C&B Revolvers. . .Which One?

[Bigslug]

No one seems to have specifically mentioned the 1861 Navy, which is still "period authentic" and which has the lines of the Army with the Navy caliber. I think it's my favorite.

Would it be correct to say that the '61 Navy is then identical to the '60 Army in all respects but caliber?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

No -- it's smaller overall. More like the '51 Navy in size.

[Good Cheer]

The '61 frame, cylinder and barrel sub-assemblies are scaled down from the '60.
I cannot speak to how faithfully today's manufacturers are holding to Colt's patterns.
On the 1858's there's been a bit fudgery committed.
My 1970's vintage Navy Arms 1861 is a lean mean shootin' machine but I've never put a set of mic's of it next to an original Colt.

[Bigslug]

The '61 frame, cylinder and barrel sub-assemblies are scaled down from the '60.
I cannot speak to how faithfully today's manufacturers are holding to Colt's patterns.
On the 1858's there's been a bit fudgery committed.
My 1970's vintage Navy Arms 1861 is a lean mean shootin' machine but I've never put a set of mic's of it next to an original Colt.

Hmmmmmm. . .how about the '61's grip? Also scaled down from the '60, or that larger, roomier size?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Attachment 239328
Click to enlarge

Same size as the '51. Here's mine. You can tell I like it, because it's been used a lot. Don't tell me it looks like it's loaded -- yes, it is. If you want the bigger grip you'd do better with the '60 Army.

[1Hawkeye]

Ok guys we gotta quit this now cause I'm starting to look at the pietta's on the cabela's website and they have all three at my local one. Lead us not into temptation

[Pigboat]

Ok guys we gotta quit this now cause I'm starting to look at the pietta's on the cabela's website and they have all three at my local one. Lead us not into temptation

I always enjoy helping others spend their money Midway has several Uberti's on sale right now including the Walker

[Markopolo]

Yep to the above.. we have them all, navy’s, army’s 36 cal through 44cal dragoon. My personal favorite is the steel frame Pietta 44 with a short barrel. The short one is convenient to carry, and I will be getting one of them conversion cylinder’s for that one in particular to shoot 45LC. I am pretty sure the conversion cylinder will fit in any of my Pietta 44’s. I like the way the shorty feel and how it’s balanced.. It can become a carry gun alternative for me... I do also roll my own paper cartridges as they make loading quick. A lot easier for me then removing the cylinder as my wedge’s stay tight.





It fits me well... I would suggest a good set of nipples from track of the wolf, or some shiny stainless ones.. no cap problems with good nipples.. the stock nipples seem to have a bigger hole and allow enough blowback to dislodge the nipples and cause the cap jamming issues folks talk about... never had that issue with the TOW better nipples installed.. fit is better, and hole is smaller.. keep a close eye on the length of the nipple though.

Marko

[BlackPowderLove]

Hmmm.... looks to be a nice day out. I need to roll up some .36s and go shoot the Navy, seeing how it must be feeling neglected with my 1860 shooting this past year.

[Wag]

I've had a slow burn (no pun intended) for a C&B revolver for a very long time. I can even see myself buying one and never shooting it. Just to hold it in my hand........

I've also done all the planning and budgeting for the revolver and the powder and the caps and the equipment and the dies to cast the round balls and...... and.........

The room is spinning around me now!

--Wag--

[Pigboat]

You guys have uncovered my itch again. After reading all the recommendations in this thread it's time to take inventory and see what I don't have

[Texas by God]

I want one of the five shot .36 Police models. I've only owned two c&b revolvers- a Colt reissue 3rd model Dragoon and a brass frame "Confederate Navy"- both .44s. I was always amazed at the accuracy of these contraptions!

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[1Hawkeye]

And WHO says black powder isn't a gateway drug??? I was doing the math at lunch to see what a 51 navy and a 60 army would cost me from cabela's

[Markopolo]

Don’t forget in your math more lead, more BP, and maybe a new mold??? Might as well figure a couple jewelers files to slick things up on that new gun or 2.. don’t want no hidden costs..

[Battis]

For what it's worth....I have an original Remington New Model 1858 .44 that came with a spare Pietta cylinder that fits perfectly. My Pietta 1860 Army .44 is one of the smoothest, best handling revolvers that I own. Uberti's are great guns, too, maybe a little more "finished" than Piettas. Since most of the C&B guns need some degree of fine tuning right out of the box, don't overlook used cap and ball revolvers, as long as they weren't abused. Colt 2nd Generation revolvers are, in my opinion, very authentic, and the 3rd Generation Colts are very purty (though the 3rds aren't considered "real" Colts, even though Uberti had a hand in both). High Standard made some great repros - again, I'm pretty sure Uberti was involved. Brass framed revolvers are not authentic unless they're a Confederate copy (Spiller & Burr) - keep the charges down and they'll be fine.
My original Colt 1851 .36 and a Pietta.
The recoil shield of the Spiller & Burr is beat up (not by me).

[1Hawkeye]

Yep I figured for the molds the rest I have plenty. The only thing that is stopping me is I remember the clean up on a cap and ball.

[charlie b]

LOL, yep. It is easy. Bucket with soapy water. Disassemble completely and drop everything but the grips in there.

And, yes, that is what keeps me from buying a few.

[arcticap]

The barrel blanks used for the Pietta 1861 [.36 cal.] models are the same that they use for their 1860 .44 Colts, except with a different bore diameter.
They're heavier than the Uberti 1861 which have a slightly different barrel taper.

And the Pietta 1861 [London model] has an 8 inch barrel compared to the Uberti 1861's 7.5 inch barrel.

The Pietta 1861 London model also has a steel grip frame and trigger guard as does one of the two Pietta 5.5" Sheriff 1861 models, while
their other 5.5" Sheriff 1861 has a brass grip frame and brass trigger guard but at a lower price.

All 3 of the Pietta 1861 models are available from Dixie Gun Works.
Another interesting feature they have is that according to Dixie, they all use #11 percussion caps instead of #10's.

As a side note, quite often the Pietta .36 models can use the factory swagged .375 balls while the Uberti .36's require .380 balls.
But I'm not sure if the Pietta 1861's can also use the .375 balls or not, since the Dixie spec.'s indicate that their chamber diameter is .376.

[Texas by God]

On cleanup- I just put the barrel & cylinder in the dishwasher- works great. The frame just gets brushed off and oiled.

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[1Hawkeye]

When I finished the basement I put in a slop sink just for cleaning muzzle loaders.