My first percussion pistol decision?

Alfonso

Alfonso

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I'm not sure if this post should be in the handgun forum but I would like to expand into some ball & cap fun. So, I'm looking at either the 1851 navy, 1860 army or 1861 navy. Because I can't afford the real deal lol I need to pick an Italian manufacturer either Armi San Marcos, Uberti or Pietta. Also need to decide between 36 and 44 cal ball. I know that the original 1851 revolvers only came in 36 cal. So which model, make and cal should I go with? Or what about another model entirely like the dragoon?

Thanks
 
Short answer, buy them all. They're all cool and each have historical significance.

Caliber wise, bbviously the 44 is going to be more powerful, but the 36 is a known nail-driver.

The 44 Walker and Dragoon were considered the most powerful handgun till the advent of the .357 magnum in the '30s.

The 1851 Navy's was incredibly light compared to the Walker and Dragoon. It featured a strong, octagonal barrel. It slipped easily into the belt or holster and could be drawn with ease. The caliber was hard-hitting yet recoil extremely manageable. As such, it was favoured among the earliest gunslingers or "shootists" of the Old West, most notably James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok.

The 1860 Army was the finest of Colt's cap and ball revolvers, both in power and function. Due to advances in metallurgy, Colt was able to utilize the frame size of the Navy revolver, but up the caliber to the much more powerful .44 of the Walker and Dragoon. The revolver featured prominently in the American Civil War, most often seen on the belts of Northern officers.

Loads are readily available from most of the manufacturers you mention.

I would caution you against any brass-framed revolver. They simply aren't as strong as steel and aren't that much of an economical savings in the long run.
 
While they don't have quite the cachet of the 'Colts', the Remington cap & ball guns are undeniably stronger and longer lasting than the Colt 'wedgies' - IMHO. That's why I own four of them and only one 'wedgie', a 2nd gen 3rd Model Dragoon.
Unlike the '51 Navy's, the Dragoon mashes it's caps and drops them off the cylinder when you recock it. Frequently, the '51s will drop them into the hammer recess, jamming the gun. This happens with 'spaghetti' guns and the 2nd gen 'Colts'; ask me how I know ....
Having said that, I'm not entirely prejudiced against Colt 'wedgies' as I own two Uberti '71s and a '51 Richards-Mason, but they're cartridge guns and fine shooters with BP or smokeless; something you can't do with a cap & ball gun.
 
I've been gathering supplies to get in on this fun as well. . . check out Duelist1954 on Youtube. It's a great channel for percussion revolver info. Many tips and tricks. . .
 
While you are thinking of what gun to get you should find a supply of black powder,lead balls,caps and all the other bits and pieces and tools you are going to need to make it work. I use an old tool box to lug all these things up to the range.
The bigger the calibre the more powder you use and the more noise it makes,not to mention the smoke but for target shooting a .36 cal makes sense...you can shoot all day for less than ten bucks.
The plus side of the Colt design is when it comes to cleaning it after use, the barrel comes right off and allows for easy inspection from both ends, in half #### you can pull the cylinder off and clean it then the open frame can be cleaned.
The cap jamming thing is very real and annoying..... if one gets into the trigger works you must become a gun-smith all of a sudden.
Pietta44CalApart004.jpg


What other thing can go wrong and quite often does????????V:I:
 
This is a 47 year old brass frame 1851 by an unknown Italian maker in fine shooting condition. The stamping on the top of the barrel doesn't add up to what the barrel is but that adds to the mystery.

1851Brassframenew001.jpg

1851Brassframenew010.jpg
 
Skinny

Mis-stamped guns are always interesting .... some 'spaghetti' gunsmith was having a bad day ....

In the pic of the disassembled '51, do I see a broken trigger/bolt spring along with a good one? This is one gunsmithing chore I've done a few times, keeping a few extras on hand. I am considering using the new piano wire springs as they are reputed to last forever.
 
Was wondering that myself going through the pictures. Looks like the same trigger/sear spring from an SAA

I replaced the ones in my Uberti with a piano wire set from Wolf. Not enough trigger time yet to say any better/worse for longevity, but the trigger pull sure is noticeably lighter.
 
The spring is the same for the SAA and most of the reproductions that I have and I have replaced three or four of them. Uberti is now installing Wolf springs in a lot of their new guns which should improve reliability.
I think that in a lot of cases black powder shooters tend to be hands-on, if something doesn't work properly it gets improved. I have seen a lot of hand-made tools and accessories made by black powder enthusiasts and most of it is well crafted.
 
I got to admit, I find the open top Colts/Colt reproductions visually appealing for some deep & unknown reason. Someday.....
But saying that I own a Ruger Old Army with fixed sight and 5.5 inch barrel in stainless steel. Relatively painless cleaning of BP residue is very nice.
And this thing is built like a tank. :)
 
Yeah I hear you. One of the first C&B revolvers I shot was one of the earlier Ruger Old Armies. I'll never forget because the guy who introduced me to it (now since passed away) in the mid-1980s, once took it apart in our kitchen after taking me out with it, cleaned it on our table and (much to my Mom's horror) dried it in her oven...
 
I had an Old Army but even though it's improved vastly over almost all other cap 'n ball revolvers, I prefer my 1851 Navy. It just feels right in my hand.
I handled a 1860 Army in the local gunstore ( which is badly out of time, mentioned it to a clerk who shrugged and said " The local gunsmith just died so no-one can fix it...) and the '60 didn't point right either, not in my hand anyway.
I vote 1851 Navy in 44
 
The cap-in-the-works issue happens with the 1858 Remington design too but very seldom gets into the actual lockwork. With practice you can learn to do a little wrist flick that will usually flip them clear.

The Remington also has an issue with the cylinder chamber gap lining up with the cylinder base pin gap so that fouling can gum it till it doesn't turn worth a hoot. I have an older Pietta .36 that I very seldom shoot because you almost need to pull and clean the pin every time you load or it gets nearly impossible to get apart.

Simply can't beat an SS Old Army for easy of use and cleaning. Still blows my mind that they stopped making them. I've owned 4 and still have 2. Should have kept them all. Don't have much experience with Colts though so might have to rectify that one day. :D
 
VV

Three of us from my club shot a 10 stage match last July in 'Frontiersman' class. I shot .44 Remingtons, t'other guys shot '51s, '60 Armys and Walkers. I had one misfire, my bad for not checking the nipple for crud while reloading.
My pals suffered several problems - caps falling off, caps jamming the hammer, etc. on their Colt 'wedgies'; all except the Walker shooters, that is. They had their problems with the loading lever dropping once in a while.

To deal with the BP fouling problem you mentioned, I lube the cylinder pin well with BP lube and occasionally give the pin a shot of Ballistol to free it up. I got through each day just fine this way.

I agree about the reliability of the Ruger OAs. A guy who shot Walkers for most of the match switched to a pair of SS Rugers with Tiffany grips for the last couple of stages. Beautiful guns and utterly reliable.
 
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