Palmetto Whitney Navy .36

[webradbury]

I almost titled this post "My new re-found joy from the darkest depths of the safe" but alas...

So I acquired this pistol about a year ago, new in the box, and as far as I can tell, never fired. Well, it's been fired now! What a nice feeling little pistol. I love it, even though it shoots a bit to the left. Workmanship is great with tight fit and finish.

I am curious, however, if anyone has tried one of those conversion cylinders to shoot cartridges with one of these? I like to carry a pistol when I go foraging for bow wood, simply because it makes me feel more like a man. I don't have a problem with B & C but I don't care to keep a loaded pistol in the house with kids and all. Thanks, Will

[bubba.50]

don't know from experience but, I've been told the problem with the 36 conversions is lack of accuracy due to 36 pistols actually havin' .375 bore & the 38's use the normal .357 boolits. also, if yer pistol's brass frame it won't hold up even with light loads in the 38's. luck to ya & have a good'en, bubba.

[webradbury]

It's a steel frame. I have read that hollow base .38 boolits will bump up enough and shoot accurately from a .375 barrel...this info coming from an online review of the cartridge conversions for this caliber pistol. I have also entertained the idea of finding a .357 caliber barrel blank and threading it to fit my frame. It would have to be round but that's ok. (I'm quickly talking myself into this project!) Of course, all of this hinges on the fact that an 1851 colt conversion cylinder will have to fit the Whitney frame. Thinking out loud I guess.

[Gray Fox]

I have a couple of the Taylor's & Co. conversion cylinders in my Pietta 1858 Remingtons. One worked fine the other had to be sent to Taylor's to have the hand fitted by their in-house gunsmith--at no cost, BTW. If I were you I would call Taylor's and ask to speak to the 'smith/have him call you to see if one of their cylinders would/could be made to fit.

I have heard the same thing about the HB wadcutters working and you can Google the topic and get some mixed results. If the Taylor's will work and you have the ability to rebarrel it with a .357 that's what I'd do to get the best result. This would also allow you to dovetail a high front sight into it to give you full control of POI windage and elevation. This sounds like a good project assuming the Taylor's option will work. BTW, I just got an email from Midway and they have those cylinders on sale right now. Taylors will do the fine tuning free even if you buy them from Midway as I did during a previous sale. Hope this helps, GF.

[webradbury]

That does help. I'm going to give them a call soon. Thanks!

[dondiego]

If you want a cartridge gun, why don't you just get one and leave that fine Whitney Navy as it was meant to be?

[webradbury]

If you want a cartridge gun, why don't you just get one and leave that fine Whitney Navy as it was meant to be?

I suppose your right. I have a steel frame Pietta I may play around with. The Whitney is way cooler, though! It clicks four times when it's cocked...sounds like a movie gun!

[swathdiver]

Does someone make a conversion cylinder for any of the Palmetto's?

[webradbury]

Not that I'm aware of. I have noticed that the Whitney cylinder and Remington 1858 cylinder appear to be identical but I need to get one to compare side by side. Wish I new someone with one that could give me a few measurements.

[swathdiver]

The Remington cylinder? Most guys have a Remington around the house somewheres!

[Beagle333]

I bet the MiHec .38 hollow base wadcutters would bump up easily, since they are very hollow on the back. Don't know how accurate they would turn out.

[Battis]

Here's a pic of an original Whitney .36 cylinder (on right) and a Spiller & Burr cylinder on left. I have never heard of a Palmetto Whitney conversion cylinder. From the side they look alike but they're very different. http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/Picture010_zpse231d2e0.jpg
Spiller & Burr on top left, Whitney on bottom
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/Picture012_zpsa82ea273.jpg

[webradbury]

It's odd, but my Whitney cylinder is identical, at least in appearance, to the Spiller & Burr cylinder in the photo (and the Remington's). I noticed something else yesterday when I loaded it up. The hammer of my pistol will not fit into the hammer notches (between the nipples). I never noticed this before. I'm thinking Palmetto went the cheap route and just used a cylinder they were already producing when they started making the Whitney replicas. This is interesting. I bought the gun from a coworker who said he bought it new and never fired it (the thought of a chain fire turned him away from these pistols, he said). He also said the pistol is just like he bought it.

[Battis]

Palmetto made the Whitney and the Root replica revolvers, the only company that, as far as I know, made these interesting guns. I have never handled any Palmetto guns but I have read that the quality, workmanship, etc were not the best. That does not mean they were all bad. If I had a Palmetto Whitney revolver, or a Palmetto Root, I would shoot it but I would baby it and keep it in good shape since they are rare. Nice find, especially new, in the box, unfired. I doubt you will find a conversion cylinder.

[swathdiver]

You can file down the hammer just enough to fit into the safety notches on the cylinder. My Palmetto New Model Pocket was a basket case but was made with good quality components, dovetailed loading lever catch, nice wood, etc. Took a file to the muzzle to make it flat and even and worked on it here and there and it's been a nice shooter. The chambers are over groove diameter too, unlike the Pietta. Only things left to do are install a tall front sight and replace the cones with ones from Track.

My Spiller worked good first couple of times out then had trouble with caps firing. Just replaced them with ones from Track and they all go bang with Remington #11s on the first strike now. Made a taller front sight for it out of a brass screw and next time out we'll sight it in for 50 feet or 25 yards, haven't decided.

[webradbury]

I will say that mine has good fit and finish and shoots well. And with its prodigious hammer spring, it always goes bang! I think I'm going to take earlier advice and leave it be.

[fouronesix]

I will say that mine has good fit and finish and shoots well. And with its prodigious hammer spring, it always goes bang! I think I'm going to take earlier advice and leave it be.

Agreed, good plan.

For cartridge use, you can always look around for one of the cartridge revolvers like a modern generation SAA Colt or recently made US Colt clones (US Firearms Co) or one of the Italian SAA Colt replicas. Unfortunately and recently about 2011, US Firearms company went away.