1851 Navy recommendations?

[redbaron80]

I have two replicas now, a 1851 and a Army, both in 44 cal. and both shoot very well. What I would like to buy now is a correct size and cal 1851 Navy. Seems like most of the Navies I see are in 44 cal and are the same size as the standard Army. Who makes the Colt Navy 36 cal. and Pocket,31 cal. in their correct size and cal?
Thanks,Bill

[m-g Willy]

UBERTI


Willy

[Flint]

Pietta makes the 44 Navies, and they are the same size as a 36 Navy except the frame is cut for the rebated 44 cylinder.  You see a lot of them because they are cheaper.

The Uberti Navies are all 36 caliber, and properly sized.  The 1851 Navy has a 7-1/2 inch octagonal barrel and a pivoted loading lever. The 1861 Navy, also 36 caliber, has the streamlined barrel and crawling loading lever like the 1860 Army, and has a 7-1/2 inch barrel and straight cylinder.

The 1860 Army shares the Navy frame size, but has the rebated (stepped) cylinder to enlarge the forward end to 44 caliber, and the frame water table is stepped to match.  It has an 8 inch barrel and about a 1/4 inch longer grip-frame.

Long story short, The 51 Pietta 44 has the 1860 Army frame and cylinder, and the Navy's octagon barrel bored to 44 (45) caliber, and the throat shortened to match the longer Army cylinder.

The Ubertis are more authentic in size and shape, particularly the back curve of the grip frame.

[mykeal]

Just the steel framed ones, .36 cal, 7 1/2" barrel, in a variety of finishes:

http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/BlkPowder/CA005-51London.htm
http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/BlkPowder/CA000-006-51Navy.htm
http://www.texasjacks.com/BlkPowder/TJ-CA000-1851Navy.htm
http://www.ssfirearms.com/images/07 Cat/SS0752-67.pdf
http://www.texasjacks.com/BlkPowder/TJ-CA000-1851Navy.htm
http://www.texasjacks.com/BlkPowder/TJ-CA006-1851Navy.noindex.htm
http://arms2armor.com/store/sscimarron-ss2.html
http://arms2armor.com/store/product34.html
http://arms2armor.com/store/product23.html
http://arms2armor.com/store/product23.html
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,4427.htm
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,4429.htm
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,4428.htm
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,4431.htm
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,4461.htm
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,5170.htm
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,6357.htm
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0022091215126a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=1851+Navy&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=1851+Navy&noImage=0
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0006189210079a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=1851+Navy&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=1851+Navy&noImage=0
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=3438
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=1026
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=1027
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=1025
http://www.emf-company.com/1851-model-navy-revolver.htm
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=454943
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=716287
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=873828
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=148019
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=887895
http://www.jedediah-starr.com/ubertirevolvers3.pdf
http://www.jedediah-starr.com/cap-n-ballrevolvers4.pdf
http://www.octobercountry.com/products3.php?productid=908
http://www.octobercountry.com/products3.php?productid=913
http://www.octobercountry.com/products3.php?productid=907
http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/products/bpArmyNavy.tpl
http://www.possibleshop.com/uberti.htm
http://thunder-ridge-muzzleloading.com/revolvers.htm

And that's just a sampling of the retailers selling that particular gun. I believe there are only two manufacturer's, Uberti and Pietta, in the above list, although there are several importers/distributors.

[redbaron80]

WOW!! MYKEAL  Thanks for the links!!! You guys follow thru! Now just to see who has the best price!!
Thanks again,Bill

[mikedb]

What brand have you folks shot and liked or disliked.  I am new to this and thinking about both a black powder as well as a reproduction of a cartridge pistol purchase.

[mykeal]

What brand have you folks shot and liked or disliked.  I am new to this and thinking about both a black powder as well as a reproduction of a cartridge pistol purchase.

I'm only aware of two current manufacturers of the 1851 Colt Navy replica, Uberti and Pietta. Both make fine weapons; Ubertis tend to be a little more expensive and a bit higher in quality, but there isn't a lot of difference. Pietta's variety of models within the 1851 Colt Navy design is perhaps larger (they make a brass framed gun and .44 caliber versions while Uberti does not).

The basic gun design and size are identical between the two. They shoot the same as well. I have only anecdotal evidence from several forum postings, but it seems that your chances of getting a lemon from Uberti are a bit less but you will pay a little more for that bit of quality. Both have produced stinkers, and both have many satisfied customers, so there is no guarantee of perfection with either. At this price point there is always a chance of getting one that has to be returned. And all the retailers I know will replace defective guns with new ones, so it's a matter of extra shipping costs and time lost if it happens at all. What are the chances of that happening? I have no idea. It's never happened to me, and you tend to hear about only the bad ones on the forums, so I have no data that I would trust to establish a probability. I think it's very low, but...

If you have a large budget take a look at USFA;They make very good, in fact, excellent guns, but they are 3 to 4 times the cost. People who own them claim they are worth it. However, they don't make an 1851 Colt Navy replica.

[Full House]

Pay the extra money and buy an Uberti.   Pietta 1851's are the absolute worse of the lot (the grip is all wrong, no pins between cylinders to rest the hammer when fully loaded,  sometimes the back strap is cut for a shoulder stock and the frame is not) moreover, Pietta makes a fair 1860 Army and IMO a very good Remington NMA.

Armi San Marcos made the best 1851 ever, however; they are out of business.  I know Flint will disagree about ASM, but I have got a good one.

Stick with Uberti.

[Flint]

ASM made some good guns and some bad ones, seldom in between.  The bad ones were the 1851 conversions, which were absolutely awful, and the Schofields they made for Cimarron.  The cap & ball were pretty good, as were their SAAs

[frontiersman]

My Pietta 1851 Navy .36 cal.(in my avatar) Is awesome. It has the pins between the chambers. I got it from Cabella's. For the price difference, I would buy from them and ship it back if you get a bad one. I've been thinking of getting another one. It seems to be accurate enough if I can just find the sweet spot on the load. Using Prodex P , it has gone 7-8 cylinders full before binding. By that time, it was almost a smooth bore from the led fouling anyway.

[NozzleRag]

I shoot Pietta 1860s and am very pleased with them.
My advice would be to get to a CAS shoot where there are cap and ball shooters and try the various models. I shoot the 1851 fairly well but the grip is uncomfortable to me.  The Remingtons hammer sets higher on the gun and makes me reach too far to shoot it well. 1860s fit like a glove.