44 perc ID

[wildeagle]

I just picked up a 44 c/b at a yard sale for 25$. Pretty much into flints but thought it might be a good deal. It has a brass frame except barrel, apparently no rifling, navy arms co.-ridgefield NJ - made in italy on top of barrel.Loading lever is lightly case hardened, just a smidgen of rust in the notches on cylynder and dust around nipples. It appears not to have been fired. XX7 and proof marks on left side of frame. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wildeagle]

Hey guys I feel a little DUH , I looked at two other threads on this forum. It seems to be a Uberti Dragoon. Brass frame , smooth cyl. had me a little cornfused . Is the smooth bore typical thought it would have rifling.

 

[tom hargrove]

you can see the uberti logo on the side of the frame in the second pic also you refer to the cyl, as being smooth bore this is norm ,on b/p revolvers the rifling is like any revolver the rifling is only in the bore (the bbl) :thumbsup:

 

[Robert an saa fan]

Looks to be a typical Uberti made, Navy Arms Reb 1860 "Griswold and Gunnison". Made in .36 & .44 caliber with 5 1/2" or 7 1/2" barrel.

Not a Dragoon, yours is about the size and weight of an 1851 Colt Navy.

Looks to be missing nipples... you should be able to order some if you want to shoot it.

Do not think it is unfired based upon pictures, powder residue & corrosion. Give it a good cleaning & oiling...to disassemble you can tap the barrel wedge loose from the side opposite the wedge screw.

In a "perfect world" you do not have to take the wedge out of the gun; just get it loose until the wedge screw's head holds wedge from falling out.

The barrel is likely well stuck on the frame. To help remove it, once the wedge is tapped loose, place the hammer on half-cock, rotate the cylinder so that you can use the loading lever to push against the cylinder and hopefully push the barrel away from the frame. May need to use a penetrating oil to help free things up.

Congratulations on getting a super bargain!

:thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Looks like a '51 Navy to me, and the barrel wedge looks to have been tapped some so don't it is unfired. give it a good cleaning and lube - it looks like it is safe to shoot from here (when nipples are replaced) if not you still got a deal just for display

 

[Leatherbark]

Its a Navy Arms "Reb" revolver in 44.....It should have rifling. The rifling is probably so shallow its not noticable........I had one back in the early eighties. .............Bob

 

[Jac Spring]

Congrats!

That should clean up just fine.

Nobody said this yet so I will: the brass framed revolvers will not stand up to lots of maximum loads and will stretch and loosen up.

This is not a big deal - just shoot medium to mild loads and it'll do fine. The medium loads are usually the most accurate anyway.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

A 'medium' load with that .44 will be 22 grs. 3F, felt wad (lubed) and then lead RB -.454 dia..
about .38 spcl. energy level.

 

[wildeagle]

Salutations friends , thanx for replies. I removed the barrel, there is rifling in bore. All nipples are in place and no bp residue visible in cyl. or around nipples, alot of dust in nooks and crannys. Barrel is shiny w/ no pitting. I can see light through all nipples. The barrel measures 5.25" on the round contour of barrel, 7.25 muzzle to forcing cone.All and all I think rust is from previous handling. I am kinda hyped and want to get some goodies together and make some sweet smelling smoke. Wild Eagle

 

[mykeal]

Robert an SAA fan had it right, I think - it's a Uberti repro of the 1860 Griswold & Gunnison, not an 1851 Colt Navy. The Griswold & Gunnison had a round barrel and was a .44 cal brass framed revolver.

There were some Confederate made copies of the 1851 Colt Navy that had brass frames and round barrels (the Griswold & Gunnison is one of those, made in 1862-64), and repros of those are still available. In fact, my brother-in-law has a .44 cal 1851 Colt Navy with a brass frame and round barrel, made by Pietta in 1979 that I'm using for comparison with these pictures. For the Griswold & Gunnison I found a picture of an authentic antique at[url] www.civilwarpreservations.com[/url]. I'm basing my decision on the spacing of the action screws in the frame; they just appear to me to be more like the Griswold & Gunnison design.

Anyway, that's clearly a Uberti manufacturer's mark as everyone has noted, so that's certain. The XX7 is the date code for a 1971 manufactured gun.

 

[torn moc]

No doubt about it...it's a Uberti "Brass frame"
as it should be Gunnison & Griswold. I have 2
one in brass frame .44 cal & one in steel frame .36 caliber.
That is a super find for .25 cents! I paid $110 for my brassy.
How is the timing???? if the cylinder is lining up O.K when ya cock it..I would say clean her up and Make some smoke! The brass frame handle
15- 20 grains just Fine....I ve been shooting mine since the mid 80's and no problems yet!

 

[wildeagle]

My fault w/ a typo 25 dollars not cents but still sounds like a bargain. The timing is really crisp wich leads me to believe ,again, that it hasn't been fired. The barrel wedge is a little nicked up,plus a few nicks on the metal around it- on the right side of the gun. With a little care I think I can fix them up, I just hope I can keep the patina intact, I really like the "old look" on the brass. Thanks again fellas , I cant believe knowledge and know-how this group has. Wild Eagle

 

[Blizzard of '93]

You're right it is a Gunnison, I overlooked the round barrel. :hatsoff:

 

[sabretech]

XX7 means it was made in 1971.

Edit: Sorry! I didn't notice that someone already provided the date.

 

[Zonie]

Just for the record, the Griswold & Gunnison Confederate pistols, and almost all of the other Confederate pistols were .36 caliber.
The exception to this was a .44 caliber pistol made by the Dance Brothers in Texas.

A lot of people in the U.S.A. like shooting the .44's so the Italian gun companies that make reproductions started making their guns in .44 caliber as well as the "correct" .36 caliber to make them happy.

If a person is into re-enacting and wants all of their equipment to be Historically Correct this is an issue however, if a person is just into making a satisfying big Boom when their shooting, the .44 is the way to go.
zonie