1858 New Army revolver - legit combat arm?

[garandman]

Do you think the 1858 New Army was a legit combat arm of its day?

Certainly, you could pack multiple cylinders.

There's NO WAY you could re-powder / cap an empty cylinder. Far too fine a motor skill for combat.

The thing that makes me doubt them as a legit combat arm is the way the caps fall off. NO WAY they stay on in combat.

Whatta ya think?

 

[bubba15301]

they were used during the civil war so yes they are legit

 

[rafterob]

Probably not reloaded during battle since they were close range weapons, so having 2 was a better idea. I read once where it was a common practice to drip candle wax over the cap to both waterproof it and seal it to the cylinder.

 

[cynthialee]

It was ussed back then so it was.

Like was already said waxing the caps would hold them in place.
Also I imagine guys who relied on them for their lives payed very close attention to crimping the cap just a hair so it seats well, replacing problem nipples and so forth. I know I am downright obsessive about making sure every cap is firm fiting and not going anywhere and I have never been in a war situation. :wink:

 

[garandman]

they were used during the civil war so yes they are legit

Under that definition, the Chauchat was a legit arm. :slap: :blah: :thumbsup:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Legit combat arm in what way?

Not enough oomph/ (compared to the Navy colts?)

They provided rapid fire power in a day when any wound was often fatal.

The idea was kill if you can or remove the soldier from combat. A wounded and dying soldier required care and took up manpower and other other resources from battle lines.

If you are asking would I rather have a sword or a remmie it is a tough question. A sword doesn't need to be reloaded, but has far less reach to wound an enemy.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

If you are asking would our modern Italian reproduction pistols be legitimate combat arms back in the day, then no. If you are asking if an original New Model Army pistol in new condition be a legitimate combat arm, then yes.

I have had the privilege of shooting an original Remington New Model Army pistol and other then the reproductions having a resemblance to the original, we are talking apples and oranges.

 

[garandman]

Legit combat arm in what way?

Not enough oomph/ (compared to the Navy colts?)

"Legit" in the sense of reliably capable of firing, i.e. without the percussion cap falling off, rendering the gun a throwing weapon.

 

[junkman_01]

If your caps are falling off, then you are using the wrong size caps for the nipples.It's not a question of 'legit' it's a question of operator savvy!

 

[crockett]

Yes, no question about it. On the spare cylinder, I think that is really more of a modern day thing. I have not read too many accounts about carrying a spare cylinder. One book, "I rode with Quantill" (sic?) tells how- during the war- Frank James found a spare Colt 1851 cylinder and kept it. That's about the only reference I can recall. On the caps falling off- never read anything written at the time about that. Combustible cartridges were used a lot. I can do that is about 45 seconds on my best day- about the same amount of time to unload the spent cases and put in new cases on a Colt Peacemaker.
I have never heard about a "tactical" reload using combustible cartridges, but that might have been done- that is- before the gun is empty- cram a new combustible cartridge or two into the spent chambers and cap those chambers while still having a few shots left. This would be from a protected cover and you could probably keep up a continual fire as long as the ammunition held out.

 

[bob308]

the army bought more of them then the colt. yes they were a real and good pistol. the caps and nipples were a better fit back then then we run into now. in the conversion from inch to metric some things go lacking.

i have shot enough repro and a few real remingtons that i can tell you they will keep up with any modern pistol for the first 6 shots.

 

[Sharps1863]

There's NO WAY you could re-powder / cap an empty cylinder. Far too fine a motor skill for combat.

How do you think that you retain a Fine Motor skill by repetitive action. A person that carried and used a 1858 Army back during that time period could load and fire a whole lot quicker than than you are led to believe. A Cap and Ball pistol was their weapon for defense. They knew how to use it. Combat back then was a whole lot different than combat today. It was up close and personal and quick. Is the 1858 Army a Legit combat arm, For its time period,you better believe it was

 

[BigDumbAnimal]

Combat is rarely as seen on TV. Even in a sustained fight over the course of a few hours there are very few fire fights that last more than a minute or two. Granted combat back then was much different than now I would still imagine that the rest of the unit could provide a sustained rate of fire while you reloaded. As far as losing fine motor skills as previously pointed out muscle memory and repetition is definitely key. A professional soldier who had to rely on this weapon wouldn't lose enough of their fine motor skills to render them unable to perform a tactical reload.



Semper Fi
BDA

 

[ihuntsnook]

My guess is that most Civil War soldiers were very careful with revolvers. I would think they tried to make every pistol shot count. Once you've fired your last shot, a hammer is a handier weapon.

 

[dickydalton]

If you're expecting to blow a hole through and through like a 44 mag it ain't happening. But I am not afraid to carry a cap n ball in the truck for small problims that might arise. My caps don't fall off. :stir:

 

[ian45662]

I have to agree to what was said earlier about spare cylinders which is I think it is more a modern concoction. Maybe it's just my but I have. Never seen just an origional cylinder for sale. In the civil war revolver ammo was issued as a combustible cartridge topped most often with a conical bullet instead of round ball. No need to cover the cylinder with greese as the bullet held greese in a lube groove. Even if you were to shoot all 6 you could certainly load atleast 1 round much quicker than someone could load a musket. As for caps falling off.... 2 years ago before my revolver was stolen I went through almost 1000 #11 caps that I used on those ampco bronze nipples in my 58 Remington. I can't remember a single instance where one cap came off before I fired it. If by legit you mean reliable, accurate, deadly . Then I would say absolutely

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Chuck Dixon has a sign in his shop, (paraphrasing)
The only person for whom cap and ball revolvers don't misfire was Josey Wales.

 

[nkbj]

Did yall wince when Josie was snapping the hammer down on those empty chambers?

 

[cynthialee]

Did yall wince when Josie was snapping the hammer down on those empty chambers?

yep

 

[dickydalton]

Come on..... at age 12 you knew what a revolver nipple was? :v :rotf: