Pietta Colt Repro - what is it actually?

[Calum]

Good evening,

For some odd reason today, I decided to see what I actually have in C&B pistols. Admittedly, I'm horrible with pistol model years and Army vs Navy.

One of them is this, in .44: www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=701_709_712&products_id=875

Can anyone tell if what the actual "period" model designation would be? Or if it's just a modern mutt (which I suspect). I think the octagonal barrel would make it an 1851, but they were .36, not .44. And .44 would make it Army.

Thanks,
Calum

 

[necchi]

The navy 44 was never made by Colt.
It's a fun modern reproduction/copy of a gun that was never made.

 

[Calum]

Thanks sir. Kind of what I expected.

It was my first C&B pistol, and yeah, they are fun.

Calum

 

[Zonie]

The pistol in the Dixie ad is an Italian dream pistol**.

It is based on a Colt 1851 Navy but it is in the wrong caliber. The Colt 1851 was never made in a .44 caliber.

Basically, the Colt Navy was a .36 caliber revolver first sold in 1851.
The Colt Army was a .44 caliber revolver first sold in 1862.

To help you identify the Colt pistols here is a brief listing:

1847 Walker: Very large 6 shot, .44 cal gun that weighs over 4 pounds unloaded.
It has a round barrel with a partial octagon shape at the breech. The loading lever does not have the later style latch and is held up by a spring.

1849 Pocket Pistol: A small 5 shot, .31 caliber revolver with an octagon barrel. Its loading lever is held up by a latch at the front.

1851 Colt Navy: The most popular model, a 6 shot, .36 caliber revolver with an octagon barrel. Its loading lever is held up by a latch at the front.

1860 Colt Army: A 6 shot, .44 caliber revolver with a round "streamlined" barrel. It uses a streamlined loading lever which "creeps" along the bottom of the barrel using pointed teeth to move the ram. The loading lever is held up by a catch at the front.
This was the first Colt with a "stepped" or "rebated" cylinder and the corresponding relief in the frame, the step being necessary to allow clearance for its larger .44 caliber cylinder.

1861 Colt Navy: The .36 caliber replacement for the Colt 1851 Navy. Like the 1860 Army, it has a round streamlined barrel and the creeping style loading lever. The cylinder is not stepped like the larger .44 cal Army.

There are several other Colt pistols but these are the most common of the modern reproductions.

** The .44 caliber Navy was dreamed up by the Italians. Someone figured that by using a stepped cylinder they could sell the Navy style pistols to folks who wanted the bigger caliber.

Although it is not historically correct, it is a real fun gun to own and to shoot.
The first cap & ball revolver I bought was a steel framed .44 caliber "Navy" and it was great.

Later on, I got a "I only want to own historically accurate pistols mindset" so I sold my .44 Navy.

After selling it I regretted my move.
The very slight differences in the grip between the 1851 "Navy" and the later 1860 Army made the feel of the "Navy" much more to my liking and its .44 caliber spoke with a resounding BOOM when she went off.

 

[jaxenro]

I posted this one a couple years ago
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/285947/post/1358357/hl//fromsearch/1/

 

[Mean Gene]

I have one of these Italian made revolvers too and mine was also my first gun, it was made by Armi San Marcos.

I refer to mine as my as my 1851 Army 44.

 

[Long Johns Wolf]

Yes, it is a copy of a gun that never were.
And there is another reason for this type of guns. If you look at it from the European angle I can tell you there are countries that I am not mentioning. These countries have gun legislations that are just ... strange.
One of these countries has such strange regulations regarding percussion revolver replicas. A given replica must not be sold to a buyer without a license in the original caliber.
But the same pistol in a caliber that never were ... you can buy without a license. Don't ask about logic in gun legislation...
Long Johns Wolf

 

[hawkeye2]

"But the same pistol in a caliber that never were ... you can buy without a license."

Long Johns Wolf Thanks for that bit of information, something that I was unaware of but would make sense in preventing reproductions being passed off as originals. Myself I have no problems with anyone making a .44 Navy revolver but I do wish they would stop describing them as a "Model 1851 Confederate Navy .44 Caliber Black Powder Revolver" and leading everyone to believe that all Confederate revolvers had brass frames and all revolvers with brass frames conversely are Southern made.

 

[Calum]

Interesting info there from Long Johns Wolf. And definitely agreeing with Hawkeye!

Thanks again to all who chimed in.

Mike

 

[jaxenro]

What peeves me about calling a 44 a "Navy" is Navy refers to caliber not gun design. Some of the old combustible cartridge boxes were even marked 36 "Navy Caliber" and the new rebated frame pockets were called "Pocket Model of Navy Caliber"

 

[hawkeye2]

Total agreement