indroducing myself, and asking a question.

[Slatherd]

Just a small introduction. Usually I like to collect mil-surp rifles. I've been wanting a C&P pistol for quite awhile. I finally got one 2 days ago. I went and fired it the same day, it was great! I can tell this is gonna turn into a bad habit. I'll be getting more.

I recently purchased an 1851 navy in .44 cal. The more I read, the more confused I get. when I look at the Uberti website, it doesn't even list a .44 for the 1851 navy. I looked on other sites, some personal pages and Cabela's, they list that there was an 1851 Army that was a .44. The only difference I can tell is it has the brass frame and trigger guard. I have that pistol. Is it army or navy? Is it union or confederate?

What do I have?

[ribbonstone]

The bras frame puts it as a CSA type...but it's not an exact copy of any of the CSA arms I could find as NONE of the ones based on the Colt 1851 frame size were in 44.  Even the small CSA productions (those of a dozen guns or so) don't show up with a .44 version.  Were some dragoon/walker sized .44's made...but no .44's on a 1851/1860 platform.

The CSA .36 versions usually were produced with round barrels (although I belive there were some octogons)...basic copies of the Colt 1851 wiuth a few shortcuts in production.

So visually, it best matches a CSA used handgun...becasue fo the caliber, it really doesn't match any particular one.
-----
If you take a hard look at pictures of an 1860 Colt .44 (or repro. of one) will see that it has a rebated cylinder.  Waht Colt did was to enlarge the forward part of the cylinder, bore it to .44 for part of it's length, and leave the rear part of the cylinder the same size as the 1851's .36 cylinder.  Frame is the same, except for a "step" in the frame opening to allow the larger section to fit.  The grip frame is longer...but the shorter 1851 grip frame will bolt right on in place of it.

Colt at first imported better steel to make those 1860 cylinders...needed better quaility steel to allow the thin walled cylinder to survive.

CSA's ability to make steel of the quaility needed was limited...what steel they could make was pretty valuable, so the brass frames.  CSA steel was little more than iron, so they tended to stick to the smaller .36cal. to allow for enough thickness for strength....and .36 saved on lead and powder as well.

[Cuts Crooked]

What you have is a copy of the Leech & Ridgdon revolver, assuming that it has the round "dragoon type barrel", produced under the Confederacy. The originals were made as a .44 caliber but it was designated as a "navy" type by the Confederacy. Most likely yours was made by Pietta, they produce these under their own brand and for a number of of "mail order" type outfits like Cabelas Dixie Gun Works,  and Shooters Supply. Uberti does not make any of the brass framed reproductions so yer not gonna find 'em listed on their website.

Actually, I think that the brass framed "Rebel" revolvers" are some of the most beautiful six guns ever made. They aren't up to handling a lot of heavy use with full loads, but if you keep that in mind when loading them they will serve you well and are really quite accurate guns too!

[Slatherd]

My gun came in a "civil war" package. It was a kit. The company says, "CVA RV602VP 1851 Navy Revolver"

Connecticut Valley Arms.
Norcross, GA.

I guess it isnt an Uberti, or Pietta.

But it says made in Italy? Is CVA tha importer? who is this gun made by?

Also, it has the hex barrel.

[ribbonstone]

Only Leech & Rigdon's I can find in captivity are all .36's.  Didn't make all that many, and they do have a brass frame and round barrel, but none of the examples are in .44.

Good picture of a clean example:
http://www.civilwarpreservations.com/newmus86.html

there were a few other CSA guns made besides the ones at this site, but they have the major makers pretty well covered.  Were also a good number of Colt made 1851's in service (bought before thw ar and captured during) as well as some of the early Starr .36 versions.

Someplace on teh gun will be a date code...the ones from 1975 on are stanped as a two letter code inside a small box.
----------------------------------------------------------

 Using Roman Numerials, starting with 1954 as 'X'.
 
 X = 1954
 XI = 1955
 XII = 1956
 XIII = 1957
 XIV = 1958
 XV = 1959
 XVI = 1960
 XVII = 1961
 XVIII= 1962
 XIX = 1963
 XX = 1964
 ...continues without skipping until
 
 XXVI = 1970
 
 Then, for some reason not really explained, they switched to:
 XX7 = 1971
 XX8 = 1972
 XX9 = 1973
 
 Then back to:
 XXX = 1974
 
 Then it changes to a letter code. Should be simple, but they skipped various letters throughout the "A" code, then decided to skip OTHER letters through out the "B" code. Didn't want to make it too easy I guess.
 
 AA=1975
 AB=1976
 AC=1977
 AD=1978
 AE=1979
 AF=1980
 AH=1981 (notice they skip AG)
 AI=1982
 AL=1983 (skipped AJ and AK)
 AM=1984
 AN=1985
 AP=1986 (skipping AO)
 AS=1987 (skiping AQ and AR)
 AT=1988
 AU=1989
 AZ=1990 (skipping AV,AW,AX, and AY)
 
 BA=1991
 BB=1992
 BC=1993
 BD=1994
 BF=1995 (skipping BE)
 BH=1996 (skipping BG)
 BI=1997
 BL=1998 (skipping BJ and BK)
 BM=1999
 BN=2000
 BP=2001 (skipping BO)
 BS=2002
 BT=2003
 
 Do not know how the letter code continues...or why they selected the letters to skip.
 
 There will be proof marks (usually two). One of them will be a PN marking...this is a black powder proof. Have had people show that to me and claim that their gun is nitro proofed (thinking PN is for Proof Nitro)..it is not...that's a black powder proof.
 
 Will USUALLY be a maker's stamp...but not always. In the early years, was common to have whoever improrted the gun supply whatever stamps they wanted..Navy Arms, Replica Arms, Sile, CVA, etc. But it all boils doen to a few makers. Common ones are: (aside from writting the company name out):
 
 Pedersoli usually uses "DAP" or "dp".
 
 Uberti usualy uses a "U" surroumded by an octogon outline...the octogon to represent a barrel outline.
 
 Pietta Usually uses a "FAP" in a horizontal diamond outline.
 
 Palmetto (who made a lot of Dixie Gun Works reproductions) uses a palm tree in a circle.
 
 Armi San Paolo uses a DGG..this is also found on EuroArms (as they are more or less the same maker now). OFten harde to figure out as they overlap the DGG.
 
 Armi Sport will usually use a "AC" in a circle.
 
 How Beretta will or has changed this I do not know, but they do seem to be buying up or joining a lot of BP production.
 
 The Colt first and second generation guns were made in Italy as well...but only as rough parts, the fix and finish by Colt, so only Colt's marking are on the guns.
 -------
 Just wnated to get this on-site so I can stop hunting up the written copy whenever it comes up as a question on-line.

[Flint]

The Navy Colt was originally called the Navy because of the Naval Battle scene on the Colt cylinder.  The caliber derived from the requirement that 50 conical bullets weighed one pound.  The Army Colt was defined by the weight of 50 round balls to the pound.  The Civil War Military specs were that an "Army" was of 44 Caliber and had an 8 inch barrel.  The Navy is a 36 caliber with a barrel length of 7-1/2 inches.

Many manufacturers made their own designs, Colt, Remington, Starr, Whitney, etc., and were classified by the caliber and barrel length, not the gun's construction or design, unlike later specifications where different vendors had to make the same interchangable gun, like the 1911 Colt or the Garand.

The Confederacy had more variations, but copied, usually, the Colt.  The Italian replica makers have often played pretty loosely with the types, and often make replicas of guns that never existed, such as the 44 caliber "Navy", or the brass framed Remington "Buffalo".  As they have the parts, they make use of them.  Uberti is much less inclinedthan others to make a gun that is not authentic.