Colt 1851 Navy—120 yards?

[StoryWriter85]

I’m writing a frontier novel set in 1870. One of my characters is an exceptionally gifted marksman, and has a Colt 1851 Navy revolver. In one scene, he is in a gunfight with an opponent at 100-120 yards.

I read that this gun’s effective firing range is about 75 yards. In a work of fiction, is it *plausible* to hit an 8-inch target (a person’s face) at 100-120 yards with the Colt Navy? Or is that completely absurd?

I may shorten the distance to 90 yards. But I’m wondering how much distance I can get away with before it becomes silly.

 

[CyrusP]

I can hit a 16” gong with my .36 some of the time. 1 or 2 in 6 shots. Definitely one. That’s once I’m dialed in with it. Keep in mind I’m standing still, not being shot at and know the distance. If a pistolero was Hickok-level, 90 is doable. With unmentionables, I’ve been practicing 100 yard or more for 28 years. BTW, I did a lot of my long range shooting in your town. I lived in Vegas years back in the desert where there was no issue practicing whenever I wanted.

PS 8” at 120 is stretching it (for me)
PPS is your shooter young? If he’s older there was no corrective vision unless you had means I’ve been told.

 

[M. De Land]

There is a good video of a Hungarian fella often seen on line that promotes percussion and flint guns showing him shooting at 100 yards with a short arbor Uberti model 51 that is decades old and hitting a head size gong repeatedly at that distance. I forget his handle but think he is Hungarian if not mistaken.
He absolutely destroys the notion that a short arbor gun is not accurate and will in short order self destruct !

I’m writing a frontier novel set in 1870. One of my characters is an exceptionally gifted marksman, and has a Colt 1851 Navy revolver. In one scene, he is in a gunfight with an opponent at 100-120 yards.

I read that this gun’s effective firing range is about 75 yards. In a work of fiction, is it *plausible* to hit an 8-inch target (a person’s face) at 100-120 yards with the Colt Navy? Or is that completely absurd?

I may shorten the distance to 90 yards. But I’m wondering how much distance I can get away with before it becomes silly.

f

 

[BCWILL]

You could hit it but at that range given the 51’s powder capacity that lil .36 might just bounce off a thick coat

 

[TNGhost]

Absolutely doable and done regularly with modern cartridge arms, and black powder revolvers are in many cases close to or equal to many modern arms, with a lot of practice, not absurd at all, and in the realm of believability to hit regularly with a Colt Navy.

Now what the impact of that hit would be is a different story. The lethality of such a hit would be in the realm of a lucky, or unlucky shot, depending which side of the equation you're on.

 

[Colonial Boy]

Doable, but for credibility and lethality I’d shorten the distance to 80 yards; a gunfight at that distance would still stretch the reader’s imagination, perhaps to the point of checking it and then having a WOW!

 

[M. De Land]

You could hit it but at that range given the 51’s powder capacity that lil .36 might just bounce off a thick coat

I don't want any one shooting at me with a 51 at 100 yards. According to my Lyman Black powder book it is possible to get 1000 fps out of a 7.5 inch model 51 at the muzzle with a 27 grain charge of 3F and at 100 yards it is still going 664 fps. Gents that 85 grain ball would most certainly "hole your Tunic" !
We know for certain it did in Davis Tutt at approximately 75 yards out of Hickocks 51.

 

[StoryWriter85]

I can hit a 16” gong with my .36 some of the time. 1 or 2 in 6 shots. Definitely one. That’s once I’m dialed in with it. Keep in mind I’m standing still, not being shot at and know the distance. If a pistolero was Hickok-level, 90 is doable. With unmentionables, I’ve been practicing 100 yard or more for 28 years. BTW, I did a lot of my long range shooting in your town. I lived in Vegas years back in the desert where there was no issue practicing whenever I wanted.

PS 8” at 120 is stretching it (for me)
PPS is your shooter young? If he’s older there was no corrective vision unless you had means I’ve been told.

There is a good video of a Hungarian fella often seen on line that promotes percussion and flint guns showing him shooting at 100 yards with a short arbor Uberti model 51 that is decades old and hitting a head size gong repeatedly at that distance. I forget his handle but think he is Hungarian if not mistaken.
He absolutely destroys the notion that a short arbor gun is not accurate and will in short order self destruct !

f

I think I know who you are talking about and I think his YouTube channel is called “capandball.” I’ll check it out, thanks!

 

[45D]

There is a good video of a Hungarian fella often seen on line that promotes percussion and flint guns showing him shooting at 100 yards with a short arbor Uberti model 51 that is decades old and hitting a head size gong repeatedly at that distance. I forget his handle but think he is Hungarian if not mistaken.
He absolutely destroys the notion that a short arbor gun is not accurate and will in short order self destruct !

Actually, he doesn't "destroy" anything of the kind!! The revolver he's shooting was made in '63 and one of Uberti's earliest. You nor I don't KNOW if the arbor is short or not and there's a good chance it isn't!! I posted about a 1960 made revolver that had a correct length arbor back around November. So, there's a good possibility the early Uberti revolvers were correct as well ( till money got in the way . . . ).
Good try though.
Here's the GU revolver I posted about with the correct length arbor-

Mike

 

[StoryWriter85]

Doable, but for credibility and lethality I’d shorten the distance to 80 yards; a gunfight at that distance would still stretch the reader’s imagination, perhaps to the point of checking it and then having a W

Absolutely doable and done regularly with modern cartridge arms, and black powder revolvers are in many cases close to or equal to many modern arms, with a lot of practice, not absurd at all, and in the realm of believability to hit regularly with a Colt Navy.

Now what the impact of that hit would be is a different story. The lethality of such a hit would be in the realm of a lucky, or unlucky shot, depending which side of the equation you're on.

Thank you! That helps a lot.

 

[StoryWriter85]

Doable, but for credibility and lethality I’d shorten the distance to 80 yards; a gunfight at that distance would still stretch the reader’s imagination, perhaps to the point of checking it and then having a W

I can hit a 16” gong with my .36 some of the time. 1 or 2 in 6 shots. Definitely one. That’s once I’m dialed in with it. Keep in mind I’m standing still, not being shot at and know the distance. If a pistolero was Hickok-level, 90 is doable. With unmentionables, I’ve been practicing 100 yard or more for 28 years. BTW, I did a lot of my long range shooting in your town. I lived in Vegas years back in the desert where there was no issue practicing whenever I wanted.

PS 8” at 120 is stretching it (for me)
PPS is your shooter young? If he’s older there was no corrective vision unless you had means I’ve been told.

Well that helps, thank you. My character is a younger guy who was a Civil War sharpshooter. So I figured maybe 100 yards or a little more is plausible for him with a Colt Navy.

 

[StoryWriter85]

Doable, but for credibility and lethality I’d shorten the distance to 80 yards; a gunfight at that distance would still stretch the reader’s imagination, perhaps to the point of checking it and then having a WOW!

Thank you, that helps. Actually, in the story a character will get hit by the Colt and LIVE. So in that case, maybe the 100 yards works better for believability.

 

[M. De Land]

I think I know who you are talking about and I think his YouTube channel is called “capandball.” I’ll check it out, thanks!

I checked him out and that's not the Hungarian guy but is still very good as he recreates the Hickock Tutt shoot out at 75 yards that should be good for your novel information.

 

[StoryWriter85]

I checked him out and that's not the Hungarian guy but is still very good as he recreates the Hickock Tutt shoot out at 75 yards that should be good for your novel information.

Ah, got it. Thanks again

 

[M. De Land]

Actually, he doesn't "destroy" anything of the kind!! The revolver he's shooting was made in '63 and one of Uberti's earliest. You nor I don't KNOW if the arbor is short or not and there's a good chance it isn't!! I posted about a 1960 made revolver that had a correct length arbor back around November. So, there's a good possibility the early Uberti revolvers were correct as well ( till money got in the way . . . ).
Good try though.

Mike

It was short and is the reason he kept resetting the ill fitting factory wedge between each shot with his powder measure. No reason to do so unless it's backing out and according to you they won't back out when the arbor is end fit. Can't have it both ways Mike .

 

[BCWILL]

I don't want any one shooting at me with a 51 at 100 yards. According to my Lyman Black powder book it is possible to get 1000 fps out of a 7.5 inch model 51 at the muzzle with a 27 grain charge of 3F and at 100 yards it is still going 664 fps. Gents that 85 grain ball would most certainly "hole your Tunic" !
We know for certain it did in Davis Tutt at approximately 75 yards out of Hickocks 51.

Hence the wink !

 

[45D]

It was short and is the reason he kept resetting the ill fitting factory wedge between each shot with his powder measure. No reason to do so unless it's backing out and according to you they won't back out when the arbor is end fit. Can't have it both ways Mike .

He didn't do any tapping on the wedge when he was shooting 100 meters (watch it again). The original wedge may be too small and was replaced for the remainder of the video since it appeared to be an annoyance.
( no proof the arbor is short)

Mike

 

[M. De Land]

He didn't do any tapping on the wedge when he was shooting 100 meters (watch it again). The original wedge may be too small and was replaced for the remainder of the video since it appeared to be an annoyance.
( no proof the arbor is short)

Mike

Or more likely he edited out the annoying wedge tap used on the shorter yardages in the video which were still demonstrating excellent accuracy with the wedge tap. Your speculating that he swapped wedges and why do so when your getting such fine accuracy. I wouldn't switch anything for the video with a gun shooting that well and doubt he did either.

 

[45D]

Or more likely he edited out the annoying wedge tap used on the shorter yardages which were still demonstrating excellent accuracy with the wedge tap. Your speculating that he swapped wedges and why do so when your getting such fine accuracy. I wouldn't switch anything in the video with a gun shooting that well and neither did he.

Nope, he cocks and fires all six shots without stopping.

I'm pretty sure the revolver he is shooting has a correct length arbor. The engraving is the same as the one on my friend's revolver.

The video revolver-

My friend's revolver
(maybe this view is better with same orientation)

Mike

 

[M. De Land]

Nope, he cocks and fires all six shots without stopping.

I'm pretty sure the revolver he is shooting has a correct length arbor. The engraving is the same as the one on my friend's revolver.

The video revolver-
View attachment 341402
View attachment 341403
My friend's revolver

Mike

Well I disagree but whats new between us about that !