1851 decision... Pietta vs. Pietta

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

ArmedBear

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
23,171
Sorry to be boring. I guess I'm just a cheap bastard.

Thanks to recommendations in the other thread, I'm looking at a couple options.

Dixie 1851, highly recommended by raters, .36 caliber, $185
(I don't know who made it; it just says, "Italy". However, a reviewer said he got a Kirst for it, so I know it's a common maker. Probably Pietta.)

Possible Shop Traditions 1851, recommended here, .44, $165

Does anyone know how the .44 balances? Feel like the .36?

The .44 did not exist in original form, right?

I have a few .44 BP revolvers, and molds, a loading tool, etc. It could be convenient to shoot another .44. OTOH, .36 balls take less expensive lead to make and are cheaper to buy swaged, and the powder charge is lower, too, so the gun is cheaper to shoot in the long term.

Thoughts?

Thanks!:)
 
Mine are all .44 cal. i could care less about historical accuracy really. I don't do CW reenactment. Price difference per round is only a couple of cents.

Keeping them all in .44 is easier for me to keep track of supplies and such. But then on the other hand my cartridge guns are all kinds of different calibers, so I guess I am speaking with a forked tongue.

Maybe some day I will branch off into .36 cal.

I really do not mind brass frames either. My oldest is a 1851 Brass framed (25 years old) the internals are what broke down, not the frame.
 
When I mold bullets, I use a colored felt tip pen on the sprue flat, to code for diameter.

How's the balance of the .44? Any different from the renowned handling of the .36?

I also avoid doing Country-Western reenactments.:D

Well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in a pickup truck
She got run'd over by a damned old train
Click to expand...
David Allan Coe
 
I have the .44 from the possible shop and a friend of mine has the .36 but cant remember where he got it from I have held one in each hand and then switched hands just to feel if there is a difference in the point but I could feel no difference.
 
Thanks, bigbadgun.

You gotta love this place. I was hoping someone had done something like that (a side-by-side comparison) and, well, someone did and had the answer!
 
Both are steel, hence the attractiveness of the prices.:)

I wouldn't pay that for a brass one. Probably wouldn't buy a brass one, except as a wallhanger, especially in .44
 
Armed Bear that is the best country song ever written. DAC even says so in the version I have, lol

What do you have against brass?

There are some versions of the 1851 that only come in brass. I am not sure why brass has such a bad reputation. No troubles with brass here. Cabelas has a couple in brass that are so inexpensive they might as well be free, LOL
 
Cabelas has a couple in brass that are so inexpensive they might as well be free, LOL
Click to expand...

True enough.

Actually, I've never tried brass. I learned BP when Dixie's catalog had a warning that said, in more words, "All brass frame revolvers will shoot loose and get out of time if you use them."

It was kind of a turn-off, and I don't think you'll find a lot of people whose first exposure to BP was the Dixie catalog in that era, who trust brass.

OTOH I have a steel frame revolver from that time, and the internals failed on that, too. Might as well have gotten brass.:)
 
I have an old 1851 36cal cva brass frame made in 1984, the action is tight, it's a great shooting revolver to this day, in fact I like to use it the most. Also have the steel frame Pietta in 36cal, the brass frame one runs just as good as my new one.

I've been told the 1851 brass frames in 44 could bend out of shape if you put to much pressure on the loading handle. However, I never had that problem with my brass 36, it's been through the mill and shoots as good as new.
 
I learned BP when Dixie's catalog had a warning that said, in more words, "All brass frame revolvers will shoot loose and get out of time if you use them."
Click to expand...

I have a Dixie catalogue at work, I will look and see if they still print that warning when I go in tomorrow.

I am not sure about them shooting loose. Maybe over a long time and thousands of rounds. I bet some on here with eons of BP experience will know.

I've been told the 1851 brass frames in 44 could bend out of shape if you put to much pressure on the loading handle.
Click to expand...

This I am not sure about either. The loading lever is pretty much down the center of the gun making it work with the strongest part of the frame.

Doesn't matter to me, I love them in steel or brass.
 
Dixie's catalog had a warning that said, in more words, "All brass frame revolvers will shoot loose and get out of time if you use them."
Click to expand...

True IF you abuse the gun by repeatedly shooting maximum or 'heavy' (full chamber or nearly full chamber) loads. If you shoot the most accurate load, approx 20 gr fffg black powder, the gun will live longer than you will. It's likely your grandchildren will enjoy shooting it.

I've been told the 1851 brass frames in 44 could bend out of shape if you put to much pressure on the loading handle.
Click to expand...

If you should encounter the person who told you that, run, don't walk, in the other direction. He or she is covered in a smelly substance. Actually, I suppose it could really happen if you've been using certain substances enjoyed by some major league baseball players and jumped up and down on the handle several times...
 
Don't forget to consider the Cabellas 1851 Hickock Piettas with the engraving and faux ivory handles. Those look nice and one hardly ever sees them on the used market...I think people hang on to them. Price seems very reasonable too. I'd like to see some close up pics of one...maybe someone here will step up and show some pics.
 
Actually, I suppose it could really happen if you've been using certain substances enjoyed by some major league baseball players and jumped up and down on the handle several times...
Click to expand...

Nice mental image you put into my head lol...

There has always been the story about the brass frames stretching, it could make sense from ramming the ball in as much from firing it, as to whether this is true or not I can't say, never seen one stretched.

Though I have seen some burly fellers at the shooting range before, looked like they could crush more than a beer can.
 
In my experience (two that I've seen personally, and another one via pictures on the internet) a 'stretched' frame has a heavily damaged recoil shield - there are impressions of the back of the cylinder in the frame from the recoil - and the base pin is loosened in it's mount. The frame isn't so much stretched as the back of the frame is beaten back, enlarging the opening where the cylinder resides. The opening is also slightly deformed.
 
I agree - .36 is going to be easier on a brass frame then .44. However, is it not true the C.S. made brass frame 1851's out of necessity rather than because it was the best thing to do?
 
Mausermike now that rings a bell...Southern Church Bells ..They were donated to the cause because iron was so scarce in the South . They figured the Bells could be replaced after the wars end .
 
Brass kinda looks cool. However, we're talking about a $140 gun vs. a $165 gun, not an $850 Smith and Wesson or something. I figure I'll take steel for the extra few bucks.:)
 
I ordered one of the Possibles Shop 1851 .44 cal steel framed revolvers. It will be here on Friday. I will post a report on it after receiving it and firing it.
 
Dixie 1851, highly recommended by raters, .36 caliber, $185
(I don't know who made it; it just says, "Italy". However, a reviewer said he got a Kirst for it, so I know it's a common maker. Probably Pietta.)
Click to expand...

I'd not buy anything without knowing specifically which manufacturer was responsible. Italy as a country produces some very fine firearms and some real junk! Dixie usually lists the maker so one might be able to learn who made it by placing a phone call prior to buying one. If it's made by Palmetto, just keep on looking.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

expat_alaska
  • Locked
Pietta .44 Dance and Pietta 1851 Navy .36 Interchangeability
Replies
6
Views
2K
expat_alaska
expat_alaska
C
  • Locked
1851 Navy vs 1860 Army: which is it and parts interchangeability?
Replies
9
Views
5K
mcneill
M
arcticap
  • Locked
Price Rollback - 1851 Confederate .36
Replies
2
Views
598
madcratebuilder
M
il.bill
  • Locked
Traditions 1851 Navy (sic) .44 Caliber Revolver
Replies
21
Views
2K
midland man
midland man
expat_alaska
  • Locked
E-mail Response From Pietta
Replies
11
Views
2K
RevolverLover
RevolverLover
Back
Top