1861 Navy Gunslinger Project

[Das Jaeger]

Here is the Pietta 1861 Navy .36 short barreled version project gun I have been working on since I got it back from a friend I gave it to that never shot it . The first set of grips I made for it came back dinged and scratched up from him ?
This is the gun that Cabelas sells that they call the 1862 Army Police ? Ok , whatever Cabelas ?
The Frame I did in the white , it's an 1861 Military Frame with cutout and 4th screw . Trigger guard and backstrap are 1851 Navy Civilian in Brass , no cutout for shoulder stock ! Serial numbers do not match parts here , from Cabelas mind you . I am calling this one my Frankenstien Gunslinger ...




The grips that I am in the process of fabricating are Blood Wood and will look like these when done :



Hard to believe these grip panels I cut will end up that color with no
stain whatsoever .



As you can see this panel is highly colored and figured , pictures do it no justice at all , its going to be incredible once laquered .

Prepped and ready to hand fit :

I do no sanding or filing grips on the gun , EVER ...

So far so good , should be a nice little Gunslinger when done , simular to this one but with the White frame and Brass Backstrap and Trigger gaurd it should realy be dazzling with the Blood Wood grips .



Cheers , Das Jaeger

 

[sixgun MAK]

Where do you get the screw set up and how do you do it for screwing the grip panels together?

You ought to try cocobolo if you can get some. I make longbows and I tell you, that stuff is purty.

 

[Das Jaeger]

MAk

Brownells sells the Escutcheons sets , by the six pack or dozen , and or with Pilot Drill bit too , a nice thing to have . How to do ? Drill hole , set Escutcheon Cup in one side, Escutcheon nut in other side , screw in screw , mark for length , take out , cut , file , sand screw , replace , done .
Do all that then take panels off , put finish you desire on grips, then replace screw .
Cocobolo is pretty wood , but hardly goes with Civil War Era revolvers . Kinda sticks out like a sore thumb , kinda like these Zebra Wood Grips , they just aint right !

But they are COOL !

Jaeger

 

[missuramoss]

Hey Das...I like yer professionalism in makin those grips! I just got the same revolver Saturday, and go figure...my SN's dont match up either.

Mine is cut for stock, and except for a very fine scratch above the wedge screw, and some crappy CCH on the frame...its a beautifull lill revolver.

And the grips are pretty plain jane lookin..so I'd like to do somethin with them also...My workspace is pretty limited, and as of now I have no shop space, (drills, sanders, etc)...Do you make those blood wood grips for sale?

 

[Das Jaeger]

Hi Missura

Glad ya got one , they are kinda cool little guns yes , even if they were never made , especially the Fluting on the Cylinders . I am told they are way wrong for the ERA . But , who cares ...They handle very well thats all
that matters to me
And no , I don't do grips for money anymore . Got no time , between work , motorcycles , and my own gun stuff , no time . There aint no money in it anyway , at least not for me . Two many hours of work involved for price one can charge and people would actualy pay. Most people think a set of grips that takes over ten hours ( minumum ) should be $25 , $50 at the most . I dont work for $5 an hour , or $10 , or $20 , or you get my drift at where I am going with this
Some of the grips I did that were on the guns I just sold have more time in them than the guns are worth easilly even at $10 an hour .
I would try to do them yourself , anything is better than those plain oil soaked Walnut ones they came with .
Be more than happy to walk ya through it on a PM if you ever want to try it .

Cheers , Congrats on your new gun , exciting man !

Jaeger

 

[BHP FAN]

They did exist,about a hundred of them anyhow,just with full length barrels.those are the fluted cylinder '61 Navys that Pietta insists on calling '62 police models,right? Of course no one ever bobbed barrels back in the day...

From :''Shooting the Colt Model 1861 "Navy " Revolver

By Tom Kelley


The original Colt 1861's carried a New York address on the 7 1/2-inch barrel, were .36 caliber and could load six shots. The most frequently encountered original 1861's have a cylinder that is roll engraved with a scene depicting the Texas Navy and Mexican Navy in battle, however, there were two other minor variations, including a FLUTED cylinder model and a model adapted to shoulder stocks...'' [emphasis mine]

 

[Tommygunn]

The original 1861 fluted cylinder had full flutes, not half flutes.
It was like the 1860 army fluted cylinder, except in .36 caliber.

~ ~ * ~ ~​

More excellent work Das Jaeger!

 

[Das Jaeger]

Thanks Tommy

for the compliemnt , and BHP for the good history lesson too .........
I was told by someone else here too the flutes on these are new age modern fluting . I like it anywayz , it looks good on the gun anywayz . Pietta makes alot of fun guns that never were , WE WIN

Jaeger

 

[BHP FAN]

damn skippy! Pietta quality has done nothing but get better all the time,too.

 

[Das Jaeger]

BHP

Today 12:38 AM
BHP FAN damn skippy! Pietta quality has done nothing but get better all the time,too.
--------------------

That's very true too BHP . Pietta has come a long way indeed .
Unfortunately or fortunately , my very first BP revovler was a Colt , so the first Pietta made Colt I bought from Gander Mountain way back when after that was a serious let down compaired . I guess even today , compairing , they still don't even come close , but the sloppy crud they were turning out 20 years ago or so was really piss poor . I have no problem today owning and even admiring some of my Piettas , they are built quite nicely actually , especailly for some of them being only a couple hundred dollars USA money . Those first couple I bought that many years back were embarrasing to even owne though .
One of the nicer ones I have now that I bought in the last few years has to be the 1873 Model "P" cap and baller they make now ? When Uberti stopped making these , Pietta took them on and are still producing them now too .
The quality of these is outstanding for just under $400 . Fit and finish are phenominal inside and out . Even the guts are pollished now on these , which they NEVER used to do on thier guns . I guess enough complaining to them helps .........You would be hard pressed to disagree that this is not a fine weapon even if you dont care for the phony design that never was back then in C & B . Reguardless of that fact , it is a fine revolver indeed . I wish all thier guns they make were this nice at least . Charge me $100 more than a standard 1851 Colt , I would surely pay it and I think you would too if they were just a little more refined like this one .






I still tend to migrate towards buying Uberti , but Pietta does produce some nice guns too . ..Now if they would just quit writing all over um like the Rooogers :banghead: ...But your right BHP , Damn Skippy they are much nicer than they used to be , and they do make some fun guns too .

Das Jaeger

 

[StrawHat]

A little more on the history lesson, the full fluted 1861s were not subject to the same problem that the 1860s had. The full fluted 1860s were "recalled" to replace the cylinder as it had a habit of exploding. The 36s, because of the extra metal, was a bit stronger.

The are my 1861s, Ubertis from the now gone Replica Arms, Marietta Ohio, company. My first C&B purchase back in 1970s.



A close up of the flutes.



Supposedly to lighten the revolver, I can not detect any weight reduction when worn or fired.

The half flutes on the Pietta Models are more like what was offered on the Colts Pocket Police model, the 36 on the 31 caliber frame.

 

[messerist]

Here is my .36 police. I've had it for about 11 years. Wife bought it for me for my birthday the year we married. Shoots like a dream and is very accurate(Lord knows it isn't me). Thanks for the inspiration to "re-grip" it. I am going to use curly maple.

 

[Smiling Bob Masterson]

Das Jaeger & messerist,
I got a Cabelas 1862 Army Police .36 in a trade, no manual. My pistol has a silver plated backstrap and trigger guard. What size powder charge do you shoot in your's?

Smiling Bob

 

[missuramoss]

Uh oh....I can see the start of "THR official pocket revolver club" startin......

 

[Das Jaeger]

Yummy Guns

Straw Hat , very nice ....

Smilin Bob Masterson , the 61's I have shot seam to like 18 and 21 grains respectively , the longer barreled one likes more powder , God knows why ?
Yours will be different am sure, but safe starting point is 15 grains about , biggest charge is all the powder you can put in the cylinder and still get a ball in it without crushing the powder . If your using 777 powder , reduce by 15% , they say . I don't I just load it till its accurate .

Missura , good choice on the Maple , will look very nice

Cheers, Jaeger

 

[madcratebuilder]

I got a Cabelas 1862 Army Police .36 in a trade, no manual. My pistol has a silver plated backstrap and trigger guard. What size powder charge do you shoot in your's?

If it's a Pietta 62 Army police it is not a pocket frame revolver, but a short barreled 61 Navy. If it is the holster frame then a 18-24gr load well work well. Pietta can be very creative when naming revolvers.

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Real nice tutorial on the Gunslinger's new grips Das Jaeger ... now may I please have that revolver :O)

 

[Das Jaeger]

Yes SG

you can have that revolver , Cabelas will sell you one too
Thanks , Jaeger

 

[Smokin_Gun]

 

[BHP FAN]

Man,I remember those 1873 P's 'Jager.I had a 7 1/2'',and a 5 1/2''.On the 7 1/2'' I had installed the now discontinued skeleton stock put out by Navy Arms.You'd be surprised how many self appointed ''marshalls'' came up and told me ''you can't DO that''...LOL!

 

[Das Jaeger]

BHP

BHP FAN Man,I remember those 1873 P's 'Jager.I had a 7 1/2'',and a 5 1/2''.On the 7 1/2'' I had installed the now discontinued skeleton stock put out by Navy Arms.You'd be surprised how many self appointed ''marshalls'' came up and told me ''you can't DO that''...LOL!
-----------------------------

Thats funny BHP , too many Marshals and not enough common sence going on there . My Dad always told me never talk crap to the guy holding the Darts at the Dart board ........Same story and moral applies at the Range when you have a Peacemaker in your hand , you would think , but there is always someone out there trying to be Sherrif and lettin ya know whats wrong and right :banghead: . Try that back in the 1700's and you'd get a head full of bullet for talkin smack .....Oh the good old days , less Marshals , and allot less people without common sence still standing to tell about thier Marshaling .
My take on it is unless your the BATF and are willing to take a bullet to Police how I keep my guns , then shut up and go about your bussiness .

I have never seen a skelaton stock for the Model "P" from Navy Arms , do you have a picture by chance BHP ? And why in Gods name did you get rid of those guns ? They are just Soooooooo Wrong , but they are just So Right . I would be hard pressed to ever get rid of these , especailly the now discontinued Uberti , this little badd mamma jamma is smoooooth





Cheers, Das Jaeger

 

[Das Jaeger]

BHP Balls

BHP , those BALLS go out today for ya

You know I really wish someone would make a .50 caliber cap and ball revolver ? That would be awsome !

Jaeger

 

[arcticap]

Clements Custom Guns was offering a .50 Ruger Conversion and may still do:

http://www.gunblast.com/Cumpston_ClementsFugett.htm

http://www.imageevent.com/fiveshooter/ccgoa

 

[Das Jaeger]

Now

that's a cannon !

Albeit very cool , I was hopin for a Tradtional Colt or Remington in my wishes , but I doubt even the 58 Remington has enough steel to tollerate the
.50 milled into the Cylinder ? That is a very cool Roooger though ..For a Rooger I bet the Rogers and Spencer could be done though . I wish I was retired and not just retarded , I would have time to build one .

Jaeger

 

[BHP FAN]

muy cool.I'd have preferred the round barrel.