I agree on having the hammer down on an empty chamber. The Italian Colt’s & Remington copies have the pins/notches respectively, like the originals, but when I examine them, they almost never work as intended due to sloppy machining & poorer metallurgy than originals. People can do what they want, but many aren’t being nearly as safe as they think they are.
The pins on my Pietta 1860 seem like it would take a pretty deliberate effort to break them off. As for the notches in my Remington cylinders, they all hold the hammer solidly, and nothing could break the edges of those notches without destroying the whole revolver.
I typed out a long & detailed reply but am editing it to this reply because I proof read it & it sounded more rude than I intended. Suffice it to say that many reproduction revolvers I have examined have safety systems/features that I find less than trustworthy. If yours is good, so much the better.
I have carried a pair of Pietta 51 Navies in flap holsters , with 6 in the cylinders and the hammer on a pin.
I admittedly half-a$$ the cleaning of my brass frame Piettas because they are just range blasters. I basically treat them like you described, I hit them with a quick and dirty cleaning like a guy who has to clean them to keep an NCO off my back so I can go back to wasting my time doing other things like sleeping or smoking a pipe.
I keep a snubby Ruger Redhawk .44 under my car seat because I have an hour drive to and from work, and have had some Bizarro run ins and experiences over the years with people.
The one consideration using round ball compared to a heavy caliber modern gun and load is over penetration and hitting something you don't which to out the other side . The round ball would be a real plus in this scenario as it would probably stay in the first bad guy.
I carry a . 44 caliber Griswold & Gunnison all the time at home unless we're havin bear trouble. When I fire the G&G, I very carefully clean the fired cylinder and the carried empty cylinder, using great care to leave the unfired ones high and dry. I also clean the barrel assembly, and the rest of the gun, and thoroughly oil it all. I then load the carried empty cylinder, so I rotate which one is kept empty. Therefore rotating the ones that are fired. If I have to fire twice, or a couple months ago by without firing, I dump a cylinders and throw all invited balls into my lead can for future recasting, and clean the whole works.
I politely disagree. The C&B revolver is not as good as a modern SA. Unless they are manuf. exactly the same, same steel, metallurgy, CNC etc. The modern firearm is amazingly reliable. What is even more reliable is the ammunition. You can use numerous kinds /types of ammo in a modern SA depending on the job at hand. The ammo of today can be bought with sealed primers & necks making them virtually impermeable to weather , or you can do it yourself when reloading. etc. NO C&B can ever claim that. Bump the C&B, dislodge a cap, have a shot cap fall in the action and you are no where. Heck, they test the Austrian Unmentionable G underwater! and it shoots, multiple times! They have shot it with the locking block cracked, no problem, they have shot them over 200,000 rds, no problem. Can't believe we are even having this discussion. C&B revolvers are fun, historical and can be solid shooters, but they are not nearly as reliable as a good quality modern day SA. If you are out and about and there is a chance of serious danger whether 4 legged or 2, It would be prudent to use the best equipment you can get, IMHO
This I agree with. I don't carry a cap and ball as my EDC. That is set aside for something more modern. My question in particular is field/farm/ranch carry where the need to fire is to dispatch nuisance animals not a life and death scenario. Dispatching with expensive self defense loads seems excessive when a cheaper lead round ball is sufficient.
when your adrenaline is going it feels light as a feather and the recoil is not noticed much at all
Now thats a story I'd like to hear!
People who are casually into shooting, like friends or coworkers ask how " powerful " the cap and ball revolvers they see at Cabelas or Bass Pro shop are, I'm like , they aren't magnums, they rely on pushing a lead ball or bullet at a moderate speed compared to modern guns. And that lead projectile will certainly kill but it's not a Dirty Harry .44 that takes your head clean off....
You are talking pennies. If you need to dispatch an animal it should not take more than one or two shots. That should not break the bank. There are so many ammo choices today that you could certainly find something at a reasonable price that would do the job. IMHO
