blued at sometime in it's life? The barrel lettering is really washed out.

What do you folks think?

BTW...it's a neat and tight .45 Colt.














Thanks
Bob

[Lee Martin]

You did really well Bob. Mossberg assembled less than 200 Abilenes in 45 Colt. Thanks for sharing the photos.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[bobwright]

That looks fine to me. The only exception I see is the fit of the grip frame at the bottom of the cylinder frame. Are these screws snugged down?

Bob Wright

[vonfatman]

Thanks guys.

Bob,
I'll verify the screws are snug.

Bob

Bob

[dennyl]

Very nice

[majorKAP]

That's nice. It hasn't been refinished. That blue is great, and the plummin' adds to it. Mine are like that. The lettering looks just as it should.

I have a few of the No. Haven models like yours, as well as the earlier Riverhead NY versions. I actually prefer the AIG's. They are very good.

[turbo]

DAMN NICE!!!!!

[vonfatman]

Thanks for the feedback. I sure like the gun. I have a couple other Abilenes, so this one will be right at home.

majorKAP,
Do you like the AIG guns due to the different transfer bar setup?


Bob

[WASATCH CHARLIE]

Beautiful revolver,my brand new,1960 3 screw super blackhawk has the loading gate and frame that plum colour. ruger says the original steel used for loading gate and grip frame would not take the bluing as did the rest of the gun. as was said, it adds to the beauty of a classic 6 shooter wc

[majorKAP]

Jan 14, 2013 9:26:56 GMT -5 vonfatman said:

Thanks for the feedback. I sure like the gun. I have a couple other Abilenes, so this one will be right at home.

majorKAP,
Do you like the AIG guns due to the different transfer bar setup?


Bob

It's not so much the transfer bar itself, unless it is somehow responsible for the distinct difference in smoothness I feel when cocking the actions. My Riverheads have kind of a clicky harshness, it seems.

I think the blue finish on the AIG guns is every bit as nice as those on the Riverheads. Plus, the brushed chrome versions were through AIG only.
One one of my Riverhead guns has the single screw through the frame to secure the cylinder pin. But, it also has a big obnoxious remnant of the hole where the cross-pin latch once would have resided. I guess it was sort of a transition from one method to the other, but it's unsightly.

The only one of my Abilenes that I have shot a bunch is a AIG 7.5" Magnaloy 44. It's seen some stout loads over the years, and it remains tight and accurate. It's not a delicate gun, and I've never had a single problem with it in any way. That finish sure does easily wipe up nice and clean after use. I like that, too.

Finally, if you happen to have the sturdy cardboard boxes in which your AIG originally came, you know that those wooden tops with the image of the revolver inked on them are way cool!

[Lee Martin]

Jan 16, 2013 8:25:28 GMT -5 majorKAP said:

One one of my Riverhead guns has the single screw through the frame to secure the cylinder pin. But, it also has a big obnoxious remnant of the hole where the cross-pin latch once would have resided. I guess it was sort of a transition from one method to the other, but it's unsightly.

Someone did that post-factory. US Arms never shipped any with a single-set screw.

And I agree, there's nothing wrong with the AIG-Mossberg guns. Quality and fit were every bit as good as the Riverhead Abilenes. Remember though, AIG never produced the parts. They simply assembled the guns from existing Riverhead stock. When that stock ran out the Abilene went away.

If you're into Abilenes stay tuned for the book I hope to publish someday. I hit a goldmine of rare prototypes and you guys will be floored by some of the models Harvey Kahn thought-up....and there will be plenty of pictures.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[markggtp]

Hey Lee, when do you think your book will be out? I can't wait!!!

[majorKAP]

"Never" is a pretty definitive word. Respectfully Lee, they did ship at least one that way. Nobody has ever altered the one seen here:

[majorKAP]

Here's another US ARMS Abilene from Riverhead NY that was shipped with the cylinder pin affixing set-screw. This one has been altered to be sure, but not at the point of discussion. Don't laugh at the scratching. I got the gun on the cheap and the old stag grips alone were worth the purchase price.

There's plenty more images of similar guns on the web.

Maybe I'm wrong, Lee. I dunno. Or, is it that I am misinterpreting what it is you're saying?

[Lee Martin]

Kap....quite a few of those exist. I thought you were referring to a screw through the latch-hole, not through the front of the frame.

What you have there is a transition gun. I have 3 or 4 of the same model and here's the story. When AIG bought Mossberg in 1979 Harvey Kahn and US Arms were already setting-up for the front frame release. Some of the castings had the cross-latch relief as shown in your last photo. Quite a few of the frames didn't however (these were the last frames poured by US Arms and were intended for the new front catch). Secondly, a bunch were pre-engraved and that's why Riverhead prefixes can be found on AIG guns. Mossberg used a different serial # convention on the ones they marked in-house.

I've run across a few dozen of these and while not common, they're out there..

BTW, the front latch was first proto-typed in 1978 as seen on this very rare Abilene:



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"