Got a REAL front sight on my navy now !!!

[Cincinnati Slim]

Howdy All,

Got a Pietta "Old Silver" .44 1851 Navy from Impact Guns a couple of weeks ago. After smoothing off the rough edges went shootin' with 'er. .454 ball, 30 Gr. fff Goex, wonder wads, Remmie #11 caps and R&D conversion cylinder, .452 200 Grain RNFP, 30 Gr. Pyrodex. Groups were good but pretty high, maybe 6-8 inches at 15 yards.

That tiny little brass "acorn" sight is barely .10 high, hard to see and d*mn near useless

Took some pliers and pulled 'er out !. Hole was .073 deep, barrel was .10 thick at that point. I'd ordered a 1858 Remington dovetail mounted blade front sight from DGW and a Wheeler Engineering dovetail cutting fixture from Midway. Wrapped tape around the barrel to protect it from mishaps and to space the bottom of the dovetail high enough. Used the old front sight hole as a guide. Got out the jeweler's files and went to work !

Sight blade was .248 wide at bottom of dovetail. Cut a .20 wide .065 deep slot with a mill file and then cut dovetails with jeweler's files and the dovetail file supplied with the Wheeler gizmo. Just followed the instructions and after about a half hour's work I drifted the new sight into place with a brass punch.

Hooray ! A front sight I can actually SEE !

Wasn't hard at all, that Wheeler jig made it EASY.

Range report to follow...

Happy Trails,

Cincinnati Slim

 

[Plink]

Way to go, Slim! Doing your own work feels great, doesn't it?

 

[BigBlock]

And where might I ask are the pictures?!

 

[edggy]

Cincinnati Slim Where did you buy the R&D cylinder from. I have been looking
for one and have not been able to find one for the Old Silver Revolver in a
44 Caliber. Was it from impact guns. Do you have web site for this people

 

[Afy]

Pictures please....

 

[Cincinnati Slim]

"Old Silver" sights and R&D cylinder

Howdy,

I used a blue R&D .45 Colt conversion cylinder from my Pietta 1860 Army. Both were from Taylor's. I have seen the note on some websites about the lack of availability of R&D cylinders for the "Old Silver". I think it is just about the lack of a nickel/stainless R&D. The blue one fits and works just fine once I took about .002-.003 off the rear of the "Old Silver" barrel/forcing cone with a stone. The Conversion cylinders are usually about .002 longer than the percussion versions. Most C&B pistols have extra large barrel-cylinder gaps, the "Old Silver" was unusually tight.

Pietta uses the same frame for both the 1851 and 1860 models. They just use different grip frames and barrels to make it an "ARMY" or "NAVY". That's why they have .44 caliber "NAVY" revolvers. I have a stainless percussion cylinder for the stainless/engraved 1851 "Marshall" from Cabela's. It fits my 1860 perfectly. I've had both of these guns apart and EVERTHING in/on them interchanges FINE. If you don't ave a problem with the "two-tone" (blue/stainless) look just get a R&D .45 Colt cylinder from Midway or Taylor's.

I went to the range yesterday at 15 yards with .45 Colt "Cowboy" loads in a conversion cylinder it shot dead-on p.o.a.

Once it warms up I'll try it w/cap&ball loads at 25 yards at Friendship.

I'll bet It ends up about 3-4 inches low. A few strokes of a file and I'll be dead on !

It's fairly "period correct"; I've seen several pictures of old Colts with dovetail mounted front sights in various books and websites. Usually happened during the process of conversion to shoot metallic cartridges...

I'll try and get some pictures of the sight installation and the Wheeler Eng. fixture in the next couple of days and post them here. My last dovetail sight install was using a Marble's 5/8 dovetail on the 1860. It's really pretty ugly compaired to this one. Those Marble's/Williams's sight inserts are for RIFLES and are really too big for pistolas. It works but looks sorta stupid. The Remmie blade is JUST RIGHT !

Later...

Slim

 

[Smiling Bob Masterson]

Cincinnati Slim,

Sent you a PM

Smiling Bob Masterson

 

[StrawHat]

Cincinnati Slim

Pietta uses the same frame for both the 1851 and 1860 models

.

Actually, Colts used the 1851 frame when they introduced the 1860.

Colts had been working on a 40 caliber version of the 1851 but introduced the 1860 in 44 caliber instead. After the 1860 was produced the plans for the 40 caliber were shelved. I believe two prototype 1851s were made in 40. New advances in steel technology and production allowed Colts to make a practical 44 Belt Model Revolver.