My Navy Arms boot pistol

[Busyhands94]

Recently I did a trade, I traded three boxes of old ammo (paid $5 apiece for them at a garage sale) for this neat little gun and I also got 60 pieces of .30-30 brass with it. The gun is a Navy Arms .36 caliber boot pistol, single shot ball and cap smoothbore. I got the gun and it looked to be unfired. It's a lot bigger than I imagined, but that's alright. I'm considering looking into some shot loads, that way I can use it sort of like a .410 pistol.



Last night I was feeling like the thing was a little cheesy. I didn't particularly get the hotts for it. I fired it today, and I have come to like it.

 

[Patocazador]

I think you'll like it better if you "un-shiny" the brass and refinish the wood with a dark, aged looking stain.

 

[72coupe]

I like it just the way it is and I think your idea of using it as a short handy shotgun is a perfect use for it.

 

[rodwha]

Great idea!

I'd also refinish the wood.

What kind of load can it handle being brass?

How accurately can you shoot the PRB's?

 

[BowerR64]

I like the color of that wood

How does it shoot?

 

[Busyhands94]

The gun actually shoots well at close range. All I had at the time was some .375 roundballs, I knocked em' into the bore with a piece of wood from my truckbed and rammed them home with an aluminum rod. That method seems to work well enough.
This little gun is surprisingly powerful, I put a .36 caliber ball clean through a 2X4 with it, so it ain't no joke as far as I can tell! And, I can nail pop cans from 15 feet, not bad for a gun with no sights and a big ol' hammer in the way of aiming!

I like the idea of stripping off all that cheesy plating and bluing the hammer and trigger, then maybe giving the barrel a patina. I like the wood though, it does look nice.

This is turning out to actually be a pretty serviceable pistol. When I decided to get this thing, I had no intentions of using it for anything but fun and plinking. But it might just be useful after all, I am tempted to leave it loaded but not capped and stick it in my tackle box for killin' critters down at the fishin' hole.

 

[goon]

If the bore is tight with .375 balls, you can get some .360 from Track of the Wolf or probably even try some 000 Buck pellets (which I think are about .363). Smoothbore and patch it to fit... ain't no nevermind. But from what I've seen in your other posts, you'll be casting before too long. Since it's a smoothbore with no rifling to worry about, I'd imagine even straight wheelweight lead should make a serviceable ball.

Not too bad for a $15 investment. You definitely traded up.

 

[Busyhands94]

Goon, I'm thinking I'll buy a big ol' jar of 000 buck, or better yet get a gang mold for buckshot. I can't see myself shooting this thing a whole lot, but I can see myself loading buck for my 12 gauge.

I take after my mother in that department. She's been making good money by buying furniture and such from garage sales for pennies and selling it for hundreds at flea markets.

I do owe her some credit though, she said that there was ammo and reloading supplies at a garage sale in our small town. I hopped in my pickup and peeled rubber like a bat outta hell to get there, bought all the ammo that that feller' had! Every box of ammo was $5, including two boxes of military .38 Special. I shot those up, and I'm still enjoying that Mil-Surp brass that I got leftover. It's nice and thick and lasts with my mild .38 loads.

 

[Crawdad1]

Those guns were in wide use throughout and I wish more western movies would have more of these single shot pistols depicted. Not everyone had a Colt.

 

[rodwha]

What charge did you use to get that ball through the 2X4? At what distance?

 

[Busyhands94]

I was using 18 grains, and I was about ten feet away. This little gun sure packs a punch for what it is. That ball tore out of that barrel faster than a cheetah on cocaine! I'm really tempted to chrono it and get me some numbers. One thing is for certain, if I was out fishing and this was all I had, I'd be able to take down a snake with legs or no legs.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Good deal at $15.

 

[rodwha]

I'm guessing the barrel is about 5-6" long?

 

[Busyhands94]

It's about 6" long I'd say. I don't think this was a bad deal at all. At first I was sorta unsure whether or not to go for it, then I had a few beers and slept on it and it was a done deal. I'm feeling good about getting a new piece.

 

[rodwha]

I've been looking at the shorter models offered at Dixie. I think it would be neat!

 

[forward observer]

It's about 6" long I'd say. I don't think this was a bad deal at all. At first I was sorta unsure whether or not to go for it, then I had a few beers and slept on it and it was a done deal. I'm feeling good about getting a new piece.

Two of these just sold in separate auctions by the same seller on GB.com. They were NIB, and the bidding was up to about $120 shortly before they ended, but that had met the seller's reserve. I was bidding on something else ending about the same time and lost track of them, so I don't know the final price.

However, I do remember that the seller indicated that Navy Arms sold them under the name "The Seven Seas" pistol--giving them a nautical theme.

He also pictured both with the steel barrels unscrewed from the brass lock section--indicating that this made cleaning them easier.

Original screw barrels usually had a lug on the barrel along with a special key/wrench to make this operation easier, but those guns were designed to be loaded with the barrel off.

He didn't indicate if that was possible with this model.

Anyway, it seems you got a pretty neat little pistol for bargain.

Cheers

 

[crazyjennyblack]

Good deal for $15. However, you used to be able to get these online a few years ago for about $35. I think the design was called a "Richardson" but I might be mistaken. Apparently, some didn't work so well because the hammer spring was underpowered, and they didn't sell well. I passed on one at a gun show for about $30 a few years ago, and I kinda wish I'd bought it just to have it for a fun project.

 

[forward observer]

If one types either Seven Seas Derringer or Richardson pistol into Google and then chooses the image tab, you will see pictures of this very same pistol listed for both. Clicking on the picture will usually link one to old auctions.

Here's one that includes a shot of the Navy arms box, which shows "Seven Sea Derringer"
(the last "r' is missing)
http://www.purplewave.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?100106/5375/10
Still in 2010, it only sold for $27.50 in an on-line auction.

Under "Richardson" one mostly get pictures of Harrington & Richardson pistols, but there are some links to auctions where the same pistol is shown and it was also listed as a Richardson

Of course Navy Arms was probably importing these from one of the Italian makers, and they could have sold them under more than one name over a period of time.

It is a bit confusing, but it does appear that two that sold on GB.com this week might have sold for so much due to competitive bidding.

Cheers

 

[kBob]

These are in concept much like the Classic Arms "Ace" which I posted on Busyhands old little BP topic ( forgot what it was called)

I have one Ace assembled that is rifled, though one must wonder what possible advantage rifleing could give on a sightless, center hammered single shot.

This gun I have shot with shot and dryer lint wadding and it is the gun I set off with that load using plastic red ring caps cut into single caps. Does leave plastic residue on the nipple BTW.

I have a smooth bore kit that I have yet to put together and have only had about 30 years.........

-kBob

edit:

I found it.....
the BP mouseguns club

 

[72coupe]

Kbob what is the expiration date on the kit?

 

[Busyhands94]

Well I think the nautical theme is rather appropriate. I joined the Navy. And it is a "Navy Arms" pistol after all.

This was definitely a nice deal. I got rid of some ammo that I don't have any guns chambered for and got a nice piece and some rifle brass for it.

Now I did check, you can't really load this piece from the breach and screw the barrel back on, it just doesn't work like that. You could probably get a couple grains in there, but I doubt it would even get that ball out of the barrel.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Levi, Good luck with the Navy, wpagw.

 

[Busyhands94]

Thanks Ken! I'd looked at the Marines but decided I'd rather go with the Navy instead. I made it through MEPS and got my job title, I'm gonna be an Equipment Operator! (If they don't go and put me somewhere else)

I pray from the bottom of my cold black heart that I am NOT stationed in California.

Hopefully I'll get enough range time in when I am in the service. If I don't fire a gun in a week or so I start to go through what is referred to as "ballistic withdrawal symptoms."

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Aren't you remotely interested in what wpagw is?

 

[Busyhands94]

I give, what is it?