Navy Arms revolvers

[D Sanders]

How long did pietta supply Navy Arms with cap and ball revolvers?

 

[Artificer]

I worked at what was called the "Navy Arms Booth" at the Spring and Fall National Championship most of the years from 1974 until they set up their own separate Sutler's Booth. We still handled NA guns when I stopped in 2005. We always referred to the guns by either the Importer's Brand or the actual Italian Manufacturer such as Armi San Marco, Armi San Paolo, etc.

If you can give me the name of the manufacturer, I.E. Armi San "Whatever", I can probably give you an idea when Navy Arms started selling them.

Gus

 

[Artificer]

OK, had to think about it for a while. I know Navy Arms starting buying Pietta made Le Mat revolvers in 1985. They may have purchased odd lots of Pietta revolvers before that, but Uberti was the primary maker of many/most Navy Arms revolvers until they switched to Armi San Paolo/Eurarms in the mid 1980's for many of their revolvers.

Oh, the Big Walker and Dragoons were normally made by Armi San Marco for many of those years.

Gus

 

[D Sanders]

The firearm in question is Pietta made 1851 brass frame sherrif model 44 cal cap and ball revolver. The serial # indicates it was manufactured in 1987. I got the gun with the original Navy arm box with the serial # on the box.

 

[Artificer]

From my very first time in the "Navy Arms Booth" at the NSSA Nationals in the Spring of 1974, Navy had brass frame M1851's in both the standard barrel and shorter barreled Sheriff's Models. I don't remember who made those earlier brass frame models because we did not sell many of them and especially not compared to the Steel Frame Remingtons and Colts.

PLEASE don't take this as me being snobbish, as I was both a target shooter and reenactor and I had and still have dear friends from both. However, NSSA Competition was always about accurate target shooting and brass frame guns were sold primarily to either reenactors or tourists.


Gus