Help with a Griswold replica

I

Iron Man

New member
Was the Griswold & Gunnison a .36 or .44 caliber pistol? I see replicas of each, but wanted to get one more along the line of the original. I may have to get a Colt Army 1860 (what caliber should it be) as well...or counseling...whichever is cheaper.

I must own a hundred guns, and now I'm getting the black powder itch again. All thanks to Hell on Wheels.
 
None of the 'original' confederate revolvers were chambered in .44, including the LeMat (.41) or the Dance (.36) contrary to popular belief.
 
Okay then, three of each at a minimum. Now for the next question...

Nearly thirty years ago I shot black powder all the time. I owned a Navy Arms replica of the Remington revolver. At the time I purchased these nifty little fitted round dense "patches" that went between the powder and the ball. No grease required.

Does someone still make patches like that? It made loading quick and clean.

What would be the correct powder charge for a .36? In my Pennsylvania long rifle (.50) I usually find that fifty grains of powder keeps a good group at 100 yards or more.

I'm off to a gun show in the morning. Time to do some shopping.
 
If you are referring to 'Wonder Wads' or the generic equivalent, yes. There are tons of them on the market today from a myriad of sources.
Colt 1860 Army models were only offered in .44
A .36 cal would be considered a 'Navy'
 
robhof

The load depends on if your gun is a brass frame or a steel frame, the brassers will shoot loose/stretch from high usage with heavy charges. Usually a .36 brass will be safe with 15gr loads, a good starting load for the steel frame, each gun is an entity unto itself and the ideal load is different for each, start low and work up til groups get worse and back down til acceptable to you. I find the best accuracy with all my b/p revolvers is obtained with the round ball. Good luck and welcome back to the Dark Side!!!!:D:D:D
 
Ah, that's right...wonder wads.

I was thinking that was what they were called, but then again the girls called me that in high school (a long time ago in a galaxy far far away).
 
Captain Kirk said:
None of the 'original' confederate revolvers were chambered in .44, including the LeMat (.41) or the Dance (.36) contrary to popular belief
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Not exactly Cap. The Dance came in .36 and .44 caliber variants - with and without recoil shield; and, the Tucker & Sherrard/Clark & Sherrard was a copy of Colt's 2nd Model Dragoon in .44.
 
The Dance came in .36 and .44 caliber variants - with and without recoil shield
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I did not know this! :eek: A Dance, in .44 with a recoil shield!


I want! I want! :):)


(Of course, the G&G is an excellent choice too.) :D
 
IIRC, there are more (genuine) .44 Dance revolvers known than .36 caliber, something like 20 or so to 5.

It has often been written that the cylinder boss was "milled off" the Dance revolvers and much ink and ingenuity was used in attempts to explain the reasons for that anomaly. I think it was Bill Edwards who found that the boss was not "milled off"; it was never there in the first place because the frames were cut out of boiler plate.

Of course the "boss milled off" explanation was used by fakers who needed to explain the tool marks where genuine Colt frames were cut down to make fake Dance revolvers.

Jim
 
more g&g info.

kirk id like to add something. as posted, all G&G's were 36 cal. they were all brass framed. the only markings are the serial numbers. none are actually marked Griswold & Gunnison. there are some that have round tops on the breech end of the barrel instead of the flats. the cyl on G&G's are of iron as are all reb. revolvers. to strenthen the soft iron they heated it, then twisted it while hot. this compressed the grain structure making it more pressure resistant which left the distinctive stripe on the completed cyl. the dance brother's pistols found with recoil shields are a bit difficult to explain. making this part requires a swedgeing die. if they made this die, why didn't they use it to make all their frames? the surviving d.b.that have no recoil shields were hand sawed from flat plate iron hence no shield. the d.b. were made in 36 and 44 cal but the 44 is proportionately sized closer to a colt dragoon. details to ponder.
 
Well, now for my next question...

I can find G&G revolvers, usually in .44 with the brass frame. These are almost all Uberti. But, I also dig the 1860 and have found that for $100.00 more I can get an 1860 from Taylors and Company with a blued barrel and cylinder and with a case hardened frame (also in .44). I am not as worried about the caliber as I am the quality.

I am on my second Man With No Name revolver from Uberti and this Saturday pick up my third. Both of the first had quality issues (and I know the third one has some small bubbles in the brass which irritates me). I have heard that Taylors and Company gets their guns from Uberti as well.

So, should I go for the G&G or the 1860?
 
If the G&G is a 44 I'd pass. The 1860 Army is a .44. The 1862 Colt Navy is identical to it without the rebated cylinder in .36
 
So, should I go for the G&G or the 1860?
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Go for whichever floats your boat. If you like the lines of the G&G, get one (in the correct .36 cal) If you're wanting a .44, get the 1860.

The 1862 Colt (pocket) Navy is a 5 shot .36 cal with a rebated cylinder and octagonal barrel.
 
If your hot for a G&G replica look for a High Standard.

GG1.jpg


They are around, I just picked up a S&G less case for pennies.

SG3.jpg
 
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