1851 Navy Squareback on GB: a little info help please!

[Fingers McGee]

so Reb's may be one of them. is what I said but your statement means that it is a 2nd Gen. C-Series, correct?

Serial number of Reb's is too high to be a 2nd Gen. As I stated previously, 2nd Gen SNs (C & F series) went from 4201 to 28150.

Pictures would help ID it.

 

[Reb Holister]

Here are the pictures. There are no other markings anywhere on it.

 

[expat_alaska]

I've never seen a Squareback '51 Navy Colt, whether it was an Original, Second or Third Generation, that has the loading lever screw enter from the left. Regarding the repros, who knows. And who cares, its a repro.

Crawdad, I don't want to argue semantics. Your Original/2nd/3rd gen "Colts" are your baseline, and it is obvious you disdain any "purely" Italian repros, and prefer anything that is branded "Colt" over anything else. That's OK. Your call. Your definition is correct. I do believe Colt used some Italian gunmakers in order to create some different "generation" pistols, though. Correct me if I am wrong.

For all of the rest of us that may be interested in repros (and I care), I have never been able to find any manufacturer or dealer that uses the term "1851 Navy Second Model" when dealing with Italian repro 1851 Navy .36 SB TG octagon barrel models.

Pietta brands this pistol as such:

http://www.pietta.us/products/Muzzleloadinguns/Navy/gallery/Navy_1851_18.html

In addition, Dixie Gun Works still sells the same pistol as the RH0850 Pietta M1851 NAVY YANK LONDON REVOLVER, which is quite a misnomer.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=14047&osCsid=8t7brd43euh48c0u7ir1i1qve4

For all intents and purposes, with the rectangular cylinder stop slots and a rollmarked cylinder, SB TG, full octagon barrel, regardless of which side the load-lever pivot screw enters, that's about as close as one can get to a repro 1851 Navy Second Model these days. I don't have the money to entertain the "Colt" repros, and that is what they are: repros. You purists may defer.

I have a Pietta 1851 Navy Second Model SB but it was created from a RB TG model [2014 CM] with a SB TG from Pietta via Taylor's, so that doesn't count insofar as the screw being an original representation.

There is a gentleman on another forum who just received one last Tuesday from DGW, and he seems very pleased with it. Says he will post pics soon.

And these pistols all have the load-lever pivot screw entering from the left side.

Since you decide to ignore the repro Italians, that is your call.

And I thank you for maintaining a list of all folks belonging to the THR 1851-1860 Club. Kudos.

Jim

 

[expat_alaska]

View attachment 233346 Here are the pictures. There are no other markings anywhere on it.

That is one beautiful pistol!

Good on you!

Jim

 

[Fingers McGee]

Reb,

Great pictures. At first glance, from the serial number, it looks like a real nice original late third model 1851 Navy made in 1857. But, the square back trigger guard is a 1st and 2nd Model feature; the loading rammer screw is on the wrong side for a late 3rd model, and the loading notch in the barrel is not beveled; Barrel address is early NY which was an early third model feature; are all anomalies. Regardless, It's a beautiful piece.

 

[dickydalton]

Serial number of Reb's is too high to be a 2nd Gen. As I stated previously, 2nd Gen SNs (C & F series) went from 4201 to 28150.

Pictures would help ID it.

Opps, my bad, Fingers. I was thinking his was 6870. Sorry.

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

I've heard that Sam Colt was very accommodating when it came to pleasing customers. If he was making round guard revolvers and you wanted one with the old square guard, you got it. Reb's 1851 is a beautiful specimen!!!

 

[Crawdad1]

I should not have put it that way Jim, my apologies and I'll go back and delete that part of my post. But there so many deviation in the repros such as the 'shooters' model with their fully adjustable front and rear sights, Uberti putting a dovetailed front sight on all their Remington models, Pietta's 1851 Army, in other words I've pretty much given up tracking all of their variation from what is historically correct.

They shoot well, are extremely accurate and there are plenty of spare and after market parts for them which keeps our sport going strong. I guess I should be a little more grateful.

 

[Eric N.]

I am the guy who got my square back from Dixie last Tuesday. Very nice gun. Date code is CP,I am told it was made in 2016. I couldn't be happier. Now if it shoots 1/2 as good as it looks.........