Hello all, New to the forum and blackpowder firearms. I have been reading a lot of the threads and getting a basic understanding of how things work. I am looking at getting an 1851 navy for my first bp firearm. My dad has one that looks to be a dragoon that he bought years ago and never took out. It has three chargers in the cylinder waiting on a nipple wrench so I can clear them out and clean the entire gun and get it going. I couldn't find anything that says who it's manufactured by but there are some serial numbers on the far end of the trigger guard to where it meets with the barrel part that slides off. It says 1848 on the cylinder so that's my reasoning to think it's a dragoon besides how the gun looks. Can anyone help me figure out how I would find out who it's manufactured by and what I should do after cleaning it to insure that it is safe to shoot and tips for what I'll need to shoot. Any and all help is welcomed thank you.