Remy1858,
Grab some popcorn and sit down.
The Pietta Dance .36 you show from October Country has a square trigger guard (the original Dance pistols had a flat-bottomed round TG on both the .36 and .44 versions, but no SB TG). It (S/N 127) may be in stock, but S/N 52 and 53 are not, which seems to say they only have the one revolver. I think, if they really have one in .36, that is a rarity as it does not show up in the Pietta catalog, and I would snatch it ASAP.If you don't want a SB TG, you can easily order a brass round TG from VTI which will fit.
The original Dance guns were made using a frame size that was between the 1851 Navy and the 1848 Dragoon.
I have 8 different Pietta 1851 Navy .36 "type" revolvers, mostly Confederate facsimiles that I put together from parts: S&G, L&R, R&A, G&G, Augusta Machine Works, Columbus Firearms Manufacturing Company, et al) because Pietta CNC parts are very interchangeable from gun to gun. One that I am lacking is the Dance .36.
About 3 years ago, I had a real want for a Pietta Dance .36, but the problem was that Pietta did not market one at the time (but they did in the 90's before they went to CNC machining). Their only offering was in .44, based upon their 1851 Navy that had a lowered (not stepped) water table (as was used with the Colt 1860 for the rebated Army .44 cylinder) to accommodate a Pietta non-rebated .44 cylinder. I am a parts-changer and it won't work as a Dance .36 for me as there would be a gap between the cylinder and frame, and the bolt would probably not lock into the cylinder adequately.
This photo (from a guy who had purchased a Pietta Dance .44 and I forget his name: sorry, my age is showing) shows the difference between the Pietta Dance .44 and the Pietta Navy .36 cylinders:
So, in search of a donor pistol, in 2016 I snagged a Pietta 1851 Navy .36 on sale at Cabela's for $170 (it will never happen again now that BPS is pulling the Cabela's reins), got a new part round/part octagon barrel and a smooth, non-engraved cylinder from VTI, sold the Navy engraved cylinder and octagon barrel to someone on a different forum, and I am into it for about $210. Now all I have to do is work up the courage to have my retired next-door neighbor machinist (he has a great shop with 3-phase power for his myriad equipment) to mill off the recoil shields, and then I have to redo the frame in either case colors or blue.
Here is my donor Leech & Rigdon:
Just for grins, here is my parts-changer fantasy 1851 Navy .36 Second Model Belt Dragoon:
Good luck in your endeavors!
Regards,
Jim