1861 new navy 36

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tartancat

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What is the best group you have achieved with a Colt .36, off a rest, at 25yds or further. How did you manage it? The best I can do with my ,61 is about 3" + fliers.
. One of my problems is bad [the original Army San Marko] nipples. They vary in lenght by as much as .009". My present load is the one Elmer Keith recommended, 27gr of fffg, a greased felt wad and a .385" ball. Thanks Guys!
 
First of all, welcome to the High Road.
I have a Pietta 1851 Colt in 36. If I'm having a good day, I can keep a 2" group of four shots from a rest. Wish I could do that all the time. With C&B revolvers, I usually get more accurate results with lighter powder charges. For my particular gun I use 15 to 20 grains of FFFG Goex, A lubed felt wad and a .375 ball. Mine is a steel frame gun and can handle higher powder charges but accuracy suffers above 20 grs.

Jeff
 
First of all, welcome to the High Road.
I have a Pietta 1851 Colt in 36. If I'm having a good day, I can keep a 2" group of four shots from a rest. Wish I could do that all the time. With C&B revolvers, I usually get more accurate results with lighter powder charges. For my particular gun I use 15 to 20 grains of FFFG Goex, A lubed felt wad and a .375 ball. Mine is a steel frame gun and can handle higher powder charges but accuracy suffers above 20 grs.

Jeff
Thanks for the welcome and reply! After I get hold of some good nipples, lighter charges are the first things I will try. Cheers! Derek
 
Welcome. That's a pretty heavy charge for a 61 Navy. One thing that limits the Colts are their archaic sights. All the competitors go with the Remington or the Rogers & Spencer for tighter groups over those distances. Those guys are the experts they should know.
 
This is a top of the line Remington but he is getting the groups that you want.


Thank you Crawdad1. that's a good video, I really like that "Capandball" channel. I have a Ruger Old Army that gives me beautiful groups, but I want to see just how much accuracy I can get out of a ,36 Colt. I believe square one is to open up the forcing cone [after the usual de-burr and polish!] then try to load each charge with the same pressure. I did'nt think of bad nipples until my last range session.
 
Good point about polishing out the forcing cone on these Colts.

Give us a range report after you're done. :)
I will do that, but it will be a while
before I can get some good nipples, so I will play with the ROA or a single-shot until then. I have a .33 Siber that is a real target ruiner--just chews a dollar -sized hole in the x-ring, This is off a bench mind you, my targets off-hand look like I have been patterning a shotgun, I could shoot some pistol when I was younger,but since I hit 80 everything has gone pear-shaped., but I am too stubborn to quit. Something else I will try. I want to cherry out a mould with a bullet for the .36.Tapered, for easy loading but with 2 good driving-bands.Mind you, to get all my planned projects done, I will have to live to be 392! In the man time I will just try to keep eating the elephant, one bite at a time.
 
Back in the way-backs when I shot C&B a lot I had an 1861 Navy. If I ever knew the brand I didn't care enough to remember it. Being dumber than a box of rocks I figured if the charge fit in the gun I was good to go. I had a flask that threw 30 grains by volume so I just mashed a Speer .375 ball onto a load of Pyrodex and called it good. Of course the ball didn't so much resemble a ball by the time I was done; the print of the loading rod would be mashed into it so deep it looked more like some kind of mutant wadcutter. I never bothered with grease either, just took the gun apart and boiled it before cleaning it. I used it to shoot coyotes in Kansas and never had any trouble getting good hits so I just figured I must be doing something right.

After I moved back to Seattle it was all range-work. I usually shot t ten or fifteen yards and while it shot high I was happy enough with the accuracy, but one time I decided to shoot it at fifty yards just for giggles. I was quite impressed that I managed a 5-inch group at that range offhand. It wasn't until years later that I found out I was doing it all wrong; good thing I didn't know or I'd have never managed to shoot it so well!
 
Been several years since I shot mine. Got better accuracy with charge of 23 grains BP than with the higher loads. Don't remember size of group. Just got a Pocket Police and will be taking it out soon for a try out. Perhaps will take the '61 out and shoot it again.










b
 
With B/p revolvers you usually start with 1/2 the caliber for powder load; 36 would be 18 gr. work up till group opens up and back down till it's what you want. For tightest group weigh your ball/bullet, cast bullets/balls can vary over 5 grains, keep them grouped to 2 grains or under for best groups.
 
IMG_3554.JPG Six shots from the Uberti, Gonnerized Colt, 1851 Navy. High ball first shot from a clean cold barrel. Off hand, 12 yards, Lee 1.3 dipper, 380 ball, 50/50 beeswax/Crisco saturated felt wad. CCI #11 cap. Lee chart 1.3CC =20.7 grains. This is typical for me on any given day. Some worse, few any better.

The hold point is front site at the intersection of the 7 ring and the center line, she shoots high.
 
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Neat work at any range.I imagine that most shots in a cavalry fight would be about that range or closer. . but when Colt had his 51s demonstrated at tha World Exhibition in London+- he had his man shooting at some extraordinary ranges. Anyone have any info on that?
 
What is the best group you have achieved with a Colt .36, off a rest, at 25yds or further. How did you manage it? The best I can do with my ,61 is about 3" + fliers.
. One of my problems is bad [the original Army San Marko] nipples. They vary in lenght by as much as .009". My present load is the one Elmer Keith recommended, 27gr of fffg, a greased felt wad and a .385" ball. Thanks Guys!

I think it was a hot load for a navy my friend, try to go down to max. 20 grains and I think you will notice a difference in accuracy.
Of course, your nipple problem doesn't do you any favors ;)
 
I think it was a hot load for a navy my friend, try to go down to max. 20 grains and I think you will notice a difference in accuracy.
Of course, your nipple problem doesn't do you any favors ;)

With the Lee 1.3 CC dipper (20.7 grains by their chart) a 1/8 wad and round ball there is still room for more powder. What would be an "era specific" load be can anyone hazard a guess. Them boys weren't target shooters, referring here to another current thread by duelist 1954, what ever gun they carried would have been loaded for bear I suspect.

My Uberti 1851 won't accept conicals, simply no room under the frame. (At least the pretty little round nose ones that came with the gun from a fellow forum member)
 
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