Colt vs Rem

[LONGHORN]

Here is a question just for fun. If you were a soldier during the later part of the civil war, and you could get your hand on an 1860 (Colt) or an 1858 (Rem), but not both, which would you choose and why?

To keep things somewhat fair let's assume that you can only carry one cylinder with you.

I guess I am curious because it seem to me that more soldiers carried the Colts. I can only imagine this is because the Colts were introduced first and probably more readily available.

Maybe if the Rem was released before the war and was as available to soldiers, the Rem would have been the weapon of choice.

 

If I only have one cylinder then it's a toss up. Whichever one is closest when I need it... that's the one I would grab first.

 

[Legionair]

Personally...

I prefer the Colts. I do own repros of both and the Colt just fits my hand better. If I had real big mitts, I might prefer the Remington as it is stronger with the topstrap (more bang for the buck).

But the Colt just feels right to me...

Also... My Colt seems to fire more cylinders without cleaning than the Remington. Looser tolerences, maybe?

Either way, Colt for me... :thumbsup:

Just an opinion-

Legion

 

[Shelby Skinner]

Well, the frame is NOT the weakest link on either design...its the delicate lock mechanism... And they are about the same in this regard. Lets face it...if you are so rough on a Colt revolver the frame fails...your lock work would be the first to go. A Remington top strap isn't going to save your bacon in that case either.
In a modern revolver operating at 50,000 PSI like a .357 magnum the frame is crucial. But black powder guns operate at a third or less of those pressures.
Reloading a cab and ball during a battle is also a non-sequiter. Lets face it. Fighting with a hand gun in those days meant 25 yards and under. If you empty your cap and ball pistol at 25 yards you don't have the time to switch cylinders on either design...you need to be reaching for your sword! Hand it back to your aide de camp to reload while you are fending off the charge!

 

[PitchyPine]

you need to be reaching for your sword! Hand it back to your aide de camp to reload while you are fending off the charge!

And i thought i was having a bad day. :haha:
What a picture, no wonder those earlier guns had knives and clubs attached too them.
I`d choose a Colt just because i like the feel and looks of it better. :thumbsup:

 

[rebel727]

If you'd asked two weeks ago I'd have said Remington cuz that's all I was really familiar with cept a junky pos kit I got off of somebody many moons ago. Having recently acquired a decent Colt I'd now have to say I'd go with Colt. I like the grips better. Remmy's and big paws don't go together well. You get your second knuckle rapped pretty good on the trigger guard sometimes. The Colt points better and is balanced better. The only bad thing is they're much more prone to getting fired caps hung up in the action than the Remmy but turning it kinda sideways while you cock it helps a whole bunch.

 

[PitchyPine]

I was taught by a old timer too hold it barrel up when cocking to prevent that, maybe a little of both.

Remember the old cowboy movies where they would flip the colt up after each shot while cocking, well where did they get that idea from, their fathers using cap and ball pistols.

 

[Mulebrain]

One cylinder?

Colt 1860

Nice looks and balance, plus I really like the higher spur on the hammer. You can rapid fire easier if ya had to :v

 

[Zonie]

1860 Colt.
For me, it has better pointability. It just nestles better in my hand and feels like it is a part of me.
The grip on the Remingtons feel more like a handle I'm holding on to.

zonie

 

[peashooterJoe]

Colt.. there were more spares floating around and could scrounge parts off them as needed. I read some where they used wood wedges so they could change cylinders faster. Just my way of looking at it from a different angle. PeashooterJoe..

 

[Wes/Tex]

1860 Colt.
For me, it has better pointability. It just nestles better in my hand and feels like it is a part of me.
The grip on the Remingtons feel more like a handle I'm holding on to.

zonie

That pretty much says it all for me too. If you need to shoot more than 6 times you don't want to have to clean the breech face and cylinder pin unlike the '58.

 

[LONGHORN]

Thank you all for responding, :thumbsup: this is fascinating, I haven't herd any one say that they would prefer the Remington.

From the comments about having to clean the Remington more often sounds to me like the top strap might be a hindrance. Maybe the top strap contains the blast (limiting the escape of the blast to the sides), whereas the Colt's blast is free to escape in more directions.

Do you folks suppose there is any truth to that?

 

[Wes/Tex]

Actually, the Remington is made so that the cylinder is fairly tight against the front of the cylinder cut-out. The barrel breech is fit flush and it's the tight fit catches a lot of fouling. The Remington's cylinder pin is small and smooth unlike the Colt version which is larger and has cut grooves to hold lube to keep the cylinder turning after a good deal of shooting. The frame cut-out and barrel breech on the Colt also tapers away rather than being flat and isn't as prone to binding after a cylinder or two of shooting. It's basically a matter of design styles between the two.

 

[rebel727]

The Remmy pin has a flat side that you can load up with grease to help keep it going but it won't run more than 3-4 cylinders before it starts to bind. Some good spray lube will keep it going but that wasn't an option in the old days.

 

[jaxenro]

I seem to remember reading that when the ex soldiers were offered the chance to buy their revolvers as surplus after the war, most chose the Remmy. These men used these things in war, perhaps the harshest test of guns devised.

 

[mykeal]

I seem to remember reading that when the ex soldiers were offered the chance to buy their revolvers as surplus after the war, most chose the Remmy. These men used these things in war, perhaps the harshest test of guns devised.

For the most part they were given the choice of buying the gun they had or just turning it in, as opposed to a choice of buying a Colt or a Remington. There may have been a few officers that had a choice of one or the other, but mostly not. Many guns just "got lost on the battlefield".

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Rem '58 is generally more accurate than the Colt and the Colt wedge pin sometimes gives trouble. but that Colt is sure a natural pointing handgun, advantage close-up.

 

[brubincam]

51 navy 36 keep stinging the guy till he got close then finish him off with 60 in 44 cal... :thumbsup:

 

[muzzelloader69]

i would chose the colt , easer to clean, load , take apart , ect , .

 

[JV Puleo]

Both the Colt M1860 and the M1858 Remington continued in service until replaced by the Colt SAA. During that time the clear favorite was the Colt...despite the fact that no new M1860s were available after the Colt factory fire in 1863 while thousands of unissued Remingtons were still in armory storage. Overall, soldiers would rather have had a refinished Colt than a new Remington. At least one officer indented for Colts and added to his memo "if not available, do not send Remingtons". The Remington had a reputation for being fragile and easily put out of order. There were many complaints about it citing weak springs and failure to detonate a cap.

The exact numbers in use and who was using them are available in D.P. Farrington's "Arming and Equipping the US Cavalry, 1865-1902.