I'm always leery to make any recommendations about what is safe to shoot. I did take one of my Reichsrevolvers to the range and shot it with 44 Russian. My own loads, not factory, mind you. Works just fine. The 1879 model is even better. Longer barrel, more accurate, I think.
Colt 1889 vs 1877 vs S+W Model 3 opinions
- Thread starter sask3500
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I'm always leery to make any recommendations about what is safe to shoot. I did take one of my Reichsrevolvers to the range and shot it with 44 Russian. My own loads, not factory, mind you. Works just fine. The 1879 model is even better. Longer barrel, more accurate, I think.
The Reichsrevolver is a tank of a gun. Heavy construction, rugged mechanism. Not a target pistol as such. The No. 3 S&W is more "refined". Smoother trigger pull, but probably close to the same weight, depending on barrel length. The Reichsrevolver has fixed sights, the rear incorporated into the top strap. The No. 3 has a raised fixed rear sight incorporated into the latch, and the target versions have adjustable sights. The Reichsrevolver has slightly larger grips than the S&W. The Americans and Schofields have bigger grips, but the new model no. 3 and double actions are about the same as the modern k-frame. I have "medium" hands and I like both of them.
I have tried/owned all of the mentioned guns and will have to echo the previous comments to proceed with extreme caution when considering the Colt 1887,1889 and S&W model 3.
My vote for good looking, fun and dead nuts reliable antique centerfire shooters are Remington 1875 chambered in Remington 44 centerfire, Colt 1873 Army and Bisley in 45 cal( such a 450/455) or 44 chamberings, 455 Webley WG.
My Standard 1873 Bisley, manufactured in 1894. This was the first year of manufacture for Bisley 1873s. My gun's serial is a mere 51 digits off of the earliest Bisley serial number(156371) as stated in the "Colt Peacemaker Collector Handbook and Guide". Its in the original marked chambering of 44S&W (effectively Russian, 44 special brass will also fit) , apparently only 29 standard(non target) Colt Bisleys were made in that marked caliber, so a little uncommon
My vote for good looking, fun and dead nuts reliable antique centerfire shooters are Remington 1875 chambered in Remington 44 centerfire, Colt 1873 Army and Bisley in 45 cal( such a 450/455) or 44 chamberings, 455 Webley WG.
My Standard 1873 Bisley, manufactured in 1894. This was the first year of manufacture for Bisley 1873s. My gun's serial is a mere 51 digits off of the earliest Bisley serial number(156371) as stated in the "Colt Peacemaker Collector Handbook and Guide". Its in the original marked chambering of 44S&W (effectively Russian, 44 special brass will also fit) , apparently only 29 standard(non target) Colt Bisleys were made in that marked caliber, so a little uncommon
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In response to your inquiry regarding other possibilities, you moight get lucky and find a Colt Model 1878 Double Action revolver (serial number below 39200, I understand, to be pre-1898) in a chambering which doesn't preclude it from antique status. As I understand it, the most common chamberings (.45 Colt, .44-40, .38-40, and some others) cannot qualify as antiques, but some revolvers were made in .44 Russian, .450 Boxer, .455 Enfield and .476 Enfield Â… if you could find one of those you'd be set Â… although being able to afford the price might be difficult.
Another - and likely much more affordable - possibility would be a pre-1898 Webley, either in a service revolver (Mk I through Mk III, or some early Mk IV's) or one of their non-military models. These are almost invariably chambered for standard British cartridges (.450 Boxer. .455 Webley/Eley/Enfield, .476 Enfield - all of which are actually .455 caliber, despite the varying nomenclature) none of which are on the list of proscribed cartridges for antique status. Alternatively, many such revolvers were altered upon importation into the US to fire either .45ACP in moon clips or .45 Auto Rim, but since those cartridges are not on the proscribed list either, such altered revolvers still qualify in Canada as antiques, if originally manufactured before 1898. It is not recommendedthat such antique revolvers be shot with factory spec .45ACP/.45AR cartridges (because their standard operating pressures significantly exceed the proof load pressures for .455 and related cartridges) but you can reload the brass to acceptable .455 specs.
I have several such British cartridge revolvers which qualify as antique in Canada, although by personal preference I have stuck with unaltered examples still in their original chamberings: top - (left) Adams 3rd Model and (right) Webley RIC New Model; middle - (l.) Enfield Mk II and (r.) Webley No. 4 (Webley-Pryse); bottom - (l.) Webley WG Target and (r.) WG Army …
Another - and likely much more affordable - possibility would be a pre-1898 Webley, either in a service revolver (Mk I through Mk III, or some early Mk IV's) or one of their non-military models. These are almost invariably chambered for standard British cartridges (.450 Boxer. .455 Webley/Eley/Enfield, .476 Enfield - all of which are actually .455 caliber, despite the varying nomenclature) none of which are on the list of proscribed cartridges for antique status. Alternatively, many such revolvers were altered upon importation into the US to fire either .45ACP in moon clips or .45 Auto Rim, but since those cartridges are not on the proscribed list either, such altered revolvers still qualify in Canada as antiques, if originally manufactured before 1898. It is not recommendedthat such antique revolvers be shot with factory spec .45ACP/.45AR cartridges (because their standard operating pressures significantly exceed the proof load pressures for .455 and related cartridges) but you can reload the brass to acceptable .455 specs.
I have several such British cartridge revolvers which qualify as antique in Canada, although by personal preference I have stuck with unaltered examples still in their original chamberings: top - (left) Adams 3rd Model and (right) Webley RIC New Model; middle - (l.) Enfield Mk II and (r.) Webley No. 4 (Webley-Pryse); bottom - (l.) Webley WG Target and (r.) WG Army …
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Surprised not one mention for the french 1892. These revolvers are almost always in perfect time and are pretty durable since the design is unaltered from 1892 to the 1920's and they fired smokeless ammo from them in both WW1 and WW2. Parts wise they have 1/3 as many components as any American gun and only 1-2 springs. If I had to choose one gun that I knew would be reliable and fire smokeless ammo from that would be the gun.
Second choice would we a wg army, really nice trigger and much nicer looking than the standard mark webley's and with the later tooless cylinder retention mechanism. I shoot very mild 3 grain tb loads and it runs nicely. 2.6 grains for the french 1892 which is only around 8000 psi which is less than half its 18000 psi rating though I'm not brave enough to put anything to its limit.
There's also the french 1873 which is quite a durable gun, though why it was initially loaded with such incredibly anemic rounds even for the time is anyone's guess. This was also used with smokeless rounds later during WW1 though I would also stay under 10 000 psi for peace of mind.
Second choice would we a wg army, really nice trigger and much nicer looking than the standard mark webley's and with the later tooless cylinder retention mechanism. I shoot very mild 3 grain tb loads and it runs nicely. 2.6 grains for the french 1892 which is only around 8000 psi which is less than half its 18000 psi rating though I'm not brave enough to put anything to its limit.
There's also the french 1873 which is quite a durable gun, though why it was initially loaded with such incredibly anemic rounds even for the time is anyone's guess. This was also used with smokeless rounds later during WW1 though I would also stay under 10 000 psi for peace of mind.
Well, we might as well open it up to any type of antique then. The Swiss M1882 is a dead ringer for top spot. Ten years ahead of the French "Lebel" revolver it is about as good as it gets. I still like my S&W's though...
Well I got an 1889. Needed some work, in the end they're not that scary. I was able to tune it so it's timed and locking correctly. You just have to take it down and look at it, fiddle with one thing at a time. Just waiting on some black powder to give it a go.
I can see where owning one is a gateway to trying other models. Or collect one model and know them inside and out. Or both approaches at the same time....
I can see where owning one is a gateway to trying other models. Or collect one model and know them inside and out. Or both approaches at the same time....
My foray into the world of antiques was a search for a wilderness carry pistol with some "oomph". I had originally looked at a good Webley in .455 and then I saw what they went for. Talk about sticker shock. I lucked into a nice S&W in .44 Russian and in my research I found that it was one of more powerful antique status cartridges that wasn't too difficult to source reloading components for. I had several pass through my hands while I refined my criteria as to what I wanted. I decided I wanted a blued double action with a 6" barrel and free of any issues. The one I have as my carry meets my needs perfectly. The stamps show it went back to Smith & Wesson in Aug. 1921. Given the perfect mechanics, I assume it was totally refurbished. I wish the blue and bore were nicer but 100+ years of use were sure to have an effect. I had to fabricate a new foresight so it would hit where I aimed it. I like the single actions and they're not too hard to find but really nice ones are very pricey. I wanted the option of 6 quick shots if the time came that I had to deploy it in a serious situation so my heart was set on the 1st. model DA (double action). I was hunting for good leather and lucked into, of all things, an old Crossman leather holster for the 38T model pellet pistol. It's a perfect fit for mine and sits exactly where I want it to with a nice forward rake to it.
