The brass framed revolvers lifespan and help me decide on a new purchase.

So I am thinking of picking up another revolver but I really like my 1851 Brass in .44.

So much so that I wonder if I should just buy one in steel if I plan on shooting it a lot.

I don't care about running "hotter" loads I use 12 grain of 2ff and I love the way it handles and the accuracy at the pistol range.

Question is how many shots before the gun becomes unusable if I continue to use 12g of 2f? Anyone with experience have a guess?

I could also spend the cash on a 1858 Remington. I should add I have no interest in converting the cylinders in these.

The remington's small arbor and it being prone to getting fouled quickly is turning me away from it.

It looks really nice though. I have wanted one since I saw it pictured on the box my Colt Navy came in.

What is a good duty load for a bp pistol anyway? Much less a brass one? 50000 rounds?

I can not see 12 grain making any difference to the life of a brass frame pistol so i say crack on and get what you want.
Do not worry about fouling on the Remington. I use wads over ball and have no issues.

I would advise you to shoot that brass framed gun as much as you can. If you wear it out, you will have gotten your money out of it and then some.

I'd boost the load up to 15 or 17 grains of bp.

Every collection needs at least one Remington New Army and a Colt 1860.

Shoot and enjoy what you have, and don't worry about wearing it out.

Should last a long time with light loads.

Since you have a Colt you need to buy a Remington, buy that one in steel.

Just buy one in steel if you're worried.

Barely more expensive than the brass frame guns especially when on sale. Then you won't have to worry.

And the 1858 never came in a brass frame either.

I have to say I am leaning towards the 1851 In steel. The Remington's is nice and I eventually want to add one to my collection. However even though I love it I think I should have went with steel when I first bought my 1851 brass.

Now here's a question for you that seems to be confusing me the one that I'm looking at is an 1851 steel and 44 caliber.

HERE is where I get real confused. The add list the 1851 as a Thompson however it also mentions pieta in the description are they made by Thompson or pieta? Did Thompson ever make an 1851?

I know I know even though it's steel it's a fantasy gun. I don't care though I like the 44 Cal. The Price is Right too it's about 215 shipped that's only 15 bucks more than I paid for the brasser.

And another dream shot down apparently they won't send to Michigan. So never mind the 1851 in steel. That is so disappointing.

You know I thought Michigan had pretty liberal gun laws but some manure still doesn't make sense.

Looks like I be getting the 1858 Remington instead sadly. Wow that kind of really makes me realize that I wanted that 1851 more than the 1858.

Steel frame, I hope. The Remington is an excellent gun. You will be very happy with it.

B P Arn said:

Steel frame, I hope. The Remington is an excellent gun. You will be very happy with it.

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Definitely steel I think I already bought my one and only brass framed revolver.

More than likely they will all be steel from here on out.

Yeah I'm going to go through EMF again. The website I saw had a great price on a steel backed 1851. spoke to the guy too it was really nice but they refused to ship to Michigan. For the life of me I'm not really sure why. I'm fairly certain Michigan doesn't really care.

Concerning brass frames, I've wondered about how much the lifespan is lessened by loading larger diameter balls on a chamber full of powder (with that cheater bar called a loading lever) as opposed to the now trimmed and undersized ball being popped into the rifling.

I've got a brass framed Pietta "1860" that I'm thinking about tuning and developing target loads for. There's just no sense in cramming big balls into those undersized chambers. Even minies would make more sense than that.

nkbj said:

Concerning brass frames, I've wondered about how much the lifespan is lessened by loading larger diameter balls on a chamber full of powder (with that cheater bar called a loading lever) as opposed to the undersized ball being popped into the rifling.

I've got a brass framed Pietta "1860" that I'm thinking about tuning and developing target loads for. There's just no sense in cramming big balls into those undersized chambers. Even minies would make more sense than that.

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I'm almost certain that the big balls make a difference. Perhaps somebody with more experience can chime in but from what I understand it's more resistance. Has more of the balls probably making more contact with the cylinder walls. How much I'm not sure how much of a difference who knows.

Half-Cocked said:

Definitely steel I think I already bought my one and only brass framed revolver.

More than likely they will all be steel from here on out.

Yeah I'm going to go through EMF again. The website I saw had a great price on a steel backed 1851. spoke to the guy too it was really nice but they refused to ship to Michigan. For the life of me I'm not really sure why. I'm fairly certain Michigan doesn't really care.

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Michigan state law treats muzzle loaders the same as metallic cartridge guns. EMF I am sure would love to ship there if it were legal.

A good friend of mine has some property in the UP on Lake Superior. I love it up there. I know Michigan has some very oppressive gun laws, including banning face-to-face sales; everything must go through a FFL. Are you in the UP?

B P Arn said:

Michigan state law treats muzzle loaders the same as metallic cartridge guns. EMF I am sure would love to ship there if it were legal.

A good friend of mine has some property in the UP on Lake Superior. I love it up there. I know Michigan has some very oppressive gun laws, including banning face-to-face sales; everything must go through a FFL. Are you in the UP?

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No I am in Genesee county. As I understand michigan only teats black powder like a firearm in the following ways. In hunting season it is treated the same as a firearm or for the purpose of transportation it is treated as a firearm. Or for the purpose of concealed carry.

No where does it state that I know of that you need an FFL dealer purchase to possess one. Federal law trumping (lol) state law does not even classify bp as firearms.

Conversion cylinders is where it gets grey. if it can be converted I still don't think it needs an FFL. if you're purchasing one with the conversion cylinder you probably need the FFL. If the conversion cylinder is in the revolver you definitely need an FFL.

UPS has no problem shipping in here and from what I understand at least in the lower peninsula it's not illegal to have one shipped here.

The whole thing is very frustrating. And the problem is that if somebody misinterprets the law they all seem to follow suit.

I'd never seen the ban from vendors to send to Michigan until recently it popped up on one site then another. And I mean very recently. From what I gathered they didn't just change the laws.

There is one other thing I'd like to mention Michigan doesn't even register black powder so there is no point involving an FFL in the purchase of a cap and ball pistol that has not been converted. Again I think the vendors are unclear about the rules and just kind of copy each other.

Half-Cocked said:

So I am thinking of picking up another revolver but I really like my 1851 Brass in .44.

So much so that I wonder if I should just buy one in steel if I plan on shooting it a lot.

I don't care about running "hotter" loads I use 12 grain of 2ff and I love the way it handles and the accuracy at the pistol range.

Question is how many shots before the gun becomes unusable if I continue to use 12g of 2f? Anyone with experience have a guess?

I could also spend the cash on a 1858 Remington. I should add I have no interest in converting the cylinders in these.

The remington's small arbor and it being prone to getting fouled quickly is turning me away from it.

It looks really nice though. I have wanted one since I saw it pictured on the box my Colt Navy came in.

What is a good duty load for a bp pistol anyway? Much less a brass one? 50000 rounds?

Click to expand...

1. Buy steel.

2. 12 grains a lot of shots

3. Small arbor is not a problem, clean and lubricate.

4. 12 to 18 grains.

5. Let's see: 50,000 rounds, shooting 5 rounds per
cylinder. That equals 1,000 cylinders to
shoot. If you go once a month that means you
will shoot your 1,000 balls in 83.3 years.



How old are you?

Please don't talk about conversion cylinder revolvers on the forum. It is against the forum rules.

Zonie said:

Please don't talk about conversion cylinder revolvers on the forum. It is against the forum rules.

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Sorry about that. I had forgotten.

FishDFly said:

1. Buy steel.

2. 12 grains a lot of shots

3. Small arbor is not a problem, clean and lubricate.

4. 12 to 18 grains.

5. Let's see: 50,000 rounds, shooting 5 rounds per
cylinder. That equals 1,000 cylinders to
shoot. If you go once a month that means you
will shoot your 1,000 balls in 83.3 years.



How old are you?

Click to expand...

44 years old but I get what you're saying. I was talking about the brass one I already own. Hope it lasts a while.

I can either order a remy now or wait for the 1851 steel to come back to stock. Good luck with the waiting for something out of italy.


That's if they ship it here.

Check Taylor's web site to see what is in stock. Give them a call about shipping.

Also check Dixie for what is in stock., web site will tell you.