colt root

[1911nutjob]

With tax season here, I was thinking of spending part of my return on a new toy, but wanted something different. I had my eye on a colt root repro, but DGW doesn't seem to list them on their website anymore. I'm guessing they're discontinued, but why-were there quality issues?

 

[Zonie]

Yes there were quality, or lack of quality issues with it.

This isn't surprising because the original Root had many more problems than the standard Colt style pistols.

They were quite complicated and they often broke.

The reproductions followed suit.

 

[1911nutjob]

OK, scratch that idea. Since no one (that I know of) makes a repro of the savage or whitneyville revolvers, I guess my oddball idea is out of the question. I considered getting a pietta starr, but mixed reviews nixed that one for me too. Suppose I'll just buy an 1860 to accompany my original colt.

 

[Zonie]

I guess your right.

I was hoping that Dixie still offered the Whitney .36 but when I ran a search on their website, nothing showed up.

If you want something different you might consider a .44 cal Dance.

Originally made by the Dance Brothers in Texas for the Confederacy, its unique frame without a recoil shield is definitely different.

The modern version is made by Pietta and because of its similarity to a Colt I suspect that a lot of the inner workings are interchangeable.

 

[Homesteader]

Another odd-ball but authentic smokewagon you might want to look at is the Starr Double Action. It sure ain't as pretty as a Colt or Remmy, but it's an attention getter, and it's quite a kick to squeeze off a full cylinder as fast as you can pull the trigger.

 

[1911nutjob]

Another odd-ball but authentic smokewagon you might want to look at is the Starr Double Action. It sure ain't as pretty as a Colt or Remmy, but it's an attention getter, and it's quite a kick to squeeze off a full cylinder as fast as you can pull the trigger.

I had considered it, but I read more than one review complaining that the action was fragile and/or required tuning out of the box before use. I didn't know DGW ever offered a whitney repro-I'll try to see if I can find one used.

 

[Zonie]

Dixie Gunworks sold the Whitney up until a few years ago.
It was a steel framed .36 caliber pistol made by Palmetto in Italy.

Dixie still sells the Spiller & Burr .36, the Confederate brass framed copy of the Whitney "Navy"

This Spiller & Burr is not simply a brass framed Whitney.
The Whitney Navy's frame is about 1/4 inch ahead of the front of the cylinder and the threaded portion of the barrel protrudes from this area of the frame back to the face of the cylinder leaving about 1/4 inch of barrel threads exposed.
This is the same method that Remington used to solve their cylinder freezing problem.

The S & B on the other hand is like the original in this area.
The brass frame completely covers all but a very small amount of the barrel threads, leaving a small 1/16 inch or so gap to the face of the cylinder.

I own both of these guns but I must admit that I haven't shot my S&B enough to know if it has a similar cylinder lock up problem like the original 1858 Remington Army after firing a few cylinders full of loads.
I do know it didn't lock up from firing 10 shots thru it without special cleaning.

The S&B is made by Pietta/Italy which in theory should make it a better made gun than the Palmetto Whitney.

Don't take that wrong though. My Whitney works just fine.

I guess if you want a Whitney you should keep your eyes open for offers on some of the web sites. There should be quite a few of them out there because my 1980 Dixie Catalog was selling them way back then.
Oh, Dixie was also selling kits of these guns then so some of the available pistols may have been made from kits. That's either good or bad depending on who put them together. :hmm:

 

[1911nutjob]

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled. I just ordered the latest DGW catalog, as they sometimes list things that I can't find on their website for one reason or another. If I don't find anything special there, I'll just go with the 1860 repro to avoid firing my original. Lately I've been really infatuated with the savage design. I'd love to see a repro of that and other percussion pistols, along with a few of the really early autoloaders, but it probably won't happen in our lifetimes. I sometimes think the industry underestimates the potential market for goodies like that-someone will buy it if you make it.

 

[CaptainKirk]

If you're into.."unusual"...have you considered a Paterson, complete w/ folding trigger? Not your run-of-the-mill Colt!

 

[poordevil]

There is also a picture of Geronimo with a Dance.

 

[1911nutjob]

The paterson is on my "possibles" list. I have a few weeks to decide, so I'm taking my time. Thru my researching, I have just discovered the cooper double action revolver for the first time. Someone please tell me I'm not the only one drooling over the idea of a replica of these being made. Any experts here to shed light on those? There isn't much to be found on the web, and most of what I've read has come from auction sites. A definite oddball, I might consider picking up an original.

 

[Zonie]

For those folks who don't know what a Cooper is, there were basically two models made.

The first was a Pocket Pistol (1864-1869) that looks very much like a Colt 1849 Pocket pistol with a very large trigger guard.
The reason for the large trigger guard is that all of the Coopers were double action pistols.

The Pocket pistol was made in .31 caliber with 5 shot (early) and 6 shot (late) cylinders.
They had 4, 5 and 6 inch barrels.

In 2007 Flayderman's Guide listed the values at $375 (good) to $1,500 (Fine).

The Navy Model (1864-1869) looked very much like a 1851 Colt with a very large trigger guard for the double action trigger.

It was made with a 4, 5 and 6 inch barrel and a 5 shot round or rebated cylinder.

In 2007 Flayderman's Guide listed the values at $525 (good) to $1,600 (fine).