I am fascinated with the Captain Schaeffer 1851 Navy, not the Pietta repro, but the original gun that the repro was based upon.
I have a question about the loading lever, that I am hoping some more experienced members might be able to clear up for me.
It's obvious that the loading lever is vestigial, and could not be used in the conventional manner. I had thought that maybe an extension rod, now lost to time, may have been supplied with the gun, or maybe the idea was to simply use a mallet on the stub.
My guess is that it was just left in place for the sake of appearance, and one would have to remove the cylinder for loading.
I was looking at the photos again just now, and I noticed something peculiar - the catch that holds the lever in place does not appear to be functional.
If you look at the loading lever catch on an 1851, whether original or replica, there is a slot in the loading lever for it to slide back and forth. There is a visible gap behind the catch, to give it room to slide backwards and release the lever.
Looking at the Captain Schaeffer revolver, there seems to be no such space behind the catch; it looks as though it would be impossible to move the catch rearward far enough to release the loading lever.
It may just be the angle of the photo - maybe there is a small gap just enough to get the lever to release, but it really doesn't look that way. There is what could be a very small gap, but it looks more like a shadow.
Could it be that the whole assembly is just for show, and lever was permanently locked in position?
I have a question about the loading lever, that I am hoping some more experienced members might be able to clear up for me.
It's obvious that the loading lever is vestigial, and could not be used in the conventional manner. I had thought that maybe an extension rod, now lost to time, may have been supplied with the gun, or maybe the idea was to simply use a mallet on the stub.
My guess is that it was just left in place for the sake of appearance, and one would have to remove the cylinder for loading.
I was looking at the photos again just now, and I noticed something peculiar - the catch that holds the lever in place does not appear to be functional.
If you look at the loading lever catch on an 1851, whether original or replica, there is a slot in the loading lever for it to slide back and forth. There is a visible gap behind the catch, to give it room to slide backwards and release the lever.
Looking at the Captain Schaeffer revolver, there seems to be no such space behind the catch; it looks as though it would be impossible to move the catch rearward far enough to release the loading lever.
It may just be the angle of the photo - maybe there is a small gap just enough to get the lever to release, but it really doesn't look that way. There is what could be a very small gap, but it looks more like a shadow.
Could it be that the whole assembly is just for show, and lever was permanently locked in position?
