Right Choice for a Cap & Ball Revolver

i started shooting BP in the early 60,s with a civil war .58 rifle and a 1860 army in 44, both repo,s. i shot them to death,being young i tried to make magums out of them. i now have several dozen BP rifles and revolvers and one shotgun, but now i seldom fire hot loads out of any of them. three of my favorite BP ruger revolvers. eastbank.
 
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Well, I think what I'm inclined to do is buy the Pietta '51 Navy in .44. I like historically correct stuff as well, which this is not, but it's $129. And for my first foray into this bailiwick, this is an economical entre.
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They are good shooters, I bought one several years ago to use as a trainer for new guys. Just keep the powder charge at 22grs or less and it should last a long, long time.

This one has had several hundred rounds fired by assorted folks. Still looks like new. How do you like the color case brass:D

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I have both the Uberti and the Piettia. In my opnion the Uberti is a better finished piece however the Piettias are an excellent value and are finely crafted. Both will last a long time!
The .36 Cal is the correct caliber for the Colt-type Navy and is more than adequate for targets or "social Work" as Hickock clearly shown!
Frankily I prefer the .36 in that frame.
I also have a pair of .44 Remingtons and would advise that you pick the 5 1/2" bbl model just for it's handling qualitys! The power is awesome! Function is flawless.
Colt-types sometimes have Cap feeding problems and often loose caps or spent fragments get into the action. You will develop handling pratices to help the gun function as you shoot it. I find thatr not babying the gun (cocking it quickly) feeds caps and flings fragments clear of the action for me.
As time passes and gun control nuts get their way our guns will be more endangered so get one soon so you can enjoy it!
JMHO,
ZVP
 
"As time passes and gun control nuts get their way our guns will be more endangered so get one soon so you can enjoy it!"

Yes, I live in WA state and Cabela's will not ship directly to my address - the gun has to go through FFL dealer. Now, go figure, I talked to Dixie Gun Works and they'll ship directly to me.
 
The bigger the organization....

....the more likely there will be a stray lawyer around with a little time on his hands. A lawyer with nothing to do is a dangerous thing.

I doubt that Dixie Gun Works even has a lawyer on retainer. I think the whole operation is less than a dozen people.

I think at the persent time the attacks on the second amendment are on the ebb. The DC vs. Heller decision supported the second amendment and seems to speak of a court that is conservative at least on that point. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - 2006 protects gun manufacturers. All of the Republican candidates seem to be pro-2A (At least they are for today) The Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street folks are not grinding the anti-gun organ. Independents are proabably more pro-2A than main stream Republicans.

We need to be vigilant but in this case it is wrong to be extreme. The extremist weakens his case by his own excess.

How did this thread get to this point?
 
No "right" choice, it's like asking "Which is Better-Colt or S&W?" I have found the Colt grip general more comfortable than the Remington. My personal favorite is the Colt Dragoon-firing it is like firing an S&W M-28 with 38s.
 
ASM never had a good rep for quality tho some do like them. Fit and finish was pretty good but a lot of them had soft internal parts that wore out fast.
A brass Remington is ok but steel is so much better.
 
I've been nosin' around a little a came onto what seems a good deal on the Pietta Brass Rem...probably wouldn't do it except that it's brand new and very reasonable priced and it will give me my start in C&B revolvers. Price is way under $200 and provides some extras also. So I think I'm leaning that direction...

I really wanted the brass '51 Navy but this seems a better choice for my needs at present.
 
You are going to wind up.....

.....spending a little money on the stuff that goes along with the revolver. So if the stuff you are getting with the deal you have found is enough to shoot the revolver and clean it up afterwords I would think hard about it.

Brass frame Remington is fine. Good start.

Powder is $20+
Caps are $5
Lube is $5 (but you should make your own)
Bullets are $15
Rem Oil is $6 at Walmart

This stuff doesn't wear out, it gets used up. This gives you some idea where you should be on the price. You should be able to buy the revolver for somewhere around $125.00. Then just figure the value of the stuff that is included with it.
 
Well, I have gobs of powder both 2f & 3f, probably 1000 #10 caps, no bullets buts lots of lead - probably should just buy a mould - and of course can make the lube.

The Rem, like I said, is NIB plus has an extra cylinder. It is $160. I'm thinking that's a pretty fair deal but maybe you'd advise otherwise??
 
DL

If you don't buy it, I will.

Yes buy a mold but you may want to experiment with ball sizes first. If you just want to wade in, get a .454.

With an extra cylinder a loading press is even more advantageous.

$160 for all that stuff is a good price.
 
sounds like a great deal. i usually see those on sale for $200-$250, a cylinder is another 50 bucks or so. if you decide you don't like it, sell a 'slightly used' 1858 for what you paid and the cylinder for $50.
 
SO how does a Pietta compare to an Armi San MArcos for quality?
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ASM had a spotty history for quality with soft internal parts that didn't last long. Pietta is top notch, on a par with Uberti, maybe better these days. Some say Uberti's finish is better but the overall quality of the guns is the same.
 
Actually ALL the Italian manufacturers were plagued with soft internal parts problems at one time, ASM being the worst. ASM also had a reputation for cosmetic issues (fit and finish) but function was usually acceptable. Pietta was considered better than ASM but worse than Uberti. The soft parts issue has been corrected, it seems, and Pietta has significantly improved their quality in recent times so that they compete with Uberti.
 
Actually ALL the Italian manufacturers were plagued with soft internal parts problems at one time, ASM being the worst. ASM also had a reputation for cosmetic issues (fit and finish) but function was usually acceptable. Pietta was considered better than ASM but worse than Uberti. The soft parts issue has been corrected, it seems, and Pietta has significantly improved their quality in recent times so that they compete with Uberti.
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True dat. Pietta got new CNC machinery around 2000 and their quality went way up but not all the older Pietta's were bad. I have one made in 76 that's just as good as a new one. I got it used tho so I don't know what internals may have been replaced.
 
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