Thinking about getting my first cap and ball revolver.

[Dave Dworshak]

hopefully you have caps

 

[10acres]

My question would be what caliber are you wanting? 36 or 44. Uberti or Pietta take your pick, I have both. An Uberti 1861 Navy London 36 and a Pietta 1851 Navy 44. I haven’t shot the Pietta yet but I’m sure it is good to go. Lots of choices and variations. My favorite BP revolver is a Ruger Old Army but those are above your price point.

 

[ZUG]

Choose the style YOU like (Colt or Remington) - caliber makes no difference. Brand -- if money is a concern, then I would wait for a sale for sure. Uberti's are pretty and Pietta's cost less (normally). Steel frame is number uno - watch out buying the "accessories you NEED" to go with the pistol that is a way to unload useless stuff you will rarely use. Read up on its use and care. Don't overload it - not necessary for accuracy or shooting pleasure.

 

[hawkeye2]

B P Arn (posts #17& 19) is dead on regarding brass frames. I have about 30 C&B revolvers, some reworked by the best out there, and I have some brass frame ones in that number but they are historically accurate and not fantasy guns. My first revolver (50+ years ago) was a brass frame one, all I could afford at the time and I would not be afraid of buying and shooting one regularly today. Shot with moderate loads, cleaned and lubed they will last a long time with no problems.

.36 or .44? The amount you would save in a summer might buy you a latte at Starbucks. Recoil isn't a consideration as you can load either down.

Uberti or Pietta? I used to think Uberti was tops but the vast majority of mine are now Pietta and with no more issues than the Ubertis I have.

Colt or Remington? The Remington offers a lot of advantages specially for the uninitiated. Freedom from cap jams and ease of disassembly for cleaning are the most important. The Colt can be subject to cap jams if not worked on and is a little more difficult to disassemble. If you are an experienced blackpowder shooter then a Colt shouldn't pose any problems but the Remington is a little easier to learn on. You may have to partially disassemble a Colt action to remove spent caps that are locking it up (I have) and are you comfortable with that?

Good looks and pointability, the Colt wins hands down.

 

[granth]

Thanks for the advice y'all. One more question, what's they way to go, wads or bore butter? What do you guys use?

 

[new2bp]

One more "my first is an Uberti made 1858 clone" and I couldnt be happier with it

As far as shooting it goes I use 30gr 3Fg with a heavily criscoed wad between powder and ball. Balls are 451 or 454 whichever gives a tiny lead shave ring when seating

 

[PastorB]

It all depends on what you plan to do with it. For example, if short range deer hunting is a possibility, you just about got to get a .44. The Remington design is stronger, and in my experience (45 years) more reliable. Pay the extra 40 bucks and get a steel frame, no matter what the design. I actually like shooting the Colt design better, and my favorite revolver just to shoot is a 1851 .36 Navy, of which I have several, both Pietta and Uberti. My favorite revolver is an old, worn out Pietta .36, which has 10,000+ balls through it. I shoot clay birds at 50 yards with it, and it shoots a ragged 1 hole group at 25 yards, benched. I lube with a glob of Crisco over the ball, and have for over 4 decades with no complaints. Others have concoctions they swear by, and that's okay, I just never felt the need for some mixture of walrus blubber, beeswax, and 10-40w oil, when a $2 can of shortening lasts a long time and works just fine. Ubertis are finished nicer, but the gap has narrowed, and my Piettas have actually been more reliable, but not by a huge margin. Enjoy!

 

[TDM]

For your first, I recommend the Pietta 1851 steel frame. They're available now from several suppliers for under $300. Its a very well balanced, classic revolver. However, I strongly recommend buying SliZshot nipples for any Colt replica to avoid or at least minimize cap jams, which can be aggravating. A close 2nd would be a Pietta 1858 Remington and a closer 3rd would be a Pietta 1860. You will eventually want to own all three. If your buying new, stick with Pietta now. If you can find an older Uberti they are excellent. Once you find what you want you'll get plenty of help on proper loading. But with a properly sized ball, its powder, a lubed wad, seat the ball, cap the nipple, and shoot. A little lube of your choice over the top of the ball doesn't hurt, experience will show you the way.

 

[cynthialee]

Watch the classified ads here on the forum
You can get a nice pistol here and often the pistols available have never been shot or shot so little they show no sign of wear and tear.

 

[10acres]

@cynthialee has some good advice. I bought a Pietta 1851 44 cal a couple of weeks ago for $200 to my door from another member on here.

 

[B P Arn]

I like how they look too; you just have to be careful to get reproductions of guns that were actually made. For example, there were no brass framed 1958 revolvers made in the Civil War era.

I will send pictures tonight.

Here are pictures of my reproduction brass-framed B.P. revolvers.

From top to bottom:

Spiller & Burr, which was a brass-framed version of a Whitney.

Griswold & Gunnison, with barrel cut back to 5". This modification could have easily been made during the Civil War or afterwards with technology available at the time. Astute observers will notice an extended hammer pivot screw that allows attachment of a shoulder stock, which is fun to use occasionally.

Griswold & Gunnison, with original length 7-1/2" barrel length. The G&G revolvers were a version of the 1851 Colt, but with brass frames, round (not octagonal) barrels, and smooth, non-roll marked cylinders.

All Confederate-made brass-framed revolvers were 36 caliber, as far as I know. No 44's were made until the late 20th century, and are not historically correct.

 

[granth]

Here are pictures of my reproduction brass-framed B.P. revolvers.

From top to bottom:

Spiller & Burr, which was a brass-framed version of a Whitney.

Griswold & Gunnison, with barrel cut back to 5". This modification could have easily been made during the Civil War or afterwards with technology available at the time. Astute observers will notice an extended hammer pivot screw that allows attachment of a shoulder stock, which is fun to use occasionally.

Griswold & Gunnison, with original length 7-1/2" barrel length. The G&G revolvers were a version of the 1851 Colt, but with brass frames, round (not octagonal) barrels, and smooth, non-roll marked cylinders.

All Confederate-made brass-framed revolvers were 36 caliber, as far as I know. No 44's were made until the late 20th century, and are not historically correct.

View attachment 158102

I like em!

 

[Whitworth]

I would go with a Colt Navy. The Colt design allows more shots before fouling binds things up. After a couple of cylinders full my Remington's cylinder starts to bind up and will eventually bend the hand spring trying to rotate the cylinder. A .36 uses less lead and less powder saving money for your next purchase

 

[Dale Lilly]

B P Arn (posts #17& 19) is dead on regarding brass frames. I have about 30 C&B revolvers, some reworked by the best out there, and I have some brass frame ones in that number but they are historically accurate and not fantasy guns. My first revolver (50+ years ago) was a brass frame one, all I could afford at the time and I would not be afraid of buying and shooting one regularly today. Shot with moderate loads, cleaned and lubed they will last a long time with no problems.

.36 or .44? The amount you would save in a summer might buy you a latte at Starbucks. Recoil isn't a consideration as you can load either down.

Uberti or Pietta? I used to think Uberti was tops but the vast majority of mine are now Pietta and with no more issues than the Ubertis I have.

Colt or Remington? The Remington offers a lot of advantages specially for the uninitiated. Freedom from cap jams and ease of disassembly for cleaning are the most important. The Colt can be subject to cap jams if not worked on and is a little more difficult to disassemble. If you are an experienced blackpowder shooter then a Colt shouldn't pose any problems but the Remington is a little easier to learn on. You may have to partially disassemble a Colt action to remove spent caps that are locking it up (I have) and are you comfortable with that?

Good looks and pointability, the Colt wins hands down.

Good points. I seldom shoot my revolvers, so long term use is not an issue. As a result, I just like the look and feel of the Colt 1851. My 1 1/2 cents worth. Polecat

 

[granth]

Thank you all so much. If I ever go broke, I'm blaming you all! 5 guns in 4 months, what the heck is wrong with me??

 

[TDM]

Thank you all so much. If I ever go broke, I'm blaming you all! 5 guns in 4 months, what the heck is wrong with me??

Not a thing.

 

[Pete453]

Would any of you recommend Uberti or Pietta over the other? What’s the quality difference, if any? I heard that they were both solid.

Ive had both in the last year in an 1860 army. For ball shooting only, Pietta. Conicals, Uberti, they have room to load them. Pietta grip frame is a touch bigger. Both are fine pistols, you wont go wrong whichever you choose. The suggestion to start with a 58 remington is sound advice, cause as was said, you'll have several down the line. I own a Pietta 58. That would be my suggestion if going remington, they have a bit more room behind the trigger guard and wont beat up your knuckle if you have largeish hands. Any way you go you cant go wrong, all your choices are great guns. Get one, get a bullet mould, and shoot it, ALOT! You'll learn how to manage it and really enjoy it, like most of us here. Welcome to the family, and the forum, its a fantastic obsession!

 

[kh54]

I’m sure glad I discovered this forum long after I started buying BP revolvers. All great advice but no clear “winner.” So now I’m curious: Have you made a decision @granth??

These are still available on the MLForum (forgive me but one of them is mine):

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/colt-1851-navy-by-uberti-36-caliber.150703/​

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https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/pietta-1860-army-like-nib.149939/​

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https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/1861-navy-36-cal.150055/#post-2125333​

 

[necchi]

I'm seriously debating buying my first cap and ball revolver.

Ah Geez, sorry to hear that. I remember that time in my life too,,
Those weeks of struggle and torment,, it was a difficult time.
Then I decided to follow the light, to use the driving force for good and justice instead of trying to fight against it,,

Let me just say, that after that 1st revolver came home, life is good, there is peace to be found

 

[maillemaker]

There is not much difference between Uberti and Pietta these days. I have some 2018 and 2019 Pietta that are fantastic shooters. I don't know how badly Covid hit them. The supply chain for these guns is still very ragged. Finding caps can also be a challenge.

I would recommend the Remington New Model Army (1858) over any of the Colt designs. The Remington is a technologically superior evolution of the revolver over the Colt design. The gun barrel does not have to be removed from the frame to remove the cylinder. The sights are not part of the hammer and so do not move on firing. There is only a single screw holding the grips on the 1858 and when removed the wood comes off so the gun can easily be "dunk cleaned". I only recommend this if you have compressed air for blasting the nooks and crannies dry. With the Colts, you must remove the backstrap to remove the grips and at that point you're half-way to a complete tear-down anyway. The Remington is also marginally better at not getting cap jams.

As others have said, I prefer historical reproductions and so I avoid "fantasy" versions such as "Navy" revolvers in .44 caliber, or guns with brass frames that never had them.

Once you go down this road you may wish to check out Eras Gone Bullet Molds - they offer a variety of bullet molds that will produce very accurate copies of historical revolver bullets.

Eras Gone Bullet Molds.