Recommend 44 cap and ball revolver

[wb78963]

I shoot 1851 Colt Navy snubbies and since there is no loading lever (and almost no barrel) my choice is the Dick Dastardly Tower of Power to load off the gun my .44 caliber cylinders. Also Powder Inc makes a nice press and there is one of those also on my bench for .36 caliber.
My flask has a horizontal sliding valve and seals quite well but by the time everything is back at the loading bench and the guns are broken down I am not concerned about a spark.
By the way, I am shooting some Du Pont FFFg powder made in 1970 according t the lot number and it works as well as brand new GOEX. Unlike somkessomewhatless powder (which we do not mention here) real Black Gun Powder has no age limit as long as it is kept dry.
Load 'em heavy boys they air a'comin'
Bunk

 

[sawyer04]

I have always had the full 8 inch barrels on the 44's and 36's. I recently acquired a sheriff's model in the 1858 model and I like the way it handles and shoots. I use a bench loader always, except in the field hunting. That short loading lever is a little rough on my wimpy hands.

 

[nkbj]

For loading the shriff's 1851 a short piece of hydraulic hose is my fixer.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Steel was a scarce commodity in the South during the war. The Navy (and Sec. Mallory) was fascinated by ironclad ships and lots of steel and iron that should have been left in the railroads went into ironclad production. Which in turn left very little steel for guns. If it weren't for the melting of church bells there would have been alot less cannon and small arms production. But I would say the knowledge on how to manufacture steel framed revolvers was there.

Yep, the South had the knowledge. Colt built the Walker & had problems with the wrought iron cylinders blowing up under full loads. This was due to fracturing along the longitudinal crystal structure of the iron. A Southern gunmaker solved the problem by twisting billets of wrought iron, eliminating the inherently weak straight line fracturing.

 

[AZbpBurner]

When I was in High School, Dad brought home a Replica Arms 1861 Navy (made by Uberti). It was accurate & great fun to shoot. It was also MY job to disassemble, clean & maintain it. 52 years later, it still shoots as new, needing only a replacement hand. At the time I'd rather have had a .44 Remington, but it was Dad's money & his choice.

Decades passed & I finally got my Remington - the Sheriff's model. Shorter barrel, but amazingly accurate.

For your first .44, consider either the Remington or 1860 Colt. They have a REAL front sight and will print to point of aim. You may need to file the Remington sight a little. The Colts (1851, 1862) with the pi$$y little bead front sights are always a couple of feet high - this can be frustrating to a new shooter. If you're looking at an ROA, get the Dragoon - there are parts available for it.

Or, if given opportunity to get an ROA, also buy a benchtop loader. A well-known ROA shooter outside the US broke his loading lever and played hell finding a replacement. Actually, I'm not sure if he ever did ...

 

[jlatz]

I have been using these reproduction percussion revolvers since the early 1960s. They have been mostly Ubertis. The one I use the best is an Uberti 1860 Army by Cimarron. The Colt style pistols seem easier to clean. They handle back powder fouling well. Another fun one is the 1851 Navy by Uberti Cimarron. Choices are out there when available.

 

[smoothshooter]

Get a Colt model 1851 sheriff brass in .44.

Thems was used and carried by folks like General Lee because the south did not have the knowledge to make steel frame guns.

You can get them made by peiotta in Italy for Cabelas for like $199. Work good. No reason to pay more elsewheres.

LOL!!

 

[Eterry]

Lee spent the decade of the 50's in the Army and even commanded a post or two. I would say he was probably around differant models of revolvers. Then in the 60s He wound up with the decade old 1851 Colt Navy Model. He must have known something.

If this is old news forgive me.
What I've found is General Lee carried a 1851 Navy Colt, 36 cal. When not on the field of battle, he wore it as was the issue, butt to the front on his right side for use by his left hand. His right hand was for his saber.
When mounted he had a saddle mounted holster. Seriously he had little or no use for it.

In 1870 after his death, his son took the 1851 out and fired it. It fired all 6 rounds, his son said it had been loaded since the middle of the war.

He also had a Root Colt sidehammer pocket pistol, 28 caliber, given to him by his students when he was an instructor.

 

[Jay Templin]

Back in the '90s I got my NYS concealed carry license. Up there, you had to OWN a a pistol to get a license, but you couldn't POSSESS a pistol without the license. You had to buy the gun, leave it at the store, apply to the judge for a license, then go pick the gun up once you had your license.
Unless you had a black powder pistol but not the means to load it. Which is how I got licensed to carry a Pietta 1860 Army with a 7.5" barrel as a concealed pistol.
Bottom line is that I've been shooting her for 26 years now at reenactments, at targets, and at small game; the 1860 Army is an excellent gun, and the Pietta copies are reliable and well made.
Jay

 

[nkbj]

After tinkering around with reproduction revolvers since '76 my advice is a steel frame 1860.
It was designed to have a robust loading system. It points naturally. It has plenty of power for anything you would sensibly do with a revolver.

 

[Desperate Lee]

I must agree with nkbj on this one with one exception, the grip. A '51 navy has the best grip i have ever held. If a Pietta you need to get rid of the tail that causes it to kick up. Mike Beliveau can show you how, but the '60 barrel is a work of art. So an 1860 Colt Army with a 1851 Navy Colt grip is my choice. My 1860 has both an 8" barrel and a 3" barrel ( cause i love the fire ) and brass frame. Was a CVA kit gun i picked up at a flea market. Dont shoot for power but shoot for fun and relaxation, tin cans, rocks, paper targets, ect.
DL

 

[Magungo1066]

For what its worth I am a firm believer in uberti. Their cap and ball pistols are top notch. My favorite is their 1860 army. Having said that, I have a pitta 1858 Remington that has been indestructible-Larry

 

[Bad Karma]

I must agree with nkbj on this one with one exception, the grip. A '51 navy has the best grip i have ever held. If a Pietta you need to get rid of the tail that causes it to kick up. Mike Beliveau can show you how, but the '60 barrel is a work of art. So an 1860 Colt Army with a 1851 Navy Colt grip is my choice. My 1860 has both an 8" barrel and a 3" barrel ( cause i love the fire ) and brass frame. Was a CVA kit gun i picked up at a flea market. Dont shoot for power but shoot for fun and relaxation, tin cans, rocks, paper targets, ect.
DL

Well said. I have to agree with the Texan jarhead, except that the 1860 Colt’s Army pistol is from stem to stern the pinnacle of cap and ball pistol form and function right up until Bill Ruger got into the game...

 

[Bad Karma]

When I was in High School, Dad brought home a Replica Arms 1861 Navy (made by Uberti). It was accurate & great fun to shoot. It was also MY job to disassemble, clean & maintain it. 52 years later, it still shoots as new, needing only a replacement hand. At the time I'd rather have had a .44 Remington, but it was Dad's money & his choice.
View attachment 35335
Decades passed & I finally got my Remington - the Sheriff's model. Shorter barrel, but amazingly accurate.
View attachment 35337
For your first .44, consider either the Remington or 1860 Colt. They have a REAL front sight and will print to point of aim. You may need to file the Remington sight a little. The Colts (1851, 1862) with the pi$$y little bead front sights are always a couple of feet high - this can be frustrating to a new shooter. If you're looking at an ROA, get the Dragoon - there are parts available for it.
View attachment 35336
Or, if given opportunity to get an ROA, also buy a benchtop loader. A well-known ROA shooter outside the US broke his loading lever and played hell finding a replacement. Actually, I'm not sure if he ever did ...

If you forget to lock the cylinder base pin latch you will bend the base pin when you use the loading lever. Failing that, and always using pure lead ball or bullet, I’ve never seen a bent pin or loading lever. The gun is hell for stout.

 

[Magungo1066]

For what its worth I am a firm believer in uberti. Their cap and ball pistols are top notch. My favorite is their 1860 army. Having said that, I have a pitta 1858 Remington that has been indestructible-Larry

*pietta. my bad

 

[BrokenArrow]

LOL, than I through some comments in too.

There are quite number of percussion revolvers which can be recommended though there are diffenrences.

I can only say a bit for precision shooting at 25m.

If you aim at the competiton at MLAIC Colt, you need an original and that is Rogers & Spencer, Remington 1858 Army, Colt 1860 Army or Colt 1851 Navy or whatever original which shoots accurate enough you can get.

If you aim at the competition with replicas, the collectors prefere the term neo classicals , Rogers & Spencer by Feinwerkbau, Hege Remington Army Maximum Match. Another option is a custom made Colt Navy 1851 by Baumkirchner or any revolver of your choice by Karl Nedbal or alike.

Of course there are other good revolvers made by Uberti, Pietta, F.A.U.L, Armi San Marco, Armi San Paolo, Santa Barbara, Neumann-Euro Arms assembled by Helmut Mohr,... many more I don't konw though you can get a bad assembled non accurate shooting piece by any of them.

 

[jimairwin]

I shoot 1851 Colt Navy snubbies and since there is no loading lever (and almost no barrel) my choice is the Dick Dastardly Tower of Power to load off the gun my .44 caliber cylinders. Also Powder Inc makes a nice press and there is one of those also on my bench for .36 caliber.
My flask has a horizontal sliding valve and seals quite well but by the time everything is back at the loading bench and the guns are broken down I am not concerned about a spark.
By the way, I am shooting some Du Pont FFFg powder made in 1970 according t the lot number and it works as well as brand new GOEX. Unlike somkessomewhatless powder (which we do not mention here) real Black Gun Powder has no age limit as long as it is kept dry.
Load 'em heavy boys they air a'comin'
Bunk

Just can't beat a Ruger Old Army for strength, durability, accuracy and precision! Maybe a challenge for concealed carry, tho'. However, there was a time they made a shorter barrelled version with fixed sights in 36 cal.

 

[TFoley]

A well-known ROA shooter outside the US broke his loading lever and played hell finding a replacement. Actually, I'm not sure if he ever did ...

Here in UK we now have a source for replacement loading levers in either s/s or blued. I have bought one recently, BC [Before Covid, that is] and it is a very fine piece of machining, made to much higher standard than the original part.

 

[Desperate Lee]

Having never owned an OLD ARMY i cannot comment on the use of one, HOWEVER having owned a Security Six target model in .357 Mag and a New Model Blackhawk in .357 Mag as well ( to hunt i use .357 Mag Contender loads ) i have to admit a Ruger is almost indestructable. Just a comparrison here. That being said, for fit and feel, this is my goto for fun and business.
DL
And yes Woodnbow you my brother know it is SEMPER FI

 

[Certus]

Having never owned an OLD ARMY i cannot comment on the use of one, HOWEVER having owned a Security Six target model in .357 Mag and a New Model Blackhawk in .357 Mag as well ( to hunt i use .357 Mag Contender loads ) i have to admit a Ruger is almost indestructable. Just a comparrison here. That being said, for fit and feel, this is my goto for fun and business.
DL
And yes Woodnbow you my brother know it is SEMPER FI

If you want a robust BP revolver and aren't too concerned about a nod to the past, then a stainless Ruger Old Army which is based on a rugged range of breech loading revolvers would be a good choice. A purposely designed modern BP revolver with adjustable sights and coil springs replacing the traditional flat springs used in replicas, it should provide a lifetime of regular use.
The downside is that it is heavy for single handed precision shooting and there is something nice about shooting "Spirit of the Original " revolvers which the Ruger cannot replicate.
If it were me, I would settle for a replica Uberti Remington 1858 NMA with an 8 inch barrel. I have two of these and a Ruger Old Army and much prefer the Remington's which lend themselves better to different styles of shooting with an added touch of historical heritage.
Brian