View Single Post
 
Old 01-02-2010, 08:43 PM
Gatofeo's Avatar
Gatofeo Gatofeo is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Remote Utah desert
Posts: 355
Likes: 0
Liked 101 Times in 38 Posts
Default Navy Arms .36 cap and ball, circa 1973

Anyone ever seen one of these?
I recently purchased a like-new Navy Arms reproduction of the Remington cap and ball revolver in .36 caliber. It has target adjustable sights.
I purchased this revolver from a man on the east coast. I've seen plenty of .44-caliber target Remingtons, but never a .36 -- although I now find that Pietta is offering a .36 target Remington, according to its website.
I'd like to know who made this revolver. Navy Arms imported it, but I find no manufacturer's marks. All I find are proofmarks. This revolver is like-new, with a spotless bore and chambers.
Here are the specifics:

On the barrel:
(top) NAVY ARMS CO. RIDGEFIELD N.J. MADE IN ITALY
(left side) MODEL 1858 NEW BELT CAL .36
(right side) BLACK POWDER ONLY - MADE IN ITALY
The barrel also includes the typical Gardone proof house marks but no stamp to indicate manufacturer.

On the frame:
Gardone proof house marks and XX9. The XX9 is proof house code indicating that this pistol was made in 1973.

Serial number 356XX
There are also assembly numbers of 1362 on the underside of the barrel, cylinder, loading lever and grip frame under the grips. This would indicate that all parts match.

Barrel length: 6-1/2 inches (165mm)
Overall length: 13 inches (310 mm)

Rear sight: Fully adjustable Patridge target sight.
Front sight: Blued post, mounted on a ramp. Both the ramp and the face of the front sight have horizontal lines to reduce glare.

Does anyone know who was making Remington reproductions for Navy Arms in 1973? This is a very well-made revolver, though the bluing is not highly polished like a premium grade modern revolver.

I began shooting cap and ball revolvers about 1970. At that time, few had highly polished bluing. Gaps between metal and wood, and light machine marks were common. This revolver was not the norm in 1973 and was very finely made for its era.

There's a foot of snow here in the remote Utah desert. The days are overcast, cloudy and cold. Looks like it will be that way for a while, so I haven't had a chance to get out and fire this revolver.
It should be a fine shooter.
I'm a fan of the .36 caliber and have a number of fixed-sight revolvers in this caliber. This is the first adjustable-sight, target type cap and ball I've seen in .36 caliber.

Any comments or information?
Reply With Quote