Greetings and Salutations !

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oldcodger

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from a new guy. Tom here. :cool:

I grew up shooting but am completely new to BP.

I assembled my first, a CVA WF .31 from a kit in 1985. It cost $62.00 then;

as yet, it's unfired, except for five caps alone. I presume that it's ASM, being from CVA. No proofs, only a serial number on the bottom of the frame. SN 681XX

Then, a couple of years ago, found another CVA (ASM) WF .31 - it was nasty, and out of a cruddy tool box. Gave $25.00 for it. Also no proofs, but has the SN 786XX

For Christmas, the wife unit and "kids" got me a cased Uberti "WF Colt" - nice !!
SN 06XX - boxed mark "AP" shows 1986, I think...can't find the .pdf now.

any info on all the above would be sincerely appreciated.

now, the old eyeball is on a used (looks unfired) Pietta 1851 in .44

drool...

Glad to be here.

oc
 
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thanks. I've been lurking for a while, and said - "eh, why not !! "

cool site, good folks, lots of experienced knowledge here.. :)

member ARCTICAP - I sent you a message.....
 
I'm confused. What is a WF?

Never mind. It just hit me. Wells Fargo.

Obviously not "water fowler".
 
Sorry, Jaymo-

I thought I'd put Wells Fargo in there at least once..

my bad
:banghead:

Tom
 
No problem. My brain just wasn't in gear.

BTW, hello and welcome.
 
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Welcome Oldcodger.
We may be related, because so many of my younger friends claim I'm a member of the Old family: Geezer, F**t, Man, Grump and Gummer. :D

I would not drool over a Pietta 1851 Navy in .44 caliber. Likely, it has a brass frame. Brass-framed revolvers are typically not as well made as their steel-framed brothers. Their fit and finish is cruder, especially in the polishing of chambers, fitting of moving parts and the smoothness of the rifled bore.
Spend the little extra money and get a steel-framed 1851. I started on cap and ball revolvers about 1970, shooting a brass-framed 1851 Navy in .44 caliber. It was an okay starter gun, but it soon wore out.
Don't be fooled by the 1851 in .44 caliber. The chambers won't hold as much powder as other, authentic .44 revolvers. A maximum charge, under a .451 ball with no wad, was about 30 grains when I had my Navy .44 cal.
If you still want an 1851, consider getting it in its original .36 caliber. You don't need a .44 ball to put a hole in cans and paper targets. You'll also burn less powder.
The only problem with .36 calibers is finding .380" balls instead of the more common .375 inch. The larger ball seals better, and may aid accuracy because it provides a wider bearing band for the rifling to grip.

For a good start, go to the Blackpowder Essentials section at the top of this section. You'll find lengthy, informative posts written by myself and others. They're good to print out, and use as reference for years.
 
Thanks, Gato-

not sure yet, :neener:but you're sorta makin' me a believer...against the brassy'51.

My main consideration of this piece is that I have a chance for a deal at a pawn shop, and they do deal.

I've read a lot of the posts here on brass-framed repros, and I am inclined to listen to good advice ( I copied the reference material you offered, and pasted it into a Word Document on my desktop, for reading and re-reading).

Any suggestions/clues on steel-framed '62 police, or something similar sized?
Budget is my main constraint...

Steel Police in .36 or .44 ?

I also have my eye on a steel-framed .44 '58 Rem by Lyman. Also a great deal, pricewise, if it's worth having. Your thoughts?

Best,
Tom
 
I like the 58 .44s a lot. I have 2 of them, made by Pietta.
I forget who made them for Lyman, but I've heard that they're good.
 
thank you - further consideration on accumulation on fundage.

and yes, the Gurkhas ARE coming !

oc
 
62 Police

Gatefeo knows his stuff about the 62 Police. I have two of them and they do have their failings mainly jamming due to "cap crap" but they are beautiful guns. By the way the 62 Colt Police only comes as a 5 shot 36 cal. and physically is about 2/3 the size of an 1860 colt army.
 
Thanks, Pancho-

I guess I have a lot of thinking to do, maybe flip a coin,
or just shoot what I have for a while until I can get
to a SASS/CAS event to see first hand..
then decide.

oc
 
OC,

Welcome to the Forum and to black powder shooting. Like most of us I'm sure you will find it addicting.

A couple of suggestions. If possible, try to handle the various models to see what fits your hand and balances best for you. Also, if you decide on a Remington 1858 New Army in 44 (steel frame of course), keep an eye on Cabela's. They sometimes have the Pietta model on sale for under two hundred bucks. I got one about a year ago. It is well made, nicely finished and very accurate. Cabela's has sales on other cap and ball revolvers but I think the sale price for the Remington may be their best value.

Jeff
 
Sometimes owning a '51 Brassy makes me feel so inadequate.:cuss:

Although I seldom disagree with Gatofeo we do part ways on the Fake Navy. It seems that this discussion is like the Ford vs. Chevy or Colt vs. Remington, it will never be resolved so those of us who like those cheap brass repros must just agree to disagree.;)

Find what talks to you personally and have fun.

Welcome to the world of the Holy Black.
 
Thanks, Folks !!

I really feel welcome, Bear, Joe, Steve, Gato, Jeff, NC and ALL.

Tough decision as to where to go next.

Bear- what part of NoVa?

do you shoot CAS? I would like to attend an event when it warms up
(today's SWEET, except for the wind):(

Standin' by,

oc
 
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Hi oldcodger.

Welcome to the forum. You came to the right place. Lots of good folks here with lots of knowledge. Just look at and handle as many revolvers as you can and sooner or later you'll find one you like. Me, I've got a couple of Remmys and a Spiller and Burr. Don't have a Colt yet, but it's on my list. I really like my Remmys. I haven't fired the Spiller yet, but I'll get around to it. Just remember have fun and above all be safe.
NC
 
Thanks, NC... as said, I'm-a likin' it here.

I am a pretty finicky sort, and know I hafta live with my choices, so I will take all the advice and decide slowly..

As I said in my first post, I have the three Wells Fargo .31s, as yet unfired by me, so I think I'll shoot at least two of them first, then go shoppin' : )

oc
 
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I'm not a fan of brass-framed revolvers for reasons of fact, not the "Chevy vs. Dodge vs. Ford" argument, which is pretty much based on opinions.
Yes, all three makers have made wonderful vehicles, and their share of lemons too.
But for the past 40 years, I've seen little other than price to recommend a brass-framed revolver. They are almost always of poorer fit and finish than their steel-framed counterparts.
Clearly, not as much attention to final finishing and polishing is applied to brass-framed guns. That's why they're cheaper. Typically, their chambers and bores are rougher. Removal of tooling marks, especially around the trigger guard and within the frame, is not completed.
I'd classify them as good starter guns, for those on a budget, but don't expect a decent trigger pull or smoothness of action.
The minimal or total lack of polishing in the bore, chambers and moving parts afffects accuracy.
Yes, some can be accurate. And there are brass-framed guns out there that are well made, but they are the exception.
There's a reason they're cheaper than the steel-framed guns: not as much detail work is put into them and it shows.
But as a first-time gun, they're okay. I started about 1970 with a brass-framed 1851 Navy in the unauthentic .44 caliber. It was okay for learning but was never very accurate.
Not until I got a new Colt 2nd generation 1851 Navy in .36 caliber, and other steel-framed revolvers of high quality made by Pietta and Uberti, that I discovered how accurate these guns can be.
And I shoot all offhand and from a benchrest at 25 yards most of the time. I've even fired my Colt 2nd gen. Navy out to 300 yards, where I learned that these revolvers could still make life interesting for an aggressor.
If you ever want to determine just how accurate your load is, fire it at 100 yards or more. Any inaccuracies are magnified at the longer range and become apparent.
The late gun writer Elmer Keith mentioned this test many times. It's a good one, though it's not indicative of accuracy with a .38 wadcutter. Those barrel-shaped bullets tend to shed velocity quickly and tumble past 200 yards, though they can be wonderfully accurate out to 50 or 75 yards.
 
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