Antique Revolvers?

[Texas77]

Hi yall,

Anybody have any tips for finding an antique 51' Navy or Army Colt that could made into a safe shooter? I've already seen a few auction type websites and such, Thanks.

 

[dboone]

Just buy one of cabelas antique ones and shoot it safely and enjoy.

 

[crockett]

You sort of take your chances on a real antique. The theory is that the cylinder or barrel OR SOMETHING could have unseen hairline cracks, etc so just hang it on the wall.
You want to make certain the chamber lines up with the barrel, all the chambers. To do this you need a range rod that is put in the muzzle and run down to the chamber, if it "bumps" the chamber- the gun doesn't index properly and it will spit lead or blow up- depending on the degree of the problem.
The gap between the cylinder and the barrel shouldn't have a lot of play. This can be adjusted by the wedge to a minor degree.
If you remove the wood grips the backstrap can be clamped into a support of some sort and you can attach a string to the trigger and test fire from a safe position. There are a variety of books on single action colts and the mechanism on the percussion guns is basically the same as the cartridge guns.
Good luck. Be Careful, and THINK.

 

[Ed Blake]

If it has to be a Colt, get one of the 2nd generation repros sold under the Colt name. An original in shooting condition would be rather pricey.

 

Do you have to have an antique? A shootable one will cost you five times what a repro would. A shootable .44 cal. Colt 1860 Army could be found for around $1200 to $1500. A .36 cal. Colt 1851 Navy would run about half again that much. Neither will score high on appearance. A repro will certainly be safer and more reliable. Remember, even when they were new, they sometimes blew up. Not often but it did happen. 150 years ago, metallurgy was an art, not a science.

Here are some dealer links if you are sure you want an antique. Few if any dealers will guarantee a gun shootable, so before you fork over money, enquire about the condition. Specifically ask about mechanical condition and missing or broken parts.
[url] http://www.gunsamerica.com/[/url] [url] http://www.joesalter.com/ http://www.adamsguns.com/ http://www.fulmersantiqueguns.com[/url]/

 

[Texas77]

Thanks guys,

after looking at old Colts I think you're right, they don't great for shooters, however, I have come across some old Remingtons in good condition that I might think about. For now I'll stick with the Ubertis.

 

[crockett]

One more thought, I believe the caliber of the antique barrels varied quite a bit and you really out to slug and mike the barrel. Just one more reason you are far better off with a replica.