Cap and Ball Revolvers

[boykinlp]

A good friend of mine and I were talking the other day and somehow the subject of cap and ball revolvers came up. Neither one of us has ever shot one, but we both thought it would be neat to do.

From what I have seen, you can get replica Colt 1860 Armys for fairly cheap. I believe Pietta and Uberti make them. Who has them and shoots them and which brand do you prefer? Is it something even worth looking into?

And, of course, show pictures of what you have.

 

[Qball]

Got a pair of Remington clones
cut them down to 5" (did all work my self )

And a Colt 1860 "Avenging Angel" just under 3"
same there (all work my self)
Grip from a Colt 1873

 

[GrayGhost99]

10 years ago I would have told you hands down to buy uberti. Now, I'd have to say pietta. Their quality has come a long way and uberti has sold me a few clunkers in the last 5 years.
Check out duelist 1954 on YouTube

 

[Hellraiser]

I love shootin' black powder in my replicas... but I also have some 2nd Gen Colt 1860 Army's and 1851 Navy's. Here are a couple of pics...

Three in the center are 2nd Gen Colt 1860's in .44... on either side, 1851's in .36... all in stainless steel. (Now, I got eight of these total... four 1860's... four 1851's)...

Three 2nd Gen Colt 1860's... the one at the bottom is rare cause it has a fluted cylinder...

My four shooters... Uberti replicas of 1851's (Cimarron and Taylor's)... all .36 caliber...

 

[Qball]

Shooting wise the Remington is a better construction than the Colt
But the Colt is way more beautiful.
Colt have a habit of dropping spent caps into the frame making it freez up
and when clearing it you have to remove the barrel, and point of aim
will be different when you put it back on the frame.

 

[Hellraiser]

Shooting wise the Remington is a better construction than the Colt
But the Colt is way more beautiful.
Colt have a habit of dropping spent caps into the frame making it freez up
and when clearing it you have to remove the barrel, and point of aim
will be different when you put it back on the frame.

I agree, specially on the strength on the Remington... you can see that the frame even appears stronger. The Colt's are referred to as "open tops". Wished I had some Remington's...

If the caps are not seated properly on my Colt replicas... or when I used the wrong caps (now I exclusively use Remington # 10 caps)... my pistolas froze up all the time.

 

[GatorFarmer]

The 3rd Generation Colts might be the best undiscovered value. Otherwise watch prices online at Cabelas, you ought be able to get a decent Pietta for $199 during sales.

Historically far more Colts were sold than were Remingtons, fwiw.

A well made 1860 replica or 1858(really 1863 model) will still keep the wolves away.

 

[Hellraiser]

You need a Ruger to win a 3 pistol black power contest. Revolver- cap & flint.

You talking about the Ruger Old Army's... like the top two in this pic?

 

[Arik]

OP hope you don't mind me jumping in here and asking a few questions instead of posting something basically the same.

Funny thing is my friend and I were discussing this too not long ago after seeing some replicas at a gun show.

How powerful are they compared to today's calibers?

How exectly do you reload and how fast is it?

 

[BearBio]

Well, I am a Uberti man, having had both Piettas and Ubertis. That being said, I have not bought either for a few years. My recent acquisitions were a Colt Signature and a ROA.

A few suggestions, then the pics:

Go 44 cal. Your fingers likely ain't no smaller than they used to be. Easier to load.

I use the Pyrodex tablets (20 gr) in all of mine for range used. I load upwards for hunting (here in WASH State, you can carry a cap-n-ball pistol as back-up during muzzleloader seasons).

I use Bore Butter almost exclusively. Crisco can also work. Petroleum based lubes (some people like Vaseline) can make things pretty messy. With Bore Butter, I clean in very hot water, let it dry while warm and wipe it with some more.

Be sure to go with a steel frame (not trigger guard but FRAME) Brass will stretch, eventually.

Get a nipple wrench and extra nipples.

Pic Time:

Uberti 1860 (artificially aged):





Uberti Dragoon:




The knives and holsters above are home-made.

Colt Walker and Mike Leach Bowie.

 

[Richard Simmons]

I have this Remington replica (Pietta) and enjoy it immensely. I actually bought it here in the For Sale forum some years back. If was pretty much like new and IIRC it was right at or just under $100.

 

[jimbo728]

Ive had my 1860 Colt replica since 1978. I still use black powder, triple F. It makes a loud boom but only minimal felt recoil compared to a .45 ACP ball ammo push. I chrony`d them a long time ago and IIRC they ran around 650fps. It is really fun to shoot. Big boom, big cloud of smoke and always a ping which is the sound of a steel plate going down at 33`.
You will be in for a treat. I still remember my first shot with mine.
Jim

 

[BigBill]

I always been told that real men shoot black powder. I wonder what Dirty Harry thinks about that?lol

I got a 44cal for fathers day from my son never shot it yet.

 

[JohnRippert]

I have a Pietta 1860 clone from the '80s that I used to shoot quite a lot.

 

[Buford57]

I learned to shoot handguns with a Euroarms Remington replica I bought by mail order from Centennial Arms before I could legally own a cartridge revolver. They are a hoot. I concur on buying a steel frame, whether Colt or Remington style.

 

[boykinlp]

I always been told that real men shoot black powder. I wonder what Dirty Harry thinks about that?lol

I got a 44cal for fathers day from my son never shot it yet.

Let us know what you think when you do.

 

[F75gunslinger]

Ruger also makes the " Old Army " model which is another option, although they're pretty expensive compared to Pietta and Uberti.

 

[revho]

I dont have a replica, but I am the care taker of an 1860 Army that was refinished in the 1950's. Been in the family for over 100 years and dates to around 1863.

Hope you all dont mind a pic (again)

 

[Jaymo]

I have the Ruger Old Army, Pietta Colt Navy .36, Uberti Colt Pocket Police .36, Pietta Colt "Navy" .44, and Pietta Remington New Model Army .44 in both 5.5 and 8 inch versions.

The ROA is an awesome gun.
Haven't shot the Pocket Police yet.
The Pietta Remingtons are a LOT of fun to shoot.
I usually cram 35-38 grains of 3f under a .451" round ball.
It's like shooting a hot .44 Spl with less recoil, more smoke, and a boom instead of a crack.

Now, for the most fun you can have without a morotcycle or a member of the opposite sex, the Pedersoli 20ga Howdah pistol is a no-brainer.
60-80 grains of 2f and a .61 cal round ball, or a charge of shot is a BLAST!

 

[Rustyt1953]

Like Arik, I am curious as to how long a load stays fresh in the chamber before humidity affects it.