[powwowell]

In todays firearm market, what revolver, or pistol, would come closest to comparing to the .36 caliber 1851 Navy Colt? Specifically a modern centerfire, of the same weight, shooting the same caliber with approximately the same power and recoil?

[Sistema1927]

We just did this:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=373938&highlight=1851

[powwowell]

Thanks Sistema1927. I need to visit the General Discussion board more often.

Great information. I interpreted that the 1851 .36 is equal to the modern day .32. If Wild Bill was so deadly, I wonder why the .32 gets no more respect than it does?

[MICHAEL T]

I thought closer to a 380 As for Bill was bullet placement He didn't spray and pray like so many today

[makarovnik]

.380 acp

[9mmepiphany]

If Wild Bill was so deadly, I wonder why the .32 gets no more respect than it does?

because most folks today aren't as deadly...it isn't any harder today to hit and folks aren't any harder to put down. it's all about the shooter

[c_yeager]

because most folks today aren't as deadly...it isn't any harder today to hit and folks aren't any harder to put down. it's all about the shooter

It also just might have something to do with what the other guy is carrying. going into combat with the ballistic equivalent of a hot .32 makes more sense when that is what everyone else is carrying.

[9mmepiphany]

i believe alot of folks had upgraded to the .44 BP loadings in the time of Wild Bill and even into the common usage of the 44-40

[Dain Bramage]

All of the responses are concerning shooting performance. Everyone is ignoring the lost art of a bygone age. When you run out of ammo and have to "buffalo" someone, an 8" Blackhawk is probably similar in heft.

[9mmepiphany]

actually the 1851 colt...one of my favorite BP pistols...is closer in size to a single-six

[Kayback]

Get a 1851 Navy conversion kit.

That way you can shoot catridges (albeit black powder ones) through it.

KBK

[RyanM]

Yep. Conversion. Especially if you get one of these. http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/Conversions/51R-MConvOpener.htm

And you can get identical power and recoil by handloading your own cartridges with BP, pyrodex, or whatever. But the conversions that are manufactured that way are fine with absolutely any standard pressure .38 SPL.

[Kayback]

seriously?

Modern .38Spl?

Seriously?

KBK

[Z71]

I would say .380 myself. The .375 lead ball weighs about the same as a .380 slug and the muzzle velocitys are similiar.

I've read of people comparing the .36 cap and ball to the .38 Special, however I think the .38 has quite a bit more punch by virtue of heavier bullets.

The .36 Navy has substantial power, and the little lead balls flatten out and deform bigtime with a full charge of powder.

[MCgunner]

.380. Ain't the arrow, it's the Indian. They didn't get blown off their feet, though, like the movies. And, a 7.5" barreled revolver has to be at least a little easier to place a shot with than a Ruger LCP. Back in the day, a lot of serious people carried a good Bowie, too.

[RyanM]

seriously?

Modern .38Spl?

Seriously?

KBK

Yep. The Uberti conversions, that is, the ones which are built that way at the factory and have to be transferred as a firearm, are made from the same quality steel as their SAA clones. According to Cimarron, the factory conversions will shoot any standard pressure ammo you care to load. Even the ones in .45 LC will tolerate jacketed ammo just fine, as long as it's standard pressure. For the Army based conversions, Uberti specifically overbuilt a few parts to safely handle modern .45 LC (but I believe the Navy ones are built to original dimensions, just better quality steel). You also get the correct bore diameter. The .36 cal C&B revolvers have a .379" groove diameter specification, which is hugely oversized for .38 SPL, but the factory conversions are speced at .355". Weird how the ".36" is actually a .38, and the ".38" is actually a .36.

They're a whole different animal from starting out with a C&B gun and puttitng on a conversion cylinder.

[Kayback]

Wow. I never realised tha. I thought they were just a handy way to shoot black powder without the 5 minutes at the reloading bench.

Thanks. Something new for me to spend my money on :) :)

KBK