1861 Colt Navy .44 comming.

O.K. I quit. This is the last toy I promise.
I have a Navy Pietta on the way, slightly used.
Anyone got any recommended laods? Any tips, tricks, comments on the Colt 1861.
What can I expect in accuracy?

 

[tk1971]

Well, if it's anything like my 1851 .44 cal Pietta Navy, it will shoot high because of the short front sight. Since you're getting an 1861 (I thought 1860 was a .44 Army and the 1861 was a .36 Navy?), then it's one with a front sight blade, instead of the brass sight post, like in the 1851.

Other than that, once it's sighted in correctly, it should be fun to shoot and be very accurate.

If you don't have one already, a wooden pistol stand would greatly simplify the loading process. Cabelas have one that's under $20, or you can make one like I did.

Good luck.

tk

 

[vanstg]

Years ago I had a 1860 Colt Army repro in .44 cal. As far as I remember my favorite load was 30gr of FFFg and .454 round ball. At first it shot high at 25 yards, so I "raised" the front sight a bit. I never got cloverleaf groups with that revolver, but it was a lot of fun to shoot.
As suggested above, a loading stand is a helpful accessory, and can be easily made.

 

Thanks or the tips. I don't know an 1851 from a 61 and could be wrong about the facts. I'm pretty sure it's a '61 in .44, but it may not be a 'Navy', might be it was imported by "Navy Arms".
I have a Zouave and wanted a replica revolver that was farily historically correct to go with the rifle.
Both my 1858 Remmies wear adjustable sights and both are accurate.

 

[Rebel]

Does it have an octagon or round barrel? The '51 Navy had an octagon barrel, and the originals were .36 cal. The '61 Navy had a round barrel like the 1860 Army and was also a .36 cal. In recent years manufacturers have made the '51 Navy in .44 cal. Most likely one of those. It should shoot about 12'-18" high at 25 yds. if it is like most of them. 20-30 grs of Pyrodex P should give good accuracy with an Ox-Yoke wonder wad over the powder to get the ball out closer to the end of the cylinder. The reason for suggesting Pyrodex P over real BP is so you can shoot more than a couple cylinders of rounds without the cylinder getting hard to turn because of fouling. Also, put a good covering of grease in the grooves of the cylinder pin to help keep it turning freely. I use whell bearing grease. You should be able to get 1 1/2"-2" groups at 25 yds with it with the right load combo.

 

[Keith]

In the Civil War period the .36 was sometimes refered to as the Navy caliber. For reasons I can't explain the Navy apparently favored the smaller caliber gun. If anyone wants some good info on shooting C&B revlvers go find a copy of "Sixguns" by Elmer Keith, :master:, no relation :winking:. Elmer was the guru on guns and handguns especially.

 

[nvbirdman]

If you build a loading stand like I did, it doesn't have to be fancy, just two pieces of scrap wood and a brass hinge, and maybe a small block of wood at the end of the butt, but just for fun, I added six shallow depressions on the other side of the upright to hold six roundballs. Use a 1/2 inch bit and drill it shallow, test it and drill a little bit deeper, test it and drill a little bit deeper. I have gotten some wonderful comments about that idea. In fact I have gotten good comments about my loading stand period, and I am NOT I repeat NOT a good woodworker. If you are like me and have four thumbs and one finger on each hand you could make one too.

 

[Zonie]

Keith: You mentioned "...In the Civil War period the .36 was sometimes refered to as the Navy caliber..."

:imo: The main reason people called the 1851 .36 cal Colt the Navy was because it has a Naval Battle scene depicting a battle between the Texas Navy and a larger Mexican fleet engraved on its cylinder.
This gun was so popular that people started calling the .36 the Navy caliber.

The Army wanted a pistol with enough power to disable a horse, so they prefered the .44 cal when they started buying revolvers like the 1848 Dragoon.

The Navy did of course use the .36 caliber when they switched from single shot pistols to revolvers but I think it was mainly because it was a effective close range weapon against people and they didn't have very many horse mounted troops attacking them.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Something else seldom considered. Prior to the Civil War, the "military" was CHEAP! The average soldier was allowed maybe 5 or 10 rounds of practice PER YEAR as part of the budget. They got this cheap again in the 1870's and 1880's. Certain units were issued more out of the officer's pockets. The Navy probably figured there was no need for a pistol beyond a few feet distance, and the .36 was sufficient for that. The 24 pounder guns handled the longer ranges.

I've also heard the 1851 "Navy" got the name because of the Naval scene on the cylinder, but I don't know which came first.

 

[Keith]

Duh, I never thought of the engraving being the reason it was called a Navy.