Which 1862 Pocket Police?

TK; Not really sure what your idea of the '1862 concept' is; but, the Pietta 1862 police is not a pocket police. The pocket police (and pocket Navy) model was a small framed pistol based on the 1849 .31 caliber Colt Pocket Pistol. Pietta's 1862 police model is nothing more than a short barreled 1861 Navy with a half fluted cylinder which is a medium framed revolver like the 1851 Navy and 1860 Army.

True Pocket Police models are 5 shot revolvers. Palmetto, Armi San Marco and Uberti are all makers of these ; although Uberti is the only company currently making them.

If the small frame fits your hand, and you can make do with 5 shots (or 4 with hammer down on an empty chamber for safety), buy the Uberti. If, however, the six shot, short barreled, medium framed Pietta Police model feels and works better for you, buy it.

I have a number of each and like them all - for different reasons.

I like 'em both. I know the Pietta is really just an 1861 Navy with a short barrel and a half fluted cylinder put on it, but I put 1873 peacemaker hard rubber [replica from Dixie] grips on it, aged and defarbed it, and steel wooled the grips to age the black ''rubber'' [gutta percha?] grips, and shot the heck out of the thing until a friend I've known for forty years talked me out of it. I carried it in the woods when I didn't have any cartridge handguns at all, and I liked that it was a six-shooter and had the heftier ''Navy'' frame, rather than the elegant little pocket model frame. Also, the 1873 grips would never have fit on a ''true'' 1862 Police.

tomykay12 said:

By 1862 concept, I meant something medium sized, a little bigger than the 1849, but smaller than the big dogs, and with some ballistic authority. Anyone have a picture of the Pietta and Uberti side by side? Or a pic of the 1849 and 1862 police Uberti style? As said, I have held the Pietta only, know it's authentical shortcomings, and liked it in my hand. Just wondering about the Uberti. Thanks, tk

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Here is a photo of mine. In each case the full fluted cylinder is the 1861 and the half fluted cylinder is the Pocket Police. I believe you can see the difference in size.



I like each one for different reasons. The Pocket Police is certainly an easy piece to carry and gives me five shots. The 1861s afford me one more shot and are only slightly less easy to carry. If you like the grips on the 1861, that is what you should probably get. The Pocket Police grip is substantially smaller,.

tomykay12 said:

Thankyou for the effort on the photograph; that is a help. I am guessing the Pietta "version" of the 1862 would fall in between regarding size. I'll look at the 1861 as well. Might need a few of these things, lol, tk

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The Pietta 'version' of the 1862 doesn't fall in between the Navy and pocket police pictured. It has the same size grips, frame, and cylinder as the '61 Navy pictured. The barrel is just 2 1/2" shorter (5 inch vs 7 1/2 inch).

The Uberti must be the same frame size as the 1849, correct?

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Correct

I have a brass framed ASM 5 shot that is the size of the Uberti.

Yep, need both, tk

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I coulda toll ya that

Once you bought one of them, you'd be hooked for good. You'd just want more and more of em.

Don't ask me how I know

I too have the Pietta version Police Pistol (or Manhattan as some call it). The reason I chose it is because it has the larger 1861 frame. I love that little pistol I can see why they sell so many. Every once and a while you will see them on "special" and can save a few bucks. Good choice......

I'm still scratching my head about where the 61 Navy falls in size.
Is it the same size as a 60 Army but in 36 cal.?
Or is the 61 Navy slightly smaller than the Army but much larger than the 62 Police?
I have a two 62's and a 60 Army and the 62's are about 2/3 the size of the Army.
I owned a brace of 61's back in the 60's but I've never been able to compare directly.

Pancho said:

I'm still scratching my head about where the 61 Navy falls in size.
Is it the same size as a 60 Army but in 36 cal.?

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The '61 Navy uses the '51 Navy frame, as does the 1860 Army. The Army however, has a longer grip, which the '61 Navy does not share.

The '62 Pocket Police/Navy are based on the .31 Pocket Frame. Like the 1860 Army, the water table was cut down to accept the rebated cylinders.

swathdiver said:

The '61 Navy uses the '51 Navy frame, as does the 1860 Army. The Army however, has larger grips, which the '61 Navy does not share.

The '62 Pocket Police/Navy are based on the .31 Pocket Frame. Like the 1860 Army, the water table was cut down to accept the rebated cylinders.

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One of the better summaries I have seen!

"The '61 Navy uses the '51 Navy frame, as does the 1860 Army. The Army however, has larger grips, which the '61 Navy does not share."

Will a '51/'61's grip fit on a '60? Do the screws all line up?

They SHOULD as long as they're from the same maker, yes. The frame size is identical.

Uberti for Uberti, ASM for ASM, Colt for Colt, etc. Some do cross over but no guarantee there. Better to check with the forums first.

I'm more comfortable with referring to the 1860's grip as being longer, not necessarily larger. As the only dimension differing is the length, the rest of the profile is the same. The Walker and Dragoon are larger, the 1849/1862 is smaller. The 1860 is just a quarter inch longer than the 1851/1861/SAA. Might sound like splitting hairs but folks might get the impression that the grip on an 1860 is more hand-filling or provides more room behind the triggerguard. Neither is the case.