a Bill Buchele rifle

Hi Spence,

I'm going a little out on a limb here, but I doubt if most of us can see any difference in color between the softer Brass Alloy that Reeves used and all the way up to Naval Bronze, the latter an extremely tougher alloy known in our period as "Gun Metal" from using it in making ML Cannon. 

Oh as another example a little out of our time period, but still in the ML period, are the supposedly "Brass" framed cap and ball revolvers.  The original frames were then and in the repro's are now actually made from Bronze, because plain brass would would be too soft to last very long at all under recoil.  Yet anyone looking at them thinks they are brass. 

Gus 

This used to be something I tried to educate many shooters about all the years I worked UnCivil War guns at the North South Skirmish Association Spring and Fall National Championships, but mostly it fell on deaf ears until one time I was explaining it and the senior member of the Firearms Committee happened to be looking at something else in our booth and he chimed in and said, "Yes, he is right."  Did I get any sizeable number of the shooters to call them "Bronze" Frame Revolvers afterwards?  Nope.  Chuckle.  

Going back to Brass, the toughness and machinability of Brass is directly controlled by how much copper is in the alloy.  The more copper it has, the easier it is to file, drill and machine it.  I always suspected Reeve's castings were made with JUST enough copper for the metal to have a normal golden Brass color, but no more than that and that's why some folks called them "butter soft" castings.  Brass made with just a bit higher amount of copper has a rosey or even pink cast to it.

Gus

Skychief said, "PS, don't sweat that its just a forty-five. "

Not to worry. After taking this one with a .40 at 50 yards I'll feel over-gunned with a .45. 

Spence

Spence
I am just getting caught up on posts I missed over the last month or so. I read " Shooting the Buchele rifle" just before this thread.

You were a worthy friend. And you cared for his "investment" lovingly, without leaving a trace, maintaining it's condition. The friendship between the two of you paid the "dividend". You are deserving of this most beautiful rifle. Shoot it, hunt with it...do all the things he would never have done with it. In so doing, you honor him. Your friendship will continue to live each time you do so. You will give this rifle a "life" that he never could. And I am sure that is what he would have wanted.

You have been blessed, deservedly so.

Richard/Grumpa