Author Topic: Need advice  (Read 670 times)

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Offline btr568

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Need advice
« on: March 28, 2007, 01:58:29 PM »
hey guys,I'm thinking about getting a cap&ball revolver,then either a Kirst or R&D convert job on it at a later date.Which one is best Uberti or Pietra.How hard is it to do the conversion myself or should I take it to my local gunsmith and let him do it?I'd really like to swap back and forth from BP to cowboy ammo,so I could use some guidance on what model to get

Offline mykeal

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Re: Need advice
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2007, 03:34:28 AM »
With regard to the two specified, my experience says Uberti is a little bit better than Pietta in terms of quality. But not much, and the gap may have narrowed some the last couple of years as both seem to have gotten better. I said seem, as I have no brand new guns from either and am just commenting based on other's reports.

Having said that, I think it's well worthwhile to add Ruger's Old Army into the fray. It's a high quality piece, expensive, rugged and accurate. It can be had in either blued or stainless, with fixed or adjustable sights and with either a 5 1/2" or 7 1/2" barrel, and there are conversion cylinders available.

And one of my favorite shooters is a Rogers & Spencer from Euroarms, also well thought of. Not sure if a cartridge conversion is available or not, however.

If you want an "authentic" bp revolver and would like to be able to shoot both rb and cartridge, then either Pietta or Uberti is a good way to go. If you don't care about "authenticity", then you really should give the Ruger some serious thought. As a modern bp revolver, it's very hard to beat.

"Converting" is simply a matter of changing cylinders, although any new cylinder should always be checked by a competent gunsmith. There are some critical close tolerances that need to be checked in any revolver that gets a new cylinder, even one of the same make and type as the original.

Offline btr568

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Re: Need advice
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2007, 05:06:31 AM »
thanks mykeal
I'd forgotten about the Rugers,I didn't know about the short barrel version.Looks like I'm gonna have to surf some more info now

Offline mykeal

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Surfing for a bp revolver
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2007, 06:50:07 AM »
This can be a daunting task. To cut down on the frankly overwhelming number of choices, let me suggest the following:

This is a very personal choice, and what I like won't be what someone else likes, and what they like won't necessarily be what you'll like. Or maybe it will. So let's start with the tow basic design choices: Colt and Remington. I'm not going to even try to list the various pros and cons of each - there's that personal choice thing getting in the way. Just so you know, the Colts are an "open frame" design and the Remingtons have a top strap that encloses the cylinder.

Within the many Colt choices one stands out as the most popular and has the largest number of variations in finish, barrel length, spare parts and aftermarket support: the 1851 Navy. It can be had in either .36 or .44 caliber. The Remington only comes in one basic design, the 1858 "New Army", but it can also be had in various finishes and barrel lengths, and also comes in .36 or .44 caliber. By the way, the .36 cal version is called an 1858 New Navy. The Ruger Old Army is a .44 cal gun that resembles the Remington in that it has an enclosed cylinder but is otherwise it's own design. Pick one of these 3 guns and you will be pleased.

A newer Colt that might be worthy of consideration is the 1860 New Army - that's a Colt New Army, not to be confused with the Remington New Army. They are not the same design. The Colt is sleeker in shape and might be more comfortable in your hand than the 1851 Navy. It's also an excellent choice for a first BP revolver, so maybe there are 4 choices.

I'm going to quit there. I've found over 78 different offerings of the 1851 Colt Navy from various manufacturers in different finishes and different prices. I found over 111 offerings of the 1858 Remington. The Ruger Old Army only comes in two finishes and two barrel lengths, so it's somewhat easier to deal with.

Good luck.