Rogers & Spencer .44 Army: Possibly the Best Civil War Revolver

[dickydalton]

Also back in the 80s and such there was a man named Tom Ball that took those Euroarms guns and put his own barrel on them and tuned them. I was lucky enough to get one.

 

[Stantheman86]

It wasn't that long ago you could find originals on GunBroker for $1000 or so in almost new condition, when someone who bought one at a gun show in the 1960's for $50 passed away and the family hocks the gun

 

[Kansas Jake]

I saw an original at a gun show several years ago in nice condition. I think the asking price was in the $3000 range.

 

[Eterry]

There was an original "brace" of R&S revolvers sold at one of those auctions like Cowan's etc that was supposed to have 100% provenance as being used in the Civil War. That leaves a very small period of time for someone to obtain 2 of those 18 and actually carry them and they would have only used them for the last months of the war. I'd still feel like they were sketchy because faking stuff like that was common when they were sold as surplus. That would need to be some airtight provenance to claim to own 2 of 18 that dissapeared from storage

The Military contact was for 5000. I'm wondering if ANY were made outside that contract. They had no problem meeting the specs of Govt contracts, could they have made more than 500 per month? As easily as they met the 500/month threshold it seems plausible they could've made some for private purchase.
I haven't researched it, but the thought crossed my mind.

 

[Stantheman86]

The Military contact was for 5000. I'm wondering if ANY were made outside that contract. They had no problem meeting the specs of Govt contracts, could they have made more than 500 per month? As easily as they met the 500/month threshold it seems plausible they could've made some for private purchase.
I haven't researched it, but the thought crossed my mind.

I just read last night that they made 800 for the Civilian market, and some were privately purchased by Officers . Accounting for these R&S revolvers with "provenance "

 

[Stantheman86]

I very much like them but if I'm gonna get in a gunfight, I'd rather have a Colt.

They just work and I can hit what I shoot at. Sam Colt didn't die one of the wealthiest people in the world for nothing. His design was pure genius and the Colt percussion revolvers were the best "fighting guns" out of all of them.

 

[hanshi]

I owned an R&S for years and liked it. It was the most advanced c&b revolver at that time. Mine would put 5 balls inside a 1 -1/2" at 25 yards over and over. I found, however, they were awkward to handle and seemingly incapable of matching the Rem 1858 in speed of operation. Mine had a brass stud for a front sight and it worked pretty good until it became loose. It was then it would scatter shots because the front sight moved with every shot. I finally sold it and still question if that had been wise or not.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

I have one now. Nicely made shoots great too. One thing strikes me as odd(besides that hammer)there is no way to carry safely fully loaded. No notches or pins to set the hammer down on. This revolver is very advanced except for that major omission. How do you suppose anyone could deal with it?

 

[11Bravo]

I have one now. Nicely made shoots great too. One thing strikes me as odd(besides that hammer)there is no way to carry safely fully loaded. No notches or pins to set the hammer down on. This revolver is very advanced except for that major omission. How do you suppose anyone could deal with it?

I shall disagree some with you statement about no notches for carry use. Maybe that is so with the reproductions but I'll post a few pictures of my original Govt. contract R&S. Notice between the chambers the ledge that you rest the hammer on. Would I have carried it that way, probably not. I plan on selling it a bit later.

 

[Stantheman86]

The Military contact was for 5000. I'm wondering if ANY were made outside that contract. They had no problem meeting the specs of Govt contracts, could they have made more than 500 per month? As easily as they met the 500/month threshold it seems plausible they could've made some for private purchase.
I haven't researched it, but the thought crossed my mind.

5000 guns isn't even a lot in the scheme of things.....most would have lived in holsters of probably Senior Officers who wanted the newfangled guns for the duration of the war , they would have become symbols of rank like most other sidearms were and are, and saw little to no combat use if all 5000 were produced earlier and actually issued. They would have just been another supplemental sidearm like the Kerr , Starr, or any others that were also solid guns and are a footnote in firearms history, only known because almost all of them survived to be sold and the repro market made them into Match revolvers.

Colt had a long history of supplying weapons to the Govt and does to this day , so new designs would have been a tough sell , plus I'm sure Sam was pretty well connected in the Govt and political area. The fire opened up a need for the Govt to buy revolvers from whoever was making them otherwise Colt would have kept cranking out 60 Armies and 51 Navies for the Govt.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

Yes they have a ledge to set the hammer on. There is nothing to prevent the hammer from sliding off if the cylinder if it moves. I know you could always load just five and be safe. Who knowing he was going into the battlefield would give up even one charge of the cylinder? Maybe they had some plan that is lost to time.

 

[Stantheman86]

Yes they have a ledge to set the hammer on. There is nothing to prevent the hammer from sliding off if the cylinder if it moves. I know you could always load just five and be safe. Who knowing he was going into the battlefield would give up even one charge of the cylinder? Maybe they had some plan that is lost to time.

Guys probably would have left them half cocked after they heard about some of them going off in holsters.

It would have been a forgotten flaw if they ever saw issue, a few guys would have shot themselves in the foot or shot horses with an ND , maybe a letter home written about it and that was it . The Colt pins were fragile too , I'm sure some Dragoons popped in holsters after the 1 pin supplied sheared off and guys kept putting the hammer between pin less chambers.

For the most part, revolvers weren't carried around loaded in military use , we can't look at it like guns are carried today. It was usually well known when Divisions of soldiers were in the area and a battle was likely. And few if any Officers were actually shooting malingerers or deserters like they were "supposed to" or they'd probably be killed themselves, like the one account of an Officer actually shooting his own men.

They loaded up when they thought they'd need the gun.

If you were a civilian you'd probably just load 5