Avenging Angel Colt 1860

[user 33697]

I came across this interesting online auction that ended back in 2016. Starting price was $1000.00 with an estimated sale of from $2000.00 to $4000.00. The auction description is an interesting read. I'm wondering if this 'belly' type of revolver was an inspiration for Pietta's current snub nose revolver.

 

[wb78963]

looks like one of my "Pair of Aces" Pietta snub nose with Army grips
Bunk

 

[Bad Karma]

I came across this interesting online auction that ended back in 2016. Starting price was $1000.00 with an estimated sale of from $2000.00 to $4000.00. The auction description is an interesting read. I'm wondering if this 'belly' type of revolver was an inspiration for Pietta's current snub nose revolver.


View attachment 77281

Yes. I’m sure it was.

 

[wb78963]

Here are mine, and Avenging Angel and a Helpful Samaritan

Pietta..

 

[user 33697]

Beautiful pair.

 

[sourdough]

Orrin Porter Rockwell was Brigham Young's "bodyguard".

Porter Rockwell - Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion - MormonWiki

While Brigham Young owned a Colt 1849 Pocket .31 LDS Gunsite: Brigham Young's Colt .31

Rockwell used a cut-down Colt 1851 Navy .36 (quote from the above link).

Brigham Young’s Colt was similar to one carried by Porter Rockwell, who was the prophet Joseph Smith’s bodyguard as well as President Young’s. He carried a Colt Navy .36 caliber with a sawed off barrel.
The Colt Navy pistol seems to play a big role in early years of the Church.


Regards,

Jim

 

[wb78963]

Here are mine, and Avenging Angel and a Helpful Samaritan View attachment 77478Pietta..

thank you and a barrel (however short) of fun the shoot.
Bunk

 

[user 33697]

Bunk,

I recently bought a Pietta snub like the 1860 in your snap shot photo. I haven't gotten to the range to shoot it as yet and I was wondering if you would share your load data for your snubs?

 

[wb78963]

Bunk,

I recently bought a Pietta snub like the 1860 in your snap shot photo. I haven't gotten to the range to shoot it as yet and I was wondering if you would share your load data for your snubs?

Certainly my load is from 20 to 25 grains of FFFg Gunpowder, which ever shoots best, a home made lubed (Beliveau type) 1/8" wad and a .451" cast ball. No fillers are used just the ball seated firmly on the wad and powder.I find it to be very accurate even out to 20 + yards. This is not a wimpy load but shoots very well in my gun.
Oddly enough the sight radius then the hammer is cocked is the same as the sight radius on an unmentionable hand gun that was adopted by The US military in the eleventh year of the last century to put if forum friendly. There is no doubt once you shoot one you know Snubbies rule!
Hold center
Make Smoke
Have Fun
Bunk

 

[toot]

Here are mine, and Avenging Angel and a Helpful Samaritan View attachment 77478Pietta..

fear not want not!! a great pair!

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

It was done not uncommonly, and I doubt Pietta was inspired just by that one example.

 

[Dickydalton]

Here's one I did myself.

 

[Bad Karma]

Huh! Either your camera is fast or your sundial is slow...

 

[sethwyo]

I was looking at one of these at the fun show today and the fella told me it's a
'shopkeeper model'

The mid-length barrel versions of the 1860 and 1858 he referred to as the sheriff's model,

I read an article where a fella referred to the mid-length barrel ones as avenging angels,
I don't recall in the article he said anything about the little snub-nosed ones that are only around 2 in long.


Don't know if these were invented by the Mormon folks or were unique to them?

Kris Kristofferson starred in a HBO movie,
' the tracker ,
that involves the danites and the term of evanging Angel was used,
but it was referring to a person not a gun,
An the danite evanging angel carried a 41 Remington Derringer not a snub nose revolver

 

[B P Arn]

"Shopkeeper", "Sherrif", "Avenging" (not "Evenging") models are just marketing names or non-historical references, and do not have an exact definition.

 

[M. De Land]

Certainly my load is from 20 to 25 grains of FFFg Gunpowder, which ever shoots best, a home made lubed (Beliveau type) 1/8" wad and a .451" cast ball. No fillers are used just the ball seated firmly on the wad and powder.I find it to be very accurate even out to 20 + yards. This is not a wimpy load but shoots very well in my gun.
Oddly enough the sight radius then the hammer is cocked is the same as the sight radius on an unmentionable hand gun that was adopted by The US military in the eleventh year of the last century to put if forum friendly. There is no doubt once you shoot one you know Snubbies rule!
Hold center
Make Smoke
Have Fun
Bunk

I bet these short barreled guns would set you a fire after "hole-en" your tunic ! 😄

 

[Nazgul58]

My "Avenging Angels".

Don

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I would like to have seen for the 2016 auction the seller's provenance, to call that a "Mormon" avenging angle revolver. That seems to me to be a claim that the revolver can actually be traced back to that group of men, OR at least to an owner of the same time period who was likely a member of the LDS Church. "Avenging Angle" seems to denote what the revolver modifications were, with nothing different to indicate that there was a special mode when a "Mormon" had the same style gun, especially when the documented cut down revolvers carried by Mormon's were .36 not .44, apparently.

Shortening of barrels wasn't anything new. I read where one of the James brothers had a Colt Army in .44 where the barrel assembly was gone, and a gunsmith had threaded the cylinder pin and then made a special nut to hold the cylinder on the handgun frame, which may have been the inspiration for the Pietta Pepper Box... although the Pietta had an elongated cylinder while the James revolver did not.

LD

 

[B P Arn]

Avenging Angle"! LOL! Is that a cute angle?