[bigbadgun]

I know its not right or is it, anyway I just ordered 1 from
http://possibleshop.com/cap-ball-closeout.htm
for $165 I should have it by Monday I cant wait if its anything like my walker I am gonna have so much fun when I goto the range.

[SWC Bonfire]

I have the el-cheapo Cabela's brass one also made by pietta and it was worth every penny of the $125 I paid for it as my first cap & ball handgun. Very accurate at the lower powder charges needed for the brass frame - I'd suggest using around 18-20 gr. (I use FFF 777, so that's reduced 15% from B.P.) for best accuracy if it is like my .44 pietta. Points EXTREMELY well - I don't know if that is because of the heavier brass frame, or just the navy grip/long barrel combo.

Mine likes the smaller balls (.451). I suppose it would be more accurate if the cylinders were reamed out to .454 and I used .457 balls, but it shaves a pretty fair sized ring of lead with the .451's. Pietta must make their bores smaller, or the low price point of my el-cheapo model dictated that the tolerances be much looser and that was "good enough".

And it's nothing like my walker. They are two completely different animals. Both fun in their own right.

[SeanSw]

I traded for one of these that had been owned by a reenactor. I don't think they had ever sent a bullet down the barrel. It is my first blackpowder firearm and I have no complaints for what it is. The fit and finish is surprisingly good for the cost and mine appears to shoot rather well. If you haven't done so already, you can do a search for this gun and appropriate loads in this forum. Due to the brass frame most people recommend that you don't load over 28gr FFFg in an effort to prevent the frame from stretching.

My Pietta .44 prefers .454 sized round balls, which are the smallest size bullets large enough to shave a ring of lead when loaded. #10 caps are preferred too, though you can use #11s if they're pinched. I have used 12-28 grains of Pyrodex RS FFg. The gallery loads aren't much fun to shoot but the 28gr load is accurate and has enough punch to penetrate 4 water jugs.

We both know the .44 Navy is an historical abomination but I'm not Wild Bill so it doesn't really matter.

[pohill]

We both know the .44 Navy is an historical abomination...

Actually, I went to the Colt Museum in Hartford, CT a few months ago and they have an 1860 Colt on display (round barrel, .44 caliber) with the hinged Navy loading lever instead of the creeping lever. The gun was never produced (except for Pietta) so Sam Colt did have it in mind.

[mykeal]

My brother-in-law bought one two years ago at an auction for $40. It was a real piece of trash - appeared to be a kit gun that had been just thrown together without finishing (the grips didn't come close to fitting, were very rough, the barrel was blued but had rough machine marks on all the flats, the frame still had some casting flash on it, etc.) and it had been shot but never cleaned.

I was sure it was a goner but decided to try to restore it for him as a winter project. It really surprised me when it cleaned right up, especially the bore - no pits anywhere.

As SCWBonfire says, it's nothing like a Walker. It may be .44 caliber but it won't hold anywhere near the charge that the Walker will, and you shouldn't try. It will shoot best at the more moderate charges he suggests.

And I don't believe it's really an "historical abomination". It's true that Colt didn't make any 1851 Navies in .44 caliber, but I believe there were Confederate made knockoffs of the Colt design in .44 caliber during the war.

That being said, it's great fun to shoot as it's very well balanced and points naturally. A whole different experience than a Walker, yet just as much fun.

[bigbadgun]

when I say anything like my Walker I mean the fun of shooting it.

[Tommygunn]

It's true that Colt didn't make any 1851 Navies in .44 caliber, but I believe there were Confederate made knockoffs of the Colt design in .44 caliber during the war.
"Dance Brothers" made a .44 caliber version. They were in Texas, and their revolvers had unrebated cylinders and lacked recoil shields. It is believed this allowed them to be made from steel slabs, but I don't know it it's true. Dance Bros. claimed this prevented the spent caps from getting stuck behind the recoil shield.
I have a Pietta repro of one. For some reason it has the squareback trigger guard but my references to Dance Bros. revolvers don't show any originals that have this feature.

[SWC Bonfire]

I see yours has a steel frame - all the better. You won't have to worry about overloading it like you would a brass frame.

It's convenient from the standpoint that your ammunition is usuable from one revolver to the next (I say that, but I haven't yet tried ramming a .457 ball into the Pietta). Both my Uberti Walker and my Pietta 1851/.44 seem to work best with Remington #10 caps... although the only other ones I've tried are CCI's.

[Riot Earp]

I ordered the Traditions (Pietta) .44 Navy with the hardened white-steel finish. The grip is a little more Colt-like than the standard Pietta-Navy grip -- it feels better in my hand. I might plum-brown it for a more authentic look.

[bigbadgun]

That was kind of the thought for buying another .44 my Walker uses .454 ball so I dont have to buy a different size ball for the 1851. I tried the .457 in my Walker but found that after a day at the range I had a problem taking the barrel off. I swtched out to the .454 and no more problem. It amazed me how
.003 could make such a difference.

[bigbadgun]

Well I got my brand new Pietta 1851 Colt Navy today took it apart and did the first cleaning to the last screw seems like a well made pistol. cant wait to get it out on the range I well add photos as soon as I can.

[Marlin 45 carbine]

I doubt you will be diappointed, I've had good luck with all the Pietta's I've owned, '58 Rem 'buffalo' models, 3 brass frames and the one I own now a steel frame. the brass ones I shot round ball only in and limited the max charge to a .357 mag caseful, never gave any problem. wish I had kept one of 'em now.
the steel frame I own I bought a S/S cylinder for and I shoot HOT loads in it using Lee mold slugs. powerful.

[Roswell 1847]

When a link to these was posted in another thread it reminded me of the old Pyro model guns I built long ago.
The Pyro 1860 army was fairly close to the original but the Pyro 1851 was very much like the pictured .44 1851.
I'd read that Pyro may have used a European (probably Spanish) copy of the 1851 manufactured without license to satisfy foreign demand when US manufactured Colts became impossible to get during the Civil War, as a basis for their model.

[Boomerang]

I bought one of those Pietta 51 44's last year and only shot it for the first time two weeks ago.
The first thing I did when I bought it was to take it apart and clean up the trigger.
After taking it out to shoot, it shoots great, but it shoots over a foot high at 50 yards.
I think it balances great and I thin k it will be a good fun gun to use on Sundays.

[BlazingAngel01]

i have one and its a real nice gun. fist BP gun. i would like to get the conversion Cylinder if they make one.

[bigbadgun]

Boomerang what were the symptoms that made you go to work on the trigger and what did you do to it?

[.44walkersabot]

I own a .44 Cattleman's Carbine built on the same frame as the '58. I don't know if it shoot's like the revolver exactly or not but I like it alright. I'm going to have to paint the front sight and the notch in the rear sight with some luminous paint though. I have a lot of trouble in lining up the front sight blade in low light. I was reading on Cabela's last night about that revolver. I guess it was the same one. .44 1858 Remington New Model Army--eight inch barrel, two pounds and eleven ounces, fourteen inches over all..I guess that's it. You probably have a fine revolver. I read the reviews on it. I'm not a collector so I'll probably never own one of them. I own a Walker .44, the Cattleman's Carbine, a Colt 1849 Pocket .31 with a four inch barrel, and a real small .22 Magnum five shot blackpowder from North American Arms. I'vd got plenty of spare parts for all of them though I'vd never had to use any of the parts yet. Those four pieces pretty well take care of all my shooting needs. Of course I'vd got my CVA in .45 but that's long range stuff and dosen't go with this post. (I wish you would come back on here after you go to the range or the woods or whatever and check out that revolver. I'd like to know how it went. I'm not talking about how accurate it shoots. I already know the .44 is extremely accurate. But I would like to know how the revolver handled, ie the balance, the jump (the buck) and stuff like that if you wouldn't mind. If you come back on, please also state how much and what type of propellant you used. Thank you)
I have been thinking about getting the Third Model Dragoon in Feb. after I have saved up some money, but I'vd about changed my mind about getting one. I'vd already got the Walker. It and the Third fire's the same ball, and I'vd never had the problem of my lever dropping on the Walker.(Of course I'vd never shot a full powder charge through it either. Fifty is about as high as I'vd ever been I guess, and I'vd only done that a couple of times. I deer hunt with 48 grains and that's plenty of power) Well anyway, you have a fine looking revolver. Long about 152 years ago some mighty fine men were carrying one just like it. Good luck with it. If you get a chance (if you haven't already) get on the Cabela's site and check out the .44 Remington New Model Army in blued steel with adjustable sights.That is one fine looking revolver...Okay...

[Boomerang]

bigbadgun,
The trigger wasn't smooth and the length of pull was a bit long.
From what I remember, I cleaned the innards, polished it up a bit and I also used a little bit of braided dental floss with flitz polish on it for the inside hook of the sear.
It didn't change the length of pull, but it did smooth out some of the creep. It only smoothed it out enough so that as long as I don't pull the trigger too slowly it still feels good.
I think I may have to file the trigger notch down so that I can get the shots a little lower.
That picture of your gun is the same one that I have, except mine has a brown grip.
I got the 44 because where I bought it (bass pro shops) didn't have a steel frame in the proper 36cal.
I like it.

[bigbadgun]

thanks Boomerang same problem i have i guess i can take it back down and clean up the trigger , seer pin and hammer notches to try and smooth things over a little

[Gaucho Gringo]

Boomerang- In one of the History Channels programs on guns it stated that if you were in a classic old west gunfight\showdown that in order to hit your adversary, aim for his crotch to hit hit in his heart. From all the reports on these guns that sounds about right.

[Roswell 1847]

All Colts Military size revolvers were sighted for 125 yards at the factory.

You can either install a taller bead or deepen the notch and grind down the tip of the hammer, but its best just to get used to it.
I ground the tip of my Navy Hammer only because the gun is an early replica which had the hammer set cocked at a slight angle in the frame. Ever gun made during that period by that company had the same defect. In filing the notch out a hair to one side it got deeper and wider so grinding the tip down lowered point of impact as well as returning it to the right proportions. Now its dead on at fifty feet with a maximum load.

Replacing the bead with a taller one is no problem either, They are ususally soldered in and its easy to turn a replacement from a brass rod.

[bigbadgun]

Well saturday is the day I take the New 1851 colt Navy in .44 meh to the range I well report on saturday as to how it went.

[Roswell 1847]

BTW
Someone mentioned pressed in beads and I seem to remember removing a pressed in replica colt bead. If that was what it was the brass is soft and you can work the bead back and forth with needle nosed pliers to pull it out.

Cover everthing near the bead with a couple of layers of masking tape to protect the finish.

Theres a Talc stick you can coat the surround metal with when silver soldering the replacement bead, it prevents solder from sticking to anything except the place you want it to.

Also don't try lowering the hammer nose/ sight by cutting into the full cock notch, that would reduce the distance the hammer falls and weaken its inertia which would result in caps blowing off to get under the hammer or down into the mechanism to jam the action.
It doesn't take much to set off a cap but the falling hammer acts like the blot of a blowback gun. Inertia prevents the cap from popping off until pressure has dropped.

Some Civil War period Colt competitors like the Metropolitan used a separate hinged striker plate to transfer the hammer blow, The plate prevented the cap from unseating and getting past the recoil shield.

[bigbadgun]

OK here is the range report on the Pietta 1851 Colt Navy in .44 cal.
I really like the way it points and good balance. Shoots about 3inches high and 3 inches to the left at 25 yards thats with 30grain pyrodex meh and .454 round ball. giving about a 4inch group. I am pleased with the gun in general.
Its a fun pistol to shoot my 16 year old son ran 1 cylinder and then went for the Walker lol said the navy shoots good but he likes the big BOOM. I well buy another after I get my Carbine and my U.S. Marshall those are the next 2 on my gotta get list.

[adrumm]

The Pietta 51 Navy was also my first BP Handgun. I really enjoy shooting it. I think half the fun is just getting it loaded and ready. I have never shot it at a range before though, so I can't compare the results with yours.