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Lyman model 1860 army .44 cal

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homerdave

32 Cal.
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Nov 25, 2007
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was just given this revolver as a gift, and my friend knew nothing of it's history other than he inherited it from his grampa.
it has what looks like a naval scene engraved on the cylinder.
how do i disassemble it to clean it?
where should i look for load info?
what else do i need to shoot it?
thanks
 
Sounds like you have a colt revolver pistol. One quick way to see how to fire it and to clean it is to go to Cabellas website. If you look under hunting then black powder they have a videa that you can watch that shows you how. Or you can dig thru the forums for info on it. Also on Cabelas there are other black powder pistols for sale so you can see what you got.
 
To shoot it you will need some #11 percussion caps, some .451 or .454 diameter lead balls, some black powder or synthetic black powder like Pyrodex or 777, and some form of vegetable based grease like Crisco.
You also should have something to measure the powder and there are many adjustable powder measures available or a metal flask with a changeable measuring/pouring spout. This measure needs to be capable of measuring powder charges of at least 0-45 grains as this is the range of powder loads you will be using.

To load the gun, first put a cap on each empty chambers nipple and "pop" the caps by cocking and "firing" the gun. This cleans out the nipple holes.
Then, with no caps on the nipples, pour a powder charge of 20-30 grains of powder into a chamber.
Place a roundball on the chambers mouth and rotate the cylinder under the loading ram. Use the ram to shove the ball down onto the powder charge.
Load the rest of the chambers using the same process.
After loading the chambers place a dab of the Crisco in each chambers mouth and push it down so it totally seals the area where the ball contacts the chamber. This not only provides lubrication for the balls but it prevents the "chain fire" that can sometimes occur with these guns. (Chain firing is when more than one chamber fires from the flash from the chamber being fired.)

Cap each nipple on the cylinder and your ready to shoot. Make sure each cap is pushed fully on the nipple and it is not loose. If they are loose, pinching the mouth of the nipple a bit with your fingers will deform it causing it to fit tightly on the nipple.

Some shooters use fiber wads between the ball and the chamber to provide lubrication and prevent chain fireing.

After each shot is fired, point the muzzle slightly upward and roll your hand to the right so that the gun is laying somewhat on its side while you cock the gun for the next shot. This helps the cap fragments fall free of the action rather than falling down into the hammer slot.

While your cocking make sure the next chambers percussion cap is still on the nipple. Caps falling off of a nipple can cause chain firing.

The 1860 Colt Army was used extensively in the Civil War. Well over 100,000 of them were made during that time.

The engraved scene on the chamber was Colts way of telling people they had a genuine Colt Pistol. It depicts a Navel battle between the Americans and the Mexicans during the American/Mexican War.

To remove the cylinder, use a non metallic rod against the right side of the pistols wedge. Drive the wedge out with a hammer.
Notice that the wedge doesn't come off of the gun. It is held in place by a screw to prevent its loss.
After the wedge is removed, rotate the cylinder so that the metal between the chambers aligns with the loading ram. Use the ram to "jack" the barrel off of the cylinder pin. With the gun at half cock, the cylinder will come off easily.
By the way, the cylinder pin grooves need to be clean of powder fouling and filled with Crisco or something like it. This not only lubricates the cylinder but it keeps powder fouling from getting into the area.

When reassembling the gun do not drive the wedge in too far. The right end of it should be flush with or protruding just a little bit from the side flat of the barrel. If you drive it in too far, it will force the barrel tight against the cylinder and lock up the action.

Have fun!
 
cool.

i have most of what i need, just gotta get some 3F and some balls. would bear grease work? i assume so...don't have crisco but could get some i reckon.
so though this gun says "Lyman" i assume it is a Pietta?
does not look like it has ever been fired.
what is the value of this piece? couple hundred bucks or so as near as i can tell....?
 
It must look like this:
Lyman1860Colt.jpg

Lyman1860Colt3.jpg

My grip frame is nickeled or German Silver, don't know which. I had thought it might be silver plated, but it hasn't tarnished in the years that I've had it. I looked for a mfgr's name on the revolver and on the box, but can only find the Lyman name. I thought I had saved a list of the repro maker's stamps but can't find it now. Maybe someone can post it again? TIA. Emery
 
I found the maker's mark post I was looking for on another forum:

"There will be proof marks (usually two). One of them will be a PN marking...this is a black powder proof. Have had people show that to me and claim that their gun is nitro proofed (thinking PN is for Proof Nitro)..it is not...that's a black powder proof.

Will USUALLY be a maker's stamp...but not always. In the early years, was common to have whoever improrted the gun supply whatever stamps they wanted..Navy Arms, Replica Arms, Sile, CVA, etc. But it all boils down to a few makers. Common ones are: (aside from writting the company name out):

Pedersoli usually uses "DAP" or "dp".

Uberti usualy uses a "U" surroumded by an octagon outline...the octagon to represent a barrel outline.

Pietta Usually uses a "FAP" in a horizontal diamond outline.

Palmetto (who made a lot of Dixie Gun Works reproductions) uses a palm tree in a circle.

Armi San Palo uses a DGG..this is also found on EuroArms (as they are more or less the same maker now). Often hard to figure out as they overlap the DGG.

Armi Sport will usually use a "AC" in a circle."

Hope this helps. Emery
 
hmmm.
on the top of the barrel is stamped "Lyman- middlefield Conn."
on the side of the frame is what looks like a shield with an indecipherable figure in it and a small mark above, looks sort of like a pineapple. then is the "FN" with a star above it. these are also on the barrel. on the frame is also a square stamp with what looks like AE or AR within it...
 
The shield with the 'indecipherable figure' and the 'FN' with a star above it are both Italian proof house marks. They will be on all Italian made black powder guns.

The two letters in a square are date codes indicating the year in which the gun was made. AE is 1979, AR was not used.

Mazo kid's post is correct as to the manufacturer's marks; you may find it under the loading lever near the breech end of the barrel.

Here's a link to Adler's paper on identifying marks:
Italian Manufacturer's Marks
 
yep, mine is also a 1979 model by EuroArms. The date printed on the box is 1977, probably when the boxes were printed. Emery
 
Here are mine, both are the military configuration; the Pietta was made in 1982, the Euroarms in 1998:
750.jpg

1630.jpg
 
Mykeal, I like your darker grips. I may strip mine and put a darker stain on them.
 
I can add one more that's not on Adlers list. R.A.G. was made by Rigarmi. They went under in the mid 70's.
BTW, here's my Pietta made in 07.

Pietta1860.jpg
 
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