New replicas

[Tommygunn]

I have the Palmetto Eli Whitney revolver. It shoots OK and it looks OK. The only problem is the wood the grips are made of look uneven and sort of "pocked" ... as if it had a bad case of acne one time.

Curiously, the nipples have small washers under them. I discovered this after the first time I shot it, when I disassembled it for cleaning. Weird. I don't know why, but they're still there; if the manufacturer thinks they should be there I ain't gonna argue.

 

[mykeal]

The washers are there because the machining on the cylinder is uneven in the nipple recesses. They give the nipple something to seat against. You're right to leave them in place.

 

[bprevolver]

Whitney revolver

Who else made a Whitney replica besides Palmetto?

 

[BHP FAN]

my Pietta Spiller and Burr is a brass framed version of the Whitney...

 

[Tomahawk674]

I would get the brass version, but I don't want a soft metal gun. I've seen the pics of how a brass recoil plate (if that's what you call it) looks after usage. It seems the cylinder recoil does a number on it.

 

[mykeal]

I've seen the pics of how a brass recoil plate (if that's what you call it) looks after usage.

I need to set the record straight here. What you said is not quite right, and it's important to understand why.

Brass framed guns are damaged by ABUSE, not by 'usage'. Repeatedly overloading the gun - full chamber loads which are universally less accurate and effective - is abuse and that's what damages the recoil shield. Using accurate loads does not produce the damage you've seen pictured.

So, your statement should really have been: "I've seen the pics of how a brass recoil plate (if that's what you call it) looks after abuse."

 

[pohill]

As far as I know, Palmetto is the only maker of Whitney repros, and I haven't heard too many good reports on their quality. A Whitney repro sold on Gunbroker recently and it looked pretty good.
Here's a pic of the recoil shield on my older Spiller & Burr that was abused:


And a pic of my original Whitney and my Spiller & Burr:
That Whitney is a good shooter, well balanced, points easy...one of my favorites.

 

[BHP FAN]

Notice if you will,that pohill's Spiller and Burr's brass frame is massive,and one piece,even compared to his original Whitney,and that even after being abused with what were surely massive overloads [to imprint the turning gear on the back of the cylinder into the frame like that] and yet there is no apparent frame stretch [charecterized by excess cylinder gap,or mis-timeing due to the 'hand' not reaching the back of the cylinder] and that the Spiller and Burr still seems to be in good,operateing condition.I won't say brass frame stretch is a myth,because in my misspent youth I've done it,but it's grossly overblown.It took me six years of contantly overcharging a Brass frame Confederate Navy 'Sheriff's' model 'Colt' opentop shooting the crud out of it two or three times[40 or 50 round sessions] a month,[it was my only handgun at the time] to turn it into an unsafe wall hanger,and even then it probably could have been shot,I just wasn't willing to take a chance on it any longer,as loose as it was.

 

[mykeal]

BHP FAN -
While I generally agree that 'brass frame stretch' is overblown, I can't see the evidence you cite in the pictures pohill provides. While they are fine pictures I submit that discerning the lack of excess cylinder gap and the hand not reaching the cylinder is a bit beyond the capability of my monitor - Is there some new HD technology I'm not aware of?

 

[SWC Bonfire]

You mean you don't have Google Micrometer? haha

I did a search and found a conversion of an 1851 to .22LR by CVA... looks like they lined the barrel and cylinder bores, turned the back of the cylinder off, and put a spacer with firing pin like a normal open-top conversion... although they didn't have much in the way of a loading gate, and it was still a six-shot. Surely they could fit at least 8 rounds in a 4140 cylinder.

Pretty neat, though, it looked like a job that could be done yourself with the correct equipment:

http://www.gunsamerica.com/96815201...VA_22_1851_Navy_Colt_Conversion_cal_22_LR.htm

 

[pohill]

As far as my Spiller & Burr - everything functions as it should. It's tight, with a nice smooth action. I only wish I knew how old it was and who made it.

 

[BHP FAN]

Maybe it was made in Augusta Georgia in 1865?