CCW an 1858 new army?

A

ARqueen15

New member
Yes the title is not a misprint!

I've carried the 1858 (45LC conversion btw) in the past but it has been off-body with all the compromises that involves. Realistically is there any setup where you can envision this working on-body? The closest I could imagine would be OWB on shorts worn under a skirt/dress or other bulky/poofy garment.

FYI - I'm female and it would be in a warm weather climate though every building here has the AC at full bore.
 
I hope it has a loading gate and that you have the shorter 5 1/2" barrel. At least it will be less bulky and reloading is faster.

There's a reason why swing out cylinders were invented. There's another reason why police officers were instructed to use their revolvers in the double-action mode only and why speed loaders were invented (they had them back in WW I when the British had the Webley revolver).

It is much more difficult for women to CCW. Fashion dictates means women clothing tend to be tighter fitting. Hot weather with a coat screams suspicious to observers (and especially law enforcement). Let's see what Pax or other women have to suggest for you.
 
Have not seen one with a loading gate, just the conversion cylinder setups.

Of course your post begs the question......why?

I have an 1858, W/O a conversion cylinder. I would not dream of carrying it concealed.

It's really the wrong tool for the job.
 
Sadly no loading gate as I'm using the Taylors conversion cylinder on the 1858 so the entire cylinder comes out (for reloading) and it is the longer barreled version.

I have looked at a heavy duty hanks belt with steel core that should be able to hold up seeing as some have used it on super redhawks and 454 casuall revolvers.

Rick - I don't disagree about it being far from ideal but finances simply aren't there yet for me to pick up that lovely cz pistol i've been eyeing so this is where i'm at. I probably could pick up a hipoint though...
 
I understand

Hi AR,
That's about what I figured, a way too big and heavy CC piece does beat no CC piece, 100% of the time.

Hi Point is kinda the great equalizer, can always pick one up for not much more than a hunert bucks, and they are reliable.

Been thinkin on the older model LCP myself, since they brought out the 2.0 LCP have seen some great prices on the older ones. I think Ruger is still making both. Still more like 200 rather than 100.

Always be realistic with yourself, will you really pack that big ol hunk O steel? I get the urge for something smaller, and my CC is a Glock 19.

Or you can see it as the very quickest way to loose 10 Lbs. just take your gun off:)
 
Rick - you had me figured out alright...i'm not glutton for punishment, hence this is strictly out of necessity.

I will say that open carrying that 1858 in a remote area sure changed the attitude of some questionable characters in the vicinity of where I had set up my camp. Confirmation bias maybe but an almost foot-long revolver makes people look.

You make a good point about being realistic though I guess if I get used to carrying 'on-body' (since i've been carrying it off-body in a bag) then it should make a hi point c9 or JCP 40 feel downright petite :)

In a perfect world I'd probably have a cz-75b or an sp-01 but then i'd have a lot of money for other things too.
 
Cost issues start looking at used pistols can find some quality brands at the same cost as high point new. I usually don't conceal my 1911 when camping or horse back riding
 
I would be the first to defend the practice of carrying a SA revolver when many people say they are no longer suited to defensive use. If it is what you have, or if you do Cowboy Action Shooting, or if you simply have a lot of practice, I see no harm in carrying a SA revolver, and for some it is their best choice. However, the blackpowder revolvers are huge, I'm thinking more along the lines of a Sheriffs Model SAA reproduction or Vaquaro or a birds head with a short barrel.

I do understand tight budgets. As long as it is your only choice it is an option. For when your dress makes it tough/impossible, you may want to invest in a good knife and pepper spray for far less than a new gun would cost.

I don't disagree about it being far from ideal but finances simply aren't there yet for me to pick up that lovely cz pistol i've been eyeing so this is where i'm at. I probably could pick up a hipoint though...
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If you can do the Hi Point, they probably would be a better option. Also, for just a little more you can get a quality carry option. With the $50 rebates, you can get a Remington RM380 for under $200 right now. With the $75 rebate, you can get a S&W Bodyguard for just a little more. A used Taurus 85 often runs around $200. None of these may be your first choice, but they would be much easier to carry than a huge Remington 1858 New Army replica and all (other than some of the Hi Points) would allow you to carry in pretty much any clothing choices.
 
I definitely love the SAA and the look of it never grows old on me. As you guessed though it's just a matter of practicality in carrying a nearly foot long 5-shot revolver (i put the hammer down on an empty chamber) that weighs a kg or so.

I'd carry a cz-75 or an M&P in a heartbeat but these are on a whole other cost level.

Which is where the SAA on body carry question comes about :)
 
Some folks have taken to carrying C&B revolvers or conversions when they cannot buy or legally own modern guns* but that does not seem to be the case here, so I can only say that using gun size for intimidation is fine as long as it works. If it doesn't, and the BG is not intimidated, the carrier is stuck holding an awkward, obsolete, slow operating, slow loading revolver. Power may be adequate, and some folks scorn that in preference to having more rounds available. I will not question that .45 Colt (or equivalent rounds) has adequate power for self defense, but in a gunfight, I think that having, let's say, a 6-shot .357 with a speed-loader or a 16-shot 9mm might trump a 6-shot single action.

Jim

*It is a common belief that percussion guns are "non-guns" and thus not subject to laws regarding the carrying of weapons. In most states, buying an antique gun or a modern clone is not subject to the same restrictions as a modern revolver or pistol, but carry laws almost never make exceptions based on gun type, so it is just as illegal to carry an 1851 Navy as to carry a Glock.

JK
 
ARQueen,
Have you considered a shoulder holster? My skinny brother used to carry a 44 mag with an 8+ inch barrel that way. I have carried my 6" 357 in a shoulder rig for 40 years.
 
Wild Bill carried 1851 Navy Colts, not 1860 Armys.
Since 1972 I've carried a 7 1/2" SA revolver in a full flap cavalry holster, as I spent a lot of time horseback and astride motorcycles. Most of the time, it was a Colt New Frontier
.22 (never felt under-gunned). Sometimes it was concealed, sometimes not, depended on what I wore. Most people never seem to notice, or don't believe it if they do, hehehe. In 2010 I switched to a Single Six in .32 H&R magnum, 6 1/2" barrel. Again, full flap holster. Two years ago I switched again to a Single Seven .327 Federal Magnum, 7 1/2" barrel again. But my life has changed. I don't hunt with a handgun (or much of anything anymore; the kids are grown and gone, it's just me, Dog, and a couple cats, and I'm more often in the truck or on a quad than a horse or cycle) these days, and that longer barrel seemed kind of superfluous. So, last month I got another Single Seven (love that
.327, and a powerful .32 on a .22 frame is just the ideal walking around caliber, in my view) with the 4 5/8" barrel. Factory Federal 100 grain soft points register 1600+ fps. I just love it, carries easier, shoots great. Plus, its a seven shot six shooter, just like Handsome Stranger carried in "The Villian". Just when they think you are reloading and they break cover...
 
Well, if the 1858 is the only thing within the budget, go for it and be sure to practice so as to become proficient with it. Hopefully it will never need to be drawn in defense and that its mere presence discourages ne-er do wells from improper actions.
 
Cimarron and Taylor make a .45 Colt(comes in .38 Special and .44-40 too), 5.5", 1858 New Model Army conversion with a gate. Friggin' thing weighs 2.56 pounds and runs 11.3" long. A 1911A1 weighs 2.44 pounds and is 8.25" long.
It'd take a serious gun belt and holster to carry an 1858 under a skirt/dress or other bulky/poofy garment. Taylor says their .45 Colt conversion cylinders are for cowboy ammunition only. That's not really an issue though. Hornady's "Cowboy" ammo uses a 255 grain bullet at 725 FPS(out of a 4.75" barrel). That'll do, Pilgrim.
 
Yes, Wild Bill did carry 1851 Navies. IIRC he fired them every night and reloaded them so he started every day with fresh loads.
Carrying a single action for CCW ? Requires a lot of practice drawing and cocking in one motion.
 
-carrying a nearly foot long 5-shot revolver (i put the hammer down on an empty chamber) that weighs a kg or so.
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Well if she can't channel Wild Bill Hickok, then maybe Crocodile Dundee.

"That's not a gun. THIS is a gun."
 
ARqueen15 said:
As you guessed though it's just a matter of practicality in carrying a nearly foot long 5-shot revolver (i put the hammer down on an empty chamber) that weighs a kg or so.
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Wait -- by 1858 you ARE talking about an 1858 Remington clone, right? Why five shots and an empty cylinder? The Taylor conversion cylinder is the Ken Howell/R&D Gunshop cylinder. Doesn't the Taylor's version have the safety notches between the cylinder stops?
 
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