Confederate 1851

[crockett]

There has been a lot of talk about brass frame "Navy" Colt 1851's with a 44 caliber cylinder and how they are not PC. BUT there was some sort of Confederate clone that was very close. I don't know much about this subject but what was the difference? I think the Confederate had a round barrel but was that the only difference? (except of course for the brass frame). Where I am going on this is wondering if that is the only difference it would be comparatively easy just to file the octagon barrel round and VOILA- an accurate PC revolver for a good price.
I'm always pushing the steel frame but one guy that is local says he has shot 25,000 rounds out of a brass (moderate powder- not mild, nor max) and has had no frame stretch. I'm not sure I totally believe the 25,000 as I have a few guns but have never fired that many rounds out of any of them. IAE- the brass frame seems okay with moderate loads. They had to be good enough for the Confederate military to use them.

 

[Rev_William]

Well I have an old blackhawk in .357 that I have probably run twice that amount thru and the rifle I was using for small game and plinking before my .32 is probably close to 100 thousand on the conservative estimation. both are well loved but still sound as a dollar(the old dollar that is :wink: )

 

[nmdd]

"Navy" = .36 cal. :hatsoff:

 

[Coot]

Practically all Confederate made revolvers are .36 caliber. The only Confederate made .44 revolvers that I am aware of are the extremely rare Texas made Dance Brothers and the (also Texas) Tucker, Sherrod & Co copies of the Colt dragoon model. According to William Albaugh (Confederate Arms), the revolvers made in any numbers by the Confederates are:

Griswold & Gunnison - a brass framed round barrel copy of the '51 Colt Navy - something over 3600 produced.

Leech & Rigdon - an iron framed, brass trigger guard & grip strap, round barrel copy of the "51 navy. About 1500 made?

Rigdon - Ansley - see above, a slightly improved model still basically a copy of the '51 navy but made with a new partnership.

Spiller & Burr - a copy of the Whitney navy model, made with a brass frame and steel octagon barrel. The Whiney was a full frame gun a la Remington navy. About 1400 are believed to have been made at two different locations.

Schneider & Glassick - believed to have produced 14 (yes that's fourteen) guns based on the '51 Colt, with two known survivors - a brass framed model with octagon barrel and an iron framed model with a dragoon barrel, both in .36.

So if someone wants a correct, brass frame, round barrel revolver, it looks like it will be a replica .36 caliber Griswold & Gunnison. As I recall, both High Standard and Uberti have made replicas of this gun.

 

[Poor Private]

The confederates DID not make any brass frame .44's. They made all their brass frames in .36's. The clone Colts were .36, the Spiller and Burrs were .36. Both in brass. There were other obscure pistols in brass frame but most were nrthern pistols.
Take a look at the book "Civil War Weapons" by Graham Smith Published by Chartwell Books Inc. It has a veery comprehensive listing of pistols, swords, cannons, and long guns manufactured and or used during the civil war. This is one of the books I use for reference.
As a side note yes I have a 1851 brass framed, so-called confederate revolver shot it alot both with blanks and live. I see no damage at all or "stretching" I have had it for a bunch of years. It is one of my favorite guns to shoot.

 

[nkbj]

My brother finally loosened up a brass framed .44 after about twenty years of skunk killing and can slaying. Nobody could say he didn't get his money's worth out of that rascal.

 

[Zonie]

I have several different books that deal specifically with the Confederate pistols and Coot hit the nail on the head.

There were no Confederate brass framed .44 caliber revolvers made during the Civil War. At least, none that have ever been found or that records speak of.

 

[nkbj]

And Cabelas still hasn't put the Dance on sale. Wanh.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Hollywood likes those brass framed revolvers and seem to feel every Confederate soldier or veteran should be so equipped but really they were rare. As you see by the numbers "Coot" has posted, the Confederacy was only able to produce less than 6,000 revolvers of any type. By far the most common Confederate revolver was the Colt 1851 Navy model, many of which were in Confederate hands before the war started and many more were captured as the war progressed. Other models of Colt and Remington revolvers were captured so a Confederate soldier may have carried about anything he could pick up, including S&W rimfires.

 

[crockett]

Thanks to all- didn't know the brass frames were all 36. What is really interesting is the small number of these revolvers made. Almost all confederate revolvers must have been Colts, etc acquired before the war.

 

[Zonie]

The written Confederate requirements for a revolver clearly said it was to be a .36 caliber and modeled after the Colt 1851 Navy.

The acceptance of the Spiller & Burr, which clearly is not based on the Colt Navy goes to show how desperate the Confederacy was for weapons (not that the Whitney it was based on was a bad design).

 

[SteveFink]

i have an employee discount card I got the other day that is good until the 2nd - picked up that dance bros yesterday for 232 - not too bad