Brass frame revolvers question?

[Fly]

I have never owned a brass frame revolver in all my years of shooting black powder guns.
As everyone knows they are not as strong & so on.But really, have any of you ever wore one out?

I would like to hear what you guys really think, that have had them, & the draw backs you have
seen, not what someone told you.Let,s be truth full on this please.

Fly

[John Taylor]

I have one that the cylinder set back in the frame. Cylinder to barrel gap was about .060". When you cock the gun the cylinder goes forward then back.

[Fly]

I have one that the cylinder set back in the frame. Cylinder to barrel gap was about .060". When you cock the gun the cylinder goes forward then back.

Could it be shimmed?Fly

[roverboy]

I wondered about the strength of these too. I had one of these years ago. It was a CVA 1858 "Reb" model. I actually never shot it. It was a kit model and was not blued or browned. It was in the white and the grips were not finished. I just never got around to finishing it and sold it.

[Battis]

Here's a pic of the recoil shield of an old Spiller & Burr .36 I have that had been abused.

[fryboy]

heavy loads can damage them , 'specially with repeated usage of them , i've had several and never wore one out , nipples yes ( especially if they're not properly set ) lite loads are great fun !! if your chosen load doesnt fill it enough some grits can be placed on top of the powder as a space filler ( that also help scrub the bore ) many guns of the era had brass frames ( including ye olde henry rifle )
because they can be abused much easier the steel framed versions command a premium

[Hellgate]

What happens often is the back of the cylinder pounds dents into the recoil shield on Remingtons and into the recoil ring on Colts. This soon allows the cylinder to travel back each time it is fired and the more denting that occurs the farther it travels back with even more momentum so the gap starts opening up even faster. It is a slower process in the Remingtons (and the Spiller & Burr). On Colts, sometimes the cylinder pin is pulled out of the frame as the threads start to strip from either high pressure loads shoving the barrel forward or hard ramming of over filled chambers or hard lead balls. Keeping loads to around 20grs (or less) powder helps delay the process considerably.

[Ragnarok]

Unless the newer manufactured brass-frames are better/tougher than they used to be..the brass frames are more for looks and not for extensive shooting. Some of the older made steel framed Colt-clones were not much better and would hammer to pieces with any real use.

[Outpost75]

I had a Filli Pietta Remington brass frame .44 repro from Cabelas. In less than 300 rounds in firing full charges of 3Fg and round balls it loosened up to 0.030" cylinder gap. I returned it to Cabelas. They replaced it free with a steel frame model, which worked fine until I found a Ruger Old Army and sold it.

[BrassMagnet]

I have never owned a brass frame revolver in all my years of shooting black powder guns.
As everyone knows they are not as strong & so on.But really, have any of you ever wore one out?

I would like to hear what you guys really think, that have had them, & the draw backs you have
seen, not what someone told you.Let,s be truth full on this please.

Fly

My first, and last, black powder pistol was a Hawes 1851 Navy with the brass frame. It did not last. I will never own another brass frame firearm.

[Battis]

I had a brass framed High Standard Griswold & Gunnison .36 a few years ago. I kept the loads down, and fired it a lot. It was a great gun,and never shot "loose". I would not get a .44 brass frame.

[mooman76]

I didn't wear one out but bought one that had been. It has a loose frame. I hoped to fix it but never got it fixed. It is a Navy 36 cal. I asked my friend how much he loaded in it. He said he didn't know, he just filled it up.

[rodwha]

I've really liked the Spiller & Burr, but have been hesitant as it's a brass framed pistol. I see the cylinder is a little shorter than say a .36 cal Remington NMN. Can these be loaded with hotter powders such as Swiss or Olde E and last?

I saw a Mike Beliveau video and he loaded up 18 grns of 3F and placed a wad down in there, and still had room left in the chamber. Is 20-25 grns too much for hotter powders?

[Alan]

Rodwha, for brass frame you are thinking in the wrong direction. Instead of hotter powders, try 2F. Shoots great in my .36's, and with brass frames, low pressure is your friend.

[Harter66]

I don't know how much actual shooting was done w/my 58' brasser before I recieved it ....the hammer was beat up to a point that it was dragging on the frame but I doubt it was shot very much. I've launched probably somewhat over 300 loads down range ranging from the balls bumping the bbl extention (12 total) to ''gallery'' loads . It has become a measure of sorts for my powder proformance. At this point I don't see a lot of peening or set back in it. The gap flash is not any worse that an old Colt 38 I had w/Unique or the S&W or Sec 6 w/38s. I haven't checked the end play but it was a very nearly minimum gap gun when I recieved it 7yr ago. Fact is I've shot it more in the last yr than in the first 6 yr I had it combined .

[rodwha]

Alan: I decided that I only really wanted to stock/carry afield 1 powder for my arms, and that since my pistol would be used for hunting I needed it to perform well, and so I looked to Triple 7 until Olde Eynsford came out, and settled on 3F as well since it gave better performance (velocity) as well as less fouling, but I have been considering that 2F might be quite nice as I asked a fellow why he loads max loads of 2F behind a ball in his Walker, and his reply was like yours in that it reduced the overall pressures, but was also quite accurate.

I am curious how it effects the velocity in shorter barrels though.

[John Allen]

Here's a pic of the recoil shield of an old Spiller & Burr .36 I have that had been abused.

Battis, that is impressive I have never seen one that bad.

[rodwha]

Curious what your load was Battis.

[curator]

I bought one of the first "replica" 1851 Navy Colt .36 caliber revolvers imported in 1965. It had a brass frame and I always kept charges in the 18-20 grain area because this is what produced the best accuracy. The remaining chamber room was filled with Cream of Wheat so the .375 diameter ball would be seated just flush with the cylinder face. I must have fired that gun several thousand times with this load but at one point the barrel went down range along with the bullet. At no time did it ever appear to be getting loose, just the threads in the frame let go all at once. I silver-soldered it back together and made a wall-hanger of it. One of my step-son's buddies stole it several years ago and for all I know it is somewhere still shooting. The price difference between brass and steel frames is so small as to be insignificant. The service life of the two is significant with the brass frame models failing after a few years and the steel frame ones soldering on.

[rodwha]

That is about how I feel about them, but I'm not just a paper puncher either so light loads generally aren't what I'd need to use.

But there's something about the Spiller & Burr...