Original and Replicas
The New Pocket Models
Original Pocket Police
In late 1861, Colt introduced not only the modern version of the .36 Navy with all the features of the 1860 Army Revolvers but also extended the line of pocket revolvers. The Pocket Navy or, Pocket Revolver of Navy Caliber, was a scaled-down, five-shot version of the 1851, while the Pocket Police revolvers were of the same size utilizing the modern features including the ratcheted loading lever, cylinder flutes and round barrel. Both mirrored the Army and Navy by rebating the frame and reducing the rear of the cylinder to allow a .36-caliber arm on the .31 Pocket Model frame. William Clark Quantrill, the Confederate raider, reportedly favored this model. These revolvers would remain in production until 1873 and reach production numbers of about 19,000 of the old Navy pattern and in the high 20,000 range of the modern type. Some of the later design remained in the factory and became cartridge revolvers in the early 1870s.
Our examples include an original Colt and a couple of replicas. All are fine shooters.
.36 Uberti Pocket 80 gr. Ball- .375&.380" Velocity fps Spread (5)
15 Grains Goex FFFg 774 60
15 Gr/Vol. Pyrodex P 774 23
15 Gr/Vol. H777 596 290
.36 Pocket Navy
15.8 Goex FFFg 690 13
15 Grains Swiss 787 58
Recorded velocities with the standard 15-grain charge resemble the performance of the .32 Smith and Wesson cartridge that began to appear in pocket revolvers in the late 1870s. Pyrodex and Goex FFFg were virtually identical while the H 777 turned in the same wildly erratic performance observed in compressed full loads in other handguns.
The original Colt Pocket Police is in very good condition with the exception of a pitted bore. There is evidence of some mishandling in that the safety pins are flattened off and there are some hammer strike marks on the rear of the cylinder on either side of the nipples. It has some remaining blue and nickel plate left on the front portion of the grip frame. We charged it up with .380 balls, 15 grains of Goex FFFg and Remington number ten caps. The loading, handling, and shooting sensations were indistinguishable from the Uberti replicas. Number ten Remington caps were a perfect fit, and the seating pressure for the .380-inch balls was the same as with a Uberti. Cycling was very smooth and as problem-free as the replica pocket models we have modified for reliability with burst caps. Cumpston fired five “duelist” from twenty-five yards and registered a group about ten inches above point of aim and a bit to the right. The five-shot cluster measured about five inches, which is right in line with the expected off-hand accuracy with the replicas.
New Pocket Police Model revolvers and the full line of spare parts are available from Uberti USA and Cimarron Arms. They are very fine shooters once one has grown accustomed to the small grips. A five-inch off-hand group at twenty-five yards is not unusual and a properly sighted Pocket Police or Navy would make a decent small-game revolver.
Colt Pocket Navy
The Pocket Navy has the same rebated frame and cylinder as the Pocket Police, the New Navy and the 1860 Army. Built on the 31 Pocket revolver frame, it uses the same loading lever assembly as the earlier and still popular so-called 1849 revolvers. The inclusion of the Pocket Navy may well stem from Colt’s well-known penchant for economy and making efficient use of all available parts. The unfluted cylinder may be a bow toward the nostalgic sensibilities of ’51 Navy owners. Imaginative collectors early dubbed this revolver “The New Pocket Navy of 1853,” but it was clearly a product of the Civil War period.
Our Uberti version, made in 2004, had a heavier trigger and rougher action than most of the larger Uberti replicas made in the same period. Bates addressed the trigger pull by laying a ridge of epoxy on the front of the hammer under the full-cock notch. In this way, he was able to reduce creep and apparent trigger pull without interfering with surface hardening of the metal. The action became smoother as we used the revolver and displayed reliable function when we switched from CCI number 11 to the Remington number 10 caps that fit this revolver better. The 690 foot-per-second velocity with the .375-inch ball over 15.8 grains of Goex FFFg was a bit lower than seen with the Pocket Police revolvers with a smaller charge. Such variations among similar and even identical arms are common. The thirteen feet-per-second spread over five rounds is typical of expected consistency with black powder.
The circa five-inch barrel of the Uberti Pocket Navy provided fine balance and contributed to very satisfactory off-hand shooting at paper targets at various distances. Point of impact was more than a foot over the sights at sixty feet and twenty-five yards. Bates cut a dovetail in the barrel and installed a taller blade sight. He then regulated the revolver to hit to the sights at the above distances. The modified revolver makes a fine kit gun for field shooting and small-game hunting at close range.
