Shooting .36 Navies at 100 yards and other fun..

I like to make rigs for pairs of revolvers, I feel , if you're going to load 1 you might as well load 2 of them. And clean 2 of them.....



The brace of Pietta Schneider and Glassicks......these are repros of fightin guns that were used on the Battlefield, not 25 yard Bullseye pistols so , having taken my Walkers to 100 yards , let's see what the .36 Navy type revolver does at 50 and 100.....



50 yards, was actually very good, offhand with a one hand hold and my off hand supporting my arm. Not trying to "group" and there were some hits to the side of the target, above, below, but I'd say roughly 75% of my shots hit inside the silhouette.



100 yards.......not so much.....most of my shots missed. Obviously a heavier .45 ball or bullet with 50 gr of 2f below it is going to reach out and touch better than a .36 ball with 20gr of 3f pushing it.....we're basically talking pocket pistol velocities here but .36 Navies with 16gr charges and a conical were used by Cavalry in some cases during the war, and in some of my readings the Confederate cavalry guys absolutely loved the .36 as a fighting gun so it will do the job.

I was never expecting consistent hits at 100 yards with a .36, given the drop, having to hold a little high , and the coarse sights but with a little skill and practice it can be done.

I didn't use anything on top of the ball and no wad. After 18 shots per gun, they became sticky and needed to be wiped out. Totally acceptable by my standard for stock revolvers.



As a little side project, I brought a can of Pyrodex P, RS and 777 Pistol powder that I opened in 2008 , and stored in an ammo can..... and tried it in the 2 other .36 Brassers I brought

All of it went bang, with CCI #11 Magnum caps. The 777 was a little split second hang fire and I remember now why I don't like subs......they burned no cleaner than the Holy Black, aren't any more accurate, the smoke is an acrid, white obnoxious cloud not the sweet, heavy smell of the charcoal of the Black, and it offers no advantage to me other than I can buy it at a sporting goods store and use it for this very purpose, just fun popping on a rainy afternoon with some cheap brass frames and not have to use any of my Blackpowder . I would never let a sub darken the bore of something like my Parker-Hale Enfields.

Stantheman86 said:

100 yards.......not so much.....most of my shots missed.

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Yeah, but I couldn’t help but notice the one dead center of the neck kill shot.

Thanks for sharing. I still have to spend more time with my 36s. I have a selection to choose from but lately I’ve been shooting the 49 pocket or the big 44s.

Great, thank you for posting. Really enjoyed the post.

Surprising what can be done at 100yds with a pistol. My 75 yard "Davis Tutt target is a hanging steel plate ,human sized from top of head to the knees. I enjoy banging away with my Colt Navy like Bill Hickok

P.S. Nice leather rig.

kh54 said:

Yeah, but I couldn’t help but notice the one dead center of the neck kill shot.

Thanks for sharing. I still have to spend more time with my 36s. I have a selection to choose from but lately I’ve been shooting the 49 pocket or the big 44s.

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If my first shot of the day had been a 100 yard neck shot I'd probably have just packed up and left on a high note......I fired about 12 at the 100, which one was the kill shot , I'll never know


I go on little "kicks" and I've been shooting a lot of my .36's lately



I brought all 4 of my Pietta brasser .36's out, which seemed cool until I was cleaning guns until 10pm.

Whitworth said:

P.S. Nice leather rig.

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Thank You

These pistols are certainly capable of 100 yard accuracy , but for me, the margin of error gets high with the sights, trigger pull, etc

I should probably bring a sandbag next time

I regularly shoot my Uberti Walkers at 100 yards, from a rest, and they do really well.

Stantheman86 said:

View attachment 136487

I like to make rigs for pairs of revolvers, I feel , if you're going to load 1 you might as well load 2 of them. And clean 2 of them.....

View attachment 136488

The brace of Pietta Schneider and Glassicks......these are repros of fightin guns that were used on the Battlefield, not 25 yard Bullseye pistols so , having taken my Walkers to 100 yards , let's see what the .36 Navy type revolver does at 50 and 100.....

View attachment 136494

50 yards, was actually very good, offhand with a one hand hold and my off hand supporting my arm. Not trying to "group" and there were some hits to the side of the target, above, below, but I'd say roughly 75% of my shots hit inside the silhouette.

View attachment 136500

100 yards.......not so much.....most of my shots missed. Obviously a heavier .45 ball or bullet with 50 gr of 2f below it is going to reach out and touch better than a .36 ball with 20gr of 3f pushing it.....we're basically talking pocket pistol velocities here but .36 Navies with 16gr charges and a conical were used by Cavalry in some cases during the war, and in some of my readings the Confederate cavalry guys absolutely loved the .36 as a fighting gun so it will do the job.

I was never expecting consistent hits at 100 yards with a .36, given the drop, having to hold a little high , and the coarse sights but with a little skill and practice it can be done.

I didn't use anything on top of the ball and no wad. After 18 shots per gun, they became sticky and needed to be wiped out. Totally acceptable by my standard for stock revolvers.

View attachment 136501

As a little side project, I brought a can of Pyrodex P, RS and 777 Pistol powder that I opened in 2008 , and stored in an ammo can..... and tried it in the 2 other .36 Brassers I brought

All of it went bang, with CCI #11 Magnum caps. The 777 was a little split second hang fire and I remember now why I don't like subs......they burned no cleaner than the Holy Black, aren't any more accurate, the smoke is an acrid, white obnoxious cloud not the sweet, heavy smell of the charcoal of the Black, and it offers no advantage to me other than I can buy it at a sporting goods store and use it for this very purpose, just fun popping on a rainy afternoon with some cheap brass frames and not have to use any of my Blackpowder . I would never let a sub darken the bore of something like my Parker-Hale Enfields.

Click to expand...

This was a really interesting post! Thanks! I was not aware of the Pietta

Stantheman86 said:

If my first shot of the day had been a 100 yard neck shot I'd probably have just packed up and left on a high note......I fired about 12 at the 100, which one was the kill shot , I'll never know


I go on little "kicks" and I've been shooting a lot of my .36's lately

View attachment 136527

I brought all 4 of my Pietta brasser .36's out, which seemed cool until I was cleaning guns until 10pm.

Click to expand...

Had not heard of Schneider-Glassicks. Will look into 'em. Very nice post, great photos, etc.

Wild Bill Hickok kill Tutt at 75 yards with a .36 right here in Missouri.

andy52 said:

Wild Bill Hickok kill Tutt at 75 yards with a .36 right here in Missouri.

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I was under the impression he used a Dragoon in that instance. He was known to have owned a number of guns over time, including, I believe, more than one pair of engraved Navies.

Colt Navies if these people are correct.
Hickok–Tutt shootout - Wikipedia

andy52 said:

Colt Navies if these people are correct.
Hickok–Tutt shootout - Wikipedia

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It didnt have a reference for the source. Ill look at it later.

Wikipedia is a great source of info, but its also able to be edited by virtually anyone that cares to log in and do it. In a case like this, it (wiki) simply saying it without a source doesnt instill confidence. I could log on and edit it to say it was a Dragoon, and until someone chose to change it, thats what it would say. This is why on this type thing a source is good.

Someone online mentioned a wiki page about a south american country that mentioned it had flying monkeys along the coast. Someone edited it after it was pointed out, i dont know how long it said that.

Edit: I googled what other guns Hickok owned, recalling reading of various ones in the past including a Dragoon purportedly used in the Tutt fight, hoping to find references. This was one of several results. Rosa is a known author, but I didnt check references of his material.

https://www.historynet.com/weapons-pistoleer-wild-bill-well-armed/
There are a pair of engraved navies are at the Cody museum (I have pics but couldnt find them), others also on display elsewhere are supposed to be supported by some provenance, and i recall way back reading of more than one person gifting Hickok with engraved Navies, so its entirely possible they are all genuine.

springfield art said:

This was a really interesting post! Thanks! I was not aware of the Pietta

Had not heard of Schneider-Glassicks. Will look into 'em. Very nice post, great photos, etc.

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Pietta still cranks out the brass frame .36 Navies but most have the engraved cylinder, the plain cylinder brass frame. 36 Navy was Piettas "accidental " Schneider & Glassick repro but they seem to have gotten away from the unengraved cylinders probably for streamlining production

I personally believe, that we will never know if Bill strapped on the big Dragoon for the showdown with Tutt or if he packed the Navies

No doubt Bill Hickock was a crack shot , so if a mediocre shot like me can hit a target that's not shooting back at 50 I'd think Bill could do it at 75 with a .36 Navy

The Dragoon would make more sense but we'll never be 100% sure

Stantheman86 said:

I personally believe, that we will never know if Bill strapped on the big Dragoon for the showdown with Tutt or if he packed the Navies

No doubt Bill Hickock was a crack shot , so if a mediocre shot like me can hit a target that's not shooting back at 50 I'd think Bill could do it at 75 with a .36 Navy

The Dragoon would make more sense but we'll never be 100% sure

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I agree, the guns are entirely capable at 75 or 100 yard, either Dragoons or Navies.

The info ive seen is the engraved Navies Hickok is best know for were made in 1868. I dont know if thats the ones in the Autry Museum or the Cody Museum. I did find the pics of the ones in the Cody museum, its interesting that one has a dovetailed front sight, possibly he wasnt satisfied with the point of impact of that individual gun. Ive seen others so done in the Cody Museum, i think it was a somewhat common modification.

Rosas information mentions other Navies he had before the engraved ones. They may have been standard blued guns, but I havent seen any info about them other than the basic mention that he had one or more in an earlier period.

I found the pics, btw,

The Victorian author Hans Busk was very complimentary to the merits of Colt Navy revolvers at long range, describing them ' pocket rifles '. I emagine they where Pimlico London Navy's & he illustrates rear sights on the barrel . I had a Navy but never envisioned long range ,so never tried it. Interesting .' Hand book for Hythe' Or ' The rifle & how to use it 'c 1860 its in one of them .
Regards Rudyard

Rudyard said:

The Victorian author Hans Busk was very complimentary to the merits of Colt Navy revolvers at long range, describing them ' pocket rifles '. I emagine they where Pimlico London Navy's & he illustrates rear sights on the barrel . I had a Navy but never envisioned long range ,so never tried it. Interesting .' Hand book for Hythe' Or ' The rifle & how to use it 'c 1860 its in one of them .
Regards Rudyard

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The 3rd Dragoons often had a 3 leaf sight on the barrel, it wouldnt be much stretch of the imagination to put one on any other model if desired, the factory would likely do it if requested.

Im sort of a weirdo, I tend to shot most pistols at distance, but havent shot the percussion guns very far for some reason, about 80 yards is it so far. We regularly shoot other pistols to 300 yards without much drama.

Stantheman86 said:

I personally believe, that we will never know if Bill strapped on the big Dragoon for the showdown with Tutt or if he packed the Navies

No doubt Bill Hickock was a crack shot , so if a mediocre shot like me can hit a target that's not shooting back at 50 I'd think Bill could do it at 75 with a .36 Navy

The Dragoon would make more sense but we'll never be 100% sure

Click to expand...

I set up a 12x18 silhouette at 75 yards using a standing right hand arm braced against a pole I could keep all six somewhere on the paper. 4 of the 6 where body hits in the silhouette.
Notice I said arm braced with a two handed hold.

Malamute said:

The 3rd Dragoons often had a 3 leaf sight on the barrel, it wouldnt be much stretch of the imagination to put one on any other model if desired, the factory would likely do it if requested.

Im sort of a weirdo, I tend to shot most pistols at distance, but havent shot the percussion guns very far for some reason, about 80 yards is it so far. We regularly shoot other pistols to 300 yards without much drama.

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I shocked my friend when I was hitting steel at 300 with my .30 Blackhawk which really is a "hand rifle "

Whughett said:

I set up a 12x18 silhouette at 75 yards using a standing right hand arm braced against a pole I could keep all six somewhere on the paper. 4 of the 6 where body hits in the silhouette.
Notice I said arm braced with a two handed hold.

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I feel like once you get past 50 yards , hitting with a handgun really becomes a game of skill