Do I Want A Brass Frame?

[George T.]

Darn Son you have it Bad! That is a very nice collection. Geo. T.

By the way I prefer steel frames but that's just me! Also I vote for the same calibers to reduce the required inventory.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have four of the brass framed "Confederate Navy" .44's from Pietta. I bought them more than a decade ago when they were under $100 each. I bought them for CAS shooting, as an experiment in how little one could invest, and still compete at a reasonable level. All four had the full sized barrels.

Of the four, three shot well, one did not. The one that didn't shoot well was turned into a spare parts gun, and one of the remaining three had a barrel shortened for use in "pocket revolver" side matches. The three all shot amazingly well, even the pocket pistol. I used 18 grains of 3Fg and .44 caliber wonder wads with a .454 ball. I still have them. :grin:

I also picked up a brass framed "sheriff's model" in .36 from CVA. That too shoots very well.

So they will work quite well. The others are right though, you will probably want one in .36 and in steel. Cap-n-ball revolvers are so popular with shooters, that they could probably justify their own topic category on some of the shooting blogs.

LD

 

[zimmerstutzen]

My first cap and ball revolver was a brass framed remmie in 36 caliber. I shot it a lot and frankly don't remember whether I sold it off, traded it, or whatever. It was a good gun for the $35.00 I paid for it in 1978. The Italians seem to be much better with the metallurgy of their guns these days than then.

Over the years, I have encountered used guns that were shot loose. One brass frame 44 remmie had almost a 16th of an inch play between the cylinder and the frame.

The difference in cost between brass frame and steel frame in some models is so low, that buying a brass frame seems fool hardy.

As said by many others, a brass frame handled and shot within it's limitations will outlast you.

I do remember talking to a stand operator at Dollywood years ago. He operated a stand at which patrons could shoot a cap and ball revolver at targets about 40 ft away. I think in 1991, it was $2.00 for five shots. He loaded them up and watched over shooters. He did say that the brass frame colts did not last with every day all day shooting. The customers preferred them and he had to replace them about mid season.

 

[Billnpatti]

One thing you have to decide is just how hung up are you on historical correctness. :hmm: If being HC is a big deal for you, you will need to do some research to find out what guns and in what calibers were actually made in the day and what they were made of. In many cases, brass frames are HC but if you are not hung up on historical correctness, I'd stick with the steel frames. If you are a person who likes to wring the last bit of power out of your revolver, a brass frame will eventually stretch where the steel frame won't. The brass may look pretty but it isn't as strong as steel. If you are willing to restrict yourself to moderate loads and want a revolver with a brass frame, a good Uberti or Pedersoli revolver would be a good choice.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I just checked both Uberti and Pedersoli web sites and found NO brass frame revolvers offered. All of the Uberti revolvers said they came with case hardened frames. Looks like Pietta may be the only one supplying brass frames. .

 

[bpd303]

My Rogers & Spencer came in today. A very nice revolver. Can't wait to make some smoke & holes with it tomorrow, if it's not raining cats & dogs.

 

[CaptainKirk]

I just checked both Uberti and Pedersoli web sites and found NO brass frame revolvers offered. All of the Uberti revolvers said they came with case hardened frames. Looks like Pietta may be the only one supplying brass frames. .

Yes, but the gun auction sites are chock-full of them, many for little over $100.00. I've bought at least five brassers off the auction sites (maybe more?)none of them new, and only been burned...sort of...on one. By that I mean it took a little more work than normal to restore it to shooting condition.
Bottom line; yes. A steel frame is more robust and will handle full-house loads all the live-long day. It will likely outlast a brasser in the long run as well. But if cost is keeping you from shooting because you can't afford a new or steel frame gun, hell-go for it.

 

[Billnpatti]

Ya know, I think you are right, Zimmer. My bad. I didn't look at the catalogs, I just know that Peterzoli and Uberti make good guns and I didn't look to see if they made any with brass frames. Good catch on your part. Thanks.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Actually, I ran a sporting goods store for two years and I tried to keep up with what is available. Nothing aggravated me more than a guy calling and demanding a model or caliber that wasn't manufactured. Sometimes trying to tactfully explain the lack of such a thing got me in trouble. One time a guy wanted to order a 700BDL but not the one made by Remington, he wanted the one made by Birmingham Small Arms, cause his buddy had one. If I asked the customer to find out where the buddy got his, I must be stupid, If I tried to sell a comparable BSA that wasn't a 700BDL, I must be stupid, If I said there is no such thing, I am also stupid.

One guy actually wrote to the home office complaining that I refused to sell him a pair of Chuck Taylor Allstars made by Addidas. Fortunately the home office buyer realized the problem and wrote to the customer telling him that I would pay him $250 if he could bring in a pair of Chuck Taylor's by Addidas. (Nice of him to offer my money, but it was a safe bet)

Rather than cause a net search for "fender bearings", or cause similar aggravation for a gun shop clerk, I figured I'd point out that apparently only Pietta currently makes brassers.

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

In short, yes you do, and then you want to get a steel frame revolver.

 

[colmoultrie]

Just bite the bullet and get a steel frame 1860 Army. Then get a second barrel, and whack one of them down to 2 1/2". It's historically correct (look up "Avenging Angel"), and you have two very different pistols with very different characteristics.

Of course, I have only had the long barrel on the pistol twice in the ten - fifteen years since I've owned it, so maybe you can save your money on the second barrel. It's a blast to shoot, in every sense of the word.

 

[dubshooter]

I love LOVE short barrel revolvers. I'm leaning towards a steel frame, short barrel. but who knows what I will get.

Hopefully I will get my casting supplies first. But sometimes it's hard to turn down another gun.....

 

[AZbpBurner]

Hello all. I've recently got my Remington New Army with 5.5" barrel, and now (of course), I"m getting the itch for a Colt Model. I really like shorter barrel revolvers, although not sure if they're consistant with the time period, I just like the looks of them and how theyhandle.

That being said, I've got my eye on the Pietta 1851 Colt Confederate Navy in .44 at cabelas, but it's a breass frame. The reason my eye came to that was the price and the shorter barrel.

1851

But I've also noticed the 1861 Sheriffs revolver in .36 and the 1862 Police revolver. I don't know anything about the difference between the 1851, 1861 and 1862 models, besides about $80. And I'm not sure the big difference between brass and steel frame, besides the stories of brass frames stretching from heavy loads.

I'm also not sure if it's better to branch out from .44 right away and get a .36 cal revolver, because that would just be more molds and punches to buy to make my round balls and wads.

Are there any suggestions? I like to learn as much as I can about my firearms before I buy them, and obsess a little, and drive my wife crazy before I actually buy it. Then when I get it, I can show her all the things I had talked about the few months before I bought it, and pretend she is actually listening :grin:

OK, now let me throw you a curve. Everyone eventually has a Colt 1851, 1861, 1860, and some go on to the 1862 New Police, then on to a Walker or Dragoon.

Let me suggest a Colt Dragoon in Whitneyville, 1st, 2nd or 3d Models. They all have shorter barrels (than the Walker) so should be more to your liking.

Consider also the 1858 Remington in .36 cal. Even with a lighter & more accurate load, you'll hear the crack of the supersonic ball. Accuracy is on par with your Sheriff's Model, which, by now, you've discovered that there's no significant lack of accuracy vs the longer & more ungainly barrels.

I grew up with an 1861 Colt Navy and it took me over 30 years to discover that, while fun to shoot, it's nowhere as easy to quickly clean as the Remington, which is faster to disassemble, clean & reassemble simply by virtue of fewer screws to contend with. I can easier & quicker clean 2 Remingtons than I can 2 Colts, simply because all those grip frame & trigger guard screws slow me down.

If I had to sell all my cap & ball revolvers, to keep only one Colt & one Remington, I would keep the 2nd Model Dragoon, and either the .44 or .36 Remington - hard to narrow it down, since both work so well ...

I have an Uberti 1862 New Police, and it is Beautiful (to look at). Mechanically, it needed longer nipples installed just to be able to fire, the wedge fit was poor & needed to be tightened up, and that short, wussy little pointed bead front sight needs to be replaced with something much taller because it shoots about 8" low at 50 ft. It is a miniature version of my 1861 Navy, nevertheless, ain't gonna see any more range time until I figger out how to remove the existing front sight & make a taller one - not sure whether it's just press-fit, or actually threaded, so its' a back burner project for sometime later.