U.S. Arms Abilene SA Revolvers

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U. S. Arms Abilene & AUTiger73 returns

AUTiger73, after a long absence, is back. I left when the FiringLine Forum was closed, and only recently noticed activity had resumed on this discussion board. After doing a site search for U. S. Arms, I found my original posting received a reply 7 years later. That must be a record for this forum. I also see other discussion threads on this subject. It appears that the U.S. Arms Abilene is finally achieving the respect it deserves.

As stated in the original posting I have 2 of these guns. One of them has been holstered and carried frequently and the other is in 100% as new condition. Both of these guns are of pre-Mossberg manufacture, but there are differences. The lower serial numbered Abilene's base pin (or cylinder pin) is simply held in place by a screw that enters the frame at a 45 degree angle. The higher serial numbered Abilene's base pin has a horizonal spring loaded device that secures the cylinder base pin similar to the earlier Ruger SA. I have no earthly idea why this was changed.

I would be interested in hearing from someone that is knowledgeable of the history and design changes in the Abilene.

Much has happened since my original posting. My U.S. Abilenes have been retired to my gun safe in favor of 2 modified stainless steel Ruger Birdshead 45Colt SA revolvers carried in a double shoulder holster. But that is another story.

It is good to be back with the FiringLine folks. I'll try to drop by more frequently in the future.
 
Abilene

I found the site and started looking around for posts of things that interested me. I started with the Abilene, Seville and Kart names. I actually heard from a site administrator about the post I put on being some far from the original post. I like to beleive everything happens for a reason and finding the site and also the topics was for a reason. You can read a lot more info about Abilenes and Sevilles at www.singleactions.com under United Sporting Arms. The site and article are by Lee Martin who is a collector and shooter.

the frame at a 45 degree angle this was done to combat recoil. The bae pin would "jump out" under heavy loads. The screw was added to keep it from jumping out.

Please continue to post as I am interested in keeping the history alive .
 
Seville:

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I'm aware of the base pin recoil issue with the Ruger guns. I experienced this problem with a 44 Magnum Super Blackhawk. However, I thought it rather strange that the my older (earlier serial numbered) U.S. Arms Abilene has the frame drilled and tapped for a base pin screw. This screw enters the front of the frame at approximately a 45 degree angle to the base pin. The newer Abilene (having the later serial number) is the one with the "Rugerish" horizonal spring loaded base pin retaining device. Therefore it appears that later production changes moved to the horizonal spring loaded device which would be prone to recoil upset. All of this was prior to the Mossberg production of these guns.

Nevertheless, both of my Abilenes are .357 magnums and heavy enough that recoil would not likely be a problem in dislocating the base pin.

Yes, I agree that the U.S. Arms Abilene's history needs to be kept alive. While I own a number of Colts and Ruger SA guns, my Abilenes are the most treasured. My first Abilene was acquired at a Ft. Lauderdale, FL gun show in trade for my Winchester 94. That Abilene has a 4-5/8" barrel and, even though a bit heavy, it was the gun I carried into sawgrass country. I had a holster custom made for it and carried it frequently on my excursions south of Everglade City. Unfortunately it now shows a lot of holster wear and some rust pits on the ejector rod housing. It could be easily restored with a new ejector rod housing, but they are NIS at Gun Parts Inc. (However, I do have a few spare trigger springs and varous screws for these guns.)

My older Abilene is the most accurate of my .357 revolvers, having consumed many factory loads and some of my nastiest reloads. This Abilene is more accurate than my S&W Model 19 and various Ruger revolvers both SA & DA.

My newer Abilene was acquired a few years ago at a gun shop in Dothan, AL.
The first owner apparently never fired it and I've since fired it 6 times to confirm it is at least equal to my first Abilene. The deep blue finish reminds me of the early Colt revolvers (i.e., Python et.al.). It will remain in my gun safe and will receive periodic cleaning and maintenance. It is a treasure that is not likely to be found again.

You have much to be proud of in your father's involvement in the design and manufacture of the Abilene. In time, I believe the U.S. Arms Abilene will be recognized for their high quality, accuracy, and collectibility.

Hope we hear from other Abilene owners, especially related to the various production changes found before the sellout to Mossberg.
 
Correction:

Looking at my original post, I may have gotten the base pin change backwards. It would appear the earlier serial numbered Abilene has the spring loaded horizontal base pin retainer and the later serial number Abilene has the 45 degree screw entering the from of the frame to retain the base pin.

Oh well, it comes with age (62) and a full gun safe (29). Could be that I finally reached the point of having too many guns ??? or maybe it is the years of collecting and shooting that has fogged-up my brain.

Nevertheless, knowing that Ruger had a patent infringement suit again U.S. Arms, maybe the change in base pin retention was to appease Ruger. In fact, I never heard the outcome of that law suit.
 
abilene

My understanding is the cross lock for the base pin was the original. That is what my dad says. The front 45 degree angle screw came after he left US Arms in Riverhead. So the lower number would be the original gun. The latter being Mossberg but with some of those having a transfer bar. As to the lawsuit, Ruger sued both US Arms and United Sporting Arms. My dad went to William B Ruger SR. office in Conn and basically settled the lawsiut with him. The big problem was Ruger had all the money. As dad tells it Ruger told him the only ones benefiting from the law suit was the lawyers. It was really creating a going broke situation for United Sporting Arms. Dad and Ruger agree to end the litigation between the 2. Then United Sporting Arms agreed Ruger had a valid patent and Mossberg was sunk. They had to change the transfer bar as Ruger, at that time, licensed us to use his patent. The company had never done that before. Ruger told dad the only reason he did it was the quality of the Seville and El Dorado line.
 
Why hello thar!

Bump for some old friends.

Hey John, how the heck are you?

I used to hang out at your shop in Tucson back in the late 80's, and got one of the .454 Sevilles (which I still shoot and show proudly). I still remember test firing a "Competitor" in that caliber, and I'd give an arm and a leg to find one of those puppies today! Do you remember how many of those were produced?

BTW, I just found an old 7.5" .44 Abilene in beautiful condition in a small shop near Seattle. Don't know why I hesitated, but he'd better still have that thing when he opens on Tuesday because I WANT!

Say Hiya to Sig for me please.

Ty
 
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375 Seville

Seville,

Looking for some help. I just bought a 375 USA made in Tucson. SN 364. I managed to stick the first and only 4-cases in the cylinders that I've fired through it. Are the case dimensions fifferent on these Seville's than that of a Dan Wesson 375 Supermag? I have never had a problem with any of my rounds chambering or extracting from the Dan Wesson's. Do you think my Seville has a problem?

Any help would be appreciated.
 
44 abilene

Bought my 44 abilene in the late 70's.I had looked at 2 other abilenes before, sloppy trigger on both found a 3rd great crisp trigger ,7/12 the screw will flatten at the tip this makes it hard to remove,then I have to file down the tip of the screw.
It is a great shooter .It is also a river head and 4 diggit sn.no. gun shops did know anything about It all said never heard of it.I am 74 now need to start selling my collection of guns now.

____________________________________________________________________________________________
JIM
 
Broken Anvil Link

Need some help. I've owned an Abilene in 44 mag for about 10 years now. It was made in Riverhead with a Sn of 50-004031. I took it to the range for the first time in several years and after 20 rounds (light target loads) the anvil link broke in half. The part lists for about $10 with Numrich, but it is the old style link (1.825") and has been out of stock for some time. What other options do I have...can I replace a few parts to convert it to the new style link or are there other parts dealers out there that may stock the piece? Thoughts/advice?
 
Seems to be a common malady. Got a picture? Does it look like Ruger's transfer bar? If it looks like a Ruger transfer bar, you're in luck. The same thing happened with Dad's .357 and I had Jim Stroh replace it with a Ruger part for a minimal charge.
 
Transfer Bar

Is # 41 shorter or longer? If shorter find a welder to weld a little on. If shorter you can always sand it down shorter.

Let me know?
 
My Abilene has the old style link...1.825". This part is currently unavailable. The new style is 1.440".
 
You might contact Jack Huntington Advanced Gunsmithing.

Jack can make pretty much anything that goes in a gun, by hand.
 
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