Thinking of buying a black powder 1851 Confederate Navy .44 revolver. That is the version without the top strap over the cylinder and the barrel slides off the cylinder bearing pin for changing cylinders.

Fired one many years ago in a .36 caliber and was extremely impressed by its accuracy at about 50 feet distance.

The one I am interested in is made by Traditions firearms company and is sold by Cabela's. For $120.00, it is not a big expenditure if I decide I don't like it. Uberti firearms makes them also, but charges $250.00 for the same model.

Looking for input and opinions from those of you that have personal experience about black powder firearms in general, and any information about Traditions or Uberti firearms in particular. Would love the Ruger Stainless blackpowder pistol, but it currently is out of my price league.

Smoking! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

This might be too OT for the forum- I'll defer to the moderator.

Not sure exactly what information you're looking for. These Colt replica cap & ball revolvers are made by a number of companies in Europe, and in a wide range of qualities. Some I've seen are excellent, some I wouldn't shoot.

Traditionally, at least, "Navy" has meant .36 caliber, and the .44s have been "Army".

The open-frame Colt replicas are not the strongest of designs, and accuracy suffers from the fact that the rear sight is a notch in the hammer. The Remington replicas with the top strap are stronger and tend to be more accurate, but I'm not terribly fond of them, they're very barrel-heavy. The Ruger is probably the finest cap & ball revolver out there, and worth what they ask, stainless or not... but still very barrel-heavy for my taste.

Please be sure to use tight-fitting balls and put grease in the chamber after the ball; otherwise it's possible to get a cross-fire between chambers that will set off multiple charges at once, when they're not aligned with the barrel. On the back of the cylinder between each pair of nipples (that hold the caps) there is a small protrusion (Colt) or notch (Remington and Ruger) that is designed to hold the hammer so that it's NOT resting on a live cap- anytime it's loaded and you're not shooting, the hammer should be there. Cocking the hammer aligns it with the chamber again. Don't ask me why they did away with this when they went to cartridges.

Uberti is pretty good, overall, but even they are not in the league with the orignal Colts, and all of the Italian Colt replicas I've seen use very soft steel for the screws. Wear is not usually a problem, but have good flat-ground gunsmith screwdrivers if you intend to work on them, and spare screws don't hurt.

Hey bounty,
Traditions and Uberti are both good names in the field, and I doubt that I'm telling you anything that you don't already know, but here goes;
black powder burns a LOT slower than smokeless, so don't expect to get anywhere near "modern" performance with it in terms of velocity or energy, however, with the right charge, and the right sized bullet (swaged to properly fit the bore), black powder arms can be every bit as accurate as any smokeless bullet spitter out there. Several years ago, my dad and I both belonged to the NSSA, both had "identical" zouave .58 muskets, but his took a .577 with 37 grains (for peak accuracy), while mine shot best with a .580 and 40 grains. At 100 yards, anyone on our team could shoot a 1 1/2 inch group off-hand, but if Dad and I got our loads mixed up, neither one could hit the broad side of a barn.
Black powder shooting can be a lot of fun, and if the gundummies get their way, may become a neccessity, but it's a whole different world than smokeless. If you've got any specific questions, feel free to shoot me a line, and by the way, have you looked at a LeMatt yet? Do so before you buy anything, if I read your taste in guns as well as I think, you'll like them, I do.

Troy

Wildcard163:

Am familiar with blackpowders limitations, but I don't buy guns just for their speed and punch, but also for their artistic qualities. I like the looks of the 1851 Confederate Navy .44 and would feel safe leaving it mounted above the fireplace as a show piece as it is not likely to get stolen if someone breaks into the house as quickly as a more modern sidearm.

I know about the LeMatt, but consider it one ugly sidearm that would scare my "PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER." friends if it was hanging over my fireplace, whereas the shiney brass .44 Navy has the "cute" factor going for it.

Back in the James Bond mania days, I purchased a Walther PPKS in a .380 that was the worst shooting handgun I have ever owned. I tried every brand of .380 ammo out there including some West German stuff called INOXID which worked extremely accurately in my HK4. That Walther was horrible in accuracy. If I still had it today, I would have done a lead plug test to determine land and groove diameter and had specially sized bullets loaded for it, but back then I was not as techanically astute as I am today.

Sorry to hear that quality control in blackpowder longarms is so poor that you and your father have such a variance in results.

Bountyhunter

Mr. Dead:

Traditions firearms sold by Cabela's have their Navy designation as a .44 while Uberti have their Navy designation listed correctly as a .36.

I like the Traditions design sold by Cabela's because of its shiny brass frame. I know brass is not as durable or strong as steel, but at this stage of my life, I don't see myself putting anything over a 100 rounds through the gun if that much.

I toyed with the idea of buying a Walker .44 revolver with the 9 inch barrel and a weight of FOUR POUNDS SIX OUNCES, which was the most powerful handgun in America until about 1947 with the arrival of the .357 magnum caliber, but decided for decorative purposes, that is definitely overkill.

I know they are all barrel heavy, but for my intents and purposes, that is not a factor.

I don't see this thread as violating forum poliicies because it is academic and technical in nature, not "RAMBO SURVIVALIST". I hope I am not wrong.

Thanks for the input.

Bountyhunter

Quality control wasn't the problem, smoke poles are like people, they've each got their own quirks and personality, besides, if you talk to a National Match champ, you can bet he's not shooting factory ammo, a serious shooter can spend days finding THE BEST load for an individual piece. It's the difference between a two inch group at two hundred yards and a starfish (one big ragged hole) at the same distance) <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />.

Well, Bill Hickock liked the Navy. His were .36, though...

The thing to remember about the Walker is that it was intended for the horse to carry. It's a beast.

My favorite cap-and-ball is a so-called "sherrif's" version (shortened) of an 1860 Colt. Not the most accurate thing out there, but at least it balances well, much like the later single-action cartridge Colts. It's still long enough for the loading lever to work, though.

I tried to learn to love the Ruger, but the grip was too small, and it was just way too barrel-heavy for me. Back then they used alloy grip frames, which made it even worse.

Sounds like you've played with quite a few smoke makers, just curious... what's your opinion of the LeMatt revolver?

Troy

Mr. Dead:

If I were in the money, I would probably like the Ruger because of the small frame because I have small hands.

The 1911A1 feels comfortable for me with the original single action and single stack cartridge design. Double stack magazines and/or double action single and/or double stack magazines are not comfortable for me except some of the .380 calibers and smaller. The only double stack that I like the feel of is the Browning Hi-Power in a 9mm cartridge. I am not a fan of the 9mm even though I have owned and like .380's which are basically a 9mm short, but that prefrence comes from my small hands. I have at one time owned (2) Smith & Wesson Mdl. 39's when they first came on the market. They were nice accurate pistols, but the first shot double action was awkward and subsequent shots single action required repositioning of my grip, and those were single stack magazines. I sold both of my Mdl. 39's which I understand are now sought after collector items. Oh well, another "If I knew then what I know now", flashback.

Bountyhunter

Wildcard163:

Actually, I have only shot one smoker, and that was the .36 caliber replica.

I edited my original response to our first contact which has my opinion of the LeMatt. It may have been a practical sidearm in its day for its purposes, but it is a butt ugly revolver in my opinion and I would not care to own it. The Navy .44 I am interested in has the "cute" factor built into it with that shiney brass frame. My "PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER." friends would probably not fear seeing that above my fireplace and would probably be intriqued enough to handle it and thereby hopefully become less fearful of guns in general.

Bountyhunter