Cabela's 1851 navy

[scott k]

After reading the recent tread on the cabela's cap and ball guns I had to get one. All I can say is what a deal! $149.99 for a steel frame 1851 navy in .36
Fit and finish is ok. Trigger guard could have used a little more detail,a couple of machining lines that were left when the polishing was done, and the wood could have bin fitted a little better.
But over all it's a steal at the price.
Took it out and it was a joy to shoot. Just have to remember to take a rag with me to wipe my hands with when I am loading it.
One thing about it is the wedge is a pain to get out. How hard should it be to get it out?
And is dumping all the parts in hot water the best way to clean it? Don't know how much I like putting the frame in water. But I did and then put it in the oven.
Anyway here it is and I love it ::

Lehigh...

 

[DaveJ]

I'm glad to hear that, I just checked UPS tracking from Cabella's and I should have one of those pistols in my hands by this afternoon. I'm brand new to BP shooting and I have to admit that the main reason I bought that particular gun is because it was real affordable and the feedback I read about it on these forums was encouraging. I'm looking forward to getting out back and making some smoke and noise.

DaveJ

 

[graybeard]

Lehigh: Break your pistol down into its three main parts, frame, barrel and cylinder. Take the wooden handles off. Run a patch w/solvent down the barrel a few times and into each chamber. Than put it in the dishwasher (not the wooden part) with the barrel and cylinder verticle and run it though a regular cycle. You can wash dishes at the same time. When it's over and the metal still is hot, but dry, spray her down with Rem oil or something similar, grease the arbor and hand, and reassemble. I've been doing this for years with an 1860 Colt replica and never a touch of rust. :blue: graybeard

 

[JackAubrey]

Mr Greybeard,What an excellent idea!I will be trying this next time.I have always cleaned mine as does Mr.Lehigh,in the oven and all.I use soapy water,pipe cleaners for cleaning the cones,a toothbrush for all the crevasses and a bore brush.One could fore go the brush w/ no ill effects however I feel it speeds the process.Brush then mop w/ patches.Thanks for the post.Mr.Lehigh,congrats on your new baby!You mentioned dirty hands after firing.Is this powder residue or do you smear grease over the cylinders as some suggest?If you are using grease you may wish to consider wool felt wonder wads and be quit of the grease.I used grease many years ago when first starting out b/c I was told I should.Right messy it was.I'll not be doing that again!I've used the wads twixt the ball and powder for years and am very pleased w/ the results.Best regards,J.A.

 

[oldmaster]

Yes, the wedge is very hard to remove. That's how they are made. I clean mine with Ed's red and it has been just fine for the last three years. Hot, soapy water is ok for the rest but the frame I clean as stated above. :m2c:

 

[scott k]

Thanks for the input guys :thanks:
There's no way my dish washer is going to clean my gun. Not until I get one of them automatic things. At least that's what the wife told me :crackup:
I did use greese(Stumps moose snot), Guess I'll pick some wads and see how that works. Have to pick up some things anyway, The rifle measer was a little ungainly to use. I need to get one for this pistol.
Lehigh...

 

[Zonie]

Although some will disagree with me, I think the C&B pistols are one of the few black powder guns which can be loaded using the measuring spout on the flask to pour from.
I might not think it was safe if I was in a desperate hurry, but it's usually about 30+ seconds from my last shot before I am actually pouring any powder into the cylinder and I believe this is enough time for any glowing ember to die out.

If you haven't bought a powder flask yet, they are quite handy. They measure the powder charge automatically if you place your finger over the end of the spout, push the thumb lever over and point the spout down. Release the thumb lever and return the spout to the up position. It's ready to dump the powder into the cylinder bore.
You can buy several spouts of different sizes to get different loads. All of these spouts are interchangable.

 

[scott k]

Zonie, I was thinking of getting a flask just for this, Now I will :thanks:
Lehigh...

 

[pondoro]

We could almost start a Cap and Ball area with all the new C&B revolvers people are buying. I have learned a lot from all the people on this forum. Just got my first C&B (1860 Colt clone). Now I cannot decide if the next one should be a C&B pocket pistol or a Dragoon.

 

[Zonie]

Zonie, I was thinking of getting a flask just for this, Now I will :thanks:
Lehigh...

I think you will find it as useful as I did. In fact, because it has interchangable spouts, I have a number of them.
I marked the charge weight on the side of each and install the one for the charge I want to use from 15 grains for my .31 New Model Remington thru 85 grains for my .54 Caplock Rifle.
Using the flask allows me to keep track of the powder type too.
I use Pyrodex in the flask and use a powder horn for my real Black Powder. That way, when I take a C&B pistol or rifle along with a flintlock to the shooting range, I won't pour the Pyro down the flintlocks bore.

While I'm on the subject of flasks, I prefer the round cylindrical one to the formed ones.
Although the formed ones are neat looking they are a PITA to fill. Either you remove the veeeerrrryyy little screws in the cap or you have to hold the gate open with your thumb and pour the powder down thru the spout.
If you drop one of the fancy flasks, it usually dents or splits along the soldered seam down both sides, ruining it.
The round cylindrical flask has a bottom that simply unscrews and no seams to split if you drop it.

 

[FSCGunslinger]

While I'm on the subject of flasks, I prefer the round cylindrical one to the formed ones.
Although the formed ones are neat looking they are a PITA to fill. Either you remove the veeeerrrryyy little screws in the cap or you have to hold the gate open with your thumb and pour the powder down thru the spout.
If you drop one of the fancy flasks, it usually dents or splits along the soldered seam down both sides, ruining it.
The round cylindrical flask has a bottom that simply unscrews and no seams to split if you drop it.

Are the fancy flasks more "period" than the round ones?

 

[tjhuels]

OK, so I bought a Cabela's 1851 Colt copy, made by Pietta. It's .36 caliber, steel frame. Love it! Tight, well-made gun.

Now the Pietta manual says to load 9-12 grains 3F powder, which seems ultra-light to me, while the included Cabelas' manual says 22 grains 3F. However, Lyman's Black Powder Handbook says to load between 15-30 grains of Goex 3F or the same in Pyrodex P.

So, who is right?

BTW, to clean the gun I just dissasemble the cylinder from the frame, scrub the barrel and cylinder with hot soapy water, rinse and dry, then Rem Oil or Marvel Mystery Oil. For the rest of the frame I just use a rag dampened with good old Hoppes #9.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Zonie]

I really don't understand the light powder loads being recommended by several of the companys. Too many lawyers I guess.

I feel the 22-30 grain load in a .44 cal "1851 Navy"**, the 1860s Colts and the Remingtons is the correct load for steel frame revolvers.

Loads of 16-22 are suitable for the .36 caliber steel frame guns.

If you are going to use felt wads Under the ball, you will have to reduce the loads somewhat to make room for the wad.

Speaking in very general terms, I feel that as long as your loading the Cap and Ball revolver with real Black Powder or Pyrodex, it is impossible to overload the guns because of the size of their chambers.
777 is powerful enough that you should reduce the loads about 10-15% under the above loads.

I would recommend reducing the charges by 5 grains if the gun has a brass frame.

**In all of the research I've done, I have never found or read of anyone who has found any documentation of the .44 caliber ever being made in a 1851 style Navy style Colt pistol by Colt, Manhatten or any other Colt copiers.
This is not to say there is anything wrong with these reproductions. In fact, I feel they are great guns which combine the handleing of the 1851 Navy with the power of the 1860 Colt. A hard combination to beat unless your into being Period Correct.

:thumbsup:

 

[Bear Rider]

.....I've been doing this for years with an 1860 Colt replica and never a touch of rust. :blue: graybeard

It's not the rust that would worry me. I would worry about the LEAD on my plates, knives, and forks.


Not to mention the lumps on my head after the wife caught me! :boohoo:

 

[54ball]

A Confederate revolver was made in Texas durring the CW. It was .44 and was a dead ringer for the 1851 Navy. Only 2-3 are known to have survived to modern times.

 

[pondoro]

54 Ball - do you have any links to references about that Confederate copy? I am not challenging you, I am interested in more details.

Thanks

 

[Zonie]

54ball: You may be right, but the only .44 caliber gun I'm familure with from Texas was made by the J.H.Dance & Brothers company in Columbia, Texas.
It looks like a Large 1851 except it doesn't have any "recoil shields" on either side of the frame and it has a round barrel rather than an octagon barrel.
To many, it looks rather strange with the rear of the cylinder is left totally uncovered on each side of the frame but, who knows, it may have been less subject to chain firing and lockups caused by cap fragments getting lodged behind the cylinder.
The whole gun was a little larger than the 1851 Colt and the cylinder was not rebated (stepped) like the reproduction 1851 .44s are.
The Dance Brothers also made their guns in .36 caliber.
To read more about these guns see CONFEDERATE HANDGUNS by William A Albaugh,III Hugh Benet, Jr and Edward N. Simmons and Confederate Arms by William A Albaugh, and Edward N. Simmons.

Dixie Gunworks lists a reproduction of the Dance Brothers pistol in .44 caliber. It's made by Pietta and they were asking $265 for it. (RH0344 is their part number in the 2005 catalog). To their credit, Pietta did not just use one of their rebated .44 cylinders on their reproduction. It has the correct straight cylinder. :front:

 

[54ball]

This was a Dance Brothers gun. It seems like it this one had a slabsided barrell. It stated that only four are known to exist in this pattern. It was on an auction site linked from a percussion revolver website.
I know that a Uberti .44 Navy is not P/C but pistols close to this did exist. Like Spiller & Burr and others. Confedrate pistols to me look like Colt's Dragoon and 1851 Navy met and had kids south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Most seem to have the lines of a Navy with the round barrel and .44 caliber of the Dragoon.
I found this info while surfing the net well over a year ago. I would suggest using a search engine for Confederate Pistols or Confederate Weapons of the Civil War. I wish I would have bookmarked that sight. Sometimes I find stuff on the net and have a hard time finding it again.

 

[graybeard]

Bear Rider, you worry too much. :relax: It has to be really dark before you notice that the ingested lead has given me a faint glow. since I am henpecked :winking: I wash the dishes and so I can put pistols, bowie knives or whatever in amongst the crockery. :blue: graybeard

 

[ncrebel]

Mr. Greybeard:
I read your post and thought what a great idea. After shooting my lemat I followed your suggestion although I used the light load setting and wow. Cleanest my gun has been since I bought it (used).
Thanks a million